PR 2532

HAMPSHIRE AWARDED TOP STAR RATING

Hampshire County Council has come out in the top group of local authorities in the country for service delivery and value for money in the Audit Commission's annual assessment. In the new tougher CPA (Comprehensive Performance Assessment) regime, where targets have been raised significantly since last year, the County Council has achieved a Four Star rating.

This is the fourth consecutive year the County Council has made it into the top performing group, and the test proved even harder this year as changes had been made to the grading system to make it more difficult for councils to reach national targets and a four star rating.

Each local authority in England and Wales is given a 0-4 star rating (with four stars being the highest). For the first time this year, a new system has been introduced which set standards across all council services which impact on the final score. It also introduces a `direction of travel' statement which judges each council's current and potential for continual improvement.

The Audit Commission has judged Hampshire County Council as `improving well', and as a council that `achieves or strives for high performance and `value for money in all of its services'.

It has stated that education is strong and improving, that key areas of social care for adults and children are consistently getting better and acknowledged Hampshire's performance in cultural areas including the increase in visitor numbers to libraries, which the Discovery Centre project has brought about. Waste recycling in Hampshire continues to improve , but traffic congestion remains a major concern in many areas of the county. The County Council was commended for the introduction of Accredited Community Safety Officers to tackle anti-social behaviour in the community and the Enhance project which will see 500 new nursing home beds across the county.

Councillor Ken Thornber, Leader of Hampshire County Council, said: "I am absolutely delighted that the County Council is still at the top, despite the new tougher criteria. This is testament to the dedicated work of council staff and to working with, and understanding the needs of, the communities we serve.

"We will now focus on the challenges ahead - to stay a Four Star rated authority is a challenge in itself - and continue to work hard to find effective and innovative ways of working in order to deliver the best possible services to the residents of Hampshire."

To view the full report from the Audit Commission go to: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/cpa/

ENDS

Notes for Editors

This is the fourth year of the CPA but the first year where the Audit Commission has given each local authority a Direction of Travel report and a star rating. In the past, councils were given a rating of poor, weak, fair, good, or excellent. For the three years, Hampshire County Council was awarded `excellent'.

For further information please contact: Alison Taylor on 01962 845155

alison.taylor@hants.gov.uk

14/12/2005