My report to Council

Posted By: Liz Thirsk
Date Posted: 23/07/2009

Thank you Mister Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Townships and Corporate Management Portfolio.

PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

Comprehensive Area Assessment

Performance and Development (P&D) Service is leading on the council’s preparations for the new Comprehensive Area Assessment. We have carried out a Use of Resources assessment, with colleagues in Finance, for which we have had good feedback from the Audit Commission.

We are also leading on the Area Assessment for the Local Strategic Partnership. We have already carried out a self-evaluation of the Pride Partnership, to assess how well all public service organisations are working together to improve quality of life in the borough. We have been working with other key organisations, including the police, PCT and fire service to identify areas of success, and areas for improvement, and we are developing an improvement plan for the LSP out of the self-evaluation. The Audit Commission is using the self-evaluation as a key piece of evidence for its area assessment of the borough, which will be published in November.

The work supporting preparations for CAA involves several teams within the service, particularly the Policy and Research Team and the Scrutiny and Performance Team.

Other successes and key areas of work

• The Information Team has been successful in attracting a £2.25 million award from the Department of Health as a CAF (Common Assessment Framework) Demonstrator site. This project will pull together records for all adults from health, social care, supporting people and voluntary organisations to allow sharing of information to help deliver improved services for adults in the borough. The team has also supported NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale to become the first PCT in the country to be an accredited Contact Point user.
• The Adult Care IT project has successfully connected with finance systems to automate payments to service providers
• The Policy and Research team is leading the council’s and LSP’s work on the recession, and reporting regularly to cabinet on progress.

Townships

Township Management is currently working with services and partner agencies to develop action plans to deliver Township Plan priorities in 2010/11; this will be reported to Township Committees. The action plans will be integrated with the Council’s service planning and budget setting processes for 2010/2011.


A recent addition to Township Management are Township Engagement Officers; one based in each Township Office. The primary part of their role is to increase involvement and engagement in local democratic processes. In the short time the Engagement Officers have been in post there has been a significant local impact, including

• increased public engagement in the Middleton Township Plan review by 100%, by running stalls in the Shopping Centre and Middleton Arena
• an increased the number of community groups holding information stalls at the recycled Teenagers event by 300%;
• an average increase in attendance at Rochdale Area Forums of 15%

The increase in Township Funds means that each Township will continue to deliver more projects such as funds enabling Area Forums to agree how funds are spent locally in Rochdale; community grants in Pennines; and local projects in Middleton and Heywood.

Following a workshop with Heads of Service and Councillors we are working on an action plan to take devolution forward. In addition Township Management is reviewing the way it works; we sought views from some Heads of Service and councillors to help us develop ideas for a future way of working.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

Pay and Grading Review

Workforce comments arising from the consultation process are currently being evaluated, together with those received from trade unions. Members will be updated on the main conclusions and issues arising from this process in the near future, as well as regarding arrangements for final decision making, which it is anticipated will take place during late August/early September 2009.

Appeals are currently progressing in accordance with the joint procedure agreed with trade unions and it is anticipated that these will be concluded in October 2009.

Recruitment

The Council is in the process of introducing a vacancy management policy which will restrict recruitment to those jobs essential to service delivery and support the achievement of savings required by the Efficiency Programme.

Implementation of Trent HR System

Progress continues with the implementation of the new computerised HR system and the second phase of the project as part of the People Management Transformation Programme. Progress slowed in two last quarters due to the impact of the pay and grading review on workloads and resource availability within People Management and other Services being diverted to support the review and ongoing work associated with Equal Pay claims. Resources from Impact and other partners had to be diverted to other projects temporarily to compensate.





A revised Project Plan has been developed and is currently on track to implement the modules by end December 2009. Currently, employee and manager self service is being piloted in two services and there is a planned roll out to other services. The self service function will provide service managers with ‘real time’ employee information and enable staff to view and update some details held in the HR system.

Work is ongoing to identify further out of scope efficiency savings.

