Agenda item

CREATING A BRILLIANT CO-OPERATIVE STREET SERVICE PROJECT STRATEGIC BUSINESS CASE

Anthony Payne (Strategic Director for Place) will submit a report on the strategic business case for change within the Street Services department to progress the aim of creating a Brilliant Co-operative Street Service, which included a review of exiting provision, alongside the ongoing management restructure, in preparation for the implementation of alternative methods of service delivery. 

 

Background papers to this report can be accessed at the Council’s website Council and Democracy/Councillors and Committees/Library/Cabinet background papers or using the following hyperlink –

http://tinyurl.com/q3d6bmh

 

The outcome of the consideration by members of the Working and Your Plymouth Scrutiny Panels on 28 August 2014 will also be submitted. Please see the recommendations attached to item 7 above. 

Minutes:

Anthony Payne (Strategic Director for Place) submitted a report on the strategic business case, including an options appraisal, to progress the creation of a Brilliant, Co-operative Street Service Project.

 

The report indicated that - 

 

(a)

the Street Services Department was currently divided into the following service areas -

 

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Street Scene Services comprising waste collection, street cleansing, grounds’ maintenance and parks and open spaces;

 

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Fleet and Garage Services;

 

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Parking and Marine Services;

 

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Living Streets and Network Management;

 

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Waste Disposal and Contracts;

(b) 

the proposed project included the following three work streams -

 

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a management restructure, creating a more effective, efficient and transparent model of working across the department which had already started and was due to be completed by 1 October 2014, with predicted savings of around £1.1 million over three years;

 

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a review of service provision, providing an understanding of existing capacity and cost in the context of statutory, strategic and stakeholder requirements;

 

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following from the review, the development of service provision, optimising opportunities to work with partners to provide some services in different ways while focusing on core services to be retained within the Council to make them ‘brilliant’, which would achieve additional savings;

(c) 

‘brilliant’ service standards would be achieved through better performance management and intelligence that would enable street services to focus on community priorities, with a locality based service structure, promoting responsibility and accountability and encouraging joint working between voluntary organisations, the community and the Council;

 

(d)

the development of community capital, with communities from across the city empowered to take ownership of their environment;

(e)

the project required an investment in human, communications and IT resources amounting to around £50k, although additional resources may be required through the project;

(f)

specific actions relating to service provision would be placed before Members and the community prior to change occurring, ensuring that the project retained its democratic focus.

 

Councillor Evans (Council Leader) referred to the draft minute following the joint scrutiny review that had been held by the Working and Your Plymouth Panels on 28 August 2014 which supported the recommendations within the proposed business case subject to Cabinet reconsidering the delegation of decisions to officers and asking Cabinet to consider any alternative service delivery for street services at Cabinet, in the interests of openness and transparency.     

 

Councillor Vincent (Cabinet Member for Environment) introduced the proposals.

 

Simon Dale (Interim Assistant Director for Street Services) and Stephen Evans (Project Manager) attended the meeting for this item and Simon Dale highlighted the benefits of bringing departments together with more effective working and interaction to achieve service improvements within reducing resources. Services would also be devolved where possible with closer working with the voluntary and community sectors. 

 

Alternative options considered and reasons for the decision –

 

As set out in the report.

 

Agreed -

 

(1)

the strategic business case as submitted subject to the amendment agreed in (4) below;

 

(2)

that in accordance with the business case, officers undertake a review of existing services to develop an understanding of cost, effectiveness and legal, strategic or customer requirements that may shape any decision about how a service is delivered, and concurrently develop an understanding of what ‘brilliant’ looks like for stakeholders;

 

(3)

that in accordance with the business case, officers explore the potential for services to be delivered in a different manner;

 

(4)

that officers develop alternative service delivery business cases to be  approved in accordance with the Leader’s scheme of delegation.

 

(5)

that in accordance with the business case, officers develop services retained within the Council, using co-operative principles to attain ‘brilliant’ outcomes.

 

Supporting documents: