Issue - meetings

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-052-2017/18).

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for January and February 2018 be noted, alongside the planned actions for March 2018.

The Leader of Council presented a report outlining the progress made by the Transformation Programme during January and February 2018, along with the planed actions for March 2018.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that regular monitoring reports on the progress of the Transformation Programme were presented to the Cabinet. This was the monitoring report for January and February 2018 and covered the progress made for all chartered projects of Medium and High Risk Potential, as well as key aspects of the Transformation Programme. The Cabinet noted that, overall, progress indicators for ‘cost’ and ‘benefits’ were Green for this period. The status indicator for ‘time’ was reported as Amber to highlight that 2 actions (from a total of 90) were overdue on its deadline, when compared with planned timelines. Project and Programme Managers had actions in place to deal with any potential negative effects. Progress would be kept under review and it was anticipated that the status of the majority of these items would return to Green in the next report.

The Head of Transformation added that, of the two projects with overdue actions, project P134 (Licensing Self-Service Applications) was now complete, and a review of project P043 (Mail, Correspondence & Document Management) was now underway.

Decision:

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for January and February 2018 be noted, alongside the planned actions for March 2018.     

Reasons for Decision:

To inform the Cabinet of the progress with the Transformation Programme, including work streams, programmes and projects.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were available as failure to monitor and review the progress of the Transformation Programme and to consider corrective action where necessary, could have negative implications for the Council’s reputation, and might mean that opportunities for improvement were lost.

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-049-2017/18).

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for December 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for January 2018.

The Leader of Council presented a report outlining the progress made by the Transformation Programme during December 2017, alongside the planned actions for January 2018.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that regular highlight reports on the progress of the Transformation Programme were presented to the Cabinet. This was the monitoring report for December 2017 and covered the progress made for all chartered projects of Medium and High Risk Potential, as well as key aspects of the Transformation Programme. The Cabinet noted that, overall, the progress indicators for ‘cost’ and ‘benefits’ were Green for this period. The status indicator for ‘time’ was reported as Amber to highlight that 9 actions (from a total of 75) were overdue on their deadline, when compared with planned timelines. Project and Programme Managers had actions in place to deal with any potential negative effects. Progress would be kept under review and it was anticipated that the status of the majority of these items would return to Green in the next report.

The Leader added that good progress was being made with the Transformation Programme.

Decision:

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for December 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for January 2018.

Reasons for Decision:

To inform the Cabinet of the progress with the Transformation Programme, including work streams, programmes and projects.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were available as failure to monitor and review the progress of the Transformation Programme and to consider corrective action where necessary, could have negative implications for the Council’s reputation, and might mean that opportunities for improvement were lost.

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-040-2017/18).

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for November 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for December 2017.

The Leader of Council presented a report outlining the progress made by the Transformation Programme during November 2017, and the planned actions for December 2017.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that regular monitoring reports on the progress of the Transformation Programme were considered at each meeting. This was the monitoring report for November 2017 and covered the progress made for all chartered projects of Medium and High Risk Potential, as well as key aspects of the Transformation Programme. The Cabinet noted that, overall, progress indicators for ‘cost’ and ‘benefits’ were Green for this period. The status indicator for ‘time’ was reported as Amber to highlight that 1 action (from a total of 88) was overdue on its deadline, when compared with planned timelines. Project and Programme Managers had actions in place to deal with any potential negative effects. Progress would be kept under review and it was anticipated that the status of these items would return to Green in the next report.

The Leader also highlighted that the substantial progress made by the Customer Services Programme, but would report in more detail on this at the Council meeting on 22 February 2018.

Cllr Murray (Loughton Roding) stated that residents in Loughton were very unhappy with the Council, over issues such as the building of dwellings on Jessel Green and the impact of the Epping Forest Retail Park on the retail units in Loughton Broadway. However, the Leader countered that residents all across the District were very satisfied with the services provided by the Council.

Decision:

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for November 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for December 2017.

Reasons for Decision:

To inform the Cabinet of the progress with the Transformation Programme, including work streams, programmes and projects.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were available as failure to monitor and review progress of the Transformation Programme and to consider corrective action where necessary, could have negative implications for the Council’s reputation, and might mean that opportunities for improvement were lost.

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-034-2017/18).

(1)        That the progress of the Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for October 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for November 2017;

(2)        That a District Development Fund bid in the sum of £135,000 be made to support process mapping and organisational redesign activity within Transformation projects;

(3)      That a Continuing Services Budget growth bid in the sum of £20,000 be made to commission the annual customer satisfaction survey, with the understanding that appropriate compensatory savings within the Continuing Services Budget would be found;

(4)     That a District Development Fund bid in the sum of £59,000 be made to re-establish the Senior Project Improvement Officer, 24 months fixed-term at Grade 9, if an internal secondment exercise was not successful at filling the forthcoming vacancy; and

(5)        That the Council’s Invest to Save fund be brought within the auspices of the Transformation Programme and realigned to match the aims and objectives of the Corporate Plan.

