CALL FOR RETURN OF FUNDING FOR QUIETER ROAD SURFACES

Environmental campaigners and the motoring organisation, the RAC Foundation, have joined forces to call today for the reinstatement of funding for the programme to make road surfaces quieter. The Foundation’s call, supported by the UK Noise Association and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, comes at the beginning of a week in which the House of Commons will see a Ten Minute Rule Bill debate on Rural Tranquility.

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RESEARCH LINKS STRENGTH OF SCRUTINY TO COUNCILS’ PERFORMANCE

Councils where scrutiny is strong are more likely to perform well in the Audit Commission’s corporate assessments that are part of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment, according to the latest research from the Centre for Public Scrutiny. It has produced a report, “Scrutiny, performance and improvement: the road to excellence”, which is available online at www.cfps.org.uk/cpa

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This case study booklet sets out ten business process improvement exemplar initiatives from within local government. Greater use of Business Process Improvement techniques will be promoted to improve service delivery as part of the commitment to efficiency set out in the Local Government White Paper. Communities and Local Government believes that BPI is fundamental to improving productive time and some 90% of councils anticipate a greater role for BPI methods in delivering more ambitious change in the future.The commitment to BPI will be taken forward through the National Process Improvement Project which will develop and identify good practice tools and techniques used to improve business processes. The next stage of the project will involve 8 pilot councils taking forward a range of BPI projects. They include Adult Social Care, Revenues and Benefits and Waste Management.

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