COMPREHENSIVE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT - CORPORATE ASSESSMENT

A. Context

1.  What is the Council trying to achieve?

2.  How has the Council set about delivering its priorities?

3. What has the Council achieved/not achieved to date?

4.  In the light of what the Council has learned what does it plan to do next?

Self Scoring

Improvement Plan

Council Structure

Officer Structure

Case Studies:

A. Context

Introduction

Dartford, the smallest Council in Kent, is at the heart of the Thames Gateway, Europe's largest regeneration project. It is famous for its landmark QEII Bridge, opened in 1991, reducing traffic congestion, facilitating new development and marking a turning point in the Borough's fortunes.

Situated on chalk, Dartford became the main centre for the cement needed to rebuild London after the Second World War.   The resulting deep excavations and dust from cement making, together with the heavy lorries travelling to and from the quarries, perpetuated the name ‘Dirty Dartford'.

Changing circumstances brought industrial and environmental decline. Quarries were identified as landfill sites for London and Kent's refuse and a number of old hospitals and sanatoria became derelict.   Declining local employment and good east-west transport routes led to a very high level of outward commuting.

Something had to be done to secure Dartford's future, so the Council developed a plan based on the ethos of ‘quality' to address environmental decline. This theme was reflected in improvements to the environment, services to the community and developments to generate employment.

The first step for local employment was Crossways Business Park , a high quality mixed development adjacent to the Dartford Crossing.   The second was the opening of Bluewater in 1999 – an internationally famous regional shopping and leisure centre built in a disused chalk quarry. Then came Darent Valley Hospital built through a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) facilitated by the Council's investment, an element of the North Dartford project (Dartford Park ).

Other major developments followed, the most notable are:

Overall , by 2025

The Council and its partners began to petition Government for additional finance to progress regeneration on this scale in 1997, with ‘The Case for Kent Thameside'.

This need was finally recognised when the Prime Minister and his Deputy together launched the Sustainable Communities Plan initiative in 2003 at Ingress Park . The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has committed financial support to Dartford for the next three years –

Investment is also forthcoming from other sources with the recently announced Town Centre development as one example. Significant private sector finance has been invested in the area, notably £650m at Bluewater .

These ambitions are balanced against the fact that Dartford is the smallest borough in Kent in terms of both population and area, with around 86,500 residents in 35,000 households (2001 census).

It consists of the town itself and eight parishes covering just 7,632 hectares. To the south of the A2 the Borough is largely rural with small, historic villages and hamlets.

The Council is determined to preserve the area's heritage and character by encouraging and stimulating inward investment and sustainable communities but preserving and protecting it from the negative impacts or over-development.

Dartford is a borough of contrasts in terms of affluence. Although as a whole Dartford has a low position of 206 out of 354 authorities in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2000 (IMD), Joyce Green ward was in the most deprived 10% of wards in the whole country and Swanscombe and Galley Hill wards (now combined as the new Swanscombe ward) amongst the 20% most deprived.

Contrast is most vividly shown by the Index of Education where Joyce Green, Littlebrook, Swanscombe wards and the former ward of Galley Hill are within the most deprived 10% of wards in the country, whereas Wilmington West and Maypole are in the least deprived 20% of wards nationally.

Furthermore, the wards that suffer from the worst deprivation tend to be surrounded by the new developments.

Dartford Borough Council is committed to ensuring residents reap the benefits of the developments, but are protected from negative impacts.

For example the Council worked with the developers of Bluewater to establish a local labour scheme, ensuring advance training for residents, so they could benefit from the thousands of construction and retail jobs generated by Bluewater .

Unemployment more than halved between 1991 and 2001. The Council is now progressing local employment initiatives with other developers to help residents access new local employment opportunities.

The scale of change presents a major challenge to the Council and its partners.   Integrating old and new communities is a key priority, helping existing residents to share the benefits of new development and regeneration across the Borough through access to public space and provision of new facilities and infrastructure.  

The Council strives to meet the expectations and aspirations of the community in delivering top-quality services, alongside the additional pressures of large-scale development.

Working in Partnership

Regeneration on this scale requires effective partnerships. Dartford Borough Council has a successful history working with public, private and voluntary sector agencies to bring in funding and address priorities.

