Performance indicators for the 32 Scottish local authorities are produced by Audit Scotland. Their role is to ensure organisations that spend public money in Scotland use it properly, efficiently and effectively. Audit reports containing performance indicators are produced by them for each council every year.
Check the answers below to some of our most frequently asked questions (FAQ)
FAQ
- How does Audit of Scotland audit each council?
- How are indicators selected?
- Are all local authorities measured against the same performance indicators?
- How reliable is the data?
How does Audit of Scotland audit each council?
A new programme of Best Value and Community Planning audits was introduced in early 2004 and will cover all 32 councils within three years. The new programme is based on the following principles:
- Local context - each council is free to determine its own arrangements in order to achieve Best Value and respond to the distinctive needs of its local community. This places the emphasis on performance trends within each council, rather than comparison against other councils
- No league tables or scores - As outlined above the emphasis on local context means the audits will look at each council's strengths and weaknesses, focusing on areas that need specific improvement.
- Corporate focus - As well as looking at individual services the audit will look at corporate responsibilities and focus
- Performance - essentially the concern is continuous improvement in performance
How are indicators selected?
As far as possible the performance indicators measure the performance of aspects of a service that is of interest to the public and important to relevant service managers. Some indictors measure quantity of and expenditure on a service. A number of indicators measure how quickly the council responds to a request for a service: this is often a good measure of the effectiveness and quality of a service.
Are all local authorities measured against the same performance indicators?
Yes, each local authority is measured against the same performance indicators. However there are a number of factors which could affect a local authority's individual results. These include population size, population density and the mix between urban and rural areas.
How reliable is the data?
To help the local authorities produce data of the best quality Audit Scotland provides guidelines to ensure consistency. However there’ll be cases where auditors feel there are doubts about a local authority’s arrangements for producing the data. These performance indicators will be marked to indicate their potential unreliability.
For more information on Scottish performance indicators please visit the Audit Scotland website
If you’ve any comments or require further information on your council’s performance indicators, please contact us
Find it, rent it, buy it...
Search through thousands of properties for sale and rent in Aviemore.
Propertyindex.com is the UK's local property portal.