The Project targets will accordingly be challenging to achieve during 2009/10 and the situation is being closely monitored through regular reporting to the PMS Transformation Programme Board. The Service has achieved the 2008/9 target financial efficiency savings set out in the business case and has identified how it will achieve the 2009/10 savings.

Some of the key future benefits will include better access for managers to information about absence management, staffing levels, and overtime, as well as making life easier for staff and managers by letting people check pay slips, check and change personal details at any time, book leave, request training and much more.

One of the first new modules to be introduced is recruitment. This will provide a proactive professional recruitment function and enable a self-service facility for both internal and external job applicants. There will also be a rolling programme of new modules implemented including health and safety, learning and development and discipline and grievance in line with the project timetable.

Managing Attendance

The Service continues to support services to achieve ongoing improvements in absence rates through identification and robust management of issues.

Overall performance for 2008/9 is 10 days per FTE. This shows a continuing pattern of improvement of 0.6 days on 2007/8 and 1.3 days reduction from 2006/7. The final figure for 2008/9 is still 0.5 days per FTE above the 9.50 days target for the year.
There has been a reduction of 4,426 days lost to sickness absence this year. Although short term absence had increased by 3,405 days, long term absence showed a significant improvement reducing by 7,832 FTE days. 44% of absence was short term in nature and 56% was long term (20 continuous working days or more).
Following last year’s absence outturn of 10.60 days per FTE, the Authority had set a target of 9.50 days absence per FTE for the year 2008/9. This would be achieved if each Service met its individual target.
Success stories include Adult Social Care (13% reduction, 1.2 days below target), ELT, Finance , Planning and Regulation, People Management, Regeneration, Revenues and Benefits and Strategic Housing.
Services causing the greatest concern are Learners and Young People (high level of long-term absence) and Information and Libraries (high short term absence).
Annual comparisons with neighbouring authorities in AGMA showed Rochdale the 4th best performer in 2008/9 and although all results have not yet been received by the NW Employer's Organisation, Rochdale at 10 days is only 0.28 days behind the best performing authority Warrington at 9.72 days. Rochdale’s improvement target was also the most challenging.
Performance & Scrutiny Committee endorsed an improvement target for 2009/10 of 9.5 days (based on computation of Service targets). The final figure for 2008/9 was 10.0 days.

Business Partners are working closely with Services to help them manage their absences effectively and as part of this some Services have taken the opportunity to be briefed / reminded of the attendance management procedures and the support available through People Management.

Heads of Services where absence rates have not improved or are still above targets will continue to report to ELT members and their Portfolio Holder and the Lead Member for Resources to outline their plans to reduce absence.

A system of regular reporting of absence from Trent has been developed aimed at improving the accuracy and reliability of data and reports produced.
Meetings will continue with officers from Performance and Development Service to look at ways of strengthening performance management and reporting arrangements, including wider, graphical representation of comparisons, improvements and areas of concern.

LEGAL AND DEMOCRATIC SERVICES

Legal and Democratic Services continue to provide high quality support services to all areas of the Council. The Services current achievements and challenges are as follows:

Legal Property Team

The team continues to support the Council’s various projects by working on a variety of land and property transactions:-

• Regeneration (Housing Market renewal) – presently Rochdale Town Centre, Kirkholt, Langley in Middleton and Heywood. Our role is to purchase all land/dwellinghouses and commercial interests in order that the Council can redevelop these areas.
• Supporting the BSF project with regard to land issues in connection with many different schools.
• Supporting the town centre redevelopment including the site of the new municipal offices by acquiring various land interests in order to obtain a clear site and also getting involved in the general procurement process to find a developer
• The Middleton Arena Site and various matters arising out of the Tesco acquisition of the Council’s land in Middleton Town Centre
• The proposed sports village at Heywood and proposals for Entwisle Road Leisure Centre and the water activity centre at Hollingworth Lake
• The recent acquisition of Boots Warehouse in Heywood for future Heywood regeneration plans – this was an accomplishment for the Council since the Council had to work to a very tight deadline and this piece of land is a key area in Heywood for any regeneration plans.







