ITEM EX6 - ANNEX 1EXECUTIVE – 7 DECEMBER 2004CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY - SCRUTINY REVIEW; AUDIT COMMISSION INSPECTION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
RESPONSE TO AUDIT COMMISSION REPORT DRAFT OUTLINE ACTION PLAN The Action plan below responds to each of the ‘challenges’, ‘weaknesses’ and ‘recommendations’ (shown in bold type) listed in paras 9, 11 and 12 of the Summary of the Audit Commission report. 1 It has not always clearly stated its intended sustainability outcomes, and has not comprehensively linked actions and outcomes across services to address effectively corporate sustainability objectives or to set challenging sustainability targets. This will be tackled through broader work on organisational planning agreed by CCMT at its meetings on 1 and 29 September, summarised in the attached timeline. This work should result in: - a clearer and better communicated OCC vision, linked to the Oxfordshire Community Strategy; - better articulation of the strategic objectives, so it is clear what success will look like and so that progress can be monitored; - the vision and strategic objectives more transparently driving Council and service priorities. The first step has already been taken with the publication of the 2004-05 Oxfordshire Plan (which was finalised after the Audit Commission fieldwork). This starts with the Oxfordshire Community Partnership vision for Oxfordshire and sets the OCC objectives and priorities within that context. The second step will consist of an exercise to bring the Council’s aim and strategic objectives more to life, creating a clear overall vision and setting out the key outcomes which each strategic objective represents. These outcomes will be linked to key performance measures from ‘Quality of Life Counts’ and the suite of BVPIs. As part of this exercise a check will be made to ensure alignment with the 4 principles of sustainable development. This will feed into service plans and the Oxfordshire Plan for 2005-06, so that we can paint a clearer picture of the contribution of service priorities connections to the strategic objectives. The third step will be a more thorough re-appraisal of the aptness of the strategic objectives, involving stakeholder consultation and engagement, coupled with a fresh exercise to determine the Council’s priorities to ensure they are driven by the agreed objectives. While preliminary work can be set in hand before the Council elections in May/June 2005, it will be for the incoming Council to agree the objectives and priorities which means that the resulting programme will need to await the 2006-7 Oxfordshire Plan. This work will be informed by a data observatory of key strategic indicators, on a mapped basis, showing the health, wealth, safety, environmental state and educational attainment of Oxfordshire down to ward level, and be linked to the next stage of development of the Oxfordshire Community Strategy. Lead Hilary Simpson/David Lines/Dave Waller as part of wider work on Organisational Planning and ‘Understanding Oxfordshire’. 2 It does not yet have a coordinated cross-cutting approach to inclusion and community development in disadvantaged areas of the county. This will be addressed through the actions, as agreed by the Executive on 7 September, in response to the Scrutiny Review on Social Inclusion. They include the appointment of a CCMT member to oversee and be accountable for action, the use of the Data Observatory (see above) to identify hot spots and causatory links. Lead Keith Bartley/Adrian Harper-Smith.
3 It has not systematically identified sustainability impacts within the organisation, and implementation of its corporate environmental programme has been inconsistent. A new High Level Group, chaired at CCMT level, will be established to drive action on the Council’s own environmental footprint (including impact on natural resources). This will measure existing impacts, set targets for improvement and report accountably on progress - all within a refreshed overall policy. This will subsume the existing ‘environmental checklist’, but will go wider, including for example direct service impacts such a recycling of road materials, and the impact of Council premises on traffic and energy consumption. It will not attempt to cover the Council’s programme activity to improve the environment (wastes, countryside, public transport etc), which is already well embedded in service planning and was found by the Audit Commission to be in generally good health. Nor will it cover sustainable development as a whole, which would reduce focus and cause overlap with the economic action plan and equivalent action plan on social inclusion (in preparation) will play an equivalent role for other aspects of sustainability. Lead Richard Dudding/Dave Waller 4 The Council’s high level sustainability objectives need to be set out more fully since it is difficult to understand the outcomes that the Council hopes to achieve. See Action 1 above. 5 The Council does not have comprehensive plans to address its own sustainability performance. See Action 3 above. 6 The Council should explain what outcomes will result from its strategic objectives, including its sustainable development objectives, so Council staff and partners can understand the context of their work; See Action 1 above. 7 The Council should consolidate its understanding of the needs of people and communities in Oxfordshire, engaging with local communities to develop integrated programmes which show how services can work together and in partnership with other agencies, to meet community needs. The research and knowledge aspects of this are being comprehensively tackled as part of the’ Understanding Oxfordshire’ data mapping programme agreed by CCMT on 25 August – see Action 1 above. Lead Dave Waller. Our current strategy for local area working focuses on strengthening bilateral relations with district Councils, developing closer relations with town Councils and supporting Directors’ district area responsibilities with a team of local area coordinators. CCMT is considering ways of further strengthening community engagement. Lead Stephen Capaldi. 8 The Council should respond more clearly to the community strategy cross-cutting theme of community development and the Government’s (draft) sustainable development priorities of social and environmental justice; See Action 2 above
9 The Council should review partnerships to ensure that they have enough capacity and support to work effectively to support the Council’s priorities. Proposals have been made to for the next phase of Oxfordshire Community Partnership working which should further clarify links between County and District activity and with existing partnerships with delivery responsibilities, provide a stronger overarching vision and less duplication of activity below it. Partnership working with the voluntary sector will be reviewed as agreed by CCMT on 18 August. CCMT need to consider what further actions are needed in the light of these 2 streams of activity. Lead Stephen Capaldi. 10 The Council should set clear targets to improve the Council’s own sustainability performance with particular emphasis on areas of high impact, such as management of its own property. See Action 3 above. 11 The Council should develop the performance management system so it recognises strategic service and community priorities and can show whether the Council is achieving its strategic objectives. See
Action 1 above
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