Audit Commission foresees central role for 'Total Place'
The chairman of the Audit Commission, Michael O'Higgins, will next week describe the government's Total Place initiative as the cornerstone of the future accountability of local services.
Speaking at a conference on the first round of Comprehensive Area Assessments (CAA) next week, O'Higgins will describe Area Scrutiny, Total Place and new public services website Oneplace as a 'triangle' of initiatives that are boosting local accountability.
The Oneplace website, which combines the results of six local inspection regimes, recorded more than a million page views in the 19 days following its launch on 9 December.
He will tell delegates: ”Oneplace, Total Place and Area Scrutiny work together to help the public and local leaders hold an area's public services to account. Oneplace doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is not the only tool for accountability. Say you want to increase local accountability, what do you need? You need effective leadership and scrutiny. You also need to know what resources there are in an area. Well, Total Place takes care of that. Finally, you need an assessment of local outcomes – Oneplace. These 'three pillars of accountability' are mutually reinforcing.”
Total Place is presently being trialled in 13 parts of the country. It measures the economic inputs to areas of England, and seeks ways of streamlining to save taxpayers’ money.
Communities Secretary John Denham said in July that council scrutiny powers should be extended to cover all local public services spending in an area. The government white paper Putting the Frontline First: Smarter Government asked the Audit Commission to develop proposals for assessing use of resources over whole areas before the 2010 Budget.
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