New research leads to powerful tool for regulators
21/10/09
For the first time local regulators have access to a powerful toolkit to help them in planning budgets and priorities, and raising their profile, following groundbreaking research commissioned by LBRO, the public body responsible for better local regulation.
Historically there has been very little research around the wider impacts and outcomes of local regulatory activity (only 55 per cent of services are able to make any measurements of impacts in any area), and as a result officers have not been able to measure the difference they make.
Officers have found it difficult to prove their value to their local authorities, their communities and local businesses and this has contributed to problems in setting budgets and priorities.
Now there is a solution: the LBRO report, entitled Impacts and Outcomes, and delivered by RAND Europe, shows regulators' actions do have demonstrable results for the quality of life in communities and provides a toolkit for identifying, measuring and managing them.
The report looks at potential benefits to communities in general and to business, including issues that have a direct impact on quality of life, including anti-social behaviour, crime and violence.
Chair of LBRO, Clive Grace, said: "It is a management truth that you cannot properly manage what you cannot measure. For the first time local authorities have been given the tools they need for priority planning, profile raising and budgeting - based on a total of 48 benefits to communities and business.
"Local regulatory services can directly improve our quality of life and this report shows how to prove it. It is a significant step forward in LBRO's drive to improve services and enhance the system."
This report and toolkit represent significant forward steps in improving local authority regulatory services and enhancing the regulatory system.
LBRO is making the toolkit available to local authority regulatory services across the country and will be working with LACoRS to support its use and share best practice and information that is generated as a result.
LBRO will be looking forward to Government departments promoting the initiative and national regulators using it to gain greater understanding of local priorities.
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