Bedfordshire County Council has cited managing agent contracts (MAC) as the key to its success in achieving a ‘dramatic turnaround’ in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).
The local authority improved its environment score from one to four stars between 2002 and 2008.
The performance of local authority environment services on a whole ‘improved significantly’ in 2008, according to the Audit Commission. It revealed the number of councils receiving top marks almost doubled from 22 to 41.
Tom Wootton, cabinet member for environment at Bedfordshire County Council, said the authority had been ‘bold’, and was the first council to introduce an ‘innovative’ MAC to deliver highway management at ground level. ‘We trusted our area teams and ground staff to do a good job. We took the power from the ivory towers and put it in the hands of people who had never had it before – and this is how they repaid us.’
Wootton also praised his ‘excellent’ waste services team, which had improved the area’s recycling rate from 5% to 40%. ‘Almost everything is recyclable now, thanks to the team members great ideas and enthusiasm, which has made recycling easier than ever before for residents.
‘They have launched a number of campaigns to take everything from yoghurt pots to old shoes.’ Councils were assessed on key services, including planning, waste management and transport.
‘Ninety-five per cent of councils performed consistently or well above the minimum requirements for environment – scoring three or four – in 2008,’ the report said. In total, no local authority performed below the minimum requirements, and 44 councils improved their environment service score by one star.
However, no authorities improved on their 2007 score by two stars, and Rutland, Thurrock, Walsall and Wiltshire received a lower score than the previous year. County councils performed ‘particularly well’, with almost three-quarters (74%) performing ‘well above’ minimum requirements. Unitary councils achieved a lower amount of top performances – ‘only’ 9% scored top marks.
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