APPENDIX ‘I’
AGENDA ITEM 11
East Herts CPA Improvement Plan – 2007/08
East Herts CPA Improvement Plan has been separated into four main areas, as detailed below:
1. Achievements
From April 2007 – March 2008
2. Short term actions
April 2007 – October 2007 (6 months)
3. Medium term actions
November 2007 – March 2008 (12 months)
4. Long term actions
March 2008 – March 2010
11.5
From April 2007 – 31 March 2008
1. Achievements
NB. Over the course of the year this will be expanded to capture all the achievements, not just from the specific actions contained in the
CPA Improvement Plan but also from all aspects of the Council’s work.
Top level question
Theme
Achievements
What is the Council together with its partners
trying to achieve?
Ambition


Straplines for each Council priority have been developed.
Corporate Consultation Toolkit produced and a new Hertfordshire wide
consultation and engagement contract has been agreed.
Prioritisation

Cultural Strategy 2007 – 2012 was agreed by Executive on 4 September
2007.

Hertfordshire Municipal Waste Strategy 2008 – 2012 was agreed by
Executive on 4 September 2007.

East Herts Council has given the go-ahead for a new contract to be
drawn up for an outside leisure provider to run the pools for the next 10
years - and it could also include Castle Hall and the summer
playschemes. Whoever wins the contract will be expected to work with
the council to improve sport and leisure opportunities in East Herts, with
a focus on healthy lifestyles as well as reaching people who find it
harder to access the facilities.
11.6
What is the capacity of the Council, including its
work with partners, to deliver what it is trying to
achieve?
Capacity




Senior management restructure has been completed.
An ‘Excellence through leadership programme’ has been developed for
Directors, Heads of Services and notable high fliers within the
organisation to help develop them as confident, competent managers
and leaders, to be able to bring about the change and improvement
needed to make East Herts an excellent council.
Member induction and training programme has been implemented.
Shared service commitments are currently in existence with:
 Hertsmere Borough Council in respect to management
arrangement of East Herts Human Resources service
 Welwyn Hatfield and Stevenage in regard to Car Parking
 North Herts Council in terms of a shared Procurement Officer
 Three Rivers Council in respect to their payroll service
Further shared arrangements are being established with Hertfordshire
County Council and Manpower in respect to Manpower and the sharing
of Members with North Herts Council in respect to Standards Board.
Performance
Management
What has been achieved?
Achievement
 Established a six month secondment opportunity with the Police to cover
the vacant post of Community Safety Manager. The opportunity
enabled the partnership to forge stronger links in the delivery of
community safety.
 2008/09 Integrated Financial and Service Planning Framework has been
launched and enhancements have been made to the framework to
ensure that medium term financial planning is completed by all services
and hence a three year strategy can be produced.



Hertfordshire Pathfinder bid approved on 25 July 2007 by the
Department of Communities and Local Government.
2007 Residents Survey has been undertaken and East Herts Council
performs above the national trend in terms of satisfaction ratings.
Over £15,000 worth of fraud has been stopped by East Herts Council in
a series of prosecutions against benefits cheats
11.7

Established a multi-agency board to develop a long-term vision for
the future of Bishop’s Stortford. The board will be known as the
‘Shaping Bishop’s Stortford Board’ (SBSB). The first meeting of the
Board took place w/c 22 October 2007.

