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Council leaders have challenged Audit Commission inspectors to ‘up their game' if area assessment is to be a useful tool. Feedback from a survey by the LGA Improvement Board found the majority of elected members feel there is still a long way to go before Comprehensive Area Assessments produce improved outcomes in their areas. The research found only one in 10 think it is reducing the overall burden and seven in 10 said CAA is not being effectively coordinated between inspectorates. Just under two thirds believe it is not sufficiently focused on future outcomes. Cllr David Parsons, chairman of the LGA Improvement Board, said: ‘Whilst we recognise that it is too early to draw definitive conclusions about CAA these results question its relevance and longevity. ‘Despite the considerable effort we are putting in to respond to endless requests for information it's not clear that the inspectorates' assessment of the area is going to tell us anything we don't already know. In an era of financial constraint CAA is going to have to demonstrate its value for money – and at the moment we are not convinced.' The LGA is calling on the Audit Commission and communities secretary John Denham to ensure the inspectorates work together more effectively. A Communities and Local Government spokesman said: ‘The new CAA is already making a difference with more than 1000 targets cut, the number of inspection days reduced by a third (18,000), while the cost of inspection has been cut by 30%.' Speaking at an MJ event this week, Audit Commission chairman Steve Bundred said: ‘CAA has been very influential in government as ministers didn't have information on what was going on at local level.'

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WHITEHALL

Doubts over CAA impact

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