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What is Best Value?
The State Government introduced Best Value Legislation in 1999 to ensure that councils are accountable to their communities and that they provide the best possible services, based on quality and value for money, to meet local circumstances and needs.
An integral part of Best Value is community consultation. We need to know that the services Council provide are appropriate, responsive, cost effective and meeting your expectations and values. Best Value is based on the following six principles:
- cost and quality standards for all services
- responsiveness to community needs
- accessible and appropriately targeted services
- continuous improvement
- regular community consultation
- frequent reporting to the community
How does the City of Ballarat ensure Best Value?
In January/February 2005, the City of Ballarat reviewed its Best Value process. As a result of this review the City of Ballarat developed the 'Business Improvement @ Ballarat', systems approach, to ensure that the six Best Value principles guide service planning and review.
Key features of 'Business Improvement @ Ballarat' include:- high levels of community consultation and engagement
- an increased focus on improvement opportunities when benchmarking
- continuous improvement based on identifying and responding to community needs
- a focus on self-assessment of each service, against core criteria, with auditing by an independent board
- four year planning
The Business Improvement Cycle is ongoing and is summarised in the diagram to the right.
Contact Details
For further information please contact Rob Soar, Business Improvement Consultant, via email robsoar@ballarat.vic.gov.au or phone 03 5320 5821. Alternatively contact Customer Service on 03 5320 5500.