An excellent and succinct collection of eight leaders’ and one elected mayor’s personal accounts of their council’s improvement journey, produced and published by the IDeA. The accounts of these leaders are significant, complex and represent collective endeavours. Through their stories some strong themes emerge. To many leaders these themes will sound self-evident, but they are worth stating again because their obviousness often only becomes so with hindsight. What is also evident is the real sense that all the leaders involved are not content to rest on their achievements and that they have a strong commitment to continuous improvement.

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The report is published as a .pdf document. If you can not view the report, you may need to install Acrobat Reader on your machine. Read More...

Tags: Transformation, Change, Leadership, Politics

The Communities and Local Government Department has published guidance, which outlines the new procedures for the validation of planning applications by local planning authorities; provides guidance on the scope of material that should be supplied with planning applications; and outlines the benefits of 'validation checklists' in helping local planning authorities to achieve good performance and providng local planning authorities and applicants with greater certainity as to the nature and extent of information required in order to validate applications. This document replaces Best Practice Guidance on the Validation of Planning Applications (March 2005) and the draft guidance published in August 2007.

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The report is published as a .pdf document. If you can not view the report, you may need to install Acrobat Reader on your machine.

Tags: Planning, Guidance

The Communities & Local Government Department published it's Autumn Performance Report for 2007, which sets out the progress made against its Public Service Agreement Targets and efficiency targets since the publication of the Departmental Annual Report in May 2007. The report is structured around it's strategic priorities followed by a chapter on efficiency targets.

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Click here to view the report...

The report is published as a .pdf document. If you can not view the report, you may need to install Acrobat Reader on your machine.

Tags: Perfomance Management, PSA

This is a transcript of the written ministerial statement by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. He says that the changes will sharpen the focus of central government on the new and very different challenges that Britain will face in the years ahead.

Tags: Transformation

This is the independent report produced by the Office of Public Management and the local area agreement (LAA) evaluation consortium for Communities and Local Government on the LAA regional roadshows held across England throughout March 2007. It details the key messages for central government and for localities, and gives an indicative LAA negotiating timetable for 2007-08.

Tags: Local Area Agreement

Spelthorne has recently renewed its IT outsourcing contract with Steria to deliver technical solutions that will support service modernisation and improvement, while making £125K savings at the same time. Spelthorne’s partnership with Steria is supporting customer service improvement and releasing significant efficiencies for its Planning and Revenues and Benefits department with online self-service facilities that allow residents and businesses to manage their accounts and make payments online.

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Tags: Transformation, Modernisation, Systems, Technology

The Office of the Third Sector, Cabinet Office invites Regional Development Agencies to submit proposals for using additional funding to boost Business Link capacity to broker support for social enterprises.

Click here to access document.

Tags: Voluntary Sector

This paper gives the Government’s response to the Power of Information Review. It outlines how the Government plans to take forward the recommendations of the review.

Tags: Technology, Transformation, FoI

This report highlights progress across the NHS during the last 12 months and outlines the opportunities and challenges in moving forward. It is aimed at the NHS, non-departmental public bodies, voluntary organisations and local authority Chief Executives.

Tags: NHS

This action plan outlines the Department for Transport's priorities for the future, coming out of the department's Capability Review assessment.

Tags: Policy, Planning, Transformation

The Cabinet Office is today launching its public sector better regulation strategy, which aims to identify and reduce the bureaucratic burden on the front line. The aim is to find practical ways to lessen the main administrative and regulatory burdens on the front line, without creating more bureaucracy in order to do so.

The strategy follows up some major initiatives to reduce bureaucracy already underway, and also focuses on what’s next. In the HE sector, for example, a recently agreed Concordat is significantly simplifying data collection and quality assurance. Next steps will extend the Concordat to more organisations and professional bodies; seek to address issues of health education regulation; and, ensure that the implementation of Sandy Leitch’s recommendations in the HE sector is consistent with principles of good regulation.

