APPENDIX 2

HIGHWAYS SERVICE: ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL

NOTE OF FACILITATED WORKSHOP WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS:

5^th July 2002

Present:

            John Bentley                           IoW Council, Policy and Communication

Chris Boulter                          IoW Council, Planning (Development Control)

Derek Chartres                      Chamber of Commerce

            Peter Dempsey                       JA Dempsey, Civil Engineering

            Dan Moon                              IoW Council, Planning (Policy)

            Graham Pengelly                    Mountjoy

            Peter Tuck                              Quality Transport Partnership

            Hugh Walding                        Friends of the Earth

            Alan White                             Southern Vectis

            Charlotte Witheridge              JA Dempsey, Civil Engineering

            Liz Wood                                IoW Partnership

What the Department does Well

Tries hard – Quality Transport Partnership finds officers to be very supportive, but staff resources are stretched too thinly;

Staff are positive, helpful and professional – but processes seem weak;

Coastal protection has a high profile and seems to be at the heart of good practice exchange;

Quality of communication with officers has improved;

Rights of Way service delivers a quality output from an integrated team.

What the Department should do Better

Operates within tight professional groups – needs to take a broader, more holistic view;

Should promote and influence travel habits to a greater degree – but insufficient staff resources;

Need for better policy advice within the Department, which then should be given consistently;

There is a strong perception that the Department is under too much pressure from Members to implement what they seek. This affects the credibility of the Department – there needs to be a robust and transparent prioritisation system;

Local Transport Plan policies are not held in sufficient regard by Members, and so do not influence action sufficiently;

Members need to “own” the Department policies and strategies;

Member contact should be influenced by;

·   an agreed protocol that is designed to protect Members as well as officers;

·   the protocol; might need to be a corporate one;

·   adherence to the protocol should be monitored;

·   need to agree with members how their expectations can best be met.

Advice needs be co-ordinated with all relevant “experts” within the Engineering Service;

Give pre planning application advice on highway matters more readily;

Quicker turn round with advice on planning applications;

Give more realistic timescales for delivery – quality suffers when fighting against unattainable deadlines;

Involve Contractors more closely in programme/project planning and in deciding working methods/resources – introduce partnering arrangements;

Give greater consideration to the environmental impact of proposals, which may mean working more closely with other Council officers;

Needs to think more widely when developing schemes;

Develop a better understanding of private sector imperatives – move towards more partnering arrangements.

How Should the Department’s Performance be Judged?

Programme and project delivery – time, budget and quality (can be subjective – look at workmanship and if due processes were followed);

Post implementation review of a scheme or project jointly by client and providers – what went well and what went badly, what do the parties need to learn from the experience, how can the best practice be shared;

Measure outcomes of a implemented scheme or project – is it achieving the intentions?

Review particular services periodically’

Establish and monitor performance indicators and targets;

Survey customer views systematically;

Stakeholders have a role in contributing to the assessment of the Department’s performance:

·   quarterly meeting with the Head of Engineering Services;

·   mediator present;

·   two-way dialogue to explore what, why and the practical changes needed.

Departmental Communications

Improve external communications about services provided and their impact;

Proposed leaflets are a big step forward – perhaps include road safety and role in public transport;

Build on the successful PRoW leaflets;

Prepare and make available advice to developers;

Council’s PR service is much too passive and too quiet – many good news stories are missed;

There should be a communication strategy for the Council.

Department’s Working Style or Culture

Should be:

·   Customer focussed

·   Seeking to work closely with others

·   Open

·   Trusting

·   Professional

·   Credible

·   Non defensive

·   No blame

·   Supportive of individuals and of teams

·   Learning

ASPECTS OF THE HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN

WORKSHOP WITH ELECTED MEMBERS; 15 July 2002

POINTS MADE BY MEMBERS

Ability to Spend Resources Wisely

1. Council should try to support Island based Contractors, but they do not have the capacity to deliver an increased programme so there are some crucial procurement decisions to take.

2. There is much support for the concept of partnering with contractors; but the Council needs to monitor quality of workmanship, we cannot depend entirely on trust.

3. The Council has developed some reasonable relationships with contractors over the past year.

4. The lack of corporate leadership and no culture of performance management have been unhelpful to wise investment in the past.

5. We are very interested in the scheme prioritising methods, and want to see these in place as soon as possible.

Performance Management System

6. It will take time for perceptions of the Department’s performance to filter through to the public. Memories are long and we need to make patient progress.

7. Need to monitor what we do closely and make adjustments after considered analysis.

8. The line between success and failure is a thin one.

9. Need to be clear how the performance management tools fit into the Isle of Wight Performance Plan.

Lack of Corporate Direction

10. The Corporate Plan needs to reflect the Local Transport Plan and any significant changes to it made through the Annual Progress reports.

11. The Council needed a Corporate Plan two years ago.

12. Council should be much more proactive with the Press. We should tell the community the good things that are going on. For example – the strategic structural maintenance schemes, the prioritisation system.

Member/Officer Protocol

13. Members are not sufficiently aware of the Protocol, it needs to be communicated specifically.

14. Department has done wonders during the past year in term of responding to Parish Councils, and implementing their reasonable requests.

15. Members will not allow themselves to become redundant. They need to challenge the Executive, serve their communities, and initiate policy development.

Local Transport Plan

16. Bus Strategy should not neglect the issue of fares.