building standards service balanced scorecard 2017-2018building standards service balanced scorecard...

Building Standards Service

Balanced Scorecard

2017-2018

Key Contact

Aaron Kerr – Building Standards Team Leader

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Shetland Islands Council

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction and Balanced Scorecard Statement page 2

2. Building Standards Verification Service Information page 7

3. Strategic Objectives page 10

4. Key Performance Outcomes page 12

(Professional Expertise and Technical Processes,

Customer Experience and Operational and Financial Efficiency)

5. Performance Data page 23

6. Service Improvements and Partnership Working page 24

Version Date. Details of Change/s

1.0 April 2017 2017/18 Balanced Scorecard Q1

1.1 October 2017 2017/18 Balanced Scorecard Q2

1.2 January 2017/18 Balanced Scorecard Q2

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1. Introduction

Welcome to the most northerly building

standards service in Scotland. Shetland Islands Council strives to provide a first

class service to everyone in Shetland, irrespective of background or whether you are

resident or just visiting.

The Council is accountable for the services it provides and this document, our

balanced scorecard, sets out what we do and how we work. The Service constantly

looks for ways in which we can improve our core business of delivering a first class

assessment (verification) service to everyone involved in the construction industry,

whether they are a construction professional or simply a user of the built

environment in Shetland.

Balanced Scorecard Statement

This balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management tool that is used in

business organisations to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the

organisation, improve internal and external communication, and monitor

performance against strategic goals.

Building Standards verifiers in Scotland are required to use the balanced scorecard

as a means to manage, monitor, review, and develop strategies for their business

with a focus on the core perspectives of Professional Expertise and Technical

Processes/ Quality Customer Experience/ and Operational and Financial

Efficiency.

Cross-cutting themes of public interest and continuous improvement are also

applied.

“The pre-submission discussion we find is very useful and a good help when

preparing warrant applications. I feel this service needs to be kept available from

your team if possible.”

“Pre-application discussions and advice are very helpful and allows designs to be progressed to warrant application stage with more confidence.” Quotes taken from responses to our SurveyMonkey® Customer Questionnaire

“The most useful Council meeting I’ve ever attended”

Feedback given after a Focus Group Meeting

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Location and Environment

Shetland sits approximately equidistant from Aberdeen, the Faroe Islands and

Norway. Shetland Islands Building Standards Team provides a verification service to

an island community of approximately 23,240 people. This figure represents a 3.2%

increase from the previous year’s figure and the population is spread over 15

inhabited islands, with approximately 7,500 people residing in Lerwick town

situated on the ‘mainland’.

Shetland encompasses an area of 1468 km2 (567 sq miles) and a unique coastline

which is almost 2702km (1679 miles) long. No part is further than 5km from the sea.

The capital, Lerwick, is the largest settlement with the remainder of the population

dispersed throughout the rural areas. Much of the countryside is given over to peat

land with small settlements found at intervals along the main roads. Despite Council

support in the past for an ‘area focus’ in order to maintain rural communities many

services, including the Council’s new North Ness headquarters, are centred in

Lerwick. This is the main settlement in Shetland and is the main port of entry for

ship-borne tourism, commercial fishing and oil related enterprises.

The importance of the geology of Shetland, some 3 billion years in the making, was

acknowledged in the granting of Geopark status in 2010.

Discovery of oil rich geological strata in the 1970s led to the establishment of a vast

oil related industry which continues to provide steady employment and relative

financial security for the community. Further development of the gas fields around

Shetland has resulted in major investment in the form of a new gas sweetening plant

at Sullom Voe and related infrastructure, some of which has been warrantable.

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Shetland Islands Council Area

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Employment

The main employers are Shetland

Islands Council (in its various

guises), NHS Shetland, Lerwick Port

Authority, Highlands and Islands

Airport Authority, Bonded

Warehousemen, Transport and

Logistics companies, Shipwrights,

Engineering and Marine Fabricators,

Wholesalers and Retailers, the

Farming, Fishing and Aquaculture

Industry, and Tourism. 99% of the

employable population within

Shetland are in employment. Lerwick Harbour ©AJarden

Our Services to Others

The S.I.C. Building Standards Service delivers a comprehensive and responsive

verification service for both Domestic and Non-Domestic construction activity to all of

the above sectors and to the general public. This includes assessment of

applications for building warrant, enforcement of the building regulations, inspection

of, and dealing with, dangerous structures. Additionally the Service provides support

to the Licensing Board and licenses Cinemas, and Hypnotist’s performances.

