Briefing by the Chief Executive, Assistant
Chief Executive and Directors on the Corporate and Directorate Business
Strategies and the process of governance that underpins the delivery of the
Strategies.
Minutes:
On 20 April 2011
the Committee had resolved, at the suggestion of the Chairman who was also
Member Champion for Risk Management, to hold this additional meeting with the
main business being the Corporate and Directorate Business Strategies and the
process of governance that underpinned their delivery, to be led by the Chief
Executive with Directors in attendance.
Committee members had before them copies of the Business Strategies of
the Chief Executive’s Office and Directorates, which had been circulated
previously.
The Chief
Executive thanked the Committee for the opportunity to update councillors on
the Business Strategy whose success was a critical matter for the Council. She then presented an overview of the Strategy
which focused on four main areas, namely challenging current methods of
working, the financial pressures, Government policy and local needs /
feedback. The presentation looked at the
background in terms of structures which had emerged during periods of economic
growth, the legacy of different initiatives and the growth of bureaucracy,
information silos and multiple management layers. The presentation then looked forward to the
aims and objectives of the Strategy, changing the way we work, the reshaping of
management, the Customer Service Centre and improved customer focus, asset
management, service and resource planning, community self-help / Big Society
and ICT. The Governance arrangements
were clearly shown together with monitoring, the timetable and red, amber &
green rated reporting with a summary of savings and estimates for
2011/12-2014/15. The Chief Executive,
the Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Officer and the Head of Human
Resources then responded to members’ questions and comments including the aims
of the Strategy, the reshaping of management and rationalisation of structures,
tiers and establishment/posts, training and development of staff, further
planned reductions to 2013/14 and members’ roles in the formal decision making
process. The officers considered that
the Strategy was placing the Council in a good position to participate fully in
the localism agenda. (A copy of the
presentation slides is attached to the signed Minutes and is available on
request).
The Chairman
thanked the Chief Executive for the comprehensive presentation and for the
reassurance that appropriate and adequate governance and monitoring
arrangements were in place.
Ms. Callanan,
Performance Improvement & Development Manager who represented the Director,
Children Education & Families then outlined the context of and planning and
transformation process underway in the directorate to improve services through,
for example management review/restructuring and the continuous review of
quality, compliance and joint commissioning.
She also reported on mechanisms to seek user/public participation/views,
the management of key risks during the process and monitoring the impact and
savings achieved.
The Director for
Social & Community Services spoke about the four key elements of the
directorate’s overall strategy (prevention, personalisation, protection and
partnerships), changes in the directorate including planning, staffing
&resourcing and the rationalisation and management of projects through the directorate
Change Board, performance management and the management of key risks. There was regular liaison with and inputs
from finance, legal and HR together with mechanisms for effective engagement
with stakeholders and user/carers.
The Director for
Environment & Economy outlined the directorate’s business and efficiency
Strategy which had been established in 2010/11, building on a framework of five
principles: generating efficiencies through procurement, directorate
transformation and restructuring, prioritisation of services (now a strategic
priority), review of income and strategic management of property. There were three critical external pressures
on the directorate: the relationship between capital investment and revenue
funding, expected cuts in capital funding and housing growth; and there were
specific pressures affecting the Medium Term Financial Plan. He confirmed that improvements were in place
in the directorate for project management, governance arrangements & the
management of risk, monitoring the impact of change, achievements and
outcomes. The delivery of services
mainly through others presented new challenges.
The Chief Fire
Officer & Head of Community Safety reported briefly on the Service’s risk
management structure, including any implications arising from the cancellation
of the central fire control proposals.
During the
general debate members considered:
- the role of the
Cabinet in decisions about major shifts in service provision;
- the important
role of scrutiny to include in scrutiny committees’ work programmes provision
for the review of the effectiveness of the Business Strategy in terms of policy
implementation and outcomes, for comment / recommendation as appropriate to the
Cabinet;
- and agreed to
regular reporting by the Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Officer
to the Audit Committee on progress in implementing the Business Strategy.
The Chairman
thanked the Chief Executive, Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance
Officer, Directors and officers for their reports and work.
RESOLVED: to receive and note the
presentation and reports and thank all concerned.