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This project by SOLACE/IS aims to drive improvement in Scottish local government benchmarking by developing a performance support framework. It focuses on key areas like corporate services and aims for collaborative exploration of differences among councils. The initiative started in 2010, focusing on service groupings like children's services, social work, and housing. The project covers a wide range of indicators, emphasizing cost, outputs, and customer satisfaction. Data analysis and interpretation go beyond simplistic league tables to uncover performance trends and relationships. The project also highlights the need for continuous improvement and engagement with stakeholders.
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Improving Scottish Local Government Benchmarking In ScotlandPublic Services Reform Inquiry: Strand 2 – Benchmarking & Performance MeasurementScottish Parliament 10/09/12 Ronnie Hinds & Mark McAteer
SOLACE/ IS Benchmarking Project Purpose To support SOLACE (Scotland) to drive improvement in LG benchmarking To develop a comparative performance support framework for Scottish LG To support councils in targeting transformational/ change resources to areas of greatest impact – efficiency (costs)/ productivity/ outcomes Focus on ‘Big ticket’ areas of spend plus corporate services
SOLACE/ IS Benchmarking Project • Operating Principles • Consensus – agreement by all councils • Can openers – raise issues/ focus attention on differences & to support councils to collaborate in exploring reasons behind differences • Comparability – similar councils/ services on key performance criteria
SOLACE/ IS Benchmarking Project • The Starting Point • Project initiated summer 2010 • Develop service grouping for managing the analysis – Children’s Services; Corporate Services; Social Work; Culture & Leisure: Environmental; Housing; Corporate Asset Management • Indicator criteria: comparable across councils/ services; materially help improve performance • Sub criteria: • - relevant - unambiguous - timely data • - accessible - consistent - cost effective to collect • - statistically robust
SOLACE/ IS Benchmarking Project • The Outputs • 47 indicators where data is available, reliable & consistent – 8 indicators require further development work • Focus on cost/ outputs/ customer satisfaction • - Children’s Services • - Corporate Services • - Social Work • - Culture and Leisure Services • - Environmental Services • - Housing • - Corporate: Assets & Property
SOLACE/ IS Benchmarking Project • Data • 2010/ 11 base year with 3 years previous data (07/08 – 09/10) to support interpretation; cash & real term changes; Scottish mean & median figures • Local Financial Return (LFR) core data component plus other ‘quality’/ performance data sources e.g. Statutory Performance Indicators • Service support costs key area of data weakness - corporate & service based support costs; corporate services (assets & ICT)
SOLACE/ IS Benchmarking • ‘Family’ groupings • Need to get beyond data - ‘like for like’ comparisons • Examined existing methodologies – CIPFA; Education Scotland; Welsh LG Data Unit • Categories & - socio economic: population: education: • variables housing: social care
SOLACE/ IS Benchmarking Project • Data Analysis/ Interpretation/ Improvement • Avoiding simplistic league tables – sensitivities to media/ public reading of information • Developing a common interpretive process & data standardisation • Data in the round - ensuring performance/ finance/ service links; unpicking cost & ‘outcome’ performance relationships • Situating analytical issues – small area profiling; internal & external interpretation • Links to performance improvement activities – e.g. PSIF
Median Figure Goes from £6,491 to £6,388 (-£103) Range Goes from £5,549 to £7,770 (£2221) Education: Spend Per Secondary Pupil (Minus Outliers)
Education: Spend Per Secondary Pupil & Standard Grades (All)
Also results in minor shift in median performance as well as median spend Education: Spend Per Secondary Pupil & Standard Grades (Minus Outliers)
High performance/ below median spend Lower performance/ above median spend Education: Spend Per Secondary Pupil & Standard Grades (Minus Outliers)
Above median performance Gap to medium smaller than might have anticipated Education: Spend Per Secondary Pupil & Standard Grades & 15% SIMD (All)
Similar social structures at council level but differences in performance Education: Spend Per Secondary Pupil & Standard Grades & 15% SIMD (All)
But Need to Understand • Snap shot data • Factors of production – CPP costs; staff structure; size of schools..... • Socio economics of local communities– need to understand more about how it impacts • Aggregate council data – need to get below council level to truly understand what is happening • Getting supporting narrative right - making sense of complexity
SOLACE/ IS Benchmarking Project • Issues & Reflections • Data: strong on inputs & outputs; improve outcome data; time lag • Public service reform – disaggregated data; link to outcomes; evidence led service delivery options; setting priorities; benchmarking across partnerships • Engaging & informing the customer – are they interested; what can they do? • Role for national government: data improvement; de-cluttering landscape • Role for local government: self assessment & improvement; mutual learning; self discipline; confidence building – getting system & culture right