LGA seeks views on changes to sector-led improvement regime

21 Jan 15
The Local Government Association has set out proposals to modify its cross-sector improvement regime for councils to ensure moves towards Community Budgets and other place-based funding deals are reflected.

By Richard Johnstone | 21 January 2015

The Local Government Association has set out proposals to modify its cross-sector improvement regime for councils to ensure moves towards Community Budgets and other place-based funding deals are reflected.

Launching a consultation on the umbrella group’s improvement work, which is intended help councils boost their own performance by sharing best practice, Peter Fleming, chair of the LGA’s improvement and innovation board, said its expansion since the winding down of the Audit Commission had been successful.

‘This consultation is an opportunity for those in local government to ensure sector-led improvement remains relevant,’ he stated.

‘An independent evaluation into sector-led improvement has already taken place and we hope the consultation will build on its findings.

‘The previous top-down approach to council improvement was estimated to cost £2bn a year, whereas sector-led improvement is locally-driven, much cheaper and more effective.’

The evaluation, published in May 2014, found more than 350 peer challenges took place between April 2011 and March 2014 and there was training and development for more than 2,000 councillors.

Additionally, more than £400m and some 250 graduates were recruited to work in local government.

To ensure that improvement support can match the reforms in the sector, the Taking stockconsultation document asks how the move towards a more place-based approach should be reflected. It also asks whether more needs to be done to boost the local accountability, including whether how to provide comparable data on council performance. Among the options is a proposal to expect all councils to carry out and publish a self-assessment each year.

The consultation will close in mid-March.

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