HC Deb 08 July 2002 vol 388 c679W
Mr. Pickles

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will make a statement on the future of Best Value as a means of assessing the performance of local authorities; [67446]

(2) if he will make a statement on the relationship between the role of Best Value assessments in local authorities and the new comprehensive performance assessment; and if he will make a statement. [67438]

Mr. Raynsford

Comprehensive Performance Assessments bring together different judgments about a local authority's performance, many of which arise from audits and inspections carried out under the best value powers in the Local Government Act 1999. Such assessments will be used to determine, in consultation with individual councils, the timing and content of subsequent audit and inspection activity. In the case of good performing authorities, we anticipate reduced levels of inspection from next year. All authorities can expect a more proportionate risk based programme of both audit and inspection, and better co-ordination across the range of their functions.

Mr. Pickles

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of complying with the comprehensive performance assessment system; and if he will make a statement. [67437]

Mr. Raynsford

Comprehensive Performance Assessments make significant use of existing performance information from the following sources:

  • inspections;
  • audit reports;
  • performance indicator data;
  • other central Government assessment data;
together with a corporate governance assessment of the authority as a whole, which includes an element of self assessment.

Additional inspection fieldwork is kept to the minimum necessary to provide fair and robust judgments. The Audit Commission will undertake the majority of this fieldwork by redirecting their scheduled inspection activities. Because the fieldwork will replace some, or all, of the planned inspection activity for the period up to December 2002, it will be achieved within the existing fee envelope for local councils.