Worked in partnership with the other Hertfordshire authorities and held a
conference on the ‘Scrutiny for two-tier pathfinders’, as a development
and learning opportunity for scrutiny officers and members.
11.8
April 2007 – October 2007 (6 months)
2. Short term actions
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Completion
Date (in relation to
Lead Officer
Lead Member
Committee (dates
officer work)
What is the
Council
together with its
partners trying
to achieve?
What is the
Council
together with its
partners trying
to achieve?
Ambition
Ambition
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
a)
Refine and sharpen
the Council’s priorities
and key objectives in
preparation for
2008/09 Budget and
Service Planning
process.
28 September
2007
Chief Executive
and CMT
Head of Strategic
Direction
(Shared) and
Communications
Manager
Leader
Executive Team
Achieved. Straplines for each
Council priority developed. Agreed
by Executive on 4 September
2007.
b)
Introduce a coordinated approach to
consultation in line
with the recently
published SCI,
including effective
engagement with
disadvantaged groups.
Ensuring that learning
from feedback is
taking place and
delivering.
31 July 2007
Performance and
Improvement Coordinator in
partnership with
Service Heads
-
Achieved. Corporate Consultation
Toolkit launched. Hertfordshire
wide consultation contract has
been agreed. Embedment of
Toolkit and new contract to be
undertaken by the Performance
and Improvement Co-ordinator
throughout the rest of the year.
c)
Communicate to all
stakeholders any
refinement around the
Council’s priorities and
key objectives
28 September
2007
Head of Strategic
Direction
(Shared) and
Communications
Manager
-
Achieved. Straplines for each
priority communicated to residents
in the Autumn Edition of Link, staff
were advised in the September
edition of Team Update. Changes
have also been made to the
Council’s Committee Report
templates so they are used.
11.9
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Completion
Date (in relation to
Lead Officer
officer work)
What is the
Council
together with its
partners trying
to achieve?
Prioritisation
d)
Adopt a
Cultural/Leisure
Strategy for East Herts
that sets out the
Council’s leadership
role in terms of
protecting the wellbeing of the
community.
17 July 2007
11.10
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
Director of
Customer and
Community
Services
Portfolio Holder
for Community
Development,
Leisure and
Culture
Executive – 17
July 2007
Policy
Development
Committee – 5
December 2006
and 20 March
2007
Achieved. The Cultural Strategy
2007 – 2012 was agreed by
Executive on 4 September 2007.
Top level
question
Performance
Management
e)
Convene a Member
Working Party or Task
and Finish group to
look at the policy and
focus the Council
should take to target
setting for national
indicators. Steer then
built into the 2008/09
Budget and Service
Planning process.
Theme
Action
28 September
2007
Completion
Date (in relation to
officer work)
11.11
Head of Strategic
Direction
(Shared) and
Performance
Manager
Scrutiny Officer
Leader
Corporate
Business Scrutiny
Committee – 4
December 2007.
Revised Completion Date. A
Performance Indicator (PI) Task
and Finish Group has been
established. Their scope is to
challenge the Council’s current
indicator set, to identify what the
key indicators are for the
organisation. Recommendations
will now be reported to the first
meeting of the Corporate
Business Scrutiny Committee on 4
December 2007, to allow the
group time to consider and
evaluate the new national
indicator set that has recently
been launched. This revision if
agreed will be moved to the
medium term section of the
improvement plan.
Lead Officer
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
What is the
capacity of the
Council,
including its
work with
partners, to
deliver what it is
trying to
achieve?
Capacity
f)
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Implement the
restructure of the
Council.
28 September
2007
Completion
Date (in relation to
officer work)
11.12
Chief Executive
All Directors
-
Achieved. The senior
management restructure of the
Council has been completed.
Furthermore Full Council is set to
approve a revised scrutiny
structure on 7 November 20007
which will also include the
establishment of a Health
Engagement Panel. These
changes have resulted in the
organisation becoming more
strategically focused and
community and customer
engagement being further
enhanced. For example it is
enabled the Council to respond at
an officer and member level to
Health, via the Health
Engagement Panel and the Head
of Health and Housing post.
Lead Officer
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
What is the
capacity of the
Council,
including its
work with
partners, to
deliver what it is
trying to
achieve?
Capacity
g)
Undertake a
comprehensive review
of Member services, to
ensure that following
the 2007 Local
Elections a suite of
member services are
available e.g. a
training programme
and a clearer
guidance on roles etc.
31 May 2007
11.13
Director of
Internal Services
Head of
Democratic and
Legal Support
Services
Portfolio Holder
for Resources
and Internal
Support
Ongoing. Revised completion date
of 31 January 2008.
A comprehensive review of member
services is underway, following the
senior management restructure and
the establishment of Democratic
and Legal Services. The
responsibility of civic services will
fall under this service from
December 2007. A consultation
