Agenda item

To receive and consider report 134/07 of the Deputy Director (Organisational Development). 

Introduction and Report Summary

The Council has been pursuing a programme of substantial change since its last Comprehensive Performance Assessment in 2004.  Since the Audit Commission’s last Securing Improvement Report of April 2006, the Council has continued to invest in a programme of Organisational Development.  In the Annual Audit and Inspection Letter of March 2007, the Audit Commission reported that the Council had been working to improve its managerial capacity. 

The attached report at Appendix A provides more depth to that audit letter and assesses progress and impact up to May 2007, making recommendations for continued improvement.  

The completed action plan contained within the Audit Commission’s report at Appendix A, was agreed with the Audit Commission in December 2007 and is shown separately at Appendix B.

It should be noted that the evidence gathering for this report in terms of document reviews and interviews with managers, staff and councillors took place between January and May 2007.  Therefore, many of the issues raised in this report have moved on considerably.      

The contact officer for this report is Helen Bishop, Deputy Director (Organisational Development and Support), telephone 01235 540372.  Email address helen.bishop@whitehorsedc.gov.uk.

Recommendation

That the Committee is asked to consider the Audit Commission’s “Next Steps in Securing Improvement” report and agree the associated action plan for implementation. 

The Committee received and considered report 134/07 of the Deputy Director (Organisational Development) regarding the Audit Commission's report "Next Steps in Securing Improvement".  This was a detailed audit of the Council's Organisational Development programme.  This looked at how the Council had been working to improve its managerial capacity and made recommendations for continued improvement.  Members noted that the evidence gathering by the Audit Commission had taken place between January and May 2007.  Therefore, many of the issues raised in this report had been progressed. 

Appended to the Deputy Director's report was an action plan which had been agreed with the Audit Commission.  It was noted that some of the dates in the action plan had been revised to provide a more realistic timescale.  The External Auditor present at the meeting supported this. 

The External Auditor was invited to address the meeting.  Mary Fettigan reported that the Audit Report on Securing Improvement was a method to check that the Council was implementing its improvement plan following the Comprehensive Performance Assessment.  Alison Dewer reported that the audit had been carried out when staff morale had been very low which led to the five recommendations in the report.  Since then much had changed: staff feedback was more positive about communication from management.  The feeling was that the Council was improving.  However, the report contained five significant recommendations:

·        There should not be change for change's sake - the organisational change programme needed to deliver improvements that brought value for money and were recognisable for local people

·        There should be an improvement in the accountability of the organisational change programme

·        There should be an improvement in the accountability of leadership - supporting all Councillors in their shared leadership of the Council's objectives and priorities

·        There should be an increase in the development capacity of the Council

·        There should be a system to ensure action on external reports and their recommendations

The Audit Commission would be providing a further update commentary, possibly at the end of March as part of the Audit Letter or as part of the Audit Commission's programme in 2008/09. 

The Deputy Director highlighted some of the improvements that had been implemented.  A new service review methodology had been introduced to gain greater efficiencies; a consultation strategy and a communications strategy had been introduced; a revised website was shortly to go 'live'; and an equalities action plan had been approved and equality impact assessments were underway.  

It was intended to report on the actions against these recommendations through the Corporate Governance Report.  The Committee recognised that the Corporate Governance Report was considered by the Executive and the Scrutiny Committee but felt that progress on these recommendations should be reported to this Committee also. 

RESOLVED

(a)       that the Audit Commission’s “Next Steps in Securing Improvement” report be noted and the associated action plan be approved; and

(b)       that progress against the action plan be reported to this Committee separately from the proposed reporting mechanism through the Corporate Governance Report to the Executive and Scrutiny Committee.