Hounslow Rates a ‘Good’ from Audit Commission

Cross the board improvement boosts official rating

The London Borough of Hounslow has been upgraded to ‘good’ in this year’s Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA), published by the Audit Commission. The score measures the borough on a cross-section of service delivery and takes into account key areas of improvement over the past year.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Colin Ellar, said in response to the news, “It’s official. Hounslow is now one of the most improved boroughs in London. We said 2004 would be the year of delivery, and our results speak louder than words. We are very happy that our hard work, and quality of social care is recognised."

He promised that the Council wouldn't rest on their laurels but said that they needed to have the technology in place to provide the quality of service that residents want.

The report states, "Hounslow has made significant improvements to social services and environment over the last year. The council has also made progress in education, reducing the number of schools in special measures to zero and raising levels of achievement across all age ranges. The council has published a community plan and has made progress in involving its residents in developing services. It has launched a council-wide strategy to improve access through use of new technology."

Social Care Services provided to adults and children are serving most people well with promising prospects for improvement. In addition to achieving the service aims, Hounslow is one of the most improved boroughs. This contrasts with neighbouring Ealing which was recently rated a 'weak' in this area.

The overall rating was boosted by a strong performance in education and an improvement in environment, particularly relating to transport. Housing and cultural services were both rated and the Council scored top marks for its use of resources.

Neighbouring Ealing Council was categorised as weak due to receiving the lowest possible rating in social services. It was the only Council in London to see a deterioration of its rating. A Council spokesman said that under the system to be introduce next year Ealing would have been rated as a 'Good' council.

The CPA is an evaluation of all Local Authorities in England. Further information on the CPA can be found on the Audit Commission’s website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk.

December 16, 2004