Comprehensive Performance Assessment
Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) is a Government initiative to improve local government. You may have seen the inspections of schools and hospitals, and the league tables that follow. Well, CPA is much the same, but for local authorities. All local authorities, including National Park Authorities are inspected by a team from the Audit Commission, often described in the media as government watchdogs. Further information in respect of Comprehensive Performance Assessment is provided by the Audit Commission.
The assessors talk to Members of the National Park Authority and staff at all levels, as well as to the public and the partnership bodies, to get a view from as wide a perspective as possible. They see how the National Park Authority delivers its services, what improvements it could make, what difficulties are faced, before they make a judgement and award a rating. The ratings are excellent, good, fair, weak and poor. Their rating is accompanied by a report, which is made public, explaining why they reached that conclusion.
Local authorities achieving good or excellent ratings will enjoy certain freedoms, which include relaxation of financial controls and a holiday from inspections. The main parts of the CPA are:
A Self-Assessment Document
The National Park Authority produces a report for the inspection team which looks at its achievements, strengths and weaknesses
A Peer Challenge
A kind of dummy run for the real inspection. A team of peers (colleagues from other authorities) visit the authority, their job is to speak to representatives, groups and individuals, study evidence and the Authority's draft self assessment (see above) and compile a report which, amongst other things, suggest improvements to the self-assessment. Their report is sent to the Audit Commission Inspectors as part of the evidence.
A Corporate Assessment
An official check on how the local authority operates. Linked to the Self-Assessment and the Peer Challenge, this looks at performance against four questions:
- What is the local authority trying to achieve?
- How has the authority set about delivering the most important improvements?
- What has the authority achieved/not achieved to date?
- In the light of what has been achieved so far, what does the authority plan to do next?
The answers to these questions are scored between 1 - 4 as follows:
- 1 = weak
- 2 = weaknesses exceed strengths
- 3 = strengths exceed weaknesses
- 4 = strong
Documentation
Key documents, such as strategies, policies, and reports are sent to the Inspection Team before they arrive. They also receive long lists of contacts in community groups and the authority's partners, many of whom will be asked to speak to them during the inspection.
Self Assessment
This is the final version of the Self Assessment document which is sent to the Audit Commission. In preparing it, the authority incorporates comments made by external partners, members and staff
Progress on Comprehensive Performance Assessment
The National Park Authority has undertaken a pilot Comprehensive Performance Assessment. The results of this exercise have been fed into the Corporate Plan.
The Review Panel scrutinises and audits Northumberland National Park Authority. It reviews the business of the National Park Authority to show that it is being conducted according to its principles.
Click here to view related documents such as the Annual Report and Best Value documents
Local Government Service List 725
Email:forward.planning@nnpa.org.uk
Telephone: 01434 611577
Fax: 01434 611664
