09 November 2007
The forthcoming Comprehensive Area Assessment regime will evaluate public sector bodies' environmental sustainability, the Audit Commission confirmed last week.
The 'use of resources' element of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment will be retained in the new inspection regime but adapted to take account of how well an authority manages its natural, as well as its financial, resources.
Under current proposals, the five themes that make up the use of resources assessment will be replaced with three new ones. These are: managing money; managing business; and managing other resources.
Mike Barnes, head of CAA development at the Audit Commission, said the management of natural resources would be a key element of the third theme alongside staff and asset management.
'This isn't going to be an environment audit,' he told a CIPFA conference on November 1. 'What this is trying to say is, “Do you as organisations understand what your carbon footprint is? Have you got a strategy for reducing carbon emissions? Have you set targets? Are you monitoring the information that's coming in from all your establishments? Are you using and acting upon it?” It's more of a top-level, helicopter view about your [environmental] impact.'
Local government will have its chance to respond to the proposals when the Audit Commission issues a consultation paper on the use of resources element of CAA due to be published on November 19.
A consultation paper on CAA in its entirety is also due to be published on the same day by the commission and the six other inspectorates that have been involved in drawing up the new regime.
As well as the use of resources judgement, CAA will continue to collate and publish national performance indicators for every local authority and a 'direction of travel' statement.
But for the first time an area-based risk assessment will be included, which will attempt to assess how well public services across a locality are meeting key priorities. This assessment will be reached by the Audit Commission in conjunction with the six other inspectorates involved in CAA.
Addressing a separate local government conference on November 1, Audit Commission chief executive Steve Bundred said it would be a challenge for all the inspectorates to deliver the ambitious CAA programme with fewer resources.
'CAA needs to be capable of being seen as a reduction in the burden of inspection, while at the same time giving government what it needs and giving the public what it expects,' he said.
PFnov2007
