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MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

CORPORATE SERVICES OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY

15 SEPTEMBER 2010

REPORT OF THE HEAD OF CHANGE AND SCRUTINY

Report prepared by Ellie Kershaw 

1.           Corporate Improvement Plan

1.1        Issue for consideration

1.1.1   To consider and give feedback about both the new format of and updated recommendations in the Corporate Improvement Plan at Appendix A; and

1.1.2   To consider the comments against recommendations at Appendix B

1.2        Recommendation of the Head of Change and Scrutiny

1.2.1   The Committee is asked to note the actions below and make any recommendations to Cabinet as appropriate.

                                     i.        Note the new format of the Corporate Improvement Plan at Appendix A;

                                    ii.        Note the progress made against the objectives set in the Corporate Improvement Plan;

                                  iii.        Consider the recommendations to be added and the comments against the tasks at Appendix B.

1.3        Reasons for Recommendation

1.3.1   The purpose of the Corporate Improvement Plan (CIP) is to identify and monitor progress on key areas of improvement, primarily related to inspection recommendations but also taking into account any internally or externally identified areas for improvement. Since the national changes to the inspection regime it is likely that most new actions will now be generated internally. One of the consequences of the changes is greater local flexibility in identifying performance indicators. It is currently intended to retain our Performance Management system and procedures and to comprehensively review the number and content of performance indicators from April 2011 onwards.

1.3.2   The introduction of the Covalent performance management system has meant that the format of the CIP monitoring report has been changed. However, no changes have been made to the dates or actions that were previously agreed. The new report uses colour coding to show which tasks are on track to finish on target, which are out of target and which are complete. The aim in making these changes has been to make the report far more user friendly and make it is easy to identify any actions which have passed their target date. The new system also sends out automatic reminders to officers when a task is nearing its completion date and provides the Council with a robust audit trail of how actions have progressed.

1.3.3   Recommendations resulting from the IDeA productivity peer review are at Appendix B. Once agreed these need to be added to the plan so that they are monitored. In some cases it is felt that the tasks have now been completed or do not sit within the CIP.

1.4        Alternative Action and why not Recommended

1.4.1   Cabinet could decide not to produce a CIP but not considering progress against the plan could mean improvement work is not progressed.  This would have a detrimental impact upon service delivery and the reputation of the authority.

1.5        Impact on Corporate Objectives

1.5.1   The CIP supports the Council in achieving its corporate objectives by identifying key areas of corporate improvement and identifying how these improvements will be delivered. Any additions are made in accordance with the Council’s current Strategic Plan to ensure it is in line with the vision and priorities of the Council.

1.6        Risk Management

1.6.1   Actions in relation to risk management are reported through the CIP where appropriate.  Risks related to particular actions will be set out in the Strategic Risk Register or, below that, in individual service plans.

1.6.2   There are also risks to the reputation and performance of the authority associated with not responding to inspection and ensuring that best practice identified in other authorities is considered.  The CIP provides a mechanism for driving improvement.

1.7        Other Implications

1.7.1    

1.7.2   Officers identified in the plan will need to ensure that they keep their actions on target and that Covalent is updated accordingly.

1.8        Relevant Documents

1.8.1   Appendices

·         Appendix A- Corporate improvement plan

·         Appendix B- Actions from the IDeA peer review

1.8.2   Background Documents

·      IDeA peer review report

IS THIS A KEY DECISION REPORT? X     Yes                                               No     If yes, when did it first appear in the Forward Plan?   ..     This is a Key Decision because: ..   .       Wards/Parishes affected: ..   ..