Thurrock Council - Libraries, Heritage and Culture Audit 2002

Thurrock CouncilLibraries, Heritageand Cultural ServicesMarch 2002© Audit Commission, 2002March 2002 Thurrock Council – Libraries, Heritage and Cultural ServicesBest ValueThe Government has placed a duty of best value on local authorities to deliverservices to clear standards – of cost and quality – by the most economic,1efficient and effective means available. Best value is a challenging newperformance framew ork that requires authorities to publish annual best valueperformance plans and review all of their services every five years.Authorities must show that they have applied the 4Cs of best value to everyreview :! challenging why and how a service is being provided;! comparing their performance w ith others’ (including organisations in theprivate and voluntary sectors);! embracing fair competition as a means of securing efficient and effectiveservices; and! consulting with local taxpayers, customers and the w ider businesscommunity.Authorities must demonstrate to local people that they are achievingcontinuous improvement in all of their services. The Government has decidedthat each council should be scrutinised by an independent inspectorate, sothat the public w ill know whether best value is being achieved. The purpose ofthe inspection and of this report is to:! enable the public to see w hether best value is being delivered;! enable the Council to see how well it is doing;! enable the Government to see how well its policies are w orking ...