inances this year, due in a significant part to the work of finance officers and their financial transactions work.
But most significantly due to the application of social services - many authorities have struggled with the new changes, the growth in demand and market prices and the challenging finances. My thanks to [the Corporate Director] and her staff.
That we’re taking the finance and performance reports a month earlier is another cause for celebration. We took our statement of accounts 2 months earlier in June and we do want to draw a benefit from more current assessments of our progress.
Performance in quarter 3 shows a continuation of the year on year improvement in Council performance - 80% of Performance Indicators are better or same as last year. We are maintaining progress towards our LPSA targets with two thirds projected to meet or exceed targets (and that’s the same as last year).
Less positive is that we have only met or exceeded 50% of our targets.
Also less positive, is the overall assessment scores reported in the Annual Letter.
It is frustrating that our progress is diminished by an emphasis on absolute attainment figures in children’s and young people’s services - sometimes you’re punished for deigning to serve the children who need help most.
But the set-back in Social Services cos of the D55 indicator is a more involving situation and we are seeking to do all we can to recover the situation by March.
Only last week, I met who do more of the assessments themselves on the phone rather than merely handle the paperwork.
The meeting was part of our new awards for staff who go the extra mile, and they were aware of the role they were playing in providing a better service and improving the indicator.
“Going the Extra Mile” has been one of the success stories of the year, especially the “Works Perks” scheme.
We can also celebrate “Turning Point” – the only Integrated Transport Management scheme to be approved despite its predicted impact on cars. Yet another in a series of successful schemes that is transforming the city centre.
Some great successes too in the world of culture – progress for Wollaton Hall and the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Nottingham.
Nottingham hosted the pre-Raphaelite exhibition and the Bolshoi Ballet are coming to Nottingham.
We are ambitious for Nottingham. And our application shows in the latest MORI poll.
I’m advised not to read too much into our scores improving when most authorities’ scores have gone down. Apparently, that’s a matter of timing. But it is significant that -
- satisfaction with the way the Council runs things is up 5%;
- feeling safer in the city centre is up 5% or so;
- sense of belonging to Nottingham is up 4%;
- satisfaction with Nottingham as a place to live is up 5%;
- satisfaction with their quality of life is up 5%;
I think the correlation between net satisfaction and the index of multiple deprivation shown in the MORI reports on page 119 is very striking.
And therefore all the more illuminating for those instances above and below the line, of what you might call, of expectation. And compared with other authorities we have both improved and are even higher above the line.
We’d want to look for examples of services underperforming in that way as part of our programme for transforming services.
I’ll allow others to present the reports on Housing Capital and community participation in equality scrutiny and monitoring.
But I want to finish by saying there is more to be said about how we intend to improve further on our performance.
A lot has already been said at the last 2 full councils.
One of the key points that has been picked up - both from the peer review and the annual letter - is that a closer attention to the evaluation of what performance indicators are telling us is required, and from, that a stronger learning from others who are doing things better.
This observation will drive a significant part of the next phase of our organisational development.
I think it would be appropriate to say more on our plans this after the Audit Commission have introduced their letter.
On item 5 - Annual Audit Letter
Thanks to Andrew Blackburn for attending the Executive Board, as well as the seeing us 2weeks ago.
And thank you for the acknowledgement of the positive and constructive approach.
The report lists 4 recommendations, on approach to performance management, improving value for money, HRA balances and improvements on internal control.
On the scorecard, we are delighted with the progress made in the second block of servicescores.
Benefits has improved and it is important to draw the right lessons from this. It is notbecause we have spent more money on consultants. We have employed change managers tolearn lessons from others and to increase our capacity to make improvements; but there’sbeen a new approach to the work in hand, effective use of new technology and an effectiveexit strategy which has meant we are not dependent on external organisations.
We note also the improvement in the Housing score, which is a reflection of the effort that went into the ‘community housing’ element of the service block.
Culture too is up a point with many of the PIs above middle or upper CPA thresholds.
We regret losing a point on Adults services. Especially on a trigger indicator. But we acknowledge the significance of the service the indicator measures. We are working harder,and smarter, on D55 and it may just be that March comes too soon for us to reach the highertarget this year!
But I again want to acknowledge that, Social Services have worked very hard to bring afinancial situation under control.
On Use of Resources, you’ve raised the bar and on Children and Young People’s services,you’ve raised the bar and dug a pit in front of the bar for authorities that teach and supportthe children who need help the most. We resolve to do better and be smarter. Plans ofaction exist for Use of Resources and Children and Young People’s service.
The Letter talks about further action being taken on internal control and today’s budgetproposals address the HRA balance issue.
On Value for Money, we are taking the hint from Gershon about the expectation of morebeing done for the same. Most of our savings proposals are of that ilk. There are someproposals that essentially “stop doing”, and the proposal on Elliott Durham swimming baths isof that nature and reflects a general intention to provide the more modern and fullyaccessible facilities that such as Southglade that we know are popular.
