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May 31, 2006
Audit Commission
The name "Audit Commission" implies serious objective analysis of accounts on behalf of the public interest. We believe that if the Audit Commission reports that a local council is "good" or "satisfactory" or even "poor", that the comment is based on consistent audited factual evidence.
Rubbish- forget it. The Audit Commission operates a scheme called CPA (Comprehensive Performance Assessment) and part of that (as a large section of what they mysteriously call the "culture block") is an appraisal of the public library service.
Last year's results, published in December, showed absolutely no relationship whatsoever between the score given by the Audit Commission and any library performance results achieved by any council. In fact in one instance the Audit Commission gave top score to a council (Buckinghamshire) that hadn't even returned any figures.
Don't think the public interest is served by the Audit Commission and its famous "CPA" -- in respect of libraries, at least, it's just a load of wool and when your local council tells you that "The Audit Commission gave us a high rating for our libraries" - it doesn't mean a thing.
You would think something within this whole area of the British Government would work as it should? Well I am afraid you would be wrong. Self preservation appears to be a far more important value in public service than care for the public.
Somebody tell me I'm wrong.
Posted by Tim Coates at May 31, 2006 7:06 PM