2.2: Frontline Burdens
Reducing burdens on the frontline, whether from reporting, inspection or assessment, with a focus on removing those burdens
of least benefit to local people
Other Information:
Actions: reducing burdens on the frontline -- We will reduce the total number of burdens on local areas, as well as the cost
of compliance with existing burdens. We will: • Coordinate timings, where appropriate, of all assessments, inspections and
reporting arrangements across central government and AlBs by 2010/11 where they are focused on similar outcomes • Develop
options to coordinate and rationalise burdens on the frontline through better coordination across Whitehall. Potential options
include a new cross- government data gateway for requests from central government to the frontline; or a shared web portal
bringing together all regulations and guidance for local areas in one place, allowing frontline professionals, businesses
and the public to highlight burdens that can be reduced. We will report on firm options by Budget 2010 • Review the work and
number of inspectorates across the public sector with firm proposals by Budget 2010. this will include the abolition of her
Majesty’s inspectorate of Court Administration. As part of this work we will look for opportunities to give the best-performing
organisations greater freedom from central control, for example to local probation areas that meet tough performance criteria
• Explore sharing costs of collecting data more equally and identify how we can move to a fairer system for the suppliers
of that information. We will significantly reduce the cost of burdens by ensuring that reporting, inspection and assessment
frameworks only include what is really needed to guarantee accountability, access and quality. We will: • Ask the Total Place
pilot sites to use their forthcoming local reports in February 2010 to record the total burdens across local agencies involved
in their particular pilot topic, and to highlight their priorities for streamlining these burdens • Undertake work in each
government department to identify the biggest obstacles to effectiveness imposed by departments and arm’s-length bodies (AlBs)
on the frontline. this will build on existing programmes such as the Department for Children, schools and Families’ (DCsF)
review of obstacles to delivery • Draw these two pieces of work together to inform the Government’s response to the Total
Place reports on key reporting, inspection and assessment burdens where the cost outweighs the benefit, or where there is
significant overlap between frameworks. We will remove as many identified burdens as possible in time for the 2011/12 financial
year.
Indicator(s):
|