In the schools sector, the New Relationship with Schools (NRwS) was formulated in response to a review of unnecessary bureaucracy. It aims, within the context of delivering school improvement and the five Every Child Matters outcomes, to: lift bureaucratic burdens that schools feel add nothing to their core purposes; remove confusion and irritation in schools as a result of the number and separateness of the initiatives coming at them (‘initiative overload’); improve accountability by helping schools identify priorities according to their needs, based on the evidence of their self-evaluation; and, restore schools’ sense of responsibility for their own actions.

And in FE, there have been a number of recent major reforms - a focus on simplification; the creation of a single inspectorate for FE and of an Information Authority, which sets standards and organises how information about FE is collected, managed and disseminated; the Managing Information Across Partners Programme, which is securing efficiencies by improving how information about learners and learning is shared across the whole education sector; the creation of a communications gateway for the FE System and the establishment of a Practitioner Panel to advise on the timing and content of publications – LSC has reduced by over 60% the number of its publications between January and March this year compared with the same time last year. The Department recognises and values the commitment shown by the members of the gatekeeping groups to helping the DfES and its delivery partners make a real difference for those at the frontline.

For the future, the big thing that will make a difference in FE is the move to self regulation. This offers the opportunity to further streamline and challenge.

Tags: Transformation, Policy, Systems

The open sharing of information and monitoring of performance are key to the success of Local Partnerships, LAAs and LSPs. Now for the very first time, LocalGov TV are going to be talking the same language but also talking about it at the same time. 'I believe that data and that accuracy of data will provide us with the power we never had but also provide us with much more confidence that the activities we are suggesting as the way forward are the right activities' claims” Dr Angela Lennox, Chair, Leicester Partnership.

To view click here.

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Tags: Transformation, Local Area Agreement, Perfomance Management, Systems

This report highlights the Government's role in influencing non-statutory, commercial and not-for-profit sectors in securing public health goals. Through the report, case studies and best practice tips, the department encourages the greater use of such partnerships for health at a local level.

Tags: Voluntary Sector

This paper aims to inform the policy debate about political management and governance reforms in English local government. It draws on research evidence about the experience of reform following the passing of the Local Government 2000 Act and looks at the possible implications of the proposals outlined in the 2006 Local Government White Paper.

Tags: Governance, Policy

This webpage gives information about the Equal Opportunities Commission's investigation into the transformation of work, which examines imaginative and practical ways to meet the changing demands of today's workplace. It gives links to the final report and a series of supporting resources.

Tags: Diversity, Transformation

This expert forum brings together policy leaders, advisors and practitioners to consider the benefits that Shared Services between councils and other public bodies can deliver, and, most importantly, the different approaches to partnerships, governance and commercial arrangements that are proving successful in establishing successful shared services.

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Tags: Transformation, Technology, Systems

This publication looks at some of the innovative, ambitious and practical work being done by regional partnerships to further sustainable development.

Tags: Policy

The Government has drafted amended freedom of information fees regulations, which will allow public authorities to take into account more comprehensively the work involved in dealing with a freedom of information request. This consultation asks for views on the draft regulations.

Click here to access Ministry of Justice relevant page.

Tags: FoI

Find out how Bromley is transforming services to residents and generating internal efficiencies by increasing links between its call centre and service departments via a new CRM implementation. As part of its Customer Access Programme, Bromley has implemented a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system using business process templates to automate linkage between call centre staff and staff within ten key service departments.

In this case study key personnel discuss the many benefits of the new structure. Contact centre staff can now train on a single system with links through to the different back office systems. This reduces the time and cost of staff training in addition to providing a swifter, more professional service to customers. The constant update of information also enables the fast and accurate production of reports for reviews.

"We were absolutely delighted with the ability to implement the new system in less than four months and the whole project including the development of hardware and software was done for under 200,000 pounds". Jim Haslam, Assistant Director of Business Solutions & ICT

To view, click

The implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM system was carried out by Optevia, using Optevia's set of proprietary business process templates to provide best practice linkage to various departmental services in order to accelerate the overall CRM implementation." rel="external">here.

