(a)

the Transformation Programme had commenced with outline business cases which contained details of the scope and potential benefits of each programme; the programmes had since evolved with some changing in both scope and size (the programmes would continue to develop and evolve over the forthcoming years);

(b)

the programmes would also realise ‘soft’ (non-financial) benefits; this had recently been achieved through the successful implementation of the waste re-organisation initiative which had a benefit to the Council as a whole;

(c)

the first year of the Transformation Programme had seen the development of the capability of the organisation; in order to achieve this staff had been appointed from across the authority, as well as interim appointments; this had allowed the Council to embed expertise and knowledge as well as re-skilling staff which helped shape it to become more commercially minded;

(d)

it was forecast that the Programme would exceed the financial benefits, set as targets, for this financial year.

(d)

an assurance was provided that reports, in the future, would be in a simpler format;

(e)

a range of options were being considered as part of the integrated transport project, such as better use of work space, servicing of police vehicles and partnership working with other local authorities;

(f)

self-reported wellbeing – people with a low happiness score could be helped through a range of measures such as access to leisure facilities which would help to improve fitness levels and preventative measures such as the 4-4-54 initiative;

(g)

based on the legislation and guidance provided to date, the Council was in the same position as many other local authorities in making arrangements for the implementation of the Care Act;

(h)

adult social services staff were due to transfer to Plymouth Community Healthcare on 1 April 2015; members of staff had been fully engaged from the start of the process;  the project remained on target for implementation date;

(i)

the CCO programme would provide support on the work being undertaken on the 2015 election process and the wider implementation of the ModGov software package;

(j)

although local elections took place on a yearly basis, there was a real need to ensure that the Council was providing an efficient and effective service, whilst encouraging more people to become engaged with the process;

(k)

the role of the interim appointments had been vital in embedding the expertise and knowledge in the organisation that was required to ensure that it was more commercially minded;

(l)

an explanation would be provided relating to the wording in the report relating to ‘assessment of the current organisation to identify what the organisation was currently effective at and where there was scope for improvement’.