However, the sector needs to address weaknesses identified through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).

We are addressing these with Arts Council England, Sport England, MLA and English Heritage, all contributing to the funding of a dedicated cultural services improvement unit at the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) for the period up to March 2008.

The unit can be contacted at martyn.allison@idea.gov.uk and brian.king@idea.gov.uk .

We and our partners are supporting improvement in local authority culture and leisure services in the following ways:

• The IDeA unit published “A Passion for Excellence: An Emerging Self-Improvement Strategy for Cultural Services” in March 2006 ;(PDF 219kb). The consultation period on these proposals has now closed and we and our partner organisations are reflecting on the responses with the intention of announcing conclusions in Autumn 2006.
• We worked with the Audit Commission to help define the cultural services aspects of CPA. On 27 July the Commission published its methodology for CPA for single tier and county councils for 2006 and its methodology for the rolling programme of district council CPA from 2006
• Culture and sport can contribute to all the thematic blocks within Local Area Agreements (LAAs). We work with representatives in the Government Offices for the Regions (GOs) to maximise the cultural input to LAAs. First drafts of the Third Round LAAs must be submitted to the GOs by the end of September 2006.
  
  LAA outcome framework can be found at Annex A of the Third Round Guidance;
  
  The LAA toolkit and further guidance
  
• A programme of regional commentaries in relation to single tier and county councils has recently been launched (PDF 67kb). These commentaries, co-ordinated by the GOs and involving Arts Council England, Sport England and MLA (and English Heritage in Yorkshire & Humberside), will help to improve relationships and alignment between local authorities and our strategic public bodies.
• We promote awareness of good practice through the Cultural Connections website and involvement with the beacon council scheme. The councils awarded beacon status for “Culture and Sport For Hard To Reach Groups” which offers examples of good practice in local authority cultural services.
• Through the Cultural Pathfinder Programme, we and the Local Government Association sought to explore the ways in which cultural services can meet the priority needs of local communities. The two-year programme, which involved 13 local authorities in 12 action-research projects, ended in March 2007. Evaluation of the programme was undertaken by De Montfort University and their report was published in July 2007.