Comprehensive Area Assessment
Council performs ‘well’ in new organisational
assessment
Broxbourne Council has received a score of
three out of four in an organisational assessment carried out as
part of a new independent report on how well Hertfordshire’s public
services are performing.
The Comprehensive Area Assessment, or CAA, is
a new way of assessing local public services in England. It
examines how well councils are working together with other public
bodies to meet the needs of the people they serve and information
relating to the assessment will be available on the new Oneplace
website.
The organisational assessment reports that the
Borough Council performs well overall, addressing issues that
matter to local people including reducing crime, responding to the
recession and improving the environment. Satisfaction with
the Council is high.
The report noted that the Council is working
well with the police to help to reduce crime and improve community
safety, providing popular activities which keep young people
occupied. It also notes that the Council is redeveloping the
area to provide local employment and improve areas of deprivation,
improving the environment by increasing recycling and composting,
and working well with the health service to improve local
healthcare services. According to the assessment, over 49 per
cent of local people are satisfied with the Council's services,
which is better than most councils.
The assessment lists some areas in which the
Council could improve its performance, including improving the
length of time it takes to process benefits claims and planning
applications. The Council also needs to do more to ensure
that it treats all its customers equally and to improve residents’
satisfaction with the area. However, the assessment notes
that ambitious plans for the future have been agreed and priorities
are based on what local people want, with clear links between the
Council's plans and those of its partners. It notes that
leadership is good, performance management has improved and staff
are developing the right skills to deliver services.
A copy of the Council’s organisational
assessment is available in the related links section on the
right of the page.