The Council has recently signed a Public Service Agreement (PSA) with the Government. This commits the Council to delivering improvements in performance on a range of services over the next three years in return for potentially significant financial rewards from the Government if we achieve agreed targets. These targets involve the Council in stretching its performance beyond existing targets. Some of them involve working closely with other agencies in the County to deliver improvements, and this is a major development in our arrangements to deliver better services in partnership with District Councils and other public agencies.

Some of these service improvements have to address national targets set by the Government, whilst others relate to our own local priorities. However the whole PSA has been constructed on the basis that it addresses areas that the Council and its partners consider to be priorities for improvement. All of the PSA targets reflect the priorities within the Council’s revised Medium Term Corporate Strategy.

3.2 The PSA Target Areas

There are twelve PSA targets which have been grouped together in the Agreement under the headings shown below. The letter in brackets after each one relates them to the relevant section of this Plan.

Improving Leicestershire’s Prosperity

Increasing the % of pupils achieving 5 GCSEs at grades A-C. (B)
Improving the achievement of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2. (B)
Improving the Educational attainment of all pupils in Special Schools (B)
Improving the education, training and employment levels of care leavers/ improving school attendance levels for secondary aged looked after children/raising the educational attainment of looked after children in the primary phase. (B)
Improving work and occupational related activities for people with disabilities.(C).

Helping Leicestershire People enjoy a Healthy and Attractive County

Increasing the number of problem drug users completing treatment. (F)
Increasing household waste recycling and composting. (E)

Making Leicestershire a Safer County

Reducing vehicle crime. (F)
Reducing the overall level of domestic violence. (F)
Improving the basic skills of young people receiving community supervision. (F)
Reducing the number of killed or seriously injured road casualties. (D)

Improving Our Efficiency in Service Delivery

Improving value for money of local services by overall improvements in cost effectiveness. (G)

The specific targets we have agreed to achieve are included in the relevant Section of this Plan. A full copy of the PSA is available on the Council’s website.

Best Value Contents

Page Last Updated: 30 June 2003