The Improvement Cycle

The WPI process encompasses a series of components which inform local councils' corporate and budget planning processes:

• annual performance assessments of their services and functions to ensure that they meet the council's strategic objectives and identify strengths and weaknesses. Periodically, more fundamental reviews may be conducted where there are significant difficulties or pressures.
• an annual joint risk assessment agreed between the council and its regulators to identify opportunities for, and threats to, improvement.
• corporate and budget plans that take on board the outcome of the annual performance assessments and the joint risk assessment.
• an annual improvement plan providing an overview of the council’s performance, focusing on its priorities for improvement.
• an annual regulatory plan drawing together the planned work programme of the regulators and inspectors.
• monitoring and evaluation of actions to feed into strategic planning and annual assessments.
  The Welsh Assembly Government’s Wales Programme for Improvement guidance can be found here.

Implementation Guidance

Each year, the Wales Audit Office issues implementation guidance on how some of the Wales Programme for Improvement processes work. The latest guidance on the Joint Risk Assessment Process was published in April 2008. Guidance on the Audit of the Improvement Plan (including the Performance Indicator and Performance Measurement Audits) was published in May 2008.

Reporting on Improvement

The Wales Audit Office reports annually on the progress of Wales Programme for Improvement and improvement in local government. Click here for the latest version.

Contact us

For more information contact:

Anthony Snow, Chief Operating Officer, Wales Audit Office
Jane Holownia, Engagement Partner, Wales Programme for Improvement, Wales Audit Office