The Government's Best Value regime is now in its sixth year of operation. For each of those years, every local authority in England and Wales has been required by legislation to collect and present a series of performance indicators. The definitions for the individual indicators have been laid down by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The council has 86 Best Value Performance Indicators which are set nationally for the council to report on. The following links provide details of each performance indicator, the Council's performance and targets set.

Best Value Performance Indicators 2006/07 Annual Outturns and Targets

Best Value Performance Indicators 2007/08 Quarter 1

Best Value Performance Indicators 2007/08 Quarter 2

Best Value Performance Indicators 2007/08 Quarter 3

Best Value Performance Indicators 2007/08 Quarter 4

Priority Performance Indicators 2007/08

Priority Performance Indicators 2007/08 Quarter 4

Audit Commission guidance document on Best Value Performance Indicators 2007/08.

Why do we have performance indicators?

Provide a form of accountability to the local community showing how well services are performing

Show how council is performing against it's aims and priorities

Help inform staff about what they are trying to achieve

Analysis of performance information will be used to identify improvement or deterioration and will form a key part of the evidence considered by the Commission in deciding whether or not to undertake a corporate assessment.

Why do we have targets?

Setting targets helps us to:

Measure continuous performance improvement

Allocate resources for future service delivery

A comparison for the public on council performance

Staff to understand the levels of improvement

Targets should have the ownership of members and staff, be achieved and relate to service objectives and council priorities. Targets also need to stretch performance and allow continuous improvement.

Performance indicators are published and analysed on a quarterly basis