Archived decisions
Hampshire County Council Executive Member Policy and Resources Item 2 13 March 2001 Outcome of Best Value Reviews of (i) Registration Service (ii) Hampshire Transport Management (iii) Cross Cutting Catering Services Report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services |
Contact: Karen Murray ext: 7876 or Neil Jones ext: 6180
1. Summary
1.1 The following decisions are sought:
1.2 That the outcomes of the Best Value Reviews of (i) Registration Service, (ii) Hampshire Transport Management, (iii) Cross Cutting Catering Services, which have been led by the Policy and Resources and Recreation and Heritage Policy Review Committees, are implemented as recommended in the attached standard summary documents and detailed in the Improvement Plans.
1.3 That the following items which have budgetary implications are considered within the budget planning cycle:
Registration Services
Consultation on Single Registration District and office rationalisation - costs will be largely offset by efficiency savings.
Improvements to physical access, waiting areas, toilets, marriage rooms and reception areas - will be considered as phased programmes of improvements as part of Policy and Resources budgets and the approach to funding DDA related activity.
Improvements to ICT facilities to be dealt with as part of IT 2000 roll-out to
remote sites.
Hampshire Transport Management
Improvements to working conditions, upgrade of fuel facilities and systems and increased number of Courtesy vehicles are included within the current business plan. The plan is being developed to address the funding gap in the Courier Service.
Cross-Cutting Catering Services
Implementation of the improvement plan will have only minor resource implications with the majority of actions requiring the re-direction of staff-time. The new Catering Manager will be funded within existing resources in the short term but this position may need to be reviewed after two years.
2. Reason
2.1 The Best Value review is contained in the current five year review programme. Implementation of the recommended improvements will contribute to the successful fulfilment of that programme.
2.2 Future progress with the improvement plan will be monitored annually by the Policy and Resources Policy Review Committee and reported to the public and auditors through the Best Value Performance Plan. The Best Value Performance Plan forms part of the Council's policy framework and is also published annually.
3. Other options considered and rejected
3.1 Full details of the options considered by the Policy and Resources and Recreation and Heritage Policy Review Committees are contained in the outcome reports at the meetings held on 24 and 17 January 2001.
4. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or a member or officer consulted
4.1 None
5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee
5.1 Not applicable
6. Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent
6.1 Not applicable
Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers
The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.
Records of the Best Value Review team meetings and working papers of the Best Value Review, held by the Review Team Leaders.
Approved by: ..................................... Date of Decision: ........................
Councillor T K Thornber
EMP&R0302B
Summary of Best Value Review Outcomes
- Registration Service Review
Name: |
Review of the Hampshire Registration Service |
Purpose: |
The County Council has a statutory responsibility to provide a registration service to: _ Register births, stillbirths, deaths and marriages. _ Ensure civil preliminaries to marriage are legally complied with. _ Perform civil marriage ceremonies. This includes maintaining locally deposited registers of the National Archive, issuing certified copies of register entries, and making statistical returns to the Office for National Statistics. The responsibility for ensuring the professional and technical competence of registration staff lies with HM Inspector of Registration. The County Council is responsible for the provision and location of register offices, opening hours, staff recruitment, administration, and health and safety. The Best Value review challenged whether the Hampshire service is provided in a way that best meets the needs of the public. This has led to recommendations for: _ substantial change in the way in which the service is delivered, and _ proposals for change in current legislation. |
Current performance |
The County Council is meeting its statutory obligations in the provision of the Registration Service. Consultation with customers and stakeholders showed that users hold the service in high regard particularly the professionalism and sensitivity displayed by individual registration staff in performing their duties. This view was supported by HM Inspector of Registration who carried out a county-wide review. The Inspector's review also demonstrated that the service was performing well against National Standards and was particularly complimentary about the service's forward-thinking approach to training. Benchmarking studies with other authorities have shown that the service compares favourably in regard to financial and service performance. The common areas for improvement identified by several different review activities included: _ the current structure of the service based on 10 separate registration districts; _ the need to rationalise and improve existing offices to ensure they all meet national standards and customer needs; _ opportunities to offer new services particularly embracing electronic service delivery methods; and _ other improvements including monitoring the performance of the service, customer feedback and communications. |
