Struggling councils risk being left behind as top performers continue to improve at a greater rate, a government watchdog warned today. While overall local authority standards in England are improving, the Audit Commission warned that lower-performing councils would need to “accelerate the pace of improvement” to prevent the gap between high and low performance widening further over time.

{mosimage}Each year the commission measures how well councils are performing across a range of services – from bins to housing benefits – and awards an overall rating of between nought and four stars. This year’s Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) praised councils for improvement in areas such as recycling and adult social care, but identified problems with housing provision and a declining number of libraries and sporting facilities.

The report, published today, showed that 79% of single tier and county councils in England have achieved three and four-star ratings, a 9% improvement on 2005 results. The overall performance of councils continues to improve, with 77% of single tier and county councils improving strongly or improving well, compared to 75% in 2005. For the first time since the CPA began in 2002, there are no councils in the bottom or no-star category.

Thirty-two councils have moved up at least one star rating, while North-east Lincolnshire, which was the only council to achieve a no-star rating last year, has demonstrated rapid improvement and moved up two star categories together with Havering and Waltham Forest. London and the north-east of England are the two areas which contain the highest number of four-star councils, while the West Midlands has two one-star councils and only three that have achieved four-stars.

Thousands of health care therapists will face a system of profession standards and regulation for the first time, under plans unveiled by the Government yesterday. Psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists will have to reach fixed standards of proficiency and could be struck-off in the same way as doctors if complaints are unpheld by independent adjudicators.

Doctors will face five-yearly ‘MOT’ tests to check their competence in a radical overhaul of medical regulation triggered by a string of scandals. The Government also plans to strip the General Medical Council of its powers to discipline doctors and prevent them from practising.

Tribal Group, one of the UK’s leading providers of consultancy and technology services to the public sector has won the contract for the second phase of the Skills for Care initiative which will help modernise adult social care in England.

“Because their practice is well established and widespread in the delivery of services, and what they do carries significant risk to patients and the public if poorly done”, the Government has announced that it is “planning to introduce statutory regulation for psychotherapists and counsellors and other psychological therapists”.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has revealed its priorities for Gordon Brown’s first 100 days in office. There has been a great deal of speculation about what the Chancellor is planning, if he replaces Tony Blair as Prime Minister in the coming months.