Accountancy forms the core of every finance function, and is probably the hardest service to measure and benchmark. This is because of the wide range of tasks involved and the difficulty in defining and measuring them. Our approach is based around the following framework of activities:

• Financial strategy and planning
• Financial advice
• Budget preparation
• Budget monitoring
• Preparation of final accounts
• Technical research and major projects
• Systems support
• Treasury management

Each of these activity groups is defined in some detail, and members are asked to assign their staff time and costs to each heading, excluding any work for other bodies, but including both central staff and accountancy staff working in other departments.

These are then compared in terms of the ratio of cost per £1,000 of gross revenue turnover. Members are also asked to divide their accountancy cost in terms of the amount charged to each of the main service areas such as education, which can then be compared in relation to the respective service budgets.

Members of this club can also make use of its accountancy customer satisfaction survey. This starts with a set of standard questions, to which members can add questions of their own, plus their own introduction, explanation etc. The survey can then be emailed to any number of accountancy service users, and (providing they have the requisite Excel and email software) their responses are automatically forwarded to us, and the collated results in due course returned to the authority. At the end of the year, we will circulate comparative scores.