ITEM EX7
DRAFT

EXECUTIVE – 27 MAY 2003

BEST VALUE PERFORMANCE PLAN 2003/04

IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY COMPREHENSIVE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Report by Director for Resources

1. The Audit Commission developed Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) as a basis for assessing authorities' progress in meeting their duties under the Local Government Act 1999. CPA is also designed to improve the value and efficiency of the Commission's inspection work, and the work of appointed auditors.
2. All County Councils were subject to CPA during 2002. The process involved an assessment of each council, with an overall rating used to describe its overall performance. The assessment is used as a basis for planning for improvement.
3. The CPA comprises two main components:

• a corporate assessment which focuses on the Council’s overall performance and ability to improve (carried out in May 2002)
• the performance of key service areas, referred to as core services

4. Both components were combined to produce the overall rating, which was announced in December 2002.
   
   (BVPI Inclusions Checklist 2003 (download tables as .xls file))
   

How we performed

5. We have been measured as ‘Fair’ in the way we serve local people. In judging how well the Council is run, we received a measurement of 2 out of 4.
6. In addition, each core service area was scored on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 being the lowest and 4 being the highest. Education and social care were given more importance in reaching the overall service score than other areas. The core service scores we received for 2002 were as follows:

   Education 3 out of 4
   Social Care
   - Children's Services 2 out of 4
   - Adults' Services 2 out of 4
   Environment 3 out of 4
   Libraries & Leisure 2 out of 4
   Use of Resources 3 out of 4

Overall Service Score 3 out of 4

7. In the opinion of the Audit Commission, we deliver variable standards of service and have been unable to achieve sustained improvement across services although we have been successful in some areas, such as waste management. Our education service is satisfactory and the Education Action Zone has delivered real improvements. But we need to address weaknesses in social care for children and adults. We also need to develop clear priorities in discussion with local people and to link resources more effectively to these if we are to deliver significant improvements in services for local people.

Improvement Activities Since CPA

8. Since September 2001 – before the CPA corporate assessment of May 2002 – we have been implementing an improvement plan entitled "Raising our Performance". This set us the ambition of becoming an outstanding authority by 2005 and has led to strengthening of our corporate capacity, a fact recognised by a recent external "Peer Review" progress report.
9. Since our CPA assessment, we have adopted a development plan to grow our corporate capacity, focussed on strengthening our corporate centre. This was entitled ‘Growing our Corporate Capacity’, the main outcomes of which are set out below:

• Our services are now grouped in families named "directorates" to foster collaborative working. Five new Directorates - Learning & Culture, Environment & Economy, Resources, Social & Health Care, Community Safety became operational from 1 April 2003
• Four new Strategic Directors were appointed externally, using a common job description to better promote corporate working
• A County Council Management Team priority work programme has been agreed with The Executive (see below) and reflected in shared objectives for individual Directors
• Operational management has been delegated to Heads of Service beneath Strategic Directors
• Moves to strengthen corporate capacity in operational areas have taken place throughout the Council, including creating a corporate approach to ICT, agreement to have a corporate Property team, and to strengthen the corporate HR function

10. We have also carried out a detailed analysis of its service performance to identify areas for improvement, which form part of our detailed action plan.

Improvement Plans for 2003/04 – 2006/07

11. We have set itself a target of becoming a ‘good’ authority by 2004/05. We are also seeking to be an outstanding authority and achieve a CPA rating of ‘Excellent’ by 2006/07. Our improvement plans reflect this overall ambition.
12. Improvement plans for each core service have been developed and progress towards implementation is being tracked on a quarterly basis. Full details of the improvement plans can be found in Annex ?
13. In improving how well the Council is run, the following key areas have been identified as priorities in the County Council Management Team priority work programme:

