Agenda item

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-051-2015/16).

(1)        That the scope of the Transformation Programme be agreed;

(2)        That the appointment of the Head of Transformation from within existing resources be noted;

(3)        That the Programme was likely to identify significant changes to the way the Council delivered services, which might require significant capital investment, be noted; and

(4)        That the major changes recommended as part of the Programme be the subject of future reports to the Cabinet and supported by a fully evaluated business case.

The Leader of Council presented a report on the scope of the Transformation Programme.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that Local Government was facing an unprecedented series of challenges as Central Government sought to reduce the budget deficit. Local Councils had already been working hard to improve efficiency and effectiveness and were being asked to do even more over this Parliament. Against this background of severe financial constraint, customer demands were increasing and advances in technology had led customers to expect that their local council would interact with them in very different ways.  In addition, the Council acknowledged the increasing pressure on services from an ageing population. Given this challenging environment, even well run Councils with strong reserves like Epping Forest had to accept that the current operating model was unsustainable in the long run.

The Leader stated that if the Council was to meet the challenge posed by increasing customer demands and reduced Revenue Support Grant then a fundamental review of the way that services were delivered was required; the Transformation Programme would seek to do just that. The broad scope of a programme of work was set out that would fundamentally question what the Council did and how the Council did it. The initial programme would last for 18 months and be led by the Council’s Leadership Team and be co-ordinated by the Head of Transformation within existing resource budgets. It was anticipated that the programme would recommend investments in technology and changes to working practices that would improve customer service and deliver efficiency savings. Major recommendations brought forward through the programme would be reported with fully costed business cases for either the Cabinet or Council to approve any investment required. After the initial period, the programme would be reviewed and consideration given to extending it. Bids for extra resources would be required if the programme was to continue to deliver transformational change.

The Portfolio Holder for Governance & Development Management acknowledged that there were risks with the Programme, and that the Council should look to implement some measures quickly to provide the Programme with some momentum. Two suggestions offered by the Portfolio Holder were:

            (i)         co-locate all the members of the senior management team in an open plan office;             and

            (ii)        relinquish the Members’ Room and for Members to use the Staff Recreation         Room directly beneath.

The Portfolio Holder for Technology & Support Services commented that the Planning Reception desk should be moved to the ground floor from its current location on the second floor, and that staff should be given the flexibility to work in the best location – whether that be at home or in the Civic Offices. The Leader of Council added that a federated version of a Combined Authority was being considered as part of the Essex devolution proposals.

The Chief Executive welcomed the comments and suggestions from the Cabinet, and re-iterated that the Programme would cover a wide range of issues, as would be shown by the next report. All comments and suggestions would be considered fully.

The Planning Policy Portfolio Holder cautioned that budgets and timescales for measures arising from the Programme would need to be carefully monitored. As part of the Programme, the Council could consider co-location with other services such as the Police, the Citizens Advice Bureau and Voluntary Action Epping Forest. It was highlighted that the Council was already looking to co-locate with the Police before April 2016.

The Chief Executive reminded the Cabinet that the scope of the Programme was wide, and would involve cultural change throughout the Council as well as significant investment. The next report would detail specific business cases with costs for the Cabinet to consider. A review of the location of the staff currently based at the Civic Offices in Epping would be included in the Programme, as indicated by paragraph 13 of the report.

Decision:

(1)        That the scope of the Transformation Programme be agreed;

(2)        That the appointment of the Head of Transformation from within existing resources be noted;

(3)        That the Programme was likely to identify significant changes to the way the Council delivered services, which might require significant capital investment, be noted; and

(4)        That the major changes recommended as part of the Programme be the subject of future reports to the Cabinet and supported by a fully evaluated business case.

Reasons for Decision:

As Government funding continued to reduce, the Council had to develop a co-ordinated strategy to deliver the outcomes set out in the Corporate Plan.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were appropriate in this respect.  Failure to review the Council’s processes and procedures would result in stagnation, and against a background of financial constraints this would inevitably lead to reduced services or increases in Council Tax.