Lesley Griffiths AM, Minister for Local Government and Government Business
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
Today I am publishing the third edition of the annual compendium looking at the performance of Local Authority services. The publication contains the latest performance data which can be used to support the accountability and scrutiny of public services in Wales.
The publication draws upon existing sources of information to highlight and add context to performance variation throughout Wales. It includes links to other sources of information which will help those who have an interest in, or duty to, analyse performance variation and facilitate debate. This includes, for example, data at Local Authority level on services for looked-after children and waste collection and recycling.
As the public funding environment becomes tighter, it is even more important for the citizen to have a role in scrutinising service delivery as they experience public services on a day-to-day basis. The publication provides citizens, and their Councillors, with a single source to information about their local services which can be used to compare how well their Local Authority is performing on the services which matter to them.
The underlying aim of this publication is to draw upon existing sources of information to highlight performance variation and to place such variation in context. However, it also seeks to elaborate on what good performance looks like. This year’s publication includes case studies drawn from a series of visits I undertook to each Local Authority in Wales over the summer of 2013. These case studies offer good examples of where the citizen experience can be improved through thinking innovatively and doing things differently. Examples such as the Llys Eleanor Extra Care Housing Scheme in Flintshire to support older people live more independently and Hostels to provide temporary accommodation for the homeless.
Of course, no single set of figures tells the whole story. The indicators presented here are intended to prompt questions, not to provide simplistic answers. Improving our understanding will help us to improve performance.
Designing public services in Wales to meet the needs of its citizens, is at the heart of the report produced recently by the Williams Commission. The performance data contained in this publication is part of the evidence base the Commission has drawn upon in putting together its report. Moving forward, the evidence here of what matters to the citizen, along with the variation in performance across Wales, will help to inform how we respond to the Commission’s Report and take forward our agenda to develop and improve public services in Wales so they continue to be sustainable and are centred around the citizen.