In April 2002 the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) for Kent Thameside was formed between Dartford and neighbouring Gravesham Borough and Kent County Council.

It includes other key players such as health, police and voluntary organisations, who focus on meeting the priorities and needs of local people. Dartford also work in partnership with Groundwork Kent Thameside and the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust (PCT).

The Community Strategy (2003) sets out the critical actions needed to deliver an improved quality of life for everyone in Kent Thameside and provides a lead to organisations working in the area. A review of existing partnerships has commenced to ensure that they are continuing to focus on delivering real benefits to the community.

Partnerships have succeeded in securing external funding for the most deprived areas of the Borough. For instance £2.26m has been acquired for Dartford from SureStart and £1.2m for Dartford and Gravesham from the Children's Fund .

Dartford and Gravesham have also secured Single Regeneration Budget funding - £2.6m since 1998 and a further £0.6m until 2006D as well as European Union Urban funding for projects in the wards surrounding the international station development at Ebbsfleet.

A Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy , jointly funded by Dartford Borough Council, the ODPM and the Urban programme , is nearing completion in Swanscombe. Also under development are a Local Employment Initiative and IT projects to improve learning and employment opportunities.

Governance

In 2000, in advance of legislation, Dartford Borough Council piloted the Cabinet, with Leader, model of operation. This was adopted in 2001 after public consultation. A new management structure was also introduced (Officer Structure attached).

Following the recent boundary review, the Council comprises 44 elected Members representing 17 wards. Elections take place every four years - most recently in May 2003.

Due to the death of a candidate for the Longfield, New Barn and Southfleet ward, determination of the final three seats did not take place until 19 June. The political composition is now:

The Conservatives, Residents Association and Independents formed the new administration, with the first Cabinet meeting in late June 2003.  

Prior to May 2003 a majority Labour administration had controlled the Council for eight years. The new administration focussed quickly on a review of Policies, Strategies and Priorities and within six months had prepared a consultation draft of its new Corporate Plan.  

The seven-strong Cabinet meets in public every three weeks and comprises Councillors from the two political groups forming the administration. Two Cabinet Advisory Panels have recently been formed, to enable all Members to contribute to the policy-making process (Council Structure attached).

Two Overview and Scrutiny Committees - one dealing with service issues and the other corporate matters hold the Cabinet to account for the discharge of executive functions and also, via a number of Working Groups , review policy and make recommendations to the Cabinet.

The Best Value Review Committee (BVRC) conducts wide-ranging service reviews and monitors performance. Three Best Value reviews Planning & Land (2**), Revenues & Benefits (2**), and Street Scenes (1*), covering 18 different services, have already been inspected with positive results for improvement.

Housing (Landlord Services) and Waste and Recycling reviews have also been completed, but not inspected, with Service Improvement Plans being actioned.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor provide a key interface with the public through community events and school activities and take every opportunity to promote the Borough at home and with visitors from abroad.

The Council has a sound system of financial management. The Cabinet Portfolio Member for Finance and the Leader of the Council receive monthly briefings, while the Cabinet receives regular reports detailing actual expenditure and income against forecasts, enabling it to redirect resources where necessary.

The Council holds prudent levels of reserves and has approved plans for their use.   It has been debt free since 1995 and has, from that date, used its own resources to finance the capital programme.

Annual accounts are finalised early, audited in June, and presented to the General Assembly of the Council (Full Council) in July. All auditors' opinions have been unqualified.

The Council faces severe pressure on services as a result of the regeneration process and poor Revenue Support Grant (RSG) settlements.

Staff resources have to be balanced between service delivery and regeneration. The increasing number of residents and households need to receive services in advance of these populations being reflected in OPS statistics and resultant Government funding.  

To ensure focus and effectiveness and to safeguard services, the Council is progressing a management restructure.

Culture

The Council has a positive and achieving approach and a solid record of service delivery. It follows a broad economy approach in its procurement (in-house, externalisation and partnering) while demonstrating its capacity to be innovative and tackle change.

As Dartford moves further into the regeneration process, this culture is vital in tackling the many challenges that lie ahead. The Council recognise the need to improve and to ensure core services are maintained and enhanced, while delivering successful, high quality regeneration. To achieve this the Council has:

Dartford Borough Council has taken a positive approach to CPA and the process has benefited the new administration in helping it achieve change on key issues and initiatives.

