Agenda item

(a)  That the business case be agreed for a Transformation Programme to deliver a new Operating Model for the Council as attached as Appendix A to the report, including the procurement of a delivery partner to provide external capability and capacity as part of a Transformation Team.

(b)  That a budget of £4.2m be agreed to be made available to fund this programme - this funding would be provided from the Council’s Transformation Fund in accordance with its Flexible Capital Receipts Strategy as agreed by Full Council in February 2019.

(c)  That the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Leader of the Council and the relevant Lead Member, be given delegated authority for delivery and implementation of the Transformation Programme.

The Chief Executive introduced a report that sought agreement for the Council’s Transformation Programme business case.

A transformation programme was necessary for a variety of reasons including the continued reductions in Government funding; rising demand for key services, particularly social care; and the expectations of residents and customers in the digital age.  The vision and case for change was summarised.  The ambition was for the Council to be a world class organisation, delivering seamless services to customers and with the agility to respond to future changes and demand.  The Transformation Programme would deliver a new operating model for the Council and work to date had been led by the Transformation Board involving relevant Lead Members.  The business case was the ‘blueprint’ for the programme which included the high level organisational design and a costed implementation approach and plan.

The programme would be implemented by March 2022 in three phases, the first of which included the exit from the Arvato contract, the HQ office move, new website and improved processes by December 2019.  The second phase, beginning in January 2020 would include structural changes to implement the new operating model and key changes to customer and locality working.  The business case sought funding of £4.2m to deliver the programme which included the costing for a Transformation Team.

Lead Members supported the ambition programme in principle and emphasised the importance of a resident centric approach to improve services for local residents and be financially sustainable.  The Council was in a strong position to begin the Transformation Programme with a three year balanced budget and the opportunities arising from the HQ move.  Officers were asked whether the funding envelope would be enough to achieve the objectives set out and assurance was provided that robust plans were in place and sufficient resources were in place at this stage.  The Cabinet also discussed the work being done to involve staff and work with partners to maximise the effectiveness of the programme.  It was agreed that culture change was important with new ways of work in conjunction with the necessary investment in technology.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the Cabinet welcomed the programme and agreed the recommendations, subject to an amendment to recommendation (c) that implementation be delegated to the Chief Executive following consultation with the Leader and relevant Lead Members.

Resolved –

(a)  That the business case be agreed for a Transformation Programme to deliver a new Operating Model for the Council as attached as Appendix A to the report, including the procurement of a delivery partner to provide external capability and capacity as part of a Transformation Team.

(b)  That a budget of £4.2m be agreed to be made available to fund this programme - this funding would be provided from the Council’s Transformation Fund in accordance with its Flexible Capital Receipts Strategy as agreed by Full Council in February 2019.

(c)  That the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Leader of the Council and the relevant Lead Member, be given delegated authority for delivery and implementation of the Transformation Programme.