Summary of Best Value Review Outcomes
- Registration Service Review
Proposed improvements and how they will be achieved |
Four options were developed and appraised against relevant criteria for the service: Two options have been recommended and further developed within the Best Value Improvement Plan. These are: 1. Change to a single registration district together with the rationalisation and improvement of register offices and other supporting incremental developments. 2. Changes to legislation to enable new service delivery methods, especially on-line registration and extended marriage times, and the provision of new services such as naming ceremonies. Proposals for the new single registration district and rationalisation of offices will be subject to public and staff consultation. It is envisaged that most of the costs of improvements can be contained within the existing revenue budget, although further review of the telecommunications, IT and property implications is needed. |
Conclusion |
The service currently performs very well and there is a high degree of customer satisfaction. However, it will be significantly improved by changing to a single registration district instead of the current ten separate districts. Such change will eliminate restrictions on the public and enable them to use the office of their choice. In addition there will be a reduction in work for staff by eliminating the need to take registration declarations for other districts within Hampshire. The review of offices identified the potential for rationalising the number of offices while preserving reasonable geographic access. This will result in modest financial savings and will mean that resources can be better utilised at the remaining offices. It will enable them to meet the needs of the public for improved accessibility, extended opening hours, better standards of decoration and facilities. Offices that are recommended for closure fall below minimum standards and are rarely used by the public. The changes will be supplemented by an improved peripatetic service and partnership arrangements with Districts where appropriate. The Government's White Paper on the Registration Service was published in January 2002. This confirms that the changes in legislation sought by this Best Value Review, will take place by the end of 2005. This will remove the current restrictions on service delivery methods including: on-line registrations, extended marriage times, removal of statutory status of officers, the introduction of new services, custody of records and the removal of registration district boundaries. Implementation of the Best Value Improvement Plan will enable the Hampshire Registration Service to be well prepared for the legislative changes. |
Summary of Best Value Review Outcomes of the Review of Hampshire Transport Management
Name: |
Review of Hampshire Transport Management (HTM) |
Purpose: |
HTM provides, manages and maintains the fleet of vehicles and plant which are vital in the delivery of many of the County Council's front-line services. HTM also manages the County Council's internal courier service which collects mail from and delivers mail to County establishments, including schools. The provision of these services is not a statutory function but they are important and are major factors in the efficient and effective delivery of a number of County Council services. HTM operates as an internal business unit and its customers include most County Council departments and a number of private sector organisations contracted to provide services to the County Council. The review confirmed that HTM should continue to operate as a self financing business unit within the County Council. |
Current performance |
The review confirmed that HTM is a successful business unit, meeting the annual financial targets set since it was created in 1991. Recent customer surveys have confirmed that HTM is highly valued by its customers for both its services and its expertise. Recent comparisons with other local authorities show its charges to be highly competitive and this is confirmed by its ability to gain substantial business with the private sector and its history of securing contracts in direct competition with the private sector. HTM was recently accredited as an Investor in People. |
Proposed improvements and how they will be achieved |
The review identified a number of improvements and the majority of these have already been implemented. Although the improvements do not substantially change the way in which HTM operates, they do form part of an on-going programme of service improvements which are vital in HTM's continuing trading success. HTM operates within a business plan which is reviewed annually and agreed by Members of the County Council. The improvement plan resulting from the review will be implemented and regularly monitored alongside the business plan. |
Conclusion |
HTM is a successful business unit providing important support services which are competitively priced and highly valued by its customers. The review has confirmed that HTM's services meet the continuous improvement criteria for Best Value. |
Summary of Best Value Review Outcomes of the Cross-cutting Review of Catering Services