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Understanding the impact of local authority intervention on the person–environment relationship is critical for a policy objective that aims to enhance citizen well-being. Although private wealth may protect individuals and families from the harsher realities of contemporary living public interventions are designed to improve the quality of life for all. In this paper, we use formal, publicly-available Audit Commission data collected from 352 authorities across England to find out how local government has been able to modulate the quality of life conditions of its neighbourhoods. The study reveals that behind the lower quality of life enjoyed by citizens in some inner London boroughs, metropolitan districts and northern unitary authorities there could be a failure of local government to deliver adequate educational outcomes since a strong association between both phenomena exists. No similar local government impact is identified amongst districts surrounding London or districts in rural areas. Instead, the observation that economic well-being and health also characterise the outcome deficiencies amongst clusters of commensurate socio-environmental status points to the need for national-level interventions, beyond the remit of local government. The same conclusion cannot be so easily drawn for areas of “better than expected” quality of life whose superior outcomes seem to stem more from such profiling variables as location, population density and rural character.

Audit Commission proposals to improve police effectiveness have emphasized efficiency gains through the introduction of new technology and better use of existing specialist resources. This may only reflect a continuing commitment to a professional policing model which emphasizes specialization and hierarchy. A more radical approach is needed if police are to engage effectively in helping to resolve the current crime crisis.

The Royal College of Physicians (1989) define hip fracture as ‘synonymous with fractured neck of femur … including both intracapsular and extracapsular fractures'. This is an injury commonly sustained by elderly people, many of whom will have been living independently before their fall. The incidence in England and Wales is 57 000 cases a year (Audit Commission report of 1995). With a growing elderly population this figure can only increase, Coleman et al (1993) suggesting the figure will double within 20 years. It has been estimated that the cost, for hospital treatment, is an annual £250 million. Since both Health and Social Services have a finite budget, it is important that the best possible outcome is achieved for these patients. This review will present the case for ‘fast tracking' as Accident & Emergency's contribution towards achieving the best possible outcomes for patients with fractured neck of femur.

This paper reports on an assessment of police forces in England and Wales using Data Envelopment Analysis. The assessment contributed to a study of crime management carried out in 1993 by the Audit Commission, an independent body, set up by Act of Parliament to encourage the economic, effective and efficient provision of public services. The paper begins with a preliminary analysis of crime, crime clear up and manpower data to lead on to an initial assessment of performance. The assessment is then refined so that not only more confidence is gained in the results obtained but also performance on specific areas such as manning levels as distinct from crime clear ups is gained. The analysis reported helped the Audit Commission in their selection of good forces. Although the main focus of the paper is on the use of DEA on the policing context much of the approach used has wider application and the paper should prove of interest not only to those concerned with police performance but also to those using DEA more generally, in other contexts.