Jargon buster: Floor targets

What does it mean? Floor targets were introduced by the government in 2000 as the social equivalent of the minimum wage. They were essentially targets indicating the very least that the government expected local authorities to achieve. The idea behind these targets was to ensure that national averages did not distract authorities from doing more to improve the achievements among disadvantaged groups or areas. In April 2005, a new approach to floor targets was introduced. This grouped floor targets under six key areas - education, crime, unemployment, health, quality of life and housing. As of April 2009, the way in which local authorities are assessed will change. This will make most of these floor targets obsolete, as local authorities are negotiating their own targets that are relevant to local issues instead. However, the term will still exist in everyday language as a way of describing the minimum expectations on each authority.