Best Value

Robust performance management is at the heart of any drive to secure continuous improvement and delivery of high quality services.

The Best Value regime came into force in April 2000. It provides the statutory basis upon which Councils plan, review and manage their performance in order to deliver continuous improvement in all services and to meet the needs and expectations of service users.

Local Councils have to regularly review all their services, set tough targets for improving them and publish a Best Value Performance Plan every year to show how they're doing. Best value performance plans and reviews are audited. This means there will be an independant check.

Best Value Reviews ask searching questions about what the Council and its contractors offer local people. Councils have to ask these questions:

Challenge why do we do this? Can we do it a better way?

Consult What do local people think? How do the Council's employees think they could do things better? What do other organisations that provide the service think?

Compare Do other Councils or similar organisations give a better service?

Compete Could the work be done better or more cheaply by another contractor? Do opportunities exist for partnerships with other public bodies, businesses or voluntary organisations?

More recent Government policies (mainly the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) regime introduced in 2002), have encouraged the development of better performance management and a stronger focus on improvement at corporate level. As a result very few Council's now undertake service level performance reviews. During 2006/7, Stratford-on-Avon District Council undertook a review of Partnership Working which reflects this change in approach to the Government guidance.

Information taken from DCLG website & the long-term evaluation of the Best Value regime: Final Report November 2006.

For further information please contact the Performance Improvement & Review Team on 01789 260604 or by email pi&rt@stratford-dc.gov.uk