Written evidence submitted by Age UK
Age UK is the new force combining Age Concern and
Help the Aged. We are a national charity and social enterprise
working to transform later life in the UK and overseas. Our vision
is of a world in which older people flourish. We aim to improve
later life for everyone through our information and advice, services,
products, training, research and campaigning.
Age UK welcomes the opportunity to input into the
inquiry into the audit and inspection of local authorities by
the Communities and Local Government Committee.
SUMMARY
Age UK believes that the external, independent audit
of local authority expenditure and performance is essential to
maintain confidence in public spending and the working of public
sector bodies.
We are concerned that without overview from a central
independent body, the standards and independence of public audit
may be compromised.
We believe there needs to be continued oversight
and inspection of the performance of services commissioned and
delivered by local authorities. To ensure transparency and accountability,
a form of performance management system is essential, although
this should be more locally, rather than nationally, determined.
Some level of national oversight will still be needed to ensure
local agencies meet public duties set at national, European and
international levels. Assessment of performance management should
involve a wide group of stakeholders including local older residents
and results should be publicly reported, in print form as well
as online.
We believe that comparative nationwide studies and
reports are of benefit when assessing the performance of local
authorities and would hope that funding will continue to be made
available for independent organisations to carry these out.
In March 2010, Age UK commissioned research into
the value and impact of the previous performance management framework
on older people. This research has produced valuable findings
which offer lessons to be learnt from the previous system and
we hope these will be of use when considering future arrangements.
We include a summary of our findings in the oversight
and inspection of local authority performance section of this
submission.
AUDIT OF
LOCAL AUTHORITY
EXPENDITURE
The Government is keen to develop a culture of transparency
to enable local residents to hold their councils directly to account
for the decisions they make.
As outlined in the guide to the Decentralisation
and Localism Bill, published in December 2010,[35]
a key element of this move to transparency is the publication
of items of expenditure over £500 and of "raw data".
The Government believes this will enable "anyone…to
analyse and visualise the information, spot trends and make connections
that would otherwise go unseen".
Age UK supports any improvement in the provision
of information that enables local residents to make judgements
on the services they receive from their local authority. However,
independent audit and inspection is a professional discipline
essential for maintaining public confidence in public spending
and the delivery of public services, and should be continued alongside
any new arrangements for increasing transparency of public information.
The analysis of raw data requires specific skills,
time and resources which may not be available to individual local
residents in the way that Government assumes. Our understanding
is that the data will be published online. Recent statistics show
that 60% of people aged 65+ have never used the internet.[36]
Limiting the availability of data to online would therefore immediately
exclude two thirds of older residents, many of whom are significant
users of local public services. This would clearly be unacceptable.
We strongly recommend that future arrangements place
a duty on local authorities to publish data in a format, both
in print and online, that is easily understood and useable by
local residents.
For information that is presented online, lessons
should be learnt from the One Place website which published the
results of the Comprehensive Area Assessment. A focus group of
older internet users commissioned by Age UK in December 2009 found
that the data on the One Place website was easy to understand
and concluded that they would be happy to use this website as
an ongoing source of information.
Age UK supports a number of the points made by the
Audit Commission in their document "The future of local
audit: issues for consideration".[37]
In particular we would echo the points made about:
— the
need to safeguard the independence of auditors;
— the
costs and availability of auditors to local authorities under
a free market model;
— the
need for a regulator of any new audit regime;
— the
need to monitor and regulate the performance of auditors;
— the
importance of public reporting; and
— the
wider scope of public audit.
OVERSIGHT AND
INSPECTION OF
LOCAL AUTHORITY
PERFORMANCE
Age UK believes that in order for local residents
to effectively measure and monitor delivery and efficiency of
local public services, local authorities need to have a performance
management framework in place to which they are locally accountable.
We agree with the Government that this should be "outcomes"
rather than "process" driven. However, we do not believe
that the publication of data or results from the ballot box alone
are sufficient measures of the performance of a local authority.
We agree with the principles of localism, that allow
for councils to develop local solutions in response to local needs,
but we will want to see clear and transparent local frameworks
in place which demonstrate what priorities have been set and what
measures are being taken to improve services.
