MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
RECORD OF DECISION OF THE Cabinet
|
|
Decision Made: |
12 February 2014 |
REFRESH OF THE CORPORATE IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2014-17
Issue for Decision
To adopt the refreshed Corporate Improvement Plan for 2014-17 which details the Council’s improvement journey in terms of the key improvement workstreams and the priority services and projects for improvement.
Decision Made
a) That the refreshed Corporate Improvement Plan 2014-17, attached as Appendix A to the report of the Head of Finance and Resources, be adopted;
b) That the recommendations made by the Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee arising from its consideration of the refresh of the Corporate Improvement Plan (as set out in Appendix B to the report of the Head of Finance and Resources) be noted; and
c) That arrangements be made for the Cabinet to receive six monthly progress reports on the Corporate Improvement Plan.
Reasons for Decision
The Council has set the priorities and outcomes for the Borough of Maidstone in its Strategic Plan. The Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) sets out what will be spent and where savings will be made. In order to deliver the priority outcomes and the savings required, a number of key pieces of work and projects will be carried out. These are detailed in the Corporate Improvement Plan 2014-17, which ensures the improvement work is aligned with the Strategic Plan and the MTFS and looks at the work required to 2017.
The Improvement Plan 2012-15 was first adopted in February 2012 and refreshed as the Improvement Plan 2013-16 in February 2013. Progress on the Improvement Plan 2013-16 was reported to Overview and Scrutiny with the Strategic Plan Performance Report in December 2013. Some key improvements implemented in the first 6 months of this year are:
- Launch of a new more customer focused website
- Embedding of the new ICT shared service
- Launch of the new waste contract
- Commercial waste service on target to achieve 150 customers in first 12 months of operation
- Business cases for Environmental Health and Planning Support agreed
- Transfer of Hazlitt Arts Centre to Parkwood Leisure
In this current refresh of the Plan, the title has been changed to Corporate Improvement Plan to reflect the need for input from across the Council to deliver the improvement work required.
The three objectives of the Corporate Improvement Plan shown below remain sound:
1. A reduction in net cost, through making savings or increased income
2. Improving or maintaining quality: ensuring we deliver excellent services, which means delivering what is promised to agreed standards
3. Identifying and responding to opportunities aligned with the Strategic Plan
However, the workstreams have been changed to reflect the growing need for the Council to become more self-sufficient and viable for the future through being more efficient and effective, bringing in additional income, using our assets wisely and helping our residents and customers to do more for themselves. The enablers have also been revised slightly to make them clearer and align better with the aims and strategic direction of the Council set out in the Strategic Plan and to include appropriate recommendations from the recent Corporate Peer Review. Therefore, the improvement workstreams (1-4) and enablers (5-8) areas are as follows:
1. Efficiency and effectiveness
2. Income generation
3. Asset management
4. Empowerment and self sufficiency
5. Organisational culture
6. Councillor assurance
7. Commissioning and procurement
1. Effective use of technology
The other main changes in the Corporate Improvement Plan 2014-17 from the previous version are:
- Maidstone Culture and Leisure, Bereavement Services and Environmental Services have been added to the list of priority services for improvement and ICT and the Hazlitt Arts Centre have been removed as the ICT shared service is now embedded and the Hazlitt services will now be delivered by Parkwood Leisure
- The major assets improvement project has been broadened to include considerations of long term options for Council accommodation in the future and future use of the Town Hall
- Cross-organisational collaboration has been removed from the improvement projects as arrangements like the Troubled Families joint programme are now in place
- Exploring Right to Bid has been added to the community asset transfer improvement project
- Corporate peer review has been removed as a priority improvement project as the review has been carried out and the recommendations have been reflected in this version of the Corporate Improvement Plan
- Information and knowledge management has been added as a priority project rather than an enabler because of the need to focus on the delivery of recommendations from the recently completed Information Management review
- Commercial property investment has been added as a priority project
- Digital inclusion and financial inclusion have been added as priority improvement projects to reflect the need for the Council to support its residents in becoming more self-sufficient
- Local flood plans has been added as a priority project following a recommendation from the Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee in the light of the flooding that has affected parts of the Borough since December 2013 (although in the meantime action is being taken in response to lessons learned)
The priority services and projects in the Corporate Improvement Plan 2014-17 are based on priorities in the Strategic Plan, our current knowledge of any external or internal opportunities and potential for improvement and/or reduction in net cost. The full list is as follows:
- Waste and Recycling
- Economic Development
- Housing
- Maidstone Culture and Leisure
- Customer Services
- Revenues and Benefits
- Planning
- Environmental Services
- Bereavement Services
- Finance
- Building Control
- Corporate Support
- Integrated Transport Strategy
- Major Assets Review
- Right to Bid and Community Asset Transfer
- Mid Kent Improvement Partnership Shared Services and Operational Model
- Information and Knowledge Management
- Commercial Property Investment
- Digital Inclusion
- Financial Inclusion
- Local Flood Plans
Compiling a Corporate Improvement Plan allows the key workstreams to be brought together and monitored. A working group made up of Officers responsible for each of the workstreams and enablers, the Chief Executive, the Director of Environment and Shared Services and the Leader make up a monitoring group to ensure the plan progresses and benefits are delivered:
- Leader - provides political leadership and Councillor assurance (as defined in the Improvement Plan)
- Chief Executive - accountable for delivery of Improvement Plan
- Head of Finance & Resources - responsible for efficiency and effectiveness and asset management workstreams and commissioning and procurement enabler
- Head of Commercial and Economic Development - responsible for income generation workstream
- Head of Housing and Communities - responsible for empowerment and self-sufficiency workstream
- Head of HR - responsible for organisational culture enabler
- Head of ICT - responsible for use of technology enabler
- Head of Policy and Communications - essential to ensure alignment to the Strategic Plan and corporate direction of the Council
Alternatives Considered and Why Rejected
The Cabinet could have decided not to adopt the refreshed Corporate Improvement Plan. This was not considered appropriate as the Corporate Improvement Plan is essential for allowing oversight of a number of different pieces of work across the organisation and is aligned with the Strategic Plan and MTFS.
The Cabinet could have decided to alter the Improvement Plan 2014-17 more fundamentally from the Plan for 2013-16. This was not considered appropriate as it was felt that the few changes already incorporated are sufficient to ensure the Improvement Plan is relevant for the next three years.
Background Papers
Improvement Plan 2012-15
Improvement Plan 2013-16
|
Should you be concerned about this decision and wish to call it in, please submit a call in form signed by any two Non-Executive Members to the Head of Policy and Communications by: 21 February 2014. |