By David Williams
The Comprehensive Area Assessment system needs to be changed to take more account of the role of councillors, the Local Government Association is arguing.
The Comprehensive Area Assessment system needs to be changed to take more account of the role of councillors, the Local Government Association is arguing.It has asked the Audit Commission to change the performance evaluation regime, which came into operation this month.
In a statement issued jointly with the Improvement and Development Agency, the LGA said: ‘The role of local councillors is still not being fully understood and built into the new system.’
The LGA argued that, compared with other public bodies, elected members are one of the defining features of a council.
It said the CAA must take into account the complex role of councillors in giving leadership and vision to communities while balancing resources and public demand.
David Parsons, chair of the LGA’s improvement board, said: ‘Inspectorates can’t just rely on published performance data – they need to understand the areas they are assessing, the ambitions for the area and the local politics.
‘They need to talk to councillors. This didn’t happen in the CAA trials, and is not reflected in the final CAA framework.’
The LGA also called for authorities to be assessed in part by ‘peer’ councillors, who would be able to challenge the self-evaluation element built into CAA.
