Serving Nottingham Better
In response to the Anuall Audit & Inspection Letter, which awarded Nottingham City Council - “Overall 2 stars”, a numebr of points were made at the February Execuitive BNoard which are expandned upon here.
On improving - “Overall 2 stars”, our strategic response to a challenge for further improvement is -
Update the ambition - embrace a new corporate plan, acknowledging the new priorities from the manifesto;
Improve the Planning Framework - introduce modularised, cross-cutting strategic service plans; such plans provide an easier way in for those – including scrutiny – who want to be part of driving on performance;
Improve Performance Management – better use of Performance Plus and focus on fewer indicators;
Use service redesign to enable step-change – use the “Lean” analysis technique to focus on the customer etc. rather than on feeding the process;
Change the culture of the organisation - through a wide range of measures expressed as “Serving Nottingham Better”, but featuring in particular “Foundation Stone” (which draws upon a technique used successfully in other authorities).
We will agree a plan to achieve 3 stars at the Comprehensive Area Assessment (at the next assessment in late 2009) after we receive the new methodology (published in July).
Explaining Serving Nottingham Better
Serving Nottingham Better represents a whole system of transformational change.
And we are seeing a real will for change from employees, particularly at “Foundation Stone”.
We’re seeing increasing employee engagement, and employee engagement makes a difference.
One of the objectives of Serving Nottingham Better is to help employees make a difference over the changes we need to make.
Nottingham’s process draws from external experience, but avoids the massive investment in external consultants that is often typical of reform programmes.
Currently, we’re running focus groups for staff in the outward looking posts (e.g. Café events - drawing on the style of scenes in Foundation Stone) focussing on the issues emerging from the play.
The change process overall is aimed to be sustainable and about embedding change.
The values and vision of the organisation are setting the tone.
SNB covers 4 workstreams.
Workstream 1 – Develop our Vision, Direction & Values.
The 2030 exercise is going well.
The Corporate Plan will be refreshed.
As part of the engagement project (which includes Foundation Stone), focus groups are being established.
Workstream 2 – (Review, Develop and Continuously Improve Performance) Continuous Improvement.
Train to improve skills and capability.
The induction process will be reviewed and improved.
There is a workforce development plan.
There will be competency frameworks.
There is an equality & diversity training programme - the biggest we’ve ever undertaken (in part prompted by “Foundation Stone”).
Corporate Investment in people (IiP) is one of the outcomes of the programme (i.e. for the whole organisation).
The Burden Busting Taskforce has largely finished its analysis.
That HR has to improve its people management capacity is recognised.
“Lean” methodologies will be used to review services.
Workstream 3 – Value for Nottingham.
Plans for Value for Money reviews.
Bringing experts across the organisation to do something corporate.
Workstream 4 – Think Customers and Neighbourhoods First.
This is slightly downstream, but a newly-appointed Servicess Director will be doing more on this.
Best reference site appears to be Tameside (Greater Manchester).
Appendix B - Improve Value for Money
We have agreed a budget which will eat up annual cost and wage increases & the costs of serving over 2,200 more households (of over £11m) with efficiencies, savings better financial management, fairer charges and sourcing of other revenue.
We have a new requirement for every strategic service plan, of which there are 30 covering the council’s full range of activities, to address the issue of VfM.
There is a scrutiny exercise investigating VfM.
The reform programme for Value for Money also includes –
- particular improvements planned for “financial reporting” and “financial standing”;
- better explanation to be written on how we meet significant socio-economic need;
- new audit cttee., as part of new constitution;
- new medium term financial strategy with higher levels of quality in all of the components;
[Last updated 2008-03-08]
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