Performance - how we compare to others

Data is collected on the same basis from each council, so a figure for Aberdeenshire Council is statistically comparable to data provided by Argyll and Bute Council. However, when looking at the information and making comparisons, it should be kept in mind that Scottish councils are democratically elected bodies which represent very diverse communities in terms of geography, population, deprivation levels and community needs. The information should be read and understood in that context, as some of the variation highlighted by the data is significantly affected by such differences between communities.

For further information please visit the Scottish Local Government Benchmarking website.

Data for the indicators has been gathered using a range of sources including statistical and financial returns to the Scottish Government and Audit Scotland, as well as satisfaction figures from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) from 2013. While we recognise that the SHS figures are reliant on a comparatively small sample size, this is the only residents' survey which covers all 32 local authorities. In order to keep a more regular track of resident satisfaction, the council also uses a variety of local sources to gather resident views. These include the council's reputation tracker which is reported on a monthly basis.

The LGBF provides an additional tool to support improvement. The indicators within the framework have been incorporated into our strategic service planning framework, monitored through our approach to performance management and will be considered as part of our self-evaluation process where we identify our improvement activity.

We are currently working on improving our performance information. In the meantime, please refer to the agenda and minutes of our committees for performance updates:

• Communities Committee
• Education and Children’s Services Committee
• Infrastructure Services Committee
• Business Services Committee

You can find further performance information in the publications section of our the website.

To view detailed performance information for Aberdeenshire Council, as well as the rest of Scotland, please access the public data tool developed by the Improvement Service.

The case studies below provide more information about Aberdeenshire Council's performance in some of our core service areas and improvement activities underway to boost outcomes for our communities.

To support data comparisons, Scottish councils have been organised into 'family groups.' Councils are grouped with authorities that share similar characteristics, for example levels of deprivation or rurality. The groups work together to investigate variations in the data and to identify examples of best practice that can be adapted.

Aberdeenshire participated in two pilot studies during 2014. The output of those investigations can be viewed below:

• Family Group 1 - Roads Maintenance (PDF 114KB)
• Family Group 1 - Positive Destinations for School Leavers (DOC 8.130KB)

The council continues to be involved in this process and planned activity for 2015 includes participation in the groups for Equalities, Looked After Children and Museums. 

For any queries or to send us your feedback, please contact the Performance team.