Tags: Modernisation, Transformation, Technology

This independent report was commissioned to ensure government acts as a leader in understanding changes in communication and information technology. It talks about a new era, where government starts to learn how to support citizens' own ways of making, finding and re-using information online.

Click here to access the relevant Cabinet Office webpage.

Tags: Systems, Perfomance Management, FoI

In 2009 Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) will take over from the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) of local government. CAA will continue to provide assurance about how well-run local public services are and how effectively they use taxpayers’ money. But it also aims to be more relevant to local people by focusing on issues that are important to their community. It will develop a shared view about the challenges facing an area, such as crime, community cohesion, a sustainable environment or public health issues such as obesity, and will also create a more joined up and proportionate approach to public service regulation.

In April 2007, the Audit Commission published ‘The evolution of regulation’ presenting their initial thoughts on CAA to provide a starting point for widespread discussion over the coming months. At the same time, they are continuing to work with other inspectorates to develop CAA and there will be joint consultation on proposals at the end of 2007.

CPA 2007 and the transition year 2008/09

The Audit Commission have published The transition from CPA to CAA (210Kb). This consultation document included questions relating to CPA 2007 for the next round of national reporting which will be published in February 2008, and the transition from CPA to CAA in 2008/09. Very minor changes to CPA were proposed for the coming year. For the transitional year, a number of substantial amendments were considered, including possible changes to service assessments for single-tier and county councils. This consultation closed on 14 June and responses are currently being considered. The Audit Commission aims to publish the final CPA 2007 framework for single tier and county councils at the end of July.

Tags: Perfomance Management, Audit Commission, CPA, CAA

Sue Reid, Head of the Modernisation and Efficiency Division at the Department of Communities and Local Government discusses in a one-to-one interview the progress Local Authorities and public sector bodies are making towards sharing their services.

To watch, click here. Read More...

Tags: Modernisation, Transformation

From: HM Government - Policy Review

The origin of the UK's energy supplies is changing. By 2020, the UK will be importing the majority of its gas and more than half its oil. Like other major energy-using countries, the UK is also set to become more dependent on a small number of suppliers in less stable parts of the world. Around a third of the country's electricity generation capacity will need to be replaced by 2025. At the same time, it is increasingly apparent that there is an extra cost to the exploitation of fossil fuels and natural resources and the changes in land use from which much of the global economy has drawn its income. The scientific advice is clear - human activity is altering our climate and, with it, the systems that support life on Earth. Read More...

Tags: Policy, Climate Change

On 26 April 2007, the Audit Commission published for consultation their proposed changes to the key lines of enquiry for the 2008 use of resources assessments for single tier, county and district councils. 2008 will be the last year that they assess councils under the current Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) framework, but they expect use of resources to remain as an important element of the new Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) from 2009.

Without anticipating the detail of CAA, they are proposing some changes to the key lines of enquiry for 2008 to help smooth the transition to the new performance framework. The White Paper Strong and Prosperous Communities indicated several issues and policy priorities that will need to be reflected in use of resources assessments under CAA. The Audit Commission is proposing to give more emphasis to these issues in 2008 to avoid too big a change the following year and to give councils time to plan and manage their response. They are also responding to the significant improvements in council performance for 2006 by continuing our policy of gradually raising standards.

Click here to access the Consultation on us of resources (2008).
Click here to access the Proposed KLOE for assessments starting in 2008.

Tags: Audit Commission, Perfomance Management

In the pre–Budget report of November 2006, the Chancellor announced that “the National Audit Office will work with the Better Regulation Executive, regulators and business to develop a process of external review of regulatory performance”.The assessment process will focus on the extent to which regulators are performing in line with the Hampton principles and Macrory characteristics, and will encourage continuous improvement. Read More...

Tags: Perfomance Management, Regulation