Tory run Surrey acclaimed as a four star authority 15th December 2005

Tory run Surrey County Council has won acclamation from the Audit Commission as a “four star” authority following the results of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment 2004-2005 announced today.

The award of four stars, the equivalent of an ‘excellent’ rating, is the highest score possible for a council under the revised Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) rating system, which ranks county and unitary councils’ performance from zero to a maximum of four stars, and is a significant improvement upon last year’s rating of ‘good’.

The Audit Commission had toughened the criteria used in the CPA after concerns that too many councils were being graded excellent or good in last year’s tables, however, Surrey’s overall score of four stars now means the Council is in the top 25% of the 150 councils in England which were subject to the Comprehensive Performance Assessment this year.

The Audit Commission also praised Surrey as an authority which was “improving well” as an indicator to residents on how ambitious the council is being in its performance.

Conservative Group Leader Nick Skellett said:

I’m delighted at the news that this council has been rated as a four star authority which is improving well. Last year I set the challenge of Surrey becoming an “excellent” authority and this year we have certainly achieved this under, I hasten to add, a much tougher assessment criteria. I would like to contragulate and thank all our staff who have worked tirelessly over the last year to achieve this result.

Nick Skellett added:

Our four star rating shows just how much Conservative controlled Surrey has raised its performance in 2005, and demonstrates our commitment to Surrey’s residents to provide the best possible services for the lowest level of council tax, despite being an authority which receives one of the lowest levels of funding from the Government in England.