The Council will continue to work in partnership with other local service providers, to deliver a better quality of life, environment and future for the people of the Borough, as demonstrated in the following sections of this submission.

Councillor K F M Leadbeater
Leader of the Council

Managing Director
G J Harris

1. What is the Council trying to achieve ?

AMBITION

In view of the scale and pace of regeneration, Dartford Borough Council has sought to maintain an up-to-date, dynamic and realistic vision for the area.

Its vision is: ‘to make Dartford “the place of choice”. A place where people choose to live, work and enjoy their leisure time' and this is developed through the Corporate Plan. These ambitions were first set out in the ‘Dartford Strategy for the Year 2000', approved by the Council in 1990.

Much of the emphasis was on preparing the area and its infrastructure to take advantage of the potential for regeneration. Substantial progress has since been made and the Council's vision and priorities have been reviewed and revised along the way.

In 1999 a revised Corporate Strategy supported this vision, with six priority themes:

The themes formed a framework for the Council's wider policies and targets and the annual Best Value Performance Plan is based around them.

The Local Strategic Partnership for Kent Thameside, encompassing the Boroughs of Dartford and Gravesham, formed in April 2002, focuses on:

The Community Strategy (2003) aims to create, encourage, support and nurture strong and sustainable communities, preserving the best of what is in place, while seeking to maximise the benefits of new opportunities.

It gives a lead to organisations working in the area by setting out clear objectives and actions, in order that they can develop plans and mainstream finance around them.

Dartford Borough Council has been instrumental in developing the strategy, which needed to reflect the substantial differences in community needs and priorities between the Boroughs of Dartford and Gravesham. The new administration has, in a very short time, reviewed policies, strategies and priorities to enable the Council to clarify its role in taking the Community Strategy Action Plan forward.

Key themes and actions for a revised Corporate Plan were approved by the Council on 15 December 2003. With the addition of ‘Quality Services', they are the same as those developed through the Corporate Strategy (1999).

‘Quality Services' has been made a priority to emphasise the Council's primary role in delivering high quality services to local people.

A wide-ranging consultation exercise is currently underway, with all households in the Borough having the opportunity to contribute. The Corporate Plan will be approved by the Council in February 2004.

A new Town Centre Partnership has been established, bringing together key business and community interests to revitalise Dartford town centre and focusing resources on this critical aspect of the wider regeneration programme. Community Leadership and partnership is demonstrated in the Abbott Laboratories project supported by the Council in order to secure employment and investment.

The Council worked closely with residents and other stakeholders in planning the future of key developments at Dartford Park , the former West Hill Hospital site and at Greenhithe. Now it is scrutinising the Post Office closure programme in the Borough, recognising how crucial Post Offices are to the local community, particularly the elderly.

Dartford Borough Council petitioned the Government for funding for regeneration, well in advance of the Sustainable Communities Plan.  

When the chosen route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) was announced in 1993 it became evident that the route would pass through the Borough.

While seeking an acceptable route the Council took a positive lead in convincing the Government, and others, of the need for an international station at Ebbsfleet to bring economic benefits to the community.

The realism and robustness of the Council's ambitions have been demonstrated by its record of delivery, not least in respect of the key Thames Gateway challenges.

The development of Bluewater Shopping Centre, the award winning riverside development at Ingress Park and Darenth Country Park , a major new community facility covering 40 hectares and funded, in the main, by the Millennium Commission and English partnerships, together with programmes such as SureStart and Urban illustrate the Council's ability to put its ambitions into practice. Current proposals in respect of the Town Centre, Dartford Park and Stone Lodge demonstrate the scope of the Council's future ambitions.

Sometimes, though, the Council faces capacity issues in relation to meeting its ambitions. Working closely with private and public sector bodies and Government agencies, it strives to plan and deliver ongoing improvement and regeneration for local people in the context of wider economic change across the region.

One challenge is in ensuring that all partners are following the same programme. In the recent Audit Commission inspection report on the Council's Planning and Land Best Value Review (May 2003), it was stated in conclusion that:

‘The Council has responded well to the challenges of the pace of regeneration in Dartford. We recognise that the wider regeneration agenda provides a drive for improvement in addition to best value reviews – not least since government policy and funding support have now been clearly stated.   The Council has demonstrated a track record of delivery and has a big appetite for future improvement.'

