The survey report presents views on service improvements and outcomes from the Local Area Agreement process.

There was a generally positive response to the survey with at least 90 per cent of respondents reporting progress in delivering service improvements. There was an increased understanding of the barriers to service improvement and many reported the discovery of different ways to overcome the barriers through collaborative action.

The survey found that the LAAs had an impact on the way resources were allocated and managed. Progress was reported on ‘joint funding of projects’, 88 per cent, ‘better targeting of spending to meet local needs’, 85 per cent, ‘helping to direct funding within the area to meet priorities’, 85 per cent and ‘levering in additional resource’, 84 per cent.

There were also negative responses. 50 per cent of respondents disagreed with the statement that the ‘Area Based Grant is effectively deployed in support of LAA outcomes’. 45 per cent of respondents ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ with the statement that the LAA ‘has diverted resources and attention from other areas of LSP work, but 53 per cent either disagreed or disagreed strongly with the statement.

Whilst LAAs have helped areas to move forward in directing funding across areas to meet priorities, the relative lack of progress in mapping both resources and spending highlights the need for the work being undertaken by the Total Place pilots. The reports from the pilots should offer some insight into the barriers to mapping spending and resources and how these can be overcome.

The report is available from CLG. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/15023971.pdf