What is Comprehensive Performance Assessment?

Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) is about helping councils deliver better services to local communities. All Councils in the country are subject to CPA assessment.

To comply with CPA, a Council must undertake a rigorous self assessment around set criteria. In the past, these criteria have included our ambition, prioritisation, focus, capacity, performance management and achievements.

The Audit Commission then inspect us during a week-long inspection, grading the Council as appropriate.

The result from our 2004 inspection was that we are an Excellent Council. We are one of only four District Councils in South West England to have achieved this top rating.

From 2005, the focus of CPA inspections has shifted to assessing a council's use of resources, value for money and direction of travel (whether it is improving or getting worse.) Further guidance on the revised CPA framework for district councils was released in Summer 2006.

The big changes are:

• partnerships - a much greater focus on what partnerships are delivering
• value for money (VFM) and efficiency - a more rigorous assessment, and links with efficiency reporting
• a greater use of a wider range of information to replace reliance on inspections
• a rules based approach, rather than adding up scores. This will apply within the corporate assessment, and also to the make-up of the overall CPA score

Further Information

For further information about CPA, visit the Audit Commission's website (external link) or contact the CPA Team.

Scrutiny and Performance Team
Tel: 01823 356397
Email: scrutinyandperformance@tauntondeane.gov.uk