Local Government Reform - Consultation on Policy Proposals

ongoing effort to seek incremental improvements in the delivery of
these services over time.
5.2. The 2002 Act, however, provides no specific mechanisms to enable
councils to demonstrate their accountability to ratepayers or
Ministers for the delivery of their services or improvements to those
services. The reorganisation of local government, the transfer of
functions from departments to councils, and the introduction of
community planning and the power of well-being provide an
appropriate opportunity to strengthen the framework for councils’
service delivery and performance improvement.
5.3. Performance management (and within it, best value), community
planning and the power of well-being are closely linked. <strong>Local</strong>
government should view them as such in seeking to plan and
deliver quality services that are responsive to the needs of the
people who use them. For example, use of the new flexibilities and
freedoms offered by the power of well-being (see paragraphs 7.1 –
7.3) should be influenced significantly by issues identified through
the community planning process. Similarly, best value
considerations should influence a council’s choices in using the
power of well-being and how it engages with its community planning
partners.
5.4. The Department proposes that a new service delivery and
performance improvement framework should be introduced for local
government. This would include a broader duty in relation to
securing best value and continuous improvement. This would be
supported by a requirement to publish an annual improvement plan
to provide accountability to ratepayers and Ministers. The new
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