The Audit Commission has awarded Hounslow Council three out of a possible four stars in its annual report into the performance of local authorities.

The Commission’s Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) rates how well councils are delivering services for local people, and also identifies their capacity for continuous improvement. Hounslow was found to be “improving well”, and is in a good position to carry on improving the services it provides for its residents. 80% of Councils in England and Wale achieved a three star rating or better.

Hounslow’s Leader, Cllr Peter Thompson, said: “This is very good news for Hounslow, as it means that the Council has been delivering high quality services to local people and that, working in partnership with others, we have the potential to keep improving services even further. We intend to build on this through the new administration’s commitments as set out in the Hounslow Plan, our four-year vision for the borough.”

The Council retained its 3-star rating despite being assessed under The Harder Test, introduced in 2005 as a more challenging framework designed to encourage further sustained improvement. The CPA includes corporate assessments, use of resources assessments and individual service assessments which look at services such as adult social care, children and young people’s services, and environment.

Inspectors who carried out Hounslow’s assessment said that the Council had “made good progress in priority areas, such as planning, housing management, and educational attainment at GCSE level, with significant improvements in adult social care services”.

They found that the authority “works well with its partners”, “continues to focus on areas where further improvements are required”, and “makes good use of its resources, and has made significant efficiency savings and delivers good value for money”.

In addition, they said that overall, “two-thirds of key performance indicators have improved”, and that “user focus and diversity are strengths for the Council, and are used effectively to help shape and deliver services to meet identified community needs.”

CPA 2006 also includes council-specific data from a user satisfaction survey carried out by the Audit Commission.

Hounslow’s Lead member for Service Improvement, Cllr Genevieve Hibbs, said: “The results from the user satisfaction survey are particularly rewarding because at the end of the day, we are here to provide the best possible service for our residents."

Ealing Council was also given three stars and saw its rating move from 'improving adequately' to improving well'.

February 23, 2007