SUMMARY/PURPOSE

1. This report proposes that the Cabinet :

· Recommends the current draft of Aim High – The Change Management Plan to Full Council, to become the core of the Corporate Plan for the remainder of the year 2005-2006 and for further development beyond into 2009.

· Undertakes further development of the detail of the Plan between now and March 2006 to ensure delivery of political and community service objectives over the life of this Council, and beyond.

2. A copy of the draft Aim High – The Change Management Plan is available at http://www.iwight.com/aimhigh

BACKGROUND

3. Any organisation as large and complex as the Isle of Wight Council requires a corporate planning structure which is as strong, clear and simple as possible and which balances discipline, focused priorities with the necessary degree of flexibility and constant review.

4. It is essential that the approval and review processes are open, publicly accessible, follow clear criteria and are rooted in the democratic structures of the local authority. Through the agency of elected members the Plan gives effect to the aspirations of the community which the Council serves.

5. The programme of delivery, derived from the manifesto of the majority group, from statutory and national policy requirements and from service improvement planning is exceptionally large and requires profound changes in the culture and structures of the Council. Aim High will involve overhauling the Council and its service delivery structures, its norms and cultures and its service delivery priorities. For this reason the draft Plan is sub-titled the Change Management Plan.

6. The title Aim High reflects the aspiration to be high performing in every aspect of public life on the Island - particularly those areas of public life led or influenced significantly by the Isle of Wight Council.

GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS – FULL COUNCIL

7. The role of Full Council is to set the high level policy and political direction of the Council and to provide (through setting the Council Tax and agreeing budget allocations) the resources necessary for the Cabinet to deliver on those policies and that political direction.

8. It is therefore recommended that Full Council approves the text of Aim High and Annex 1, as the core of the Corporate Plan which, with planned review, will be the basis of planning and service delivery until at least 2009.

9. Annex 1 is therefore the single most important document within the planning and delivery process within the Council. Unless it is amended, no future proposed initiative (whether originating from elected members, the public, national Government, from officers, partner agencies or other stakeholders) should be pursued unless it makes a demonstrable contribution to one or more of the planned objectives and is included in Annex 2 following review by the Cabinet – or is included in service improvement plans at an more operational level..

10. It is unlikely that Full Council, for the sake of clarity, simplicity and strength of purpose will wish to change Annex 1 with any frequency. Annual review, at most, should be sufficient.

GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS - CABINET

11. It is the role of the Cabinet to develop, and ensure delivery of, strategies and programmes of activity (within available resources) to deliver the objectives, aims, and goals in Aim High and Annex 1.

12. Ensuring those programmes are the right ones, are correctly prioritised, and properly resourced is the function of the Cabinet. The Plan must therefore set out programmes of activity, aims and objectives within that programme and also to include regular planned reviews.

13. Annex 2 is the principal driver for the Cabinet to plan and review delivery of the objectives, aims and goals set by Full Council. This report recommends that the Cabinet adopts the structure of Annex 2 and commits to the following timetable of development and review to ensure the Plan is functional as soon as possible:

· On 17 January 2006 the Cabinet to receive a report proposing amendments and additions to Annex 2 following negotiations between the Local Strategic Partner undertaken during November and December[JM1] .

· On 21 March 2006 the Cabinet to receive a report proposing amendments/additions to Annex 2 following conclusion of negotiations on the Local Area Agreement and Local Public Service Agreement 2 with Government Office of the South East and with delivery partners.

· On a quarterly basis throughout the lifetime of the Council, to consider the information presented through the quarterly Performance Management Report to consider amending Annex 2 in year[JM2] .

· In February and March of each year, in tandem with the budget and service improvement planning processes, to approve revised versions of Annex 2 (if necessary making recommendations to Full Council to amend Annex 1, or the narrative) on a rolling four year basis[JM3] .

14. Each of these reports, and future reviews, should use evaluation criteria to assess and agree the relative priority of objectives, aims and initiatives wherever that is possible.

GATEKEEPING

15. It follows from the structure of Aim High and the recommendations set out above that the Cabinet are the gatekeepers of the Plan. Each quarter reports will be made (on an exception basis wherever possible) to identify relevant information from the following sources:

· Any missed targets or deadlines.

· Any under or over performing indicators.

· Budget monitoring.

· Customer feedback.

· Health and Safety issues.

· Risk Management

· Recommendations from other parts of the Council’s governance structures (for example Scrutiny Committee, Audit Committee or internal/external assessment of performance).

16. This quarterly review will give the opportunity to assess, against an agreed scoring mechanism such as that proposed by Annex 7 of Aim High, adding further actions to Annex 2, or the aims and goals set out in Annex 1.

