This report summarises the main findings of the evaluation of the long-term impact of the Best Value regime which was introduced across local government in 2000. It concludes that Best Value is an important driver of internal change in local authorities and led to significant improvements in local services. The evidence from the evaluation suggests that many internal changes would not have occurred so rapidly or have been so widespread in the absence of Best Value.The report makes it clear that Best Value reviews on their own were not a sufficiently strong driver of change. They were not effective in driving increased competition between service providers and they did little to encourage councils to develop and manage supply markets more effectively. In councils where there was little appetite for change the review teams often simply went through the motions and recommendations focused on relatively minor adjustments in services. However, where there was the will to change, rigorous reviews did help authorities to gauge how good their services were and to explore alternative approaches to delivering them.
PERFORMANCE GAP IN WELSH COUNCILS ‘LEAVES ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT’
Local councils across Wales have been congratulated for improving services in the last year but then told they can do still better. Welsh Assembly Local Government Minister, Sue Essex said the variation in performance between local authorities showed there was room for improvement in some areas. She was commenting after the publication of the first ever set of comprehensive data on local service performance in Wales.
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PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS TOLD TO LOOK FOR NEW SERVICE PROVIDERS
Primary Care Trusts have been told they should commission new services from different providers and that they should pledge to make it easier for patients to change practices. The calls came from the Health Minister, Lord Warner, who said the NHS should open up family doctor services to tackle inequalities, improve patients’ access to GPs and offer them a greater choice of practices.
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