Public services to be laid bare

Oldham’s council, police, health and other public services will come under a new spotlight next month.

People will be able to see how well local services are working together using the Oneplace website which will be launched on December 9.

Oneplace is the first time six independent national watchdogs have come together to give an overall picture of life in Oldham and 151 other areas across England.

It aims to show whether their public services are focusing on what matters to residents, and assess whether progress is being made in tackling the big local issues, and whether things are likely to improve.

The website brings together the results of the new Comprehensive Area Assessment which looks at local issues, such as crime, affordable housing and people’s health, to create a single snapshot of an area.

It is drawn up by independent inspectorates — the Audit Commission, Care Quality Commission, HM Inspectorates of Constabulary, Prisons and Probation, and Ofsted. The new system uses green and red flags to indicate exceptional performance and improvements, or significant concerns about performance and prospects for improvement.

It will ask what are the local priorities to be tackled in an area; how well are local services like the council, police, fire and health working together to overcome these big issues; and what are the prospects that things will get better?

For more information on Oneplace and CAA visit: www.audit-commission.gov.uk/oneplace