CPA may mask environmental failure

01 March 2007

The fact that eight out of 10 county and single-tier authorities were awarded good performance scores overall by government inspectors masks lacklustre environmental service delivery by a significant minority of the best.
An analysis of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment scores for 2006 reveals that 11% of authorities gaining three or four stars overall were judged as having only two-star environmental services departments – the ‘minimum’ acceptable score. This included four top-rated ‘four-star’ councils and 13 three-star authorities.
Overall, there was particularly good improvement for environmental services, with 84% of councils in the top two categories, up from 52% in 2005. But the findings suggests that some authorities highlighted as best serving residents are giving less attention to roads and waste.
London boroughs, singled out for praise on their overall performance– with 85% receiving three or four stars compared with 79% nationally – were the worst performers on issues such as road repairs and safety. Seventy per cent were in the top two categories for environmental services, compared with 84% across England.
Conversely, 23 of the 29 two or one-star councils scored above the minimum acceptable score for environmental services, including Stoke-on-Trent, which was judged to be ‘not improving adequately’.
The County Surveyors’ Society had hoped CPA would provide an incentive for leaders to focus on transport, by requiring at least an average score on issues such as keeping traffic moving to become top-rated (Surveyor, 30 June 2005).
Suffolk County Council was the only county to receive two stars for environmental services – while gaining the top four-star rating.
Only three out of 10 of London councils got above the ‘adequate’ level, he said – and the national score ‘doesn’t take into account the particular challenges’ of services such as recycling in high-density areas with mobile populations.
Cumbria council leaders, meanwhile, were pleased with the acknowledgement that its environmental services had leapt from one star in 2005 to three stars last year.
Also see The Harder Test. February 2007 : www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports /index.asp

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