Going places with the CAA

摘要

So, if we were to give a direction of travel verdict on the Audit Commission's inspection progress, what would it be? Improving well? Improving adequately? Certainly, in the past decade, the pattern of inspection has changed enormously. While best value was a process-driven, tick-boxing exercise largely ignored by the people who mattered, namely the councillors, even the fiercest critics of CPA have to admit it has made an impact. In particular, the CPA has provided Whitehall's supporters of local government with ammunition to prove that local authorities have improved. CPA has also been valuable for individual councils' own internal and external public relations, showing staff, local partners and potential job applicants that their organisations are going places.