18 January 2008
Councils affected by last summer's floods could be exempt from some performance indicators in the next round of local government inspections.
An Audit Commission consultation on changes to the 2008 Comprehensive Performance Assessment acknowledges that the flooding of areas such as Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire — hit this week for the second time — could have had a significant impact on a council's ability to meet some indicators.
For instance, an authority's rubbish collection and recycling performance could have been affected as they dealt with an increased amount of contaminated waste, the commission said. Similarly, the flooding could also have worsened average re-let times as councils made use of empty homes to house families affected by the flooding.
Other proposals in the consultation paper include minor alterations to environment, housing and culture service assessments and a change to the benefits service assessment to bring it more in line with the rest of the Audit Commission's work.
PFjan2008