The review also demonstrated that the Council's partner organisations recognise the Council's ambitions and achievements in this regard.

The recent Peer Challenge conducted by SOLACE identified a strong overall sense of direction and purpose across the Council. Recent improvements in performance management and internal communications are helping to ensure an increased focus on achieving goals.

PRIORITISATION

The Government's national priorities for the Thames Gateway are included in the Sustainable Communities Plan and must be considered when dealing with regeneration in the Borough.

The wider priorities set out in Kent Thameside's Community Strategy are based not only on the established priorities of Local Strategic Partnership members but also on the results of an extensive consultation involving a questionnaire sent to 75,000 households across Kent Thameside.

Involvement of the community and voluntary sector was also achieved through a Community Assembly, which provided substantial feedback on the draft strategy. Priorities were identified as Community Safety and Health and these are reflected in the strategies and work plans of the partner organisations.

While the Council can only prioritise activities under its direct control, completion of the Community Strategy Action Plan in February 2004 will clarify other partners' priorities.

The Corporate Plan sits at the apex of the Council's Performance Management Framework. Corporate priorities are rolled out through corporate targets and service planning. The Council's priorities reflect the needs of Dartford residents, in line with the findings of the General User Satisfaction and Community Strategy consultations. The Corporate Plan reflects broader national and regional priorities in respect of Dartford's key role in the regeneration of the Thames Gateway.

Dartford Borough Council is a key player in ensuring this process brings maximum benefits to existing and new communities.

Priority communities were identified as part of the Community Strategy in line with IMD statistics. Recently published and more detailed information from the 2001 Census is now being used to review whether there are additional communities, at a sub-ward level, which merit priority status.

In view of the pace of change in Dartford, it is vital that the Council communicates its priorities effectively to both internal and external audiences.

Internal communications were recognised as poor, so following initial consultation with staff in 2002, a programme of improvements was introduced. Regular bulletins from the Managing Director and Leader now go out to all staff and a series of staff briefings has been introduced by the Managing Director.

These focus on key priorities and issues for the Council. Results of the first staff survey are being collated and staff have been involved in consultation on the Corporate Plan. Documents such as the Best Value Performance Plan summary are also circulated to all staff.

The Peer Challenge highlighted how staff recognise the improvements that are taking place in internal communications.

External consultation and communication exists albeit, on occasions, in an unstructured way.   However, the Communications and Consultation Strategy, approved by Cabinet in January 2004, formalises the approach to both external and internal communications. Examples of communications are:

The Council's revised Performance Management Framework, approved in October 2003, provides a clear mechanism for a policy-led budget cycle. However, the annual three-year budget setting process reflects corporate priorities and is reviewed and realigned.

The budgetary process results in funding bids being assessed against priorities, with many not being accepted. The non-progression of bids has not been formally reported, as part of the process, but this will now be more structured, especially in light of the new administration's intent to keep the Council Tax rise in line with inflation.

A special identified initiative revenue reserve has been established to provide funding for short-term initiatives. The Cabinet also has power to redirect resources during the year to meet changing customer needs. For instance:

Activities are also scaled down to take account of changing priorities, an example of this being Tourism.

FOCUS

The challenges of the Thames Gateway and the need to harness these for the benefit of local residents have been a major focus for the Council. The Planning and Land Best Value Review Inspection concluded:

  ‘… Council has shown a willingness to work in new ways to deliver regeneration, working with partners and developers. It has encouraged an upward shift in design quality, prioritised sustainable development and ensured that new investment benefits existing priority communities as well as new ones.'

This raising of standards in terms of the quality of new developments is demonstrated at Bluewater , Ingress Park and Prospect Place. In the case of the Town Centre, Dartford Borough Council has worked with stakeholders to bring about significant improvement.

This has borne fruit with the announcement of a major new retail and housing development , which will have a fundamental impact on the economic well-being, vitality and attractiveness of the Town. Similarly, at Dartford Park the Council has taken an ambitious and long-term view to ensure sustainability and quality.

This approach has helped raise aspirations and expectations in relation to future complex major schemes such as Eastern Quarry .

