Performance Assessment

Over recent years, the Council's performance has been externally monitored on a regular basis, through a range of audit and assessment processes conducted by the Audit Commission or by other independent auditors appointed by the Commission.

If you would like to know more about the external assessment of the Council's services and performance, please click on the links below or contact the Performance Improvement Unit.

Audit and Inspection Letters

The Audit Commission's Code of Audit Practice requires the Council's external auditors to prepare an annual Audit and Inspection Letter. For details of the audit letters issued by the authority's external auditors since 2004/05, please click here.

Comprehensive Performance Assessment (2002-2008)

Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) was introduced in 2002 and was operated by the Audit Commission. CPA was designed to help councils improve services for their communities, and drew on a range of information such as performance indicators, assessments of corporate capacity, audit and inspection reports, and stakeholder opinions, to reach a single judgement about the performance of the Council in terms of the delivery of services and its prospects for future improvement. The Audit Commission carried out its assessment of the Council in 2004, when the authority was assessed as a 'Good' council, and the Commission's CPA reports can be downloaded below.

Comprehensive Performance Assessment (Summary Report)

Comprehensive Performance Assessment (Full Report)

Comprehensive Area Assessment (2008-2010)

Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) replaced Comprehensive Performance Assessment from April 2009. CAA was a new approach that was designed to provide an assessment of the prospects for individual areas and the quality of life for local people. CAA assessed and reported on how well public money was spent and sought to ensure that local public bodies were accountable for their quality and impact.

CAA was operated by a range of inspectorates including the Audit Commission, who delivered joint judgements for each area. Unlike Comprehensive Performance Assessment , CAA focused on outcomes rather than organisations, and looked at the prospects for improvement, rather than simply on past performance. CAA involved an assessment of the prospects for the achievement of shared priorities by councils and their partners, and comprised an 'Area Assessment' focussing on Essex as a whole, and an 'Organisational Assessment' of the Council. The Organisational Assessment comprised the annual Use Of Resources and Managing Performance assessments (see below). The first CAA results were published by the joint inspectorates in December 2009, and the report of the Council's Organisational Assessment for 2008/09 can be downloaded below.

CAA Organisational Assessment 2008/09

The Government abolished CAA in May 2010. CAA Area Assessment reports for all local authority areas (including Essex), can be downloaded from the OnePlace website established by the joint inspectorates.

Use Of Resources (2007-2010)

The annual Use Of Resources assessment considered how well organisations were managing and using their resources to deliver value for money and better outcomes for local people and, from 2008/09, the assessment formed part of the annual Organisational Assessment for CAA. Use of Resouces was managed by the Council's external auditors, and the reports of previous assessments can be downloaded below.

Use Of Resources Report 2007/08

Use of Resources Report 2008/09

The Government abolished CAA in May 2010, and the Use of Resources assessment ceased at that time.

Value For Money

The annual Value For Money assessment considered the Council's provision of value for money in delivering services, and previously formed part of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) process. Although the Government abolished CAA in May 2010, the annual assessment of value for money by the Council's external auditors has continued, and is now reported within the annual Audit and Inspection Letter.

Direction Of Travel and Managing Performance (2007-2010)

The annual Direction Of Travel assessment considered the extent of the Council's improvement each year. The assessment previously formed part of the Council's annual Audit and Inspection Letter, although from 2008/09 the assessment comprised an element of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) as the 'Managing Performance' theme of the Council's Organisational Assessment. The Government abolished CAA in May 2010, and the Direction of Travel/Managing Performance assessment ceased at that time.

Data Quality (2007-2010)

The annual Data Quality assessment considered how well the Council used data and information, although from 2008/09 the assessment formed part of the Use Of Resources element of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) . The Government abolished CAA in May 2010, and all work on the Data Quality assessment ceased at that time. The reports of previous Data Quality Assessments (to 2007/08) can be downloaded below.

Data Quality Assessment 2007/08

Service Inspection

The Audit Commission has also undertaken several specific inspections of services provided by the Council. Full details of these inspection and assessment processes, including the reports of service inspections, can be downloaded from the Audit Commission website.

Contact the Performance Improvement Unit about our external performance assessment

Telephone us on: (01992) 564180 or (01992) 564472
Email us at: performance@eppingforestdc.gov.uk
Write to us at: Performance Improvement Unit, Civic Offices, High Street, Epping, Essex, CM16 4BZ.

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