exercise will be carried out with the
services core stakeholders to
understand service requirements,
with a view to refine member
services.
A Member Induction and Training
programme was developed and
completed by 31 May 2007,
following the 2007 Local Elections.
This also included guidance on the
roles of councillors and officers.
Further development is underway
with I&DEA to provide member
mentoring.
This revision if agreed will be
moved to the medium term section
of the improvement plan.
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Completion
Date (in relation to
Lead Officer
officer work)
What is the
capacity of the
Council,
including its
work with
partners, to
deliver what it is
trying to
achieve?
Performance
Management
h)
Implement a process
that captures feedback
from complaints to
drive improvement
within services.
31 July 2007
11.14
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
Head of
Customer
Services and
New Media
Service Heads
-
Revised completion date to 31 March
2008. The development of the CRM
system had been postponed due to
two reasons a) the work on the new
national concessionary bus permit
scheme which needs to take priority
over the development of the
complaints system and b) a prototype
demonstration needs to be shared
with Members. It is anticipated that
the corporate complaints system will
not be available to be tested by
Development Control until February
2008 and then there will be a
programme of training/rollout to the
rest of the authority in the new year.
Linked to this the Head of Service
needs to generate a revised
Customer Service strategy and plan
to deliver this outcome for the
services currently offered. This
includes revising the current structure
of the telephony service, CRM system
and reviewing processes
implemented with the Customer
Service function. It is anticipated a
draft plan will be completed by
December 2007.
This revision if agreed will be moved
to the medium term section of the
improvement plan.
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Completion
Date (in relation to
Lead Officer
officer work)
What is the
capacity of the
Council,
including its
work with
partners, to
deliver what it is
trying to
achieve?
Achievement
i)
Improve leisure
facilities and manage
the leisure partnership
with the aim to
increase customer
satisfaction and
deliver VFM.
Assessed through
contract review with
Stevenage Leisure
Ltd.
30 October
2007
11.15
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
Director of
Customer and
Community
Services
Head of
Community and
Cultural Services
Portfolio Holder
for Community
Development,
Leisure and
Culture
Executive – TBD
Achieved. Programme of
improvements to leisure facilities
has been successfully completed.
Further improvements are being
undertaken in partnership with
SLL – whilst in parallel a review of
service delivery is being
undertaken culminating in a new
offer to the market with new
contract arrangements due to start
in October 2008.
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Completion
Date (in relation to
Lead Officer
officer work)
What has been
achieved?
Achievement
j)
Increased customer
satisfaction with
Council and services.
31 July 2007
(Measured
through
Resident’s
Survey)
11.16
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
Directors and
Heads of Service
Achieved. 2007 Residents Survey
was completed. Resident
satisfaction with East Herts as an
area as a place to live increased in
2007 to 93% from 90% in 2005.
Satisfaction with the Council
declined slightly from 60% in 2005
to 59% in 2007. This decline in
satisfaction mirrors the national
trends, although East Herts
performs above the national norm.
This is not unexpected given the
District’s comparatively low levels of
local deprivation. There is a strong
correlation between overall
satisfaction with an authority and
perceptions of both levels of
information provision and the value
for money provided by their council.
The pattern is evident in East Herts;
those who do not feel well informed
by the Council are over twice as
likely to express dissatisfaction as
those who do feel well
Similarly, those who disagree that
they get good value for money
from East Herts Council are overall
just as likely to express
dissatisfaction than
satisfaction. In addition to the above
services undertake their own
surveys with users, for example
Building Control following each
submission.
November 2007 – March 2008 (12 months)
3. Medium term actions
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Completion
Date (in relation to
Lead Officer
officer work)
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
What is the
Council
together with its
partners trying
to achieve?
Performance
Management
a) Integrated service
planning framework
embedded further
during 2008/09, so
priorities and
objectives are clear
and relevant (taking
account of the revised
Community Strategy
Action Plan) and
resources have been
allocated to support
them.
November 2007
CMT
Head of Strategic
Direction
(Shared) and
Performance
Manager
Head of Financial
Support Services
Leader
Executive Team
Achieved. The 2008/09 Integrated
Financial and Service Planning
Framework has been launched.
Enhancements have been made
to the framework to ensure that
medium term financial planning is
completed by all services. 2008/09
Service Plans will be reported to
CMT and the Corporate Business
Scrutiny Committee in January
2008 and Executive in February
2008.
What is the
capacity of the