Focus is vital for an area experiencing such fundamental change and the new Corporate Plan and revised Performance Management Framework are crucial to this.

The Council recognises the risk of being distracted in the face of other pressures, but is also aware of the need to be flexible. Specific measures have been introduced to ensure distractions are reduced, e.g.

The Council uses its Overview and Scrutiny and Best Value Review Committees to maintain its focus.

The approach to Best Value was to carry out large reviews (five reviews covering 26 services) to provide benefits to the community that would not arise from service specific reviews. With the Council's emphasis on quality services, the role of the BVRC is being reviewed, to deliver greater support to the work of the Cabinet.  

2. How has the Council set about delivering its priorities?

CAPACITY

The pace of regeneration and change in Dartford brings particular pressures for a small council. However, Dartford Borough Council recognises the need to ensure there are sufficient staff with appropriate skills to deliver service priorities and is focusing on staff training and development as a key priority.

The introduction of a new competency framework in May 2003, supported by a comprehensive training needs analysis, has resulted in a significant increase in the corporate training budget.

Induction training for members was introduced, following a review of the role of backbenchers by an Overview & Scrutiny Working Group. Cabinet Members received additional briefings and the training needs analysis is now being extended to Councillors.

The Council's Constitution sets out the structure of decision-making, advisory and scrutinising bodies at a political level, together with officer responsibilities and the scheme of delegations. While accountability is clear, current officer structures are not considered to focus decision-making and accountability at the most appropriate level in the organisation.

However the current Corporate restructure, together with the staff survey, will highlight issues that need to be tackled, including the weaknesses in management highlighted during the recent Peer Challenge.

The Council has established teams of enthusiastic, committed staff throughout the organisation, who respond willingly to new priorities and direction.

Difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff in 2001 which led to a new staff benefits package being introduced in 2002, resulting in a 20% reduction in staff turnover. In some sections such as the Cabinet Office, a graduate recruitment scheme, involving funding through postgraduate degrees, has been introduced, with beneficial results.

Improved sickness monitoring and referral has been introduced, along with measures to identify and deal with stress in the workforce. Other staff initiatives include a healthy living programme, medicals and occupational health support . These and many other staff issues have now been brought together in a Human Resources Strategy.

Valuing external expertise, the Council uses consultants to provide specific skills and resources to key projects such as Dartford Park . The Council has a long-standing record of outsourcing services and using innovative methods of enhancing service delivery.

Leased leisure services are run by private sector companies and housing management was outsourced in 1995, but brought back in house five years later, so that the service could be developed and improved.

Senior managers work closely with Members of the Cabinet, Junior Ministers and other Councillors to establish and progress the policy framework. Criticisms about the marginalisation of backbench Members have been tackled through the creation of two Cabinet Advisory Panels.

These meet to discuss the Cabinet agenda in advance of the Cabinet meeting, so that their views and concerns can be fed into the policy-making process. Following feedback from the Peer Challenge, the structure and content of Cabinet agendas have been reviewed to ensure the main focus is firmly on key issues.

The relationships between Advisory Panels and the Scrutiny function will be included in the 2004/2005 Constitution.

While the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committees were characterised by a highly charged political atmosphere, they succeeded through working groups in making significant contributions to issues like the Youth Council ; tourism and heritage; illegal encampments; the role of backbenchers and the Mayoralty in the new political structure; the relationship between licensing policy and the night-time economy; and E-government.  

Arrangements for the future operation of Scrutiny are under review. The role of the BVRC under the Council's new performance management arrangements is also being re-evaluated. The BVRC has made important contributions to improving frontline service delivery, such as improving the Civic Offices' reception and private interview rooms.

However, it is clear, with the new emphasis on Comprehensive Performance Assessment and an increased focus on the quality of core services, that a fresh and less bureaucratic approach to service review is required.

The Standards Committee is chaired by a co-opted independent member to reflect the increased profile of Ethical Standards and Councillor Conduct and works closely with the Monitoring Officer and the Head of Legal Services.  

The recent Peer Challenge highlighted the impact that detailed scrutiny was having on Member/officer relationships, leading to moderation and improvement. There is recognition that Member/officer team working needs further enhancement, if ambitions are to be achieved. Refresher training on the Member/officer protocol is being arranged for all Members and senior officers, to help improve working relationships.