Procurement

The service continues to offer procurement advice in relation to all the major initiatives including:

• the new municipal offices
• Rochdale town centre redevelopment
• street lighting PFI
• the BSF project
• HMR

The Litigation Team

The team undertakes licensing, planning, employment, traffic, footpath, compulsory purchase and other statutory orders, prosecutions (e.g. litter, fly tipping, benefit fraud, food safety, noise nuisance, education welfare and trading standards), RIPA, travellers, debt recovery, contracts and generally any other civil and criminal law matters.

The team’s recent achievements include the following:

• Major prosecution on counterfeit goods (resulting in imprisonment and proceeds of crime application)
• Advice and representation on Licensing Reviews relating to under age sales of alcohol (11 over 2 month period)

• Undertaking low level prosecutions on behalf of other Councils
• Working closely with Environmental Management to achieve increase in fly tipping prosecutions (ongoing)
• Concluding the Council’s first Enterprise Act application on behalf of Trading Standards
• Working more closely with Council’s media team to optimise publicity for achievements (e.g. successful court cases)

Challenges for the future include:

• Leading on Licensing Act Appeals in the Magistrates Court (5) relating to under age sales of alcohol
• Review of RIPA policy and procedure
• Development of Gambling Act procedures
• Concluding implementation/adoption of policy relating to unauthorised travellers encampments in the Borough
• Reviewing procedure and implementing formal policy/procedure for safety in school grounds
• Implementing various legislative changes in planning
• Developing closer working with other Services/partners to optimise performance and achievements and meeting of Council’s priorities

Child and Adult Care Team

The team provide advice and assistance to the Children and Adult Care Services and in particular carry out a wide range of child protection proceedings of an increasingly complex nature. Many of these are conducted in-house providing a value for money service for the Council.

The team is intending to enhance its effectiveness by increased use of information technology and the electronic storage of its data as a pilot project as part of the corporate transformation agenda.

Land Charges

The main Financial issue for Legal and Democratic Services for 2009/10 is the shortfall in income against budget for Local Land Searches, which is due to the downturn in the housing market and increase in external competition, as Local Land Charges income is received from solicitors/personal search agents carrying out property searches on behalf of their clients buying/selling property. It is estimated that in the current climate that the shortfall in income against target will be in the region of £200K to £250K. Savings in staffing following downturn in workloads and a member of staff has not been replaced giving a saving of £20k.

Democratic Services

The service continues to provide effective support to the democratic process including:

• Achieving second highest Annual Canvass return in AGMA in time for the TIF referendum
• Successful organisation of European Election in June 2009
• Continuing to provide efficient and effective support to the Mayor
• Successful organisation of major civic events – Remembrance Sunday, Civic Carol Service, two Freedom of Borough Ceremonies, Holocaust Memorial Ceremony, Annual Mayor-making Ceremony
• Continuing to provide efficient and effective support to the Leader, Deputy Leader and all other Members of Council

The service has the following challenges for 2009/10

• Undertaking consultation on revised Governance Arrangements ( and possibly Electoral arrangements) as required by LG&PIH Act 2007
• Revising Governance Arrangements to take effect from May 2010
• Co-ordination of the Review of Members of Allowances
• Implementation of Modern Gov Committee Administration package
• Responding to possible snap General Election
• Preparation for General Election in May 2010
• Undertaking 2009 Annual canvass
• Assisting with organisation of Homecoming Parade for Royal Regiment of Fusiliers – 8 Dec 2009
• Preparing for incoming Members as result of 2010 Local Elections

EQUALITIES AND DIVERSITY
The Single Equality Bill

The Government has published a single Equality Bill for Great Britain. The aim of this Bill is to bring disability, sex, race and other grounds of discrimination within one piece of legislation. The proposals for the Bill also include some major changes to disability discrimination law. The Equality Bill was published on 27 April 2009. It received its Second Reading on 11th May and started its Commons Committee stage on 2nd June. Royal Assent is expected in Spring 2010.