The Service works closely with other Council departments such as Development

Management, Housing, Roads, Legal, and Finance. We also liaise with the Fire and

Rescue Service, the Occupational Therapy Department of NHS Shetland, and with

Disability Shetland to foster consensus for the benefit of all.

Anyone considering building in Shetland will be able to avail of the full range of

construction related skill sets. Shetlanders are renowned for their self-sufficient

qualities and the local architectural/ construction/ engineering industries serve the

community proud in the areas of commercial and domestic design and construction.

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Development Services Directorate Organisational Chart

The present structure is the result of a general Organisational and Management

Review that took place in 2011-2012. The reporting structure is such that technical

and business support staff report directly to the Building Standards Team Leader.

Changes were made in 2012 to provide a uniform process of assessment. This

involved removal of the area-officer based approach previously undertaken. This

approach matches that used within Development Management and is intended to

promote equality and consistency concerning the technical assessment of all

applications.

Through the implementation of Single Status the Council has introduced minimum

academic standards for our Business Support Officers with training provided, where

required, to permit achievement of an SVQ3 level qualification in business

administration.

Our Building Standards Surveyors are all members of at least 1 relevant professional

body. The ARB, CABE, and CIOB are represented within the team and provide a

broad range of experience and qualification within the Service.

Chief Executive

Director of Development Services

Executive Manager-Planning Service

Development Plans & Heritage Team Leader

Development Management Team Leader

Building Standards Team Leader

Building Standards Surveyor x 4

Business Support Officer x3 (P/T)

(shared with Dev Mgt)

Receptionist-Planning Service

Marine Planning

Manager

Housing

Economic Development

Community Planning & Development

Transport Planning

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2. Building Standards Verification Service Information

Public Interest Statement

The purpose of the building standards system is to protect the public interest. The

system sets out the essential standards that are required to be met when building

work or building conversion takes place in order to meet building regulations.

The building standards system checks that proposed building work meets the

standards; inspections are limited to the minimum necessary to ensure that

legislation is not avoided. The control of work is not down to the system but is a

matter for contracts and arrangements in place between a builder and client.

Verifiers, appointed by Scottish Ministers, are responsible for the independent

checking of applications for building warrants to construct or demolish buildings, to

provide services, fittings or equipment in buildings, or for conversions.

Building Standards sits within the Development Services Directorate and is an

integral part of the Planning Service based at the Council’s North Ness Headquarters

(currently at Train Shetland, Gremista). Our co-

location with the remainder of the Planning Service

assists clients and staff alike through convenient

transfer of information between the complimentary

services of Planning and Building Standards.

Our verification work broadly concerns warrant

assessment and inspection, and the assessment of

defective and dangerous buildings:

Verification consists of the receipt and processing of applications and fees for

building warrant or the assessment of late completion certificates. Initial

assessments of defective of dangerous buildings may be included here.

Engagement (with users of the service) to promote the relevant aspects of the

building standards system. This includes pre-application consultation work,

responding to requests for clarification of guidance documents and consideration of

alternative solutions. Good working relationships are fostered through Developer

Workshops and the local focus group. Clear communications help everyone to

understand what the priorities are and where their respective responsibilities lie,

whether they are an owner, a developer or builder, or a member of the Service.

Inspections of completed work or work in progress may be supplemented by other

evidence. However, the service available is not intended to mirror that of a clerk of

works, nor should it be seen as the line of first resort where an owner fails to

maintain their property.

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Enforcement is almost always the last resort when all other avenues of education

and persuasion have been exhausted. Examples of areas where the Council may

exercise such powers include where building works have been carried out without

the required warrant or where works have not been carried out in line with a building

warrant. Once the available evidence has been reviewed and, where appropriate,

legal advice has been sought, consideration will be given to the issue of the formal

paperwork.

Where owners do not or cannot carry out the necessary works the Council may carry

out the necessary works and seek repayment of all reasonable expenses or seek a

charge upon the property, recoverable from any future disposal of the property.

Recent LABSS survey shows that there is little appetite for becoming involved with