The Council is carrying out a review of its partnerships as it is involved in over 90 groups/sub-groups and is aware that partnerships have a potential to drain resources from key priorities if they are not sufficiently focused. The new Delivery Board has enabled the establishment of a hierarchy of partnerships under the Local Strategic Partnership, with clear, well-communicated aims, objectives and terms of reference and the review will cover all groups and sub-groups.

Partnership working on health has been particularly successful with the Council represented on the Health Improvement Programme (HIMP) Board involved in appointing the Primary Care Trust's Director of Public Health and delivering added value through the Dartford Health Action Team (HATs). It also supports quarterly update meetings on current health issues.

The Council has benefited from its three year budgeting, specific Identified Initiative reserve, the annual review to ensure resources meet developing policies and priorities and its debt free status. Currently, there is an ongoing review of the budget.   The Council has also utilised Section 106 funding for the provision of infrastructure.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

The Council has a long history of performance management and monitors performance in a number of ways, from team targets and personal appraisals to quarterly reviews of Best Value Performance Indicators.

A performance-related pay scheme for staff introduced in 1990, failed to measure the whole job and was not fully in line with corporate priorities. It was terminated in April 2002, when the new pay and benefits package was introduced, although target setting and appraisals continued.

A Performance Management Framework, built on best practice, was approved by the Council in October 2003 to drive service improvements.

The service plans detail aims and objectives linked to priorities in the Corporate Plan and other statutory documents produced by the Council. These include key targets and performance indicators to measure how the Council is meeting its identified priorities. Further indicators are being developed as part of the Corporate Plan, to measure the performance of the services, identified by the consultation as of greatest interest or concern to the public. These will be determined, in part, by the Corporate Plan consultation process.

Quarterly performance monitoring reports are made to the Council's Cabinet and BVRC. However, it is proposed that corporate targets and key performance indicators will be monitored on a more regular basis, to ensure that weaknesses, delays or downward trends are identified and tackled promptly. More detailed monitoring takes place with regular reports to Portfolio Members. For example, revenues and finance information is provided to the Portfolio Member on a monthly basis.

Following the Peer Challenge, monitoring arrangements are being reviewed to ensure Cabinet Members have a regular flow of information and can identify where resource changes are needed.  

Service plans are reviewed as part of the budget cycle, and bids for additional resources or redirection of existing resources must show the benefits, implications and how the proposals meet the Council's priorities.

Section and individual work plans and targets flow from service plans. This approach complements the new Competency Framework and revised appraisal process for all council staff. It is evident that not all staff are aware of the wider picture and this will be addressed through the Communications and Consultation strategy.   The appraisal process identifies training and development needs and the established growth in corporate training resources will continue, to ensure the Council has the skills in place to support quality service delivery.

The Best Value process remains a key element of the Council's approach to service improvement and the inspection of the Planning and Land Review demonstrates how the Council's approach to Best Value has helped enhance the quality of its services.

The Best Value Performance Plan is also an important aspect of the Council's new performance management arrangements. It provides a clear indication of how the Council is performing, both in relation to its own targets and in comparison with other authorities, and shows the priorities and targets for the coming period.

Reports on projects, expenditure and work programmes are submitted to Cabinet quarterly and reviewed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committees. Service Improvement Plans resulting from Best Value Reviews are monitored by the Cabinet and BVRC on a six monthly/yearly basis.

The Management Group began looking in detail at strategic risks in summer 2002 and has been working closely with Zurich Municipal resulting in the Risk Management Strategy being approved in January 2004. The assessment and management of key risks associated with Service Plans is an integral part of the new Performance Management Framework. Strategic risks are reviewed annually in line with the performance management cycle and a comprehensive risk register is being established for the new financial year.

Value for money is vital and the Council uses two fund managers to invest cash balances to achieve returns and manage risk. The Council previously recycled resources for the benefit of tenants and residents until this was no longer possible under new regulations. The Council seeks leverage to investment, by working with partners such as Groundwork Kent Thameside.

The procurement processes also test value for money. Decisions to accept a higher tendered rate are made, when it is considered that quality standards may not be achieved by the lowest bidder. These decisions are then reviewed as part of the Best Value process.

Corporate Assessment Continued

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