15/12/2008 - Cumbria County Council named fourth most improved in last year : Cumbria County Council

Cumbria County Council has taken a massive leap forward in the 12 months to April 2008 and is one of the most improved in the country, according to new Audit Commission performance indicators.

Cumbria ranked 4th out of 388 councils in England for overall performance improvement in the last year, with 78% of performance indicators showing improvement.

The council was the most improved in the country in several areas, ranking 1st in the following categories:

- Sustainable communities and transport (performance indicators include % of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-G, taking action on racial incidents, amount of derelict brownfield land and satisfaction with passenger transport).

- Regulation (performance indicators include best practice in trading standards and the way planning applications are dealt with).

- Safer and stronger communities (performance indicators include number of people killed or seriously injured on roads, and % of looked after children aged 10-17 in trouble with the police).

The recent increase has been backed by a more sustained performance over the last three years, with Cumbria ranking 132nd out of 388 councils for its overall performance improvement over three years.

Cumbria County Council's Chief Executive Peter Stybelski said:

"There has been a feeling in the air for some time that the council is performing better than ever –and now we have the proof. There has been a major reorganisation in the county council's organisational structure to make it more efficient, more focused and more intent on improving performance. That work is now reaping rewards.

"Cumbria County Council provides vital services to the people of this county and these results are further evidence of the hard work, dedication and commitment of everyone who works for the organisation.

"These latest Audit Commission ratings will help inform the council’s direction of travel statement due out in February 2009. However, we still expect a two-star rating as a council because of the way the Comprehensive Performance Assessment system works. It has already been widely reported that an accounting error which had no actual impact on the money we spend or receive is likely to restrict us to a two-star rating. From February 2009 we will move to a wholly new national performance framework called Comprehensive Area Assessment which we hope will paint a more meaningful picture of our actual on-the-ground performance than the current CPA star rating system."