The National Indicators and the Local Area Agreement Process

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South West Observatory Core Unit

• The National Indicators and the Local Area
  Agreement Process
• Knowledge is not just power, it is income.
  (Alistair Cockburn)

Nick Chase Research and Intelligence
Manager Nick.chase_at_swo.org.uk 01823
447399 www.swo.org.uk
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Developing the national indicator set

• single set of national priority outcomes for
  local government with a single set of national
  indicators against which all relevant partners
  report
• determined through CSR07 include citizen
  perception satisfaction indicators where
  appropriate
• replace existing sets such as Best Value
  Performance Indicators and PAF
• introduction from April 2008
• roll forward those indicators which already
  exist
• baseline new indicators in 2008/09
• some indicators will need more development
  introduction up to April 2009

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Local Area Agreements These will have/do have a
direct or indirect impact on all of us LAAs the
only place where central government will agree
targets with local authorities partners on
outcomes delivered by local government on its own
or in partnership with others. Each LAA to have
no more than 35 targets (drawn from a number of
policy areas) plus 18 statutory education and
early years targets. The 35 to be drawn from a
new national set of 198 performance indicators
(PIs, down from 1200) covering the range of
activities which local government does on its own
or in partnership with others.
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Local Area Agreements

• New LAAs, performance and delivery programme to
  ensure cross Government approach - with
  representation from key national stakeholders
• New LAAs to be negotiated by June 2008, with the
  new performance framework implemented by 2009
  some PIs not relevant until 2009
• 2007-08 a transitional year building
  partnership capacity and preparing to negotiate
  new LAAs
• Most of the work needs to be done locally - and
  can start now
• So what does this mean for us?

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Challenges Best available kite marked
data Sources and availability need to be
standardised Context essential part of
understanding the PIs Best practice in terms of
informed policy development Robust indicators
and feedback mechanisms avoid tick-box
mentality Make it understandable to the people
that need to use it
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Starter for 10 SWO has developed a set of web
pages with links to the data that is currently
available for the 198 LAA performance
indicators. http//www.swo.org.uk/observatory/lin
ks-1/laa/laa-indicators.shtm Still waiting for
finalised handbook of definitions and links to
relevant data sources. Some data has yet to be
finalised survey development and consultation
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Coming soon! State of the South West 2008 web
update
Population and Migration Economy Labour
Market Skills and Learning Transport and
Communication Housing Environment and Natural
Resources Public Health Crime Social and
Welfare Government and Politics
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South West Observatory Core Unit

• Get your facts first, then you can distort them
  as you please. (Mark Twain)

Nick Chase Research and Intelligence
Manager Nick.chase_at_swo.org.uk 01823
447399 www.swo.org.uk