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LAA Performance Management Framework
LAAs have been designed to create a new central-local government relationship that gives local areas more freedom to set their own priorities, with a view to improving quality of life locally. Local authorities and their partners need to put in place robust arrangements for delivering outcomes and managing performance. These processes need to be accountable and transparent to local citizens and encourage the empowerment and engagement of local communities. Although central government is placing a greater reliance on the robustness and transparency of local systems, they will wish to monitor progress towards LAA targets, and provide support or intervention if necessary.
Local Performance Management
Councils have an obligation to monitor any 'local targets' they include in their LAA at a local level and to provide regular performance data to the Government Offices on the 16 statutory education targets and their chosen 'up to 35' national indicators. There are also 20 indicators relating to citizen perspectives that will be collected through a single survey administered by local authorities. See the following consultation on the proposed survey of place. If councils choose to become part of a Multi-Area Agreement (MAA) they will also need to provide data towards collective sub-regional outcome-based targets.
- Local management data must be timely, of appropriate quality and capture the views of local people. Local service providers can help by providing the views of their service users and evidence that their outcomes meet LAA specific targets. See the Triangle Consulting paper - Demonstrating a valuable contribution on homelessness within the national indicators
- The system must include self assessment and peer challenge e.g betwwen different departments / local authorities – this involves a need to be robust, honest and transparent.
- Overview and local stakeholder scrutiny panels should be used to raise questions on priorities, progress and action being taken to tackle under performance. The public should have access to the conclusions of scrutiny reviews of the LAA.
Independent Assessment
From April 2009 the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) conducted by The Audit Commission and other inspectorates should be a source of independent challenge and assurance to local partners, government and citizens in a way that is 'risk-based and proportionate to local circumstance'. The first joint consultation on Comprehensive Area Assessment took place on on 19 November 2007. The Audit Commission's and other inspectorates roles include:
- Be the gatekeeper for all inspection affecting local authorities. The Commission can challenge proposals for inspection that it considers would impose an unreasonable burden on the inspected body.
- Scrutinise areas on their performance against all 198 indicators rather than just the 'up to 35' chosen indicators.
- Provide an independent assessment of the prospects for delivering on the chosen LAA targets.
- Assess the quality of arrangements for data on which reporting depends.
- Help to identify trends and issues that might cause a risk to performance or achieving outcomes as well as best practice.
- discuss the results of CAA with the Government Office (GO) to inform the improvement planning process in each area, including proposals for inspections where appropriate.
See NCVO's briefing on Comprehensive Area Assessments
National performance monitoring and management
Central Government needs assurance of delivery towards its national priorities, and to have early warning about any problems arising. GOs will track progress towards delivery of targets against the trajectories agreed with local partnerships. If performance appears to be slipping significantly, the GO will initiate discussions with the partnership to understand the problems and the actions being taken to get back on track and may initiate further intervention.
Government Offices role includes:
- Negotiate and agree an LAA with each county or unitary authority and their partners to recommend to the Secretary of State
- Manage the government’s relationship with each local area
- Share any relevant data or softer intelligence with the Inspectorates
- Undertake an annual review of the LAA with the local authority and its partners, drawing on the CAA, and re-negotiate LAA targets with local authorities and their partners as necessary
- Decide in the light of evidence whether Government actions/interventions might be appropriate – and work with central government establish this.
Annual Reviews
The first annual reviews of LAAs will take place in autumn/winter 2008/09 less than 6 months after the sign-off of the new agreements and without the input of the new CAA. It will focus on:
- Robustness of performance management systems for the delivery of the new LAA targets and progress on initial milestones
- the need for any additional capacity-building or improvement support
- any changes to local priorities that the local authority and partners feel need to lead to renegotiation of LAA targets
- confirming/reviewing any designated LAA targets set against indicators for which there was no baseline at the time of negotiation.