Great progress has been made by many councils in the seven years since the launch of Comprehensive Performance Assessments.Credit must be given to the local politicians who have helped lead this change
As local government moves from Comprehensive Performance Assessments to Comprehensive Area Assessments in April, it is important to take stock of how local politicians have led improvements and what their insights can tell us for the future.
In 2002, there were just 76 ‘excellent’ and ‘good’ upper-tier councils. By 2008, this had risen to 124. In 2002, one in five councils were in the lowest two categories of CPA scores. Just six years later, only one in 100 were.
For the low-scoring councils, these ratings acted as a ‘wake-up call’. Common factors in their subsequent success included: political and managerial leadership; ensuring staff were involved in the changes; clear plans; strong partnership working; good communications; a systematic focus on the needs of local people; and a commitment to continuous improvement.
One of the most improved authorities is the London Borough of Waltham Forest, the only council to have gone from a ‘poor’/zero stars rating to ‘excellent’/four stars in the space of six years.
‘That CPA outcome was the real catalyst for change,’ says Clyde Loakes, who was catapulted into the position of leader. The previous leader and chief executive had stopped speaking to each other, so Loakes’s first priority was to reopen the lines of communication.
Waltham Forest had a daunting range of problems, including poor education and children’s services.
Change was gradual, says Loakes. Roger Taylor arrived as interim chief executive in 2007 and set about encouraging staff to think more strategically. Peer support from the Improvement and Development Agency was also helpful.
‘It has been a real partnership between the politicians and the officers, from the front line to the top,’ says Loakes. ‘You can’t change an organisation without the support and engagement of staff.’
North Shropshire is another authority that has come a long way. Rated ‘poor’ in 2004, it was then the fifth weakest district council in England. The process of improvement began slowly, according to David Minnery, then the council’s vice-chair and now leader. It took the departure of some staff and members to really get things going — those who remained were ready to make a difference.
In 2005, the incoming chief executive, Nicola Yates, was told to achieve at least a ‘fair’ CPA rating. An intense period of reorganisation and change followed, with initiatives such as a new corporate plan and staff performance appraisal system. External support came from organisations including the IDA and the Local Government Association.
Just 1,300 days later, in February 2008, North Shropshire was declared to be ‘good’ — and close to ‘excellent’.
So what had changed? ‘The human element was a barrier — the attitude of some members and officers — and cost,’ says Minnery. ‘Change does not come cheap. When you suddenly have to spend £150,000 on training, for instance, that is a big chunk of money. You have to find it — and justify it to the people who are paying.’
Developing a good working relationship between the leader and chief executive was also important. ‘If you want to be “good” or “excellent”, you don’t meddle, as a member. You say — that is where we want to be, and there is the money. Come back and tell me where you have any problems.’
For Kingston upon Hull City Council, improving meant facing up to some harsh criticisms. In July 2002, a corporate governance inspection by the Audit Commission was highly critical, referring to a ‘precarious budget position’, ‘generally poor performance indicators’ and lack of a ‘strategy for significant over-provision’ of council housing and schools. Leadership and management were described as ‘weak’.
By 2008, however, the council was ‘improving strongly’. Relations between councillors and officers had also substantially improved.
Leader Carl Minns is proud of the progress, but describes the initial corporate governance report as only partially accurate. While the council had some fundamental problems, he says, this intervention was neither accurate nor helpful.
Minns says user focus has improved, with customer service centres across the city and a ‘Hull People’s Panel’ set up. The crime rate has also fallen by 43% since 2004, and community and neighbourhood partnerships are working well. Minns says he wants Hull to ‘become the sort of place that others can learn from’.
The CPA might be coming to an end but its legacy will continue as many in local government do indeed learn from the way that the leaders of Hull and the other councils have tackled their problems.
Teresa Payne is policy manager at the Improvement and Development Agency. This article is based on the IDA book Looking back, moving forward: accounts of council improvement by leading politicians, available at www.idea.gov.uk/lookingback-movingforward