The Leader of Council presented a report outlining the progress made by the Transformation Programme during October 2017, alongside the planned actions for November 2017, and to make budgetary provision for the Transformation Programme in 2018/19.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that regular highlight reports on the progress of the Transformation Programme were presented to each meeting of the Cabinet. This was the monitoring report for October 2017 and covered the progress made for all chartered projects of Medium and High Risk Potential, as well as key aspects of the Transformation Programme. The Cabinet noted that, overall, progress indicators for ‘cost’ and ‘benefits’ were Green for this period. The status indicator for ‘time’ was reported as Red to highlight that 3 actions (from a total of 94) were overdue and 1 project was overdue on its deadline, when compared with planned timelines. Project and Programme Managers had actions in place to deal with any potential negative effects. Progress would be kept under review and it was anticipated that the status of the majority of these items would return to Green in the next report.

The Leader stated that the Corporate Plan for 2018-23 described the Council’s ambitious plans for the next five years, including transforming the way the Council conducted its business, and interdependent programmes to transform the Council’s  use of technology, accommodation, people and customer service. Consequently, budgetary provision for the ongoing work of the Transformation Team needed to be set for 2018/19. The Team supported and co-ordinated these programmes and around 45 projects across the organisation. The recent final report of the Transformation Programme Task and Finish Scrutiny Panel had concluded that the work of the team had contributed to significant improvements to the successful delivery of change for the Council. A top-up of the funding available for process mapping and organisational redesign was recommended as, without continued support, the Council risked being unable to deliver on the ambition expounded by the Corporate Plan.

The Leader reported that it was important to track any changes to customer satisfaction from the established baseline, in order to assess the impact of the Transformation Programme and in particular the Customer Services Programme on our residents. Undertaking an annual customer satisfaction survey would enable the Council to measure its performance against the key benefit of the Corporate Plan to put the customer at the heart of the Council’s services. In addition, the current Senior Project Improvement Officer had resigned from the Council’s employ and a replacement would be required. In the event that an internal secondment was not possible then it was intended to advertise the role externally on a two-year fixed term contract.

Finally, the Leader added that the Invest to Save reserve was established within the General Fund in 2015/16 to support innovation, where business cases would reduce the Continuing Services Budget (CSB) in future years following an investment to ‘do things differently’ or generate income. So as to present a coordinated approach to managing change, remove unnecessary duplication and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-024-2017/18).

(1)        That the progress of the Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for September 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for October 2017.

The Leader of Council presented a report outlining the progress made by the Transformation Programme during September 2017, and the planned actions for October 2017.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that regular highlight reports on the progress of the Transformation Programme were presented to each meeting of the Cabinet. This was the monitoring report for September 2017 and covered progress for all chartered projects of Medium and High Risk Potential, as well as key aspects of the Transformation Programme.

The Cabinet noted that, overall, progress indicators for ‘cost’ and ‘benefits’ were Green for this period. The status indicator for ‘time’ was reported as Amber to highlight that 1 action (from a total of 98) was overdue when compared with the planned timelines. Project and Programme Managers had actions in place to deal with any potential negative effects and progress would be kept under review, but it was anticipated that the status of the majority of these items would return to Green in the next report.

The Leader added that the establishment of a Portfolio Holder Advisory Group was being considered to continue the work of the Transformation Task & Finish Scrutiny Panel, following the presentation of the Panel’s final report to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee. The Director of Neighbourhoods also informed the Cabinet that the planned report on the Estates Service Review would now go to a future meeting of the Cabinet, following further market assessments of salaries.

Decision:

(1)        That the progress of the Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for September 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for October 2017.

Reasons for Decision:

To inform the Cabinet of the progress with the Transformation Programme, including workstreams, programmes and projects.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were available, as failure to monitor and review progress of the Transformation Programme and to consider corrective action where necessary, could have negative implications for the Council’s reputation and might mean that opportunities for improvement were lost.

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-021-2017/18).

(1)        That the progress of the Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for August 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for September 2017.

The Leader of Council presented a report outlining the progress made by the Transformation Programme during August 2017, and the planned actions for September 2017.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that regular highlight reports on the progress of the Transformation Programme were presented to each meeting of the Cabinet. This was the monitoring report for August 2017 and covered progress for all chartered projects of Medium and High Risk Potential, as well as the key aspects of the Transformation Programme. Overall, progress indicators for ‘cost’, ‘delivery / outcome / output’ and ‘benefits’ were Green for this period. The status indicator for ‘time’ was reported as Amber to highlight that five actions (from a total of 71) were overdue when compared with planned timelines. Project and Programme Managers had actions in place to deal with any potential negative effects. Progress would be kept under review and it was anticipated that the status of the majority of these items would return to Green in the next report.

