Comprehensive Area Assessment

A summary of the Comprehensive Area Assessment and Use of Resources. Find out the scores the Council has been awarded from 2004/05 to 2008/09.  

The Comprehensive Area Assessments (CAA's) have recently replaced the Comprehensive Performance Assessments (CPA's). CAA is the new framework through which the major public service inspectorates will make independent assessments of how well people are being served by their local public service. Its focus is primarily on the prospects for better outcomes locally rather than the internal workings of the individual organisation.

Part of the assessment process is carried out by the external auditors, during their annual review, who issue scores in the form of "Use of Resources Judgements" (UOR).

Under the CPA regime there were 5 key areas which were scored on:

1. Financial Reporting - How good are the Council's financial accounting and reporting arrangements?
2. Financial Management - How well does the Council plan and manage its finances?
3. Financial Standing - How well does the Council safeguard its financial standing?
4. Internal Control - How well does the Council's internal control environment enable it to manage its significant business risk?
5. Value for Money - How well does the Council demonstrate that it achieves good value for money?

Over the last few years the Council has been making steady progress on each of the areas, with the following scores having been awarded:

UOR Judgement	04/05	05/06	06/07	07/08
1. Financial Reporting	3	3	4	4
2. Financial Management	2	3	3	3
3. Financial Standing	3	3	3	3
4. Internal Control	2	2	2	2
5. Value for Money	2	2	2	3
Overall Score	2	3	3	3

As mentioned above, the CAA has recently replaced the CPA and the Use of Resources Judgement now consists of the following 3 key themes that the Council will be scored on:

1. Managing Finances - Focusing on sound and strategic financial management.
2. Governing the Business - Focusing on strategic commissioning and good governance.
3. Managing Resources - Focusing on the effective management of natural resources assets and people.

The Use of Resources scores for 2008/09 have not been released at the time of publication. The site will be updated to reflect the scores in due course.

UOR Judgement	08/09
1. Managing Finances	TBA
2. Governing the Business	TBA
3. Managing Resources	TBA
Overall Score	TBA

 Find out more information about CAA and UOR from the Audit Commission website