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.
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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.
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BACKGROUND
PAPERS
29.
Aim High development materials held by John Metcalfe
and David Price.
Contact
Points : 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]
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MIKE
FISHER
Chief Executive
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CLLR
ANDY SUTTON
Leader of the Council
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