Archived decisions

Contact: Paddy Hillary Ext. 7391

1. Summary

1.2 The Government announced the themes for Round 4 of the Beacon Council

scheme in April 2002. Following discussion at CMT it was agreed that the

County Council would consider applying under three themes; Rethinking

Construction, Supporting the Rural Economy and Quality of the Built

Environment. Having received further details on these themes when the full

scheme guidance was published in July, it was agreed to concentrate

on an application under the theme Rethinking Construction.

1.3 The deadline for applications was 26 September and a full application was

submitted as attached as Appendix 1. Short-listed councils will be contacted

at the end of November and the final decision will be made in April 2003.


2. Introduction

2.1 Members will recall that the Beacon Council Scheme has been running since

1999 and the County Council made application in the first two years. In the

first year the County Council was awarded Beacon Status, along with other

partners in the Project Integra, for sustainable development. An application in the second year, under the theme of accessible services, reached short-listing stage but was ultimately unsuccessful. No application was made in Round 3.

2.2 Round 4 themes were announced earlier this year and following discussion at CMT it was decided to make an application under the theme of Rethinking Construction

2.3 The Beacon Council Scheme aims to identify and share examples of good

practice so that local government as a whole can learn and improve services.

Successful councils enter into an agreement with the government to share their experience, practices and lessons learned with other authorities. Beacon status is awarded for a year and a special grant is payable to support dissemination plans. The total available is £1.7m and it is expected that this will be divided equally among the successful councils. Support for dissemination is also available from the IdeA.

3. The application process

3.1 Applications were submitted on 26 September and applicants will be notified

whether they have been short-listed in November. Successful short-listed

applicants will then receive an assessment visit from representatives of the

Beacon Advisory Panel during December/January and will have to make a

presentation to the Panel in London during January/February. Decisions are

made by Ministers on the recommendations of the Beacon Advisory Panel and successful applicants will be notified in April 2003. Beacon Status is held until June 2004. Unsuccessful applicants will be given feedback both at the short-listing and final stages and this will be published.

4. Round 4 - Rethinking Construction

4.1 `Rethinking Construction' aims to improve the performance of the construction industry and among public and private sector clients. The initiative focuses on three priorities; Client leadership, Integrated supply teams and People issues. The Local Government Task Force has extensively promoted the Rethinking Construction agenda within local authorities, encouraging them to reconsider their construction procurement strategies and assess construction projects against quality standards, whole life costings and best value.

4.2 The County Council's procurement initiatives have developed to reflect the corporate strategy and a genuine approach to best value principles through either preferred suppliers or partners. The application of Rethinking Construction principles underpinned the pathfinder review of the Highways Maintenance service in 1999 and will form the core element of the Property Service review due next year.

4.3 The County Council's commitment to Rethinking Construction is demonstrated through its Movement for Innovation (M4i) Demonstration projects which include the Highways Maintenance and Construction Contract, John Hanson Secondary School, new engineering term contracts, the Highway Works Best Value Benchmarking club and the SE Counties Service Improvement Group.

4.4 Full details of the County Council's approach are contained in the application form which is attached as Appendix 1 to this report. The application form refers to a number of appendices which have not been included with the report but which are available for Members to view if required.

5. Conclusion

5.1 The County Council has submitted an application for Beacon status under the

Round 4 theme of Rethinking Construction. Short-listed applicants will be notified in November and a final decision will be made in April 2003. Members will be notified of progress on the application and invited to take part in the visits and presentations which will be required if the application is short-listed.

Recommendation

That the County Council supports the application for Beacon Council Status under the theme of Rethinking Construction.

Background Information

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.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works.

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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