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• Best Value Performance Indicators: Explanatory notes on the Indicators for 2004-05

Fire and resilience

Best Value Performance Indicators: Explanatory notes on the Indicators for 2004-05

Best Value Performance Indicators

Best Value has been applied to local authority services since 1 April 2000.  There are a number of different categories of Fire & Rescue Authorities (FRAs) in England.  Essentially these divide into 31 single-purpose authorities (London and the metropolitan FRAs and combined FRAs) and 16 county FRAs where the service is provided by the county council as one of a range of services.  Single-purpose FRAs are Best Value authorities in their own right.  For county FRAs the duty of Best Value applies at county council level. 

The fire and rescue service BVPIs are described in the document 'Best Value Performance Indicators 2003/2004' which was published in January 2003. This can be accessed at the following website address Guidance on Best Value Performance Indicators for 2003/2004. Supplementary guidance for BVPIs amended or introduced from 1 April 2004 can be accessed at http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1136109#P18_225. 

The BVPIs were developed in consultation with fire and rescue service interests and replaced the indicators published by the Audit Commission up to and including 2002-2003.  There are two broad categories of indicators, service delivery and corporate health.  Service delivery indicators tend to show how effectively FRAs are providing services, for example in relation to the incidence of fires and fire-related casualties.  Corporate health indicators provide information on how well FRAs are running themselves.

The BVPI data for service delivery indicators give a direct Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) by FRS comparison under each heading. A relatively small number of corporate health indicators have been applied to single-purpose fire authorities, reflecting their limited range of functions.  The tables for some of the corporate health indicators may not cover all FRAs.  Where it is considered important to have comparisons in the performance of all FRAs against particular corporate health indicators, such as sick leave rates, data have been collected from all authorities.

The indicators serve to highlight variations in performance.  Under the Best Value process, FRAs will be required to compare their performance with that of the best and set targets for improvement.  For the purpose of inter-FRS comparisons, the data are also presented separately under a number of family groups for FRS with similar characteristics.

For service delivery indicators much of the data used has been taken from information already collected from FRAs for the purposes of the publication of national fire statistics.  For corporate health indicators the general approach adopted is that the indicators are applied to single-purpose FRAs where they are relevant.

The essence of Best Value is seeking continuous improvement in service delivery and outcomes.  It is therefore vital that authorities are able to establish a comprehensive baseline of performance against which they and the people they serve can judge the progress they are making.

BVPI Family Groups

Each of the BVPI Indicator tables is mirrored by a set of tables in which the FRSs are separated into 5 'family groups' to help them prepare best value performance plans. 

Notes on the Tables

Decimal places

Generally, indicators are shown to one decimal place.  However, for the purposes of sorting the tables, a limit has not been put on the number of places.

Family groups

In April 2000, FRSs were informed that their performance for the purposes of BVPIs 144 and 150 would be considered within 5 'family groups'.  However, groupings for all the indicators will be found in this publication to assist in the best value process.

Sources of data

The Tables have been annotated with the data sources.  These are clarified below:

• Communities and Local Government annual returns - All FRSs submitted annual returns for 2004/05.  The figures in the tables were taken from these returns, after having been checked and amended where appropriate.
• Communities and Local Government fire statistics - The figures used came from forms FDR 1 and 3 completed by FRSs.
• CIPFA - The figures for the number of domestic properties (BVPI 142) and non-domestic properties (BVPI 149) were obtained from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
• Registrar General's mid year estimates - Population figures were provided by the Office for National Statistics.
• RO6 returns to Communities and Local Government - BVPI 150 was calculated using information from Revenue Outturn Form 6 line 200.

Information on the make up of the BVPIs is contained in:

• Fire Service Circular 6/2000.
• Communities and Local Government publication Best Value Performance Indicators 2003/2004.
• BVPIs for 2004/2005: Supplementary guidance and feedback document.

If you have any queries on the indicators, the data, or their presentation, please contact Deborah Aniyeloye on 020 7944 5480 (e-mail: Deborah.Aniyeloye@communities.gsi.gov.uk).