Performance and Improvement

Highlighted by the Welsh Assembly Government as the best performing street lighting authority in the Principality, the Vale of Glamorgan Council's street lighting operations went on to be judged as the best in Britain for 2005/06 at the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) Annual Performance Management Awards.

All councils seek to achieve the highest possible standards of service delivery to meet the needs and aspirations of local communities. Councils are therefore continually striving to improve their services.

Since 1999, Councils have a duty to “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which they exercise the functions, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness”. Councils in Wales have embraced this duty from the outset, and worked with the Assembly Government to develop the Wales Programme for Improvement, introduced in 2002.

The Wales Programme for Improvement is a risk-based approach to improvement that seeks to reflect local strategic priorities of the Council and its communities. Under the programme, councils examine how far it is ‘fit for purpose’, and the track record and future prospects of the council services. Through this self-assessment, councils are challenged to identify and address areas of under-performance and barriers preventing improvement and innovation.

Their priority areas for improvement are followed through via action plans and councils are required to report publicly on their progress and future intentions in an annual Improvement Plan. The Wales Audit Office and other regulatory bodies hold the council to account and follow the council’s management of risk through audit and inspection.

Councils across Wales have made considerable progress since the introduction of the Wales Programme for Improvement, with councillors developing new skills, and taking a more active and confident role in working with, and constructively challenging, officers to ensure high standards of performance and drive further improvement.

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