Local government performance framework
What is the performance framework?
The local government white paper
In the local government white paper, Strong and prosperous communities, the Government committed to implementing a new streamlined performance framework. The backbone of the new framework is the 198 indicators against which local government will begin to report its performance from April 2008:
- Strong and prosperous communities - the local government white paper (on CLG website)
The new local government performance framework (LGPF)
The national indicator set has been designed to measure progress against agreed national priority outcomes in local area agreements.
Local area agreements (LAA)
30 June 2008: 150 new local area agreements were announced. These three-year agreements demonstrate local government and their strategic partners’ commitment to tackling climate change and improving the environment.
Background
Everywhere in England currently has an LAA. From 2008 this will become a much more powerful framework for devolved governance, with local areas better able to determine how to coordinate and deliver services in their area. Pooled funding, for example, will enable delivery partners to work together towards shared outcomes for their citizens.
The sustainable community strategy sets out the vision and priorities for each place. Local development frameworks (LDFs) and local area agreements (LAAs) articulate how these, combined with national priorities are to be delivered. LDFs focus on spatial planning and LAAs concentrate on service delivery of high national and local priorities or where performance requires particular attention.
The local strategic partnership (LSP) will have a stronger role at the heart of it. Each LAA will have a lead authority who will have to report against the whole set of indicators and agree up to about 35 of them (plus the 18 statutory early years and performance targets for the Department for Education and Skills) as ‘local improvement targets’ to form the basis of their LAA. The indicators and targets that are chosen for each LAA will differ from place to place. In addition, an area may agree its own ‘local priority targets’, which may or may not be drawn from the national set.
While burdens from central government will be reduced, direct accountability to communities will be increased.
Data Interchange Hub
The Department for Communities and Local Government have launched the Data Interchange Hub. The Data Interchange Hub (the hub) has two main aims:
- To reduce the burden on collecting data for local authorities.
- To ensure that local authorities have all the information they need to gauge their own performance against the National Indicators.
The hub will gather published information on performance against the national indicators from across government to provide a one-stop location for all stakeholders.
The hub guide provides a comprehensive introduction to the use of the repository and is available from the Communities and Local Government web site:
Comprehensive area assessment (CAA)
In April 2009 the comprehensive area assessment (CAA) will replace the comprehensive performance assessment (CPA). This will offer a more proportionate and risk based approach to inspection. Performance against the national indicator set, primarily focussing on the priority indicators and targets identified in the LAA will form a key element of the new arrangements. The Audit Commission will finalise its approach during 2008.
Further Information
Page last modified: 30 June 2008
Page published: 10 April 2008