But the key issue remains performance. It has struck me that our response to the Letter andthe new annual scores may not have been perceived to have been particularly dramatic.
This may be that the only person who’s ever made the engine room seem dramatic was called “Scotty”. But it is also cos a significant amount of development work was already planned. And because the development work doesn’t intend to “over think the plumbing”. (Scotty from Star Trek III - "the more they over think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.")
The “SLMG” process has reformed our top tier 3 levels of management and gives a newpurpose and focus to the posts. As the new arrangements kick in, we will look to see thatnew approach expected from management shining through.
The performance management framework - something which didn’t exist 3 years ago - is tobe revised.
We will have a better quality to our performance reporting. Too much time was spentrestating departmental returns and not in analysis. A new IT system - Performance Plus - isnow being run by the Council. Service teams (and some partnerships) enter the results andthe commentary direct into one system. Our central performance capacity can thereforefocus on the quality of information provided and the analysis of our progress. The timing ofreports has been shortened by a month.
Plans are being developed for a further change in the way we serve people.
The budget puts money aside for organisational development - “Serving Nottingham Better”with an emphasis on evaluation and learning, transforming the performance of under-performing services.
We will develop specific service interventions that will raise the level of service delivery and will teach teams how to improve their services for themselves.
We will continue to develop our people and reward & support their contributions.
“Serving Nottingham Better” will be tied in with a range of proposals for improving our focuson the customer - which is also acknowledged in the budget statement with the proposal for anew contact centre, and new procedures and software to support the centre in its work.
As we implement the contact centre, the learning from customers on what they want from services will be shared across all services.
Our ambition is to run services that are integrated, focused on the customers who need them and are continuously improving.
We will seek more current performance data to compare and contrast our performance withsimilar authorities.
Learning and evaluation of what works best, here and elsewhere, will be a hallmark of what we do.
And if there is to be a maximised impact of one council providing services and being the agentof change for the city, the corporate programming of the council needs to be improved too.
A new SLMG3 post, Head of Organisation Development, has been established and the newrecruit will be in place from mid March.
There will have to be a step up in the way the Council is run. We must serve Nottinghambetter.
We have focussed on creating the frameworks and capacity for improvement first.
Now we move into the arena of smarter application of that capacity and repeated evaluationand learning to take the next steps forward.
I thank the Audit Commission again for attending today.
We have deliberately chosen to state our ambitious agenda in their presence.
We notice other Councils who started their major reforms before us are now making greater progress.
Following some radical changes, we have the potential to make a difference. We must apply ourselves to convert the potential into reality.
Item 6 - Budget.
Today we present a budget, which despite significant financial challenges, sees £4 million of investment in new services, more services and higher specification of services.
Wages of 3%, price inflation, dramatic fuel price increases, the challenges of equal pay, pick up from Primary Care Trusts, Supporting People and Neighbourhood Renewal Funds are all picked up within the existing Council tax, by a combination of efficiencies and savings.
This budget therefore offers dramatic value for money.
The growth in grant is a statement of investment from the Labour Gov’t. But It compareswell however with Tory Governments who asked us to make do the cash increases but notreal ones.
But their ambition does exceed the money made available.
The settlement is plainly good news for education. A 6.8% increase for every child’seducation is a clear expression of the Labour Party’s political priorities.
Elsewhere the settlement is much more challenging.
So we’ve resolved to be more efficient in our ways of working and to stop doing things,especially in areas where people’s wants have changed or can be met in other ways.
These savings and efficiencies will have to be of the same order again as last year £4.5m. £4.5 million would represent a further 5.75% Council Tax if we did nothing about savings andefficiencies.
We will meet all these extra costs and obligations from within the existing Council tax.
We intend to provide more service because there is a tremendous demand out there.
We are ambitious for Nottingham and we want to build on recent findings of people beinghappier with the city we live in.
New polling shows previous investment has been worthwhile.
The general aim is that the extra Council tax raised is to go on new services, more services where demand has grown or higher specification services. More of the detail of proposed use of the extra money has been published in an addendum.
The budget is aspirational in terms of more service for the elderly -
- bus passes, free and extended for use in afternoon peak periods; and made available onthe tram and on buses to the edge of the conurbation;
- more provision of intensive home care;
- the Clifton elderly village;
- (and we keep “garden help” going when many have not)
We’re providing more help for those who need help most.
We also want to serve people better especially in terms of our contactability. And moredoorstep recycling, which has been popular.
There will more bins, better paid wardens and an expansion of Nottingham in Bloom to makethe city cleaner, safer and brighter.
To summarise –
- the settlement is very challenging.
- our aim is to use the Council Tax increase for new services, extra services and higher spec.services, to meet the growing demand of the Nottingham people.
- we are to make big efficiencies and some savings to cover increased costs; giving residentsbetter value for money
The budget means -
• Better education;
• More help for the elderly and for those who need help most;
• more for Respect for Nottingham, for a brighter, cleaner, safer city.
[Last updated 2006-02-22]
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