Council,
including its
work with
partners, to
deliver what it is
trying to
achieve?
Capacity
b) Maintained level 2 of
the Equality Standard.
(Link to prioritisation) *
31 March 2008
(as per the
performance
indicator target)
Director of
Customer and
Community
Services
Equality and
Diversity Steering
Group
Portfolio Holder
for Community
Development,
Leisure and
Culture
Corporate
Business Scrutiny
Committee – 18
March 2008
No update required.
11.17
Action
Lead Officer
Top level
question
Theme
What is the
capacity of the
Council,
including its
work with
partners, to
deliver what it is
trying to
achieve?
Performance
Management
c) Ensure that our key
strategic partnerships
have developed an
effective performance
management system.
31 March 2008
Director of
Customer and
Community
Services
Head of
Community and
Cultural Services
Head of Strategic
Direction
(Shared) and
Performance
Manager
Leader
LSP
No update required. Although this
will be progressed and developed
as part of the new monitoring and
management arrangements for
the national performance indicator
set. Dependent on government
guidance and consultation this is
unlikely to be completed by 31
March 2008, however a revised
date can not be given at this
stage.
What is the
capacity of the
Council,
including its
work with
partners, to
deliver what it is
trying to
achieve?
Performance
Management
d) Begin to benchmark
and share with our
partners’ information
on processes, costs
and outcomes.
31 March 2008
Director of
Customer and
Community
Services
Head of Strategic
Direction
(Shared) and
Performance
Manager
Leader
LSP
No update required. Although this
will be progressed and developed
as part of the new monitoring and
management arrangements for
the national performance indicator
set. Dependent on government
guidance and consultation this is
unlikely to be completed by 31
March 2008, however a revised
date can not be given at this
stage.
Completion
Date (in relation to
officer work)
11.18
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Completion
Date (in relation to
Lead Officer
officer work)
What is the
capacity of the
Council,
including its
work with
partners, to
deliver what it is
trying to
achieve?
Performance
Management
e) Facilitate an external
evaluation of a
service(s) by the end
of the financial year,
so effective learning
and development can
take place. NB.
Service(s) will need to
be determined.
What has been
achieved?
Achievement
f)
Continue to ensure a
robust approach to
VFM is sustained and
maintain the Council’s
overall Use of
Resources score of 3
out of 4. (Linked to
2006/07 assessment)
g) Ensure that the two
major contract
renewals in respect to
Grounds Maintenance
and Leisure deliver
VFM.
31 March 2008
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
CMT
-
No update required.
28 November
2007
Directors and
Heads of Service
Leader
Portfolio Holder
for Resources
and Internal
Support
Audit Committee
– 28 November
2007
On Target. 2006/07 Use of
Resources assessment is
underway, results are due to be
reported to Audit Committee on 28
November 2007.
31 March 2008
Director of
Customer and
Community
Services
Head of
Environmental
Services
Head of
Community and
Cultural Services
Portfolio Holder
for Environment
and Conservation
Portfolio Holder
for Community
Development,
Leisure and
Culture
Executive – TBD
Environment and
Community
Scrutiny
Committee – TBD
No update required.
11.19
Top level
question
Theme
Action
Completion
Date (in relation to
Lead Officer
officer work)
What has been
achieved?
Achievement
h) Implement the EMarketplace across all
services of the
Council.
31 March 2008
11.20
Lead Member
Committee (dates
Progress
have been inserted
where known)
Director of
Neighbourhood
Services
Director of
Internal Services
Procurement
Officer
Portfolio Holder
for Resources
and Internal
Support
No update required.
March 2008 – March 2010
4. Long term actions
Top level question
Theme
What is the Council
together with its partners
trying to achieve?
Prioritisation
Action
a) Implement EDM technology and systems to
areas of the Council so that information and
services for the public are improved and more
efficiencies are achieved through improved
processes.
b) Implement the Hertfordshire Pathfinder to deliver
public services in partnership across the tiers of
government within Hertfordshire
Completion
Date (in
relation to
officer work)
Lead Officer
Lead Member
Committee
(dates have been
inserted where
known)
September
2009
Director of
Internal Services
Head of Business
Support Services
Portfolio Holder for
Resources and
Internal Support
IT Steering Group
31 March
2009
Directors and
Head of Services
Leader
Executive
What is the capacity of
the Council, including its
work with partners, to
deliver what it is trying to
achieve?
Capacity
c) Achieved level 3 of the Equality Standard. (Link
to prioritisation) *
31 March
2009 (as per
the
performance
indicator
target)
Director of
Customer and
Community
Services
Equality and
Diversity Steering
Group
Portfolio Holder for
Community
Development,
Leisure and Culture
Performance
Scrutiny Committee
What has been
achieved?
Achievement
d) Increased customer satisfaction with Council
and services. *
2009/10
(Measured
through BVPI
Survey)
Directors and
Heads of Service
Leader
Executive
* Subject to change, dependent on the new national performance indicator set, which is due to be consulted on imminently for implementation
from 1 April 2008.
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11.21