Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) is a Government initiatives to improve local government. You will have seen the inspections of schools and hospitals, and the league tables that follow. Well, CPA is much the same, but for Councils. All councils are inspected by a team from the Audit Commission, often described in the media as government watchdogs.

They talk to councillors and members of staff at all levels, as well as to the public and the Council's partners, to get a view of the Council from as wide a perspective as possible. They see how the Council delivers its services, what improvements the Council could make, what difficulties they face, before they make a judgement and award a rating. The ratings are excellent, good, fair, weak and poor. Their rating is accompanied by a report, which is made public, explaining why they reached that conclusion.

Councils achieving good or excellent ratings will enjoy certain freedoms, which include relaxation of financial controls and a holiday from inspections. The main parts of the CPA are:

A Self-Assessment Document
The Council has to produce a report for the inspection team which looks at its achievements, strengths and weaknesses

A Corporate Assessment
An official check on how the Council operates. Linked to the Self-Assessment and any Peer Challenge, this looks at the Council's performance against four questions:

• What is the Council trying to achieve?
• How has the Council set about delivering the most important improvements?
• What has the Council achieved/not achieved to date?
• In the light of what the Council has achieved so far, what do the Council plan to do next?
  

The answers to these questions are scored between 1 - 4 as follows:

1 = weak;
2 = weaknesses exceed strengths;
3 = strengths exceed weaknesses;
4 = strong

Documentation
Key documents, such as strategies, policies, and reports are sent to the Inspection Team before they arrive. They also receive long lists of contacts in community groups and the Council's partners, many of who will be asked to speak to them during the inspection.