The Government has backed a new initiative by London’s boroughs to drive up performance on environmental and other services with intervention by better-performing councils replacing that by Whitehall inspectors.
The Government Office for London’s support for the Association of London Government’s ‘capital ambition’ project came as councils nationally called for a peer support-based replacement for the Comprehensive Performance Assessment post-2008.
The ALG wants the capital’s boroughs to act collectively to take action to boost public service delivery and tackle under-performance. The plans could see boroughs struggling to improve services – with environmental services needing particular attention, with 14 of the 33 boroughs only receiving two-star ratings in December – voluntarily allowing intervention by ‘politically-friendly’ neighbours.
But ‘capital ambition’ would offer a mutual support system that would aim to nip potential failures in the bud early, building on the peer review system run by the Improvement and Development Agency. The ALG envisages that every borough would commission a peer review on either a specific service or theme area every two years. It also hopes more councils will encourage their members and staff to put themselves forward for peer accreditation, to increase the local pool of people taking part in the scheme from 35 members and 29 officers in October 2005 to 55 Members and 50 officers by December 2008.
The success of the strategy would be measured both by ensuring that all London boroughs have an overall CPA rating of at least two and an upwards direction of travel, and of increased public confidence, as measured by opinion surveys.
A spokeswoman for the ALG said: ‘London boroughs scored highly in the recent, more rigorous CPA ratings, however there is still a need to address the weak service areas affecting even strongly-performing councils.
‘Capital ambition is based on the recognition any under-performing service anywhere in the capital adversely affects the reputation of London local government as a whole. This strategy marks a collective effort by local government to address a range of improvement issues and set its own targets.
‘London boroughs will support each other to drive up standards through voluntary peer intervention. This means councils requiring practical support will be able to receive this from a neighbouring local authority, or one of similar political affiliation, which has experienced of similar pressures and problems.’
The idea has been trialled on other service areas. ~Swindon Borough Council~ realised there was a need for drastic change if it was going to turn around its failing services. Its social services have risen from ‘no stars’ to two after it entered into a partnership with ~Kent County Council~ in October 2004 under which it benefited from a transfer of skills, expertise and effective systems.
The LGA this week also called for ‘robust peer review’, plus detailed surveys of what the public want to replace the CPA system – the latter to be inspired by the National Consumer Council.