'SHODDY' COUNCIL GETS 'BEST VALUE' PERFORMANCE FIGURES ALL WRONG

14.11.03

Haringey Liberal Democrats have expressed concern that Haringey's blundering Labour Council has lost control of its ability to monitor the performance of the services it provides.

The move follows revelations last week that no less than 33 separate performance indicators were adjudged to be inaccurate in Haringey's recent Best Value Performance Plan 2003/04 (BVPP). The inaccurate figures presented by the Labour council spread right across the borough's services from corporate health to planning, and have been exposed by an independent audit.

The Lib Dems are particularly concerned that some of the figures are dramatically different to the original figures produced by the Council in the BVPP. The independent audit corrections include:

* Readjustment of 'change in proportion of non-decent homes which were not decent at 1st April' from -9.38% to +83.50% (difference of +92.88%)
* Readjustment of number of non-principle roads not needing major repair from 215,952 to 1,125 (difference -214,827)
* Readjustment of expenditure per pupil over 5 from £5,179 to £5,486 (difference of -£307)
* Readjustment of cost of waste collection per household from 40.92 to 43.53 (difference +£2.61)

Leader of the Opposition, Ross Laird acknowledges that many of the statistics placed in the BVPP were estimates due to the publication deadline having to be met.

However he says that these figures demonstrate the Council's failure to adequately assess performance accurately across the services. He adds that many of the adjustments compound previous criticism made by the Lib Dem group over the Council's failure to meet its own targets.

Ross Laird comments:

"We are deeply worried that the Council has managed to get so many of its figures so badly wrong. Some of the adjusted figures such as waste collection and pupil expenditure compound original statistics showing badly missed targets.

"This shoddy approach to the BVPP exposes the Council's lack of organisation and management of its services. For the sake of local services, the Council must pull its socks up."

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