Contact: Stuart Roberts, ext 6782

1. Summary

1.1 This report describes the progress made on the Best Value Review of Policy Development in the Environment Department. It sets out a proposed vision for the future service provision which the Committee is invited to endorse. This will provide the platform for the final report of the review which will be presented to the Committee in spring next year.

2. Introduction

2.1 This is a progress report on the Best Value Review of Policy Development which has been under way since this Committee approved the scoping reports (Position Statement, Project Brief and Project Plan) on 17 September 2001. A previous progress report to this Committee on 17 April 2002 reported on the challenge element of the review, which included a workshop and telephone survey of external stakeholders, and separate workshops for managers and non-managerial staff.

2.2 It had been intended to present the final report of the review to this meeting of the Committee. However, the managerial restructuring and other changes associated with the merger of the Planning and Surveyor's Departments to become the Environment Department has implications for the recommendations which would have otherwise emerged from the best value review. Instead therefore, this is a progress report; the final report of the review will be presented to this Committee in spring next year, and will take into account the completed structure and organisation of the new Department.

3. Scope of 'Policy Development'

3.1 This is a cross cutting Best Value review of policy development in the Environment Department (the formerly separate Planning and Surveyor's Departments). Policy Development can be summarised as preparing planning, environmental and transport policies, advising on their implementation (by other County Council services and external organisations) and monitoring their implementation. The latter, in turn, informs the review of the policies and the preparation of new ones.

3.2 The review encompasses the Hampshire County Structure Plan, the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan, the Local Transport Plan and its daughter documents, the Waste Management Strategy, the Hampshire Landscape Strategy, Biodiversity Action Plan and other environmental/planning strategies and policies produced by the Environment Department.

4. Organisation of the Best Value Review

4.1 The review is being progressed by a Core Team of seven officers; six from the Environment Department and one from the Corporate Performance Team. An Extended Review Team, comprising additionally three members of this Committee (Councillors House, Kimber and Roberts), two officers from other County Council departments and two officers from other local authorities, is helping to steer the review and maintain the external challenge necessary to achieve objectivity, credibility and creativity.

5. Options

5.1 Following the challenge phase of the review last winter/spring, options were developed by the Core Review Team which sought to address the issues raised by external stakeholders, managers, and non-managerial staff.

5.2 The first spectrum of options concerned service size. Should the policy development service be smaller than now focusing solely on policies and plans which the County Council is statutorily required to produce; should it be larger than now so as to undertake additional/new policy work; or should it be the same size as currently?

5.3 The second range of options concerned service delivery. In summary, these were:

(i) to provide the service largely through in-house staff as now with service improvements not requiring structural change;

(ii) as (i) but with structural changes;

(iii) partial externalisation; and

(iv) complete externalisation.

6. Consultation

6.1 Follow-up workshops were held with the external stakeholders, service managers and non-managerial staff during September. The Extended Review Team also considered the options. Two key concerns emerged from these discussions.

6.2 The first was the relationship of the Best Value review to the merger and restructuring of the Planning and Surveyor's Departments which was then beginning. Consultees felt this meant that option (i) above was overtaken by events.

6.3 The consultees' second concern was that it was difficult to evaluate the options and express preferences without knowing what the County Council wanted from its policy development service. They felt it was impossible to comment on alternative service sizes and alternative methods of service delivery without knowing the vision for the service.

7. Relationship with the Departmental Reorganisation

7.1 The timing of the structural changes associated with creation of the Environment Department has been unfortunate in relation to the programme for this Best Value review. Ideally, this review would have been completed before the advent of the departmental reorganisation, or otherwise it should have followed it. Neither was possible however. Nevertheless, the emerging organisational structure of the new Department is in tune with the aspirations expressed by external stakeholders, service managers and non-managerial staff alike for greater integration of policies, closer integration between the policy makers, and a clearer overall direction. The new Department will have a Strategy Branch headed by the Deputy Director, which will undertake all land use, environmental and transport policy work. This will bring closer working between policy makers who were previously spread across three Branches, and provide a platform for more integrated policies and a clearer overall policy direction.

7.2 These structural changes obviously invalidate one of the options for future service delivery (option (i) in paragraph 5.3 above) but leave the others as valid options for consideration in the remaining stage of this best value review.

7.3 The new departmental structure also has the benefit of making this Best Value review more 'real' and more obviously relevant. It is now possible to relate this review to a 'service' in organisational terms, whereas hitherto it has only related to a function. Responsibility for implementation of the review recommendations will also be more clearly defined: this will now lie with the Deputy Director as head of the Strategy Branch, whereas under the old structure responsibility would have been shared between the heads of three Branches.

8. A Vision for the Service

8.1 The current Best Value process highlights the importance of identifying a common vision for the service at the outset of a Best Value review. However, the Best Value review of Policy Development started before the current process was introduced and so this visioning was not undertaken. As explained in paragraph 6.3 above, this has proved to be a handicap to stakeholders in evaluating the options for service delivery and expressing a preference between them. Consequently, a vision has now been developed in conjunction with the Extended Review Team, which this Committee is asked to consider and, if felt appropriate, to endorse. The proposed vision is set out in Appendix 1 and prompts for Members' consideration together with the Objectives of the Service are set out in Appendix 2. Also attached for your information is a leaflet setting out the new streamlined Best Value process.

9. Next Steps

9.1 The vision for the service, if agreed at today's meeting, will provide the basis for an evaluation of the options for service delivery (as modified to take account of the departmental reorganisation). The options and the evaluation of them, together with the results of the market testing and comparison with comparator counties, will then be incorporated into an Options Report for consideration by this Committee.

Recommendation

That the vision for the Environment Department's Policy Development Service set out in Appendix 1, be endorsed.

7606/SR

APPENDIX 1

A VISION FOR THE POLICY DEVELOPMENT SERVICE IN 2005

1. The Policy Development Service has a vision for a sustainable Hampshire which is clearly linked with the community and corporate strategies, and which is owned by Members, managers and staff.

2. In pursuit of that vision, the Service undertakes a range of statutory and non-statutory work, striving for excellence and innovation.

3. Plans and policies are up to date, relevant, socially inclusive and provide an effective and positive framework for decision making. They explicitly state how they link with the vision, with each other, and with the relevant plans and policies of other agencies.

4. Residents, businesses and environmental organisations are kept informed and engaged in the process of policy making and review from the outset.

5. There is a clear overall direction for the Service and rigorous prioritisation within its work programme. Its managers are visible, approachable, responsive and performance-orientated.

6. The Service is adequately resourced to undertake its tasks. Its staff are appropriately qualified, equipped, trained and rewarded.

7. The Service provides good value for money, and continually strives to evolve and improve to reflect changing priorities and good practice elsewhere.

APPENDIX 2

PROMPTS FOR MEMBERS' CONSIDERATION

1. Does the Vision describe the sort of Environment Department Policy Development Service which meets Members' aspirations?

2. Will it provide a sufficiently customer/public orientated service?

3. Will it provide a sufficiently output/performance orientated service?

4. Will it be capable of delivering the Service's objectives? (see below)

OBJECTIVES OF THE SERVICE

The objectives are to develop and monitor strategic long term policies which will help:

(i) achieve economic and social aims whilst protecting and enhancing the environment;

(ii) guide and coordinate the provision of necessary development in a sustainable way, including employment, housing, retailing, recreation, mineral extraction and waste disposal;

(iii) guide and coordinate the management and improvement of the transport network order to encourage sustainable transport; and

(iv) encourage the prudent management of natural resources including water, air, soil, energy, minerals and waste.