Despite the imminent end of the Audit Commission councils are keen to hang on to a national framework to safeguard the use of resources and compare their performance, says Mark Bramah.

What shape will future performance management in local government take? What will local audits looks like? How can data be made meaningful to residents? How will massive budget cuts effect service standards? These critical questions are dominating current thinking. But they should not detract focus from the practical purpose of performance management: to deliver the best possible services making the best possible use of a council's resources.