17. It is important to note that, at the quarterly reviews, adding new initiatives to Annex 2is only one of a range of activity which the Cabinet can initiate to address weaknesses in performance. Other resources include:

· Requiring the Cabinet member and/or senior officers to make in year changes to allocation of operational resources or to service improvement plans.

· To ask a Policy Commission to undertake a public inquiry with stakeholders and witnesses.

· To ask the Scrutiny Committee to consider the manner in which a previous initiative was implemented, or the quality of a proposed initiative, policy or strategy.

· To establish an ad hoc member or officer structure to undertake a time-limited piece of work.

· To commission external assistance, partnering or some other innovative approach.

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

18. Aim High sets out to achieve something which has, to a significant degree, eluded this and many other local authorities in recent years. There is a necessity for a golden thread linking the highest level strategic thinking on the Island – the Local Strategic Partnership and the Island Futures Executive – through the medium and long term strategic planning of the Local Authority – Aim High – to service improvement plans and, ultimately, personal development plans which set the work programme for individual employees for each year.

19. Without this strong strategic framework, which should be as simple and clear as possible given the complexity of the environment involved, the Council will not be high performing and will not be assessed as such.

20. Aim High is recommended to the Cabinet as fulfilling the single most important role in the Island-wide strategic and operational planning framework.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

21. Aim High is more than a wish list. It contains a structure and programme of activity which will change the Isle of Wight Council, and the quality of public service delivery for the better. It is not a resourced action plan. There can be no guarantee that every initiative set out in the Plan for delivery in 2006-2009 can be delivered. Equally, there is the possibility that careful management of resources and the outcome of national spending commitments could create the opportunity for additional, or more rapid improvement.

22. Aim High as proposed provides a framework within which a medium term financial strategy, and then in turn three consecutive annual budgets, can be adopted. The product of the budget setting process within the context of Aim High, when adopted and following periodic planned review, will be a resourced series of action and improvement plans designed to give the best possible outcomes in terms of change management of service improvement given the available resources.

23. As such there are no specific financial consequences arising from this report – rather it provides a context within which to spend public funds as wisely as possible in order to deliver the required and desired outcomes.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

24. The adoption of a Corporate Plan is not a strategic requirement but is an expectation for any local authority which wishes to address its duty to deliver best value services, under the 1999 Local Government Act, seriously.

EVALUATION/RISK MANAGEMENT

25. Failure to adopt a Corporate Plan, with clearly understood governance roles for Full Council and for Cabinet, with planned review in the light of performance information and with clear gatekeeping arrangements will lead to a failure to deliver manifesto commitments and a failure to deliver the high quality, cost effective services which the Island community deserves, and against which the Isle of Wight Council will be externally assessed.

26. The mechanisms and structures recommended in the Plan have been developed over a four month period involving Elected Members, senior officers of the Council, leaders and managers throughout the organisation, a staff focus group, consultation with the Trade Unions and with some input from partners. The substance of the report, and the drafts of Annex 1 and Annex 2 are recommended as the best available structure for delivering the programme of the administration and the aspirations of the community which the Council serves.

27. The principal risks to delivering the programme are shown in annex 9 of it. The major risk however is an absolute lack of resources (including financial resources, people resources and information resources) and a failure to lead, manage and deploy those resources as effectively as is possible. The existence of the Plan and the quality of the Plan is the best possible foundation for ensuring that available resources, whatever they are, are used to maximum effect.

RECOMMENDATIONS

28. It is recommended that the Cabinet:

(i) Recommend to Full Council the adoption of Aim High, and Annex 1 as the core of the Corporate Plan for the remainder of 2005-2006 and, following further development and review, as the core of the Corporate Plan for 2006-2009;

(ii) Adopts the structure, and current draft of Annex 2 as the delivery structure of the Corporate Plan, for further review and development by the Cabinet through the remainder of 2005-2006 and through the quarterly performance management process, on an ongoing basis;

(iii) Confirms the role of the Cabinet as the custodians of review and gatekeeping for the Plan;

(iv) Commits to receiving further reports in February and March reflecting the conclusion of further negotiations with the Local Strategic Partnership and in relation to the Local Area Agreement and Local Public Service Agreement 2.

BACKGROUND PAPERS

29. Aim High development materials held by John Metcalfe and David Price.

Contact Point : Mike Fisher, Chief Executive, ' 823102, email [email protected]

John Metcalfe, Associate Director Cultural and Leisure Services, ' 823825, email [email protected]

David Price, Head of Organisational Development, ' 821000, email [email protected]

John Lawson, Assistant Chief Executive, ' 823203, email [email protected]

MIKE FISHER

Chief Executive

CLLR ANDY SUTTON

Leader of the Council