Best Value
Best Value is the process by which Councils are required to review services to ensure they are efficient, effective and giving value for money.
The Council's work and achievements on Best Value are reported annually in the Best Value Performance Plan.
Key Requirements of Best Value
Under Best Value, Councils are expected to:
- Assess the current performance of all services against certain key indicators of performance;
- Set targets for improvement where the key indicators have shown that there is scope for improvement;
- Undertake service reviews to identify how services can improve;
- Report to the local community on current performance and on achievements against targets set.
The Review Process
The review process addresses the 4 C's:
- Challenge why and how a service is being provided;
- Secure Comparison with the performance of others across a range of relevant indicators, taking into account the views of both service users and potential suppliers;
- Consult local taxpayers, service users, partners and the wider business community in the setting of new performance targets;
- Consider fair Competition as a means of securing efficient and effective services.
Past Reviews
Click here to see all past reviews
Best Value Performance Plan (BVPP)
The purpose of the BVPP is to inform the community about what the Council is doing and what it intends to do in the future, i.e. what its goals and objectives are.
The BVPP gives information on:
- How a Local Authority has met its previous year's objectives and performance targets and how its performance compares with other authorities;
- The performance targets it has set for the future, and how well it's doing in meeting those targets;
- Outcomes of Best Value reviews and the improvements to be put in place arising from those reviews.
Ipswich Borough Council's Best Value Performance Plan provides information on the Council's policies and priorities and its corporate management approach. It describes key issues and proposals for each of its main service areas and gives details on Ipswich Borough Council's approach to Best Value, and the Best Value Review Outcomes and audits and inspections carried out by District Audit and the Audit Commission. However, it is also very much a working document, used by managers as a means of ensuring they deliver their services with the corporate approach and principles of Best Value.
Annual Report and Best Value Performance Plan 2008-2009
Back to top