Council officers give best value full approval

Best value has received the overwhelming support of senior
council officers in England as a significant way of improving local
services, according to a government report.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s report found 75
per cent of senior local authority officers, believed best value is
a major force for organisational change and performance
improvement.

It is the first national census of councils’ attitudes
towards best value and was conducted in 2001. The report’s
findings are based on responses from 534 corporate officers, 1,821
service officers and 481 elected members in 314 English
councils.

However, the majority of respondents said the costs associated
with conducting a best value review were excessive for councils.
Smaller district local authorities also found some difficulties in
adapting a corporate approach to best value, completing reviews and
coping with inspection.

‘Best Value in English Local Government: Summary Results from
the Census of Local Authorities in 2001’ from www.odpm.gov.uk/news/0209/0063.htm