Decision details

To agree the new format of, and updated recommendations in, the Corporate Improvement Plan and to note the comments against recommendations. 

1.  That the new format of the Corporate Improvement Plan as shown at Appendix A of the report of the Director of Change and Environmental Services be agreed.

2.  That the comments against existing recommendations in the former version of the Corporate Improvement Plan at Appendix B of the report of the Director of Change and Environmental Services be noted.

3.  That all recommendations at Appendix B of the report of the Director of Change and Environmental Services, apart from those noted in the report of the Director of Change and Environmental Services, are now embedded and will therefore be removed from the Corporate Improvement Plan going forward be agreed.

4.  That the added recommendations and related actions in the Corporate Improvement Plan at Appendix A of the report of the Director of Change and Environmental Services be agreed.

5.  That Corporate Management Team authorise recommendations and related actions to be added to the Corporate Improvement Plan as they emerge throughout the year for update at Cabinet be agreed.

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. 

New format

It was proposed at the last update of the CIP that a review of the plan was undertaken to ensure that it is operating as effectively as possible. The review identified a number of key points in relation to the reporting format.  Firstly, a need to become more targeted in the approach to responding to recommendations. The new format has therefore identified actions and timescales for implementing the recommendations.  Secondly, improving the ease of use for officers and Members.  This has been achieved by including a status column which easily indicates whether the actions are on track to be achieved and reduces the need for lengthy and technical comments. 

Removal of recommendations

The review also highlighted that there was a need to improve the reasoning behind and the frequency with which recommendations are closed down.  Currently a large number of improvement actions have been in the plan for a number of years, as they have been considered as important though not necessarily, not implemented.  However the addition of actions to deliver recommendations should help in identifying when areas for improvement have become ‘business as usual’ and need to be removed. 

Currently the comments at Appendix B of the report of the Director of Change and Environmental Services show that the vast majority of existing recommendations as being ‘business as usual’, this is supported by the most recent organisational assessment which demonstrated a strong performance across the Council. The recommendations identified as still being areas for improvement are listed below:

·  Improve areas of weakness where Audit reports have shown a level of assurance lower than substantial, one area remains outstanding since March 2009: Aspects for section 106 Agreements;

·  Further work is required to build on work currently undertaken by the Council with partners on delivering outcomes for the public;

·  The Council Considers and tracks with its significant partners the impact on users when making decisions on reducing costs;

·  Progress and monitor action plans to improve satisfaction on those services where one in five people were dissatisfied with the service; 

·  The authority has made a commitment to carbon reduction and has established a climate change strategy is successfully implemented over the next three years;

·  The Council should seek technical advice when accounting for complex capital transactions.  The proposed course of action should then be discussed with the external auditor at an early stage so that the accounting treatment can be agreed prior to production of draft financial statements.

These actions are now included in the new format Corporate Improvement Plan at appendix A of the report of the Director of Change and Environmental Services and actions to continue to implement these areas for improvement alongside timescales have been identified.

Inclusion of recommendations

Last year the Council received its first assessment under the new Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) which has replaced the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).  The Council received the results of the new assessment in November 2009 and its Annual Audit letter in December 2009.  The recommendations from both these documents have been included in the plan.

The review of the CIP identified that to work most effectively the plan should be an evolving document and updated on a regular basis, to reflect any changes in local and national context, not just twice a year as is currently the practice.  Examples of recommendations that will be emerging after the agreement of the CIP are the Annual Governance Statement, the recent IDeA productivity peer review and the Climate Change Action Plans.  Actions should be developed to implement these as soon as possible.

The report of the Director of Change and Environmental Services proposed that CMT be authorised to add recommendations and actions to the plan before it is presented to Cabinet, in order that work begins in these areas immediately that they are identified.  The Cabinet will then be informed of the new additions and progress on actions will be given within the same report.

The Cabinet were informed that the Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee were supportive of the CIP and had no comments to make.

The 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 external assessments of the authority’s performance.

Alternatively, the Cabinet could decide to retain the old format of the Corporate Improvement Plan, however, this was not thought to be appropriate as the new format offers the opportunity to ensure that the recommendations are more closely monitored and fully embedded.