where an authority is not meeting its duty of continuous improvement. In practice, the Secretary of State can direct the council to take specific action to secure improvement, or, in extreme cases, remove the functions concerned from its control altogether. Scotland The duty of Best Value in relation to Scotland applies to all public bodies. It is a statutory duty for Scottish local authorities and a formal duty for the Scottish Police Authority and its Chief Constable and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Authority and Chief Fire Officer. Elsewhere in the public sector it is a formal duty placed on Accountable Officers, such as the chief executives of NHS bodies and further education colleges. See also Privatisation References Sources Boyne G (1999) in Boyne G (ed) Managing Local Services: From CCT to Best Value London: Frank Cass and Co. Ltd. Department of the Environment (1997) The Principles of Best Value London: DoE. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997a) Criteria for project selection London: DETR Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1998) Improving local services through best value: Consultation Paper London, DETR Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1998a) Modernising local government: Improving local services through best value London: DETR Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1999) Best Value in Housing Framework Consultation Paper London: DETR LGA 1999 Local Government Act 1999 available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20060228014729/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1999/19990027.htm Local government in England Local government in Wales