Decision:

(1)        That the progress of the Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for August 2017 be noted, alongside the planned actions for September 2017.

Reasons for Decision:

To inform the Cabinet of progress on the Transformation Programme, including workstreams, programmes and projects.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were available, as failure to monitor and review progress of the Transformation Programme and to consider corrective action where necessary, could have negative implications for the Council’s reputation, and might mean that opportunities for improvement were lost.

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-012-2017/18).

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for June & July 2017, alongside the planned actions for August 2017, be noted;

(2)        That the definition of the People Strategy Programme be noted and the initiation of the projects within the Programme be agreed;

(3)        That, in order to fund the external support for the production of the Council’s new Common Operating Model, an allocation of £25,000 from the Transformation Programme Prototype Fund be agreed; and

(4)        That the progress of the Customer Service Programme be noted.

The Leader of Council presented a report outlining the progress made with the Transformation Programme during June and July 2017, the programme initiation for the People Strategy, and an update on the progress with the Customer Service Programme.

The Leader reminded the Cabinet that regular highlight reports on the progress of the Transformation Programme were presented to each meeting of the Cabinet. This was the monitoring report for June and July 2017 and covered progress for all chartered projects of Medium and High Risk Potential, as well as the key aspects of the Transformation Programme. Overall, progress indicators for ‘cost’ and ‘benefits’ were Green for this period. The status indicator for ‘time’ was Amber to highlight that two actions (from a total of 219) were overdue. The status indicator for ‘delivery / outcome / output’ was also Amber to highlight that six projects required progress report updates.

The Leader stated that the Programme Definition Document for the People Strategy was presented, which had followed workshops with Staff, Managers and Councillors. The programme detailed a set of projects to ensure the Council met future challenges and adapted to new ways of working. The programme would change the way the Council was organised, removing the current Directorates and creating a new organisational structure, known as the Common Operating Model. Approval was sought to allocate £25,000 from the Transformation Programme Prototype Fund to produce the proposed Common Operating Model.

The Leader explained that the Customer Service Programme had reached a number of key milestones since the Head of Service had joined the organisation in November 2016 and implementation had begun in earnest. A Customer Programme Board had been created, along with a revision of the projects that formed the programme. In particular, the development of the corporate Customer Service Team and activity to promote digital self-service for customers had made good progress.

The Leader added that there were dependencies with other Transformation projects, particularly the Accommodation Review and forthcoming People Strategy, which could provide challenges around capacity in key service areas and timely decision making. Issues with systems infrastructure had impacted on some project timelines but not the delivery of benefits from the overall programme.

Cllr C C Pond highlighted that 67% of the Council’s employees travelled to work by driving on their own, and only 14% of the Council’s employees car shared when travelling to work.

Decision:

(1)        That the progress of Projects and Programmes within the Transformation Programme for June & July 2017, alongside the planned actions for August 2017, be noted;

(2)        That the definition of the People Strategy Programme be noted and the initiation of the projects within the Programme be agreed;

(3)        That, in order to fund the external support for the production of the Council’s new Common Operating Model, an allocation of £25,000 from the Transformation Programme Prototype Fund be agreed; and

(4)        That the progress of the Customer Service Programme be noted.

Reasons for Decision:

To inform the Cabinet of progress on the Transformation Programme, including workstreams  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-009-2017/18).

That the progress of projects and programmes within the Transformation Programme for April and May 2017 and planned actions for June 2017, be noted.

In the absence from the meeting of the Leader of the Council, the Chairman presented the regular monitoring report in respect of the Council’s Transformation Programme, which set out the progress of specific projects and initiatives for April and May 2017 and planned objectives for June 2017.

The Head of Transformation advised that Cabinet that investigation was currently being made of options for the introduction of video conferencing facilities, as part of the Transformation Programme.

RESOLVED:

That the progress of specific projects and initiatives within the Transformation Programme for April and May 2017 and planned objectives for June 2017, be noted.

Reasons for Decision:

The report informed the Cabinet of progress on the achievement of specific projects and initiatives within the scope of the Transformation Programme. The Cabinet had previously requested that the progress of relevant projects and initiatives be reported to each meeting.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were considered appropriate. Failure to monitor and review the progress of the Transformation Programme and to consider corrective action where necessary, could have negative implications for the Council’s reputation and might mean that opportunities for improvement were lost.