Virtuous councils: Pino at the top, Castiglione at the bottom

The most virtuous council in Varese Province is Pino, on Lake Maggiore (with a score of 87.02), and the least virtuous is Castiglione Olona (with 23.68). The scores and table refer to the data published by Lombardy Region, on the basis of the indicator “of virtuosity of councils in Lombardy”. The largest towns to get the best scores include Gallarate (70.8), followed by Saronno (53.2), Varese (45.13) and Busto Arsizio (44.35).

But what is the purpose of the virtuosity index? It is “to introduce reward criteria into regional policies and to contribute to improving public finances. The virtuosity index will be used by Lombardy Region for the regional policies that involve councils in Lombardy, particularly to grant benefits and apply the Regional Stability Pact.”

See the complete table

The criteria for calculating the performance of local authorities were established by the Regional Council, and agreed with the National Association of Italian Municipalities, ANCI. “The primary sources of data were the final balance sheets that councils send annually to the Ministry for the Interior, to which information that Lombardy Region already had in its possession was added,” it says in the description of the method. “

The indicators identified are of two types: measurable, which include a mathematical equation (usually a ratio of two or more quantities), whose results can be put in decreasing order; and ON/OFF, that is, “YES/NO”-type answers, irrespective of whether a single value or an equation is used to obtain this answer. Four macro analysis areas were identified, each containing a number of specific indicators (see the tables in the method, attached). The areas identified were: Area A – Budget Flexibility; Area B – Debt and development; Area C – Programming ability; Area D – Financial independence and ability to collect.”