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Inspectors this week vowed to plough on with the new Comprehensive Area Assessment, despite increasing pleas for it to be delayed. The roll-out, due from April, faces further uncertainty because the Conservatives still insist they will scrap it, should they win the general election in 2010. The LGA this week said councils feared the new regime would fail in its key aim of driving up efficiency. Several councils have already lobbied the Government to delay the new system until the worst of the recession is over, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. In a speech to the SOLACE annual dinner in London last week, president, Trish Haines, confirmed the society had asked ministers to defer the CAA, but added: ‘Our advice from senior civil servants is that's not going to happen – it is going to go ahead.' But Audit Commission chief executive, Steve Bundred, warned councils to ‘be careful what they wish for'. He claimed any delay on CAA would only mean a new mechanism to measure performance, which he said might not be as good. On Conservative plans to scrap the CAA, which were confirmed to LocalGov's sister title, The MJ, by Central Office this week, Mr Bundred said: ‘The Conservatives will, no doubt, wish to review CAA, if they were to form a government.' But, he added: ‘We believe politicians of all parties will see the benefits of CAA.' The commission also vowed it would not downgrade councils for failing on targets due to the failing economy. But the Audit Commission's managing director for local government, Gareth Davies, added: ‘Nor will they [councils and their partners] be able to use it as an excuse.' Chairman of the LGA improvement board, David Parsons, said: ‘In the current economic climate, when we are fighting to focus all our resources on the frontline, we need something that recognises councils' improvement. ‘There are concerns that CAA will fail to deliver the assessments councils need to support them in their important work to deliver continuous improvements.' He added: ‘There is little evidence as yet that the inspectorates are fully signed up to this new approach, and we will be looking to the Audit Commission to adopt a robust approach to its gate-keeping activity'.

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WHITEHALL

Pressure mounts to block CAA roll-out

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