The Equalities Programme Board is currently considering the implications which the Single Equality Bill will have for Rochdale Council and identifying the actions which the Council will need to take to ensure compliance to the forthcoming legislation. A recent consultation document on the specific duties has been issued by the Government Equalities Office and a response to that consultation is being prepared by the Equalities Programme Board.

The new Equality Framework

The Council is currently migrating to the new Equality Framework and has set a target to achieve Excellence by March 2011. A project plan to achieve this target is currently being developed.

BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS

Corporate Procurement

The Team achieved over £800k worth of savings in 08/09. This is part of a 3 year strategy plan and the savings target for 09/10 is £1,492k. This is a challenging target but the Team have identified a number of Projects which will provide a significant contribution to this target. It is also working with other AGMA authorities to achieve joint procurement savings and with Impact Partnership which also has savings targets to achieve.

Work is continuing to ensure that full use is made of the eProcurement system which reduces non standard / off contract orders. The use of a Council Purchase Card is also being rolled out which will bring savings in terms of a percentage discount and enable provision of information regarding spending patterns.

The Team are continuing to provide support to local suppliers by a number of initiatives such as workshops, feedback to unsuccessful suppliers to assist them in future tendering opportunities, alerting suppliers to tendering opportunities via The Chest, an electronic Procurement software system, etc.

Sustainability is an issue which needs to be taken into consideration in Procurement decisions and the Team continue to work closely with Environment Management and Regeneration Service with regard to this.

Facilities Management

Facilities Management reported a favourable outturn for 08/09 of £52K. As part of this FM achieved its ‘new business’ budget pressure of £100k. There was an improvement in attendance of over 2 days per employee.

The service now needs to address the potential impact of increases in utility costs and look at ways of reducing these costs to try to ensure the budget does not overspend in 09/10.

Accordingly it is recognised that this may be a budget pressure for future years.

There are a number of initiatives currently being undertaken by FM which will result in cashable savings which include:



The catering service has been chosen by the school food trust to pilot an initiative to increase meal uptake .this is in recognition for the services profile nationally as well as promoting health in children through nutrient and food based standards.

Partnership working has started with Oldham MBC whereby FM have put forward a proposal to assist them with ensuring that they meet the nutritional guidelines for Primary Schools.

Client Services

The Client Services Team has agreed Business Plans for Impact and Link4Life setting out priorities and targets for 2009/10.

The Team worked with Impact and Link4Life to submit a detailed report to the Audit Commission about how we manage partnerships and deliver value for money. This will form part of the Use of Resources work that the Audit Commission is currently undertaking. We are awaiting feedback.

TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME

The programme of work for our new buildings confirmed the selection of the professional design team last week. The contractor procurement process has also started with an appointment expected by February 2010. The expected completion for the new municipal buildings will be in early 2012.

The recent launch of the Council’s Efficiency Programme as part of Stepping Up is taking shape and Services are actively developing proposals which will contribute to our current and future efficiency targets. We are also planning cross cutting reviews which will look at how we deliver our services and also drive more efficiencies.

The Transformation Programme is also helping to develop the Council’s approach to the way we will work in the future, shaping the technology we will use and maintaining a customer focussed approach.

PORTFOLIO HOLDER’S FINAL WORD

This is my first council as Portfolio Holder and I have been busy getting to grips with the many services involved.

I am particularly keen to open up the procurement process so that many more local companies will get the chance to bid for work.

This is a crucial time for me and my Portfolio as the efficiency programme is now underway.

I intend to be open and honest with fellow members of the council and welcome any questions at any time and not only at full council.

I have yet to meet with my shadow members and look forward to doing so within the very near future.



Thank you.
Councillor Liz Thirsk