Agenda item

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-012-2017/18).

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for June & July 2017, alongside the planned actions for August 2017, be noted;

(2)        That the definition of the People Strategy Programme be noted and the initiation of the projects within the Programme be agreed;

(3)        That, in order to fund the external support for the production of the Council’s new Common Operating Model, an allocation of £25,000 from the Transformation Programme Prototype Fund be agreed; and

(4)        That the progress of the Customer Service Programme be noted.

The Leader of Council presented a report outlining the progress made with the Transformation Programme during June and July 2017, the programme initiation for the People Strategy, and an update on the progress with the Customer Service Programme.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that regular highlight reports on the progress of the Transformation Programme were presented to each meeting of the Cabinet. This was the monitoring report for June and July 2017 and covered progress for all chartered projects of Medium and High Risk Potential, as well as the key aspects of the Transformation Programme. Overall, progress indicators for ‘cost’ and ‘benefits’ were Green for this period. The status indicator for ‘time’ was Amber to highlight that two actions (from a total of 219) were overdue. The status indicator for ‘delivery / outcome / output’ was also Amber to highlight that six projects required progress report updates.

The Leader stated that the Programme Definition Document for the People Strategy was presented, which had followed workshops with Staff, Managers and Councillors. The programme detailed a set of projects to ensure the Council met future challenges and adapted to new ways of working. The programme would change the way the Council was organised, removing the current Directorates and creating a new organisational structure, known as the Common Operating Model. Approval was sought to allocate £25,000 from the Transformation Programme Prototype Fund to produce the proposed Common Operating Model.

The Leader explained that the Customer Service Programme had reached a number of key milestones since the Head of Service had joined the organisation in November 2016 and implementation had begun in earnest. A Customer Programme Board had been created, along with a revision of the projects that formed the programme. In particular, the development of the corporate Customer Service Team and activity to promote digital self-service for customers had made good progress.

The Leader added that there were dependencies with other Transformation projects, particularly the Accommodation Review and forthcoming People Strategy, which could provide challenges around capacity in key service areas and timely decision making. Issues with systems infrastructure had impacted on some project timelines but not the delivery of benefits from the overall programme.

Cllr C C Pond highlighted that 67% of the Council’s employees travelled to work by driving on their own, and only 14% of the Council’s employees car shared when travelling to work.

Decision:

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for June & July 2017, alongside the planned actions for August 2017, be noted;

(2)        That the definition of the People Strategy Programme be noted and the initiation of the projects within the Programme be agreed;

(3)        That, in order to fund the external support for the production of the Council’s new Common Operating Model, an allocation of £25,000 from the Transformation Programme Prototype Fund be agreed; and

(4)        That the progress of the Customer Service Programme be noted.

Reasons for Decision:

To inform the Cabinet of progress on the Transformation Programme, including workstreams, programmes and projects.

To agree the objectives of the People Strategy and approve funding to initiate the programme.

To provide the Cabinet with an update on the progress of the Customer Service Programme, and highlight any risks or issues.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were available for the Transformation and Customer Service Programmes as failure to monitor and review progress and to consider corrective action where necessary, could have negative implications for the Council’s reputation, and might mean the opportunities for improvement were lost.

The Cabinet could decide not to progress the People Strategy or to progress the programme but fund it in some other way. However, if the programme was not progressed then it would mean foregoing the opportunity to transform the Council’s workforce and working practices.

Revenue funding could be provided through a supplementary estimate for the production of the Council’s new Common Operating Model, although this was not recommended as sufficient resources existed within the current Transformation Programme Prototype Fund.