Contact: Sue Sylvester, Policy and Performance Officer, ext 7493, e-mail - [email protected]

1 Purpose of this Report

1.1 This covering report is intended to provide an `at-a-glance' summary for members and leads into the Outcome Report which has been drafted by the core review team.

1.2 The programme of best value reviews is a key element in supporting Corporate Strategy Aim 5 - `Improving Services'.

1.3 Lifelong Learning contributes to all six Corporate Strategy aims.

2 Performance

2.1 The scope of this review has been wide, its substance complex and often difficult to manage. A key challenge has been to keep the review within manageable boundaries. However, a wide and disparate range of initiatives have been drawn together through the course of the review, engaging a large number of both internal and external providers of services.

2.2 The review has led to a greater awareness of the scale and diversity of activities and provision for Lifelong Learning in Hampshire amongst the review team members. The need to make this known to a wider public is one of the key outcomes of the review.

3 Outcomes

3.1 The review has sought to achieve the following outcomes:-

· Seamless provision and ease of access

· Effective communication and consultation

· Development of quality and capacity amongst service providers

· Cooperation between service providers

· Improved provision, `gaps' are plugged

· Leadership

· Optimal use of Hampshire County Council resources

3.2 A key target of the review has been to produce a corporate Lifelong Learning Strategy in order to facilitate the achievement of the desired outcomes. This has been achieved.

3.3 Out of a range of five options for service delivery identified by the review team, at a meeting of the Member Panel held on the 26^th May 2004, members agreed that an Improvement Plan should be developed based on option 5 - partnership working supporting a mixed economy of supply.

4.1 The review is unusual in that two Improvement Plans have been produced:

· Improvement Plan (A) (Appendix1) is for the Best Value Review outcomes, which are internally focussed - designed to ensure that the departments of the County Council are best set up to deliver the Lifelong Learning Strategy.

· Improvement Plan (B) Appendix (3) covers a first selection of actions to be progressed to achieve the key outcomes of the Lifelong Learning Strategy

3.4 Due to time restrictions, it has not been possible to undertake a race and equality impact assessment of the Lifelong Learning Strategy prior to this Member Panel meeting. However, this will take place shortly after the meeting and will have member involvement.

4 Members

4.1 The following members participated in this phase of the review:

· Cllr Susan Allbright

· Cllr Keith Chapman

· Cllr Brian Dash

· Cllr Jo Kelly

· Cllr Roger Kimber

5 Review details:

5.1 Direct costs of the review are approximately £200. The cost of officer time spent on the review to date has been £22,849, approximately 100 officer days, compared to an initial estimate of 150 officer days for the review.

Recommendations

It is recommended that:

1. The attached Outcome Report and Improvement Plan (A), together with the accompanying Lifelong Learning Strategy and Improvement Plan (B) be agreed as representing the views of this Member Panel.

2. The attached Outcome Report and Improvement Plan (A), together with the accompanying Lifelong Learning Strategy and Improvement Plan (B) (after having been `impact assessed') be presented to both the Education PRC and the Recreation & Heritage PRC, for their comment.

3. The Cabinet is advised of the outcome of the Best Value review so that they can implement the Improvement Plans.

4. The Cabinet nominates a Member to be involved in overseeing the implementation of the Improvement Plans, to be a member of the Corporate Lifelong Learning Steering Group and to act as a `champion' for lifelong learning.

5. Arrangements are made for the Education and Recreation & Heritage PRCs to receive annual progress reports until the Improvement Plans are completed

6. A summary of the review is prepared in the standard format for inclusion in the Performance Plan.

N.B. The list excludes:

1. Published works

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

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