Some level of national oversight will continue to
be needed to ensure public duties are being met. The Government
has published a draft "single list" of central government
data requirements from local government. It is not clear whether
these reporting requirements will be separate from or form part
of any future local performance management arrangements. We will
be responding separately to the consultation on this list to ensure
data relevant to services affecting older people is being reported
appropriately.
Further details on Age UK's views on national and
local accountability have already been submitted to the Committee
as part of the Inquiry on the Localism Bill.[38]
In March 2010 Age UK commissioned research into "The
value and impact of the performance management framework on older
people" to identify what lessons could be learned from the
previous performance management system for local authorities.
In summary, the findings of our research showed that:
— The
previous system of Local Strategic Partnerships and Local Area
Agreements resulted in improved partnership working between local
agencies. Respondents felt this needed to be built on.
— High
level leadership and early engagement with political leaders is
essential to the success of performance management and partnership
working arrangements.
— LSPs
believe a more outcome focused approach with local leadership
and local autonomy will lead to improved services for older people.
— The
previous system was considered overly bureaucratic and too prescriptive
to allow creativity and innovation in finding local solutions
to local problems.
— All
plans and strategies of partner agencies in a local area must
be aligned to ensure consistency of approach.
— Timescales
for any central government reporting requirements should fit with
local integrated planning processes and not delay them.
— Although
older people's issues are cross cutting they are often restricted
to discussion at a sub group that has a health and social care
focus.
— The
limitations of the availability of existing data/indicators should
not skew priority setting.
— Much
of the existing data available to local authorities is relevant
to older people if broken down by age.
— The
methodology of new data collection methods must be robust.
— Decision-making
and monitoring structures should involve community and voluntary
sector representatives.
— The
time and resources required for monitoring should not be excessive.
The key levers necessary for improved outcomes for
older people, identified by the research are:
— A commitment
from the council's cabinet to involve older people in a meaningful
way in setting priorities and making decisions about local services.
— The
views of older people used to inform the planning of services
across all parts of the council not just health and social care.
— Investment
in the infrastructure and support required to develop effective
and independent older people's forums.
— The
development of strong networks of older people willing to share
their views and experience.
— Older
people being represented at all forums where decisions are made
on issues of importance to them.
— The
use of outcome focused performance indicators such as those used
in Outcome Based Accountability (OBA).
— Better
breakdown of available data by age to demonstrate trends across
all services.
Our research highlighted some encouraging examples
of where older citizens are having a voice in shaping local decision
making. However, this is not always the case. Future arrangements
should put mechanisms in place for the meaningful engagement and
involvement of local older people in planning and priority setting.
Overall our research showed that while the previous
performance management system undoubtedly had flaws, there are
valuable lessons to be learned which must be applied to any future
arrangements. We recommend that local authorities are encouraged
to retain the best from the previous system when developing their
own local frameworks.
Although our research has not yet been published,
we would be happy to share further detail of our findings with
the Committee.
VALUE FOR
MONEY STUDIES
We do not have comments to make specifically on VFM
studies.
However, we would like to comment on studies or reports
more generally.
The Audit Commission has been responsible for producing
a range of excellent reports in recent years and this function
will be greatly missed. In particular, two reports have been pivotal
in the analysis of local authority performance with regard to
services for older people:
Don't Stop Me Now: Preparing for an ageing population—2008.
Under Pressure: Tackling the financial challenge
for councils of an ageing population—2010.
Age UK believes it is essential that the Government
continues to commission and fund comparative nationwide studies
which can identify and address emerging issues and raise awareness
of good and bad practice.
In order to ensure meaningful comparisons can be
made, nationwide surveys and national data collection methods
will need to continue to be supported and the results made available
to a wide group of stakeholders.
January 2011
35 Decentralisation and Localism Bill, essential guide,
CLG, December 2010. Back
36
ONS Internet Access Households and Individuals 2010. Back
37
"The future of local audit: issues for consideration",
Audit Commission, November 2010. Back
38
Age UK Response to Communities and Local Government Committee
Localism Inquiry, Oct 2010 Back
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