Last July,
we debated the Best Value Performance Plan.
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The debate acknowledged that the document is more a statement of outputs and outcomes,
than a plan.
And discussion ranged from highlighting what had been done that was good ,
including general recognition of the improvement of the housing benefits service,
to what was not perceived to be progress and
to even less than flattering suggestions as to the true meaning behind the letters SMT.
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Some strong complaints were made about
crime and
the cleanliness of streets,
so I’m pleased to have been able to vote for the “Respect for Nottingham” programme today.
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There were some other conclusions to be drawn from the debate.
One was that despite the national political messages being sold at the time,
none of the City Councillors had chosen to attack the Best Value Performance Plan as “New Labour” bureaucracy.
Another was that little was said in the debate about how we should change to make improvements,
especially from those most critical of the reported outcomes.
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Last July’s report and debate explicitly acknowledged the need to change,
and that the “Gearing Up for Change” programme had begun.
But since the “Gearing Up” programme was still in its infancy, and
since one of the main changes –
the move to formal public quarterly reporting of corporate finances and performance indicators –
had not started,
the Labour Group called then
for a further debate at Full Council today,
towards the end of the first phase of “Gearing Up”.
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“Gearing Up” is a programme
of the kind seen used to good effect in other authorities,
and represents the ambition of the Council
to change.
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To change so that its management arrangements, structure and operations
can lead the development of the city;
can deliver local services in step with our neighbourhood; and
detect or anticipate changes in circumstances and outside events,
as we seek to improve our weakest services.
At the top of the officer organisation,
it means having an SMT that is strategic, that does manage and is a team.
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Early signs of that change include –
the emergent strategy of –
- developing our city;
- developing our neighbourhoods;
- improving performance in our services.
Tested against our overall aim to work with other agencies and partnerships to improve the –
- educational attainment;
- health,
- employment and employment opportunities,
- housing and
- security and safety
of Nottingham people.
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The team is putting the measures in place for it to react corporately to developments;
and to more effectively manage.
The team is smaller.
But there are some new faces, drawing on experiences from outside the City of Nottingham.
Job specs have been revised to emphasise the importance of working as One Council.
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There has been some other significant changes.
New departments.
The City Development Department.
Leading on promoting, developing and regenerating Nottingham.
Neighbourhood Services.
Bringing together more of the services that most directly affect the quality of life in our localities.
Leading in the provision of the new services agreed in “Respect for Nottingham”.
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We’ve also seen the first quarterly reports of progress on financial management and on performance indicators.
The transparency of the financial report was noted at the September Exec Board. (16th)
The most significant change was to see the Council publicly acknowledging the financial pressures that have arisen in the first quarter,
most particularly in Social Services,
and to see the Council responding to control costs.
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The progress on performance is to be discussed at the next Exec Board
but has been circulated to all members and some may wish to comment on it today.
The report highlights the need to respond on a number of matters, including –
the equalities strategy,
as well as noting revised arrangements for matters such as -
the Community Strategy
and records development work on –
- prompt payments of invoices;
- rent collection;
- housing repairs;
- educational attainment; and
- debt collection.
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But there is also a significant cultural element to the “Gearing Up for change” programme.
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Working with the County Council and our neighbouring District Councils in new ways.
Aligning our priorities with the One City Partnership; and
providing the “hegemony” –
and I’ve waited 10 years to be able to include that word in a speech –
to enable more effective progress.
Yes leading,
but listening to.
Providing a framework within the Council, which mangers have said they’ve needed to work with.
Formally, this will be expressed through a hierarchy of plans
ranging from the strategic, to the departmental and down to the service level.
And I hope to see all these plans updated to reflect the emergent strategy and ensuring total coverage for the next financial year.
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But less formally, a new sense of empowerment for officers.
Sometimes expressed as “Just Do It!” –
a way of showing a shift in the balance
such that officers can demonstrate the initiative that we often pay good wages for.
We expect such initiative to be shown against
the confidence given by agreed service plans and
understanding the importance of simple, yet essential progress reporting.
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As part of the culture change, there has been a major management conference
attended by 242 officers.
As a result,
186 commitment statements were completed where managers considered simple ways in which they will personally contribute to the change “effect” and
45 managers volunteering to get involved in specific work relating to the change programme.
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Some of the feedback is worth repeating –
“Decent working conditions” – given the nature of some of our offices, something we need to reflect on.
“More cross council working” – something highlighted in the corporate assessment – and we will have to look at what factors do deter One Council working.
“Less distance between senior managers and the rest”; and
“Appreciation for a job well done” – and here we should reflect on how we acknowledge or recognise achievements.
This needn’t be trite – and often it’s done at member – officer meetings, most particularly when evaluating progress or service delivery.
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A members’ seminar was held on September 29th.
And it’s true to say that there were some concerns about the presentations.
Certainly, if you are going to tell stories about frogs,
you need to understand that there is only one frog story;
and that story - the “wide-mouthed frog” joke - is the funniest joke in history. It’s a hard act to follow.
Even so, it should have been clear to all that attended the seminar
that this was a parable of showing how you will suffer
if you don’t have systems in place to tell you that circumstances are changing and may be changing for the worse.
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The emphasis in the seminar on the culture change may have given some of you the idea that “Gearing Up” is in some way a nice, touchy, feely exercise,
- something the Liberals might have liked – but perhaps
akin to the kind of thinking seen in the eighties.
Well, it’s not.
It is hard work and challenges all of us to consider the impact of our contribution to finding new ways of working.
Indeed, we should note that the Corporate Assessment reported that in their view “Most members … are not open to change.”
(I wonder if this will be reflected in today’s debate?)
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At the same time there is a recognition that a more detailed programme needs to be made available to members,
that the Interim Deputy Chief Executive has distributed a “Gearing Up” Implementation report to all members.
You are not being asked to agree the substance of this report today, or of the two quarterly progress reports.
Instead these reports have been circulated so that members can appreciate more of the programme of work.
On “Gearing Up”,
the Implementation Report shows the work organised into
the three strategic themes; and
ten zones of work.
For each zone, how the work links back to the Improvement Plan - agreed in the light of the Corporate Assessment made of the Council last year- is also shown.
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On the Corporate Assessment,
I have said before that I think the methodology should be more widely understood,
not because I agree with it 100%,
but because it is a way of drawing on the experience and best practice of other Councils;
and a way of understanding how our Council can be seen by those looking on from outside.
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Nor –as I’ve said before - do I agree with scores awarded to this Council “few strengths, many weaknesses” on “investment” and “learning”,
when on “investment”, for instance, 5 strengths were listed to 6 weaknesses.
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But the point now is not to quibble over those scores, but to show how we’ve moved on.
And, I think, our aim has to be to achieve strengths above weaknesses in all the categories.
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For instance on “learning” -
we have now published the West Midlands Local Government Association report
and written an analysis of our progress made since.
External experience has been brought to bear on –
- the quarterly progress reporting and use of data; (GoMi)
- identifying and addressing poor performance by services; (BoPa);
- turning services around; (LyPe);
- Scrutiny development; (RaMa)
- change programmes (GoMi – and dare I say MME – nah);
and
- better use of leisure facilities; (this time APSE);
Other external experiences will also feed into the way we work.
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The report calls for 2 things –
approval of the summary project plan shown in Appendix 2;
and to agree to receive a report on progress at the first business meeting of the full Council in the next financial year.
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We may however, want to reflect on progress when we receive the Annual Audit Letter, with its 2 page summary assessment of the Audit Commission’s assessment of our progress.
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