	Theme	Action	Responsible Officer
1.	Political	Improve the effectiveness of Scrutiny	Chief Executive Assistant Chief Executive
2.	Local responsiveness and community leadership	Develop area roles for directors and Executive members Review local area fora Improve bilateral relations with district and town councils Audit and improve relations with the voluntary sector	Chief Executive Director for Community Safety Assistant Chief Executive
3.	HR Strategy	Improve recruitment/retention Win corporate IiP accreditation Improve internal communications Promote staff career development Improve the working environment	Director for Resources
4.	Performance Management	Set priorities in Oxfordshire Plan Set realistic BVPI targets Monitor and report progress Achieve PSA targets	Director for Resources Director for Learning & Culture
5.	Financial Strategy	Maximising our Resources Procurement Strategy and Reviews Property Review	Director for Resources
6.	ICT and Customer Relations	Develop a Customer Relations Strategy Ensure cost-effective delivery of Broadband Ensure effective ICT services Maximise benefits from MIS Improve briefing of Members and MPs	Director for Resources
7.	Social & Health Care	Social Services – achieve 2 stars in 2004 Improve integration with health and other partners	Director for Social & Health Care
8.	Developing Potential	Improve school attainment levels Improve libraries	Director for Learning & Culture
9.	Safeguarding Communities	Clear Council priorities and service engagement in community safety	Director for Community Safety
10.	Sustaining Prosperity	Affordable Housing strategy Economic Development strategy Oxford West End redevelopment City/town centre management Review Highways Management	Director for Social & Health Care Director for Environment & Economy

14. An overview of the best value reviews we have carried out since 2001/02 is included in the Past Performance section of this report
15. There is no longer a statutory requirement for us to have a five year review programme. Instead we are required to reflect the strengths and weaknesses of our CPA assessment in drawing up a suitable programme of reviews, and for the Audit Commission and other inspection bodies to be satisfied that this addresses weaknesses in a timely manner. Our Review Programme for 2003/04 and 2004/05 is:

• Best Value Reviews
• Informal Reviews (Heritage, Highways Maintenance, Education?)
• Efficiency Reviews

16. Our Audit and Inspection Plan, drawn up in consultation with the Audit Commission, falls into two parts: improvement work in line with our improvement plans, and assessment work that is either prescribed or necessary to meet statutory obligations

Improvement Work	Audit and Inspection Programme
	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06
Performance Management	Detailed review of our arrangements focussing on: Role of The Executive Performance monitoring Forward planning Risk management	Detailed work depending on the outcome of work in 2003/04
Human Resources Strategy	Strategy review and initial scoping	Detailed review of the arrangements using the Audits Commission’s audit tool
Crime and Disorder	Detailed review of our arrangements focussing on: Overview of corporate framework for community safety Mainstreaming and performance management Partnerships		Full Inspection
Procurement	Overview of the Council’s approach to procurement
Affordable Housing	Diagnosis to assess progress made by the Council	On-going support	On-going support

Assessment Work	Audit and Inspection Programme
	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06
Cultural and Lifelong Learning	Whole Service Inspection (pilot) including CPA improvement assessment on libraries
Environment	Environment Assessment (Inspection)	Environment Assessment to feed into CPA Improvement Reporting	Environment Assessment to feed into CPA Improvement Reporting
Waste Management	Follow-up of 2001/02 Inspection and assessment of Improvement Action Plan
Use of Resources	Auditor scored judgement	Auditor scored judgement	Auditor scored judgement
Social Services Inspectorate	Annual Review of performance Inspection of Social Care Services for Older People	Annual Review of performance	Annual Review of performance
OFSTED / DES	Monitoring of progress against agreed targets and priorities Follow-up of OFSTED inspections	Monitoring of progress against agreed targets and priorities Follow-up of OFSTED inspections	Monitoring of progress against agreed targets and priorities Follow-up of OFSTED inspections

17. There may also be a Supporting People Inspection scheduled by the Housing Inspectorate and undertaken jointly with the Social Services Inspectorate and the Probation Inspectorate.

JOHN JACKSON
Director for Resources

Background papers:

Contact Officer: Sean Gibson, Performance Review Officer Tel: (01865) 815482

May 2003

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