This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Calum MacDonald commends first example of best value approach
26/02/1998
Scottish Local Government Minister Calum MacDonald MP today welcomed the Accounts Commission Value for Money Study on Council Tax Collection as an important example of the Best Value approach.
Best Value requires councils to put in place mechanisms to monitor progress and compare performance with other councils to ensure the council achieves continuous improvement in service delivery.
Mr MacDonald said:
"I am very pleased that the Accounts Commission have been able to produce this very useful example of Best Value in practice now. It points the way towards the effective use of benchmarking and the sharing of good practice between local authorities which are key elements of Best Value.
"This report will enable councils to build on best practise across local authorities to increase their own collection rates. Councils should develop action plans - based on the best available practice - with specific timed targets for improvement. The £3 million Special Grant which the Government have made available to councils will assist councils to achieve their action plans and improve their collection rates.
"I acknowledge councils' hard work to date in demonstrating their commitment to Best Value. There is a long way to go and the further assessment of local authority progress this Autumn will be the first real test of their Best Value achievements. This report shows that there is scope for significant improvements in performance which can directly benefit the local authorities concerned. Achievement of Best Value across all activities offers a huge opportunity in terms of improving the availability and quality of Scottish local council services."
BACKGROUND
1. All Scottish local authorities have demonstrated sufficient commitment to and compliance with Best Value, subject to final agreement on their implementation plans, to merit the continuation of the CCT moratorium in Scotland. The moratorium will continue until July 1999. Councils will require to apply for a continued exemption this Autumn.
2. To enable councils to tackle the problem of uncollected local taxes, the Government announced that £3 million would be made available as Special Grant. Under the conditions of the Scheme, councils will be able to use the additional grant for any measure they consider will improve the collection of outstanding council tax and community charges. This may include employing extra staff, purchasing new computers or meeting debt collection expenses. It is anticipated that the extra tax collected will be used in the first instance to settle any outstanding deficits on councils' revenue accounts. Thereafter, councils can choose to spend the extra income on services; to help reduce future council tax levels; or to build up balances.
3. Best Value encourages councils to achieve continuous improvement in the delivery of all their activities. Every Scottish council has a service review model which will subject all council activities to a best value review on a 3-5 year cycle. This review will assess current performance and compare service delivery against a range of comparators and benchmarks from other organisations. Services which are not achieving a high standard will require a fundamental re-appraisal of delivery methods.
News Release: 0360/98
February 25, 1998