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Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA)

What is CPA about?

The Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) is the Government's way of measuring council performance.  It is made up of two elements: individual service scores and an assessment of the council's corporate capacity.  The outcome of the CPA process will be a report that judges the Council as poor, weak, fair, good or excellent.

Service scores

Service scores are built up from inspection results, Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) data, Audit and Inspection Letters and plans that have been marked by the Government.
 
Not all services count towards the CPA.  The emphasis is on 8 'core' themes:
  • Education;
  • Social Care (Adults);
  • Social Care (Children);
  • Environment (including planning, waste collection and transport);
  • Housing;
  • Leisure and Libraries;
  • Benefits;
  • Use of Resources.
The position is updated annually and a revised scorecard published by the Audit Commission in December each year.

Corporate assessment

Corporate assessments are separate, specific inspections of local authorities by the Audit Commission.  They take a broader view of how councils operate and judge performance on four criteria:
  • What the council is trying to achieve?
  • How the council sets about delivering its priorities for improvement?
  • What the council has achieved/not achieved?
  • In the light of what the council has learned to date, what does it plan to do next?
Bury has had three corporate assessments - in 2002, 2004 and 2008.  Details of self assessments, inspection reports and improvement plans can be found by clicking on the appropriate link.
 
In 2005, the CPA framework changed and became a harder test. Details of the current criteria is available from the Audit Commission website.