Performance and Improvement

Kingston has a reputation as a high-performing low-spending council. Over recent years, this has been confirmed by a number of external inspections. In our 2008 Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) we were rated as a 3 star council that is improving well. However we are ambitious to improve further, demonstrating progress in all our service areas - particuarly those our residents have highlighted as most important.

The Comprehensive Area Assessment

In 2009 the Comprehensive Performance Assessment was replaced by the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA), which is conducted jointly by the six main public service inspectorates (the Audit Commission, the Care Quality Commission, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, HM Inspectorate of Prisons, HM Inspectorate of Probation and Ofsted).

The CAA intends to be more relevant to local people by focusing on their needs and expectations. It looks at how well local services are working together to improve the quality of life for local people and considers the contribution of all public services, including councils, health bodies, police bodies and fire and rescue services.

The CAA will involve:

An annual Area Assessment of our borough, looking at:
- How well local service priorities express community needs and aspirations
- How well outcomes and improvements are being delivered
- What are the prospects for improvement
An annual Use of Resources assessment, which will look at how well local services are delivering value for money and better, sustainable outcomes for local people. This will involve separate judgements for the council, Primary Care Trust, Fire and Rescue Authority and the Police Authority
An assessment of how effective the Council is at managing itself and its performance. This will be combined with the Use of Resources assessment to provide a scored Organisational Assessment of the Council
An annual publication of our performance against around 188 indicators in the National Indicator Set which covers all aspects of Council services.

The Kingston Plan

The priorities for those of us responsible for delivering public services in Kingston are set out in the borough-wide Community Plan – the Kingston Plan.

Our last Community Plan was produced in 2004 and covered the period to 2009. The new Kingston Plan sets out our vision for the borough in 2020 and outlines what we will do as a partnership to get there.

Measuring Progress

A Delivery Plan will be put in place to monitor performance on each of the objectives in the Kingston Plan. Performance indicators to help us track progress have been identified for each objective and assigned to lead partners within the Kingston Strategic Partnership.

Kingston along with all local authorities reports to central Government against delivery of a series of key targets relating to public services. These are agreed with partners and set out in a ‘Local Area Agreement’ covering the three financial years 2008/09 to 2010/11.

There are 33 specific targets in the Local Area Agreement covering many of the areas which are explored in more detail in the Kingston Plan. In addition there are a number of statutory education and early year’s targets plus two local targets that we are working on as a Partnership. These are ‘Reducing our Ecological Footprint’ and ‘Workplace Travel Planning’. For more information on any aspect of the Local Area Agreement please contact us – see details below.

Key Resources

Annual Audit Letters

Each year the Audit Commission assess the functions of the Council and publish a report. You can read the most recent reports below or please see our Financial Information pages for more information.

Contact us

For any further information on Performance and Improvement work in the Royal Borough of Kingston, please contact:

Chief Policy Officer
Telephone: 020 8547 5401
Email: performance@rbk.kingston.gov.uk