Archived decisions

Appendix one

Setting the scene

For this section you are asked to describe the relevant context and background information and the environment in which the council operates. In particular how the context, challenges and opportunities have changed over the past year.

The things this area should cover include:

    · For environment & community changes refer to the VfM self-assessment

    · Children's Act & major service delivery and organisational changes

    · Major undertaking with the LAA pilot

    · Impact & requirements of Gershon/efficiency agenda

    · Impact & requirements of tougher CPA 2005

    · Transition between LPSA and LPSA2

    · Reduced grant allocation & pension budget implications

    · Cultural & Rural Pathfinder status

    · SE Plan

    · Pay & benefits review reaching final stages

    · Continued SAP transition & further e-government

The council's track record in improving outcomes

In this section you should focus on any improvements you have delivered to services, particularly in high-priority areas locally, and the council's contribution to improving wider community outcomes such as those relating to: health, the economy, regeneration, and community safety. You should also refer to improvements in both access to, and the quality of, services for all your residents. In particular, you should focus on hard-to-reach groups.

    The things this area should cover include:

    · Performance indicator information (service performance)

        - Strategic (PI overall trends)

        - Key PIs (CPA scores, primary AES quality cross-check PIs, overall resident surveys etc)

        - Corporate Strategy specific PIs (HCC core PI basket)

    · Significant comments requested from Chief Officers (service performance)

    · Improving wider community outcomes (prioritise & frame as per Corporate Strategy aims/targets & note informed by Community Strategy)

        - Health scrutiny

        - Economic Development Office

        - Sustainability work

        - Crime & Disorder partnership

        - LPSA1 & 2

        - LAA

        - HSP: capacity raised (strategy, conference etc)

        - Rural pathfinder

        - Cultural pathfinder

        - Local link groups

    · Access to services particularly hard-to-reach or previously excluded groups

        - Race equality scheme

        - Race & equality impact assessments

        - Open consultation arrangements as well as consulting vulnerable groups (see Karen Mann)

        - LTP (re rural isolation etc)

        - Partnership working (COMPACT)

    · Headline results from APA & ARM

    · Progress against Corporate Strategy aims 1-5 (our local priorities)

    · For extent to which VfM is improving as well as quality of services refer to VfM self-assessment

Progress made in developing robust plans for improvement and delivering against them

In this section you should focus on the council's longer-term specific aims and targets and its shared vision for its communities. You should refer to strengths and areas for improvement in the council's planning. You should then state the extent to which delivery against planned objectives and milestones is being achieved.

The things this area should cover include:

    · Progress against audit & inspection recommendations

    · Progress against review improvement programmes - by exception

    · Progress against corporate governance review recommendations

    · Consultation forward programme

    · Complaints, compliments & comments

    · Progress against Corporate Strategy aim 6 - capacity of staff & Members plus a little of aim 5 re improvement & looking forward

    · Work in hand to determine & plan longer-term aims & targets (Futures Group visioning, Cabinet/CMT visioning, Corporate Strategy review, 1st CPA self-assessment in 2002)

    · Robustness of improvement planning (maybe just refer to the VfM self-assessment?)

        - Review programme

        - Internal audit (& governance arrangements)

        - CPR & PP

        - Member scrutiny (Executive & PRC) provides challenge to robustness of planning

        - CPEG & PSN

        - Member & officer champions

        - IPB

        - Local PIs

        - Budget monitoring