04/11/2009
Service Indicators Report Press Release
County & City Managers’ Association
Local Government House
35 – 39 Ushers Quay
Dublin 8
Tel: (01) 643 8400 Fax: (01) 643 8401
CCMA Welcome Report on Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2008
4th November 2009
Mr Ned Gleeson, Chairman of the County and City Managers Association (CCMA), welcomed the publication by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government today of the Service Indicators Report for 2008.
Mr Gleeson stated that: “This is the fifth annual report produced by the LGMSB on Service Indicators in Local Authorities. In these difficult economic times, it is critically important for local authorities to monitor and measure their output to assess where further efficiencies can be introduced into the system to benefit the customer. The Report is very useful for this.
It is particularly relevant just now when there is a very strong focus on effectiveness, transparency and value for money from the public service generally and the Report can assist management in reviewing performance in key areas”
The Service Indicators Report contains important information in relation to the activities of local authorities across a number of services including environment, water, housing, motor tax, library, recreation and youth.
According to Mr Gleeson, “The Report has evolved over time so as to provide relevant and topical information to the public. Performance measurement is a key feature of the modernisation agenda for the public service, and we are happy that our approach fits with this.”
He cautioned however on the expectation of improvement in local authority performance in all indicators, “Local authority budgets have been seriously curtailed in recent times. Given the contraction in local authority funding, local authorities will continue to strive for improvements especially in frontline areas but this will be very challenging.”
The economic environment in which local authorities are operating has undergone significant changes. This has resulted in authorities having to implement a number of stringent measures to deliver reductions in spending. While the Report measures performance of local authorities in 2008, the results will serve as a useful tool in tracking the impact of these changes on performance.
Finally he pointed out that the indicators only measure a small subset of the total activities of local authorities, “Local authorities provide over 100 different services on a local level. While the Services Indicator Report is a valuable tool in measuring aspects of local authority performance it must be read in the context of the range of services that local authorities provide and the changing climate in which they operate. Our emphasis at the moment is on maintaining frontline services with reduced staff and financial resources.”
Ends
The Service Indicators in Local Authorities Report is available to download at www.lgmsb.ie
For further information contact
Michelle Robinson
Local Government Management Services Board
Local Government House
35-39 Ushers Quay
Dublin 8
Background
What are Service Indicators?
Service Indicators were introduced in 2004 to measure the performance of Ireland’s local authorities across a range of services that they provide. Each local authority is responsible for submitting and verifying data on the range of indicators. This data is collated into tables on each indicator which enable comparisons to be made across the local authorities and the performance of individual local authorities to be tracked on an annual basis.
Where did they come from?
The report “Delivering Value for People – Service Indicators in Local Authorities” was published in January 2004 and is the basis for the current service indicator initiative. The Report, which was the work of a working group representative of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the local authorities and the Institute of Public Administration, made recommendations on the introduction of a comprehensive suite of service indicators by local authorities on which they would report annually.
What is their current relevance to the public?
The report on “Transforming Public Services” and related Government Statement placed a strong emphasis on performance both by organisations and individuals and stressed the need to “develop performance metrics which are meaningful to the citizen”. The OECD, in its recent report on Ireland, Public Management Review: Towards an Integrated Public Service (2008), highlighted the role that performance measurement can play in achieving greater results and efficiency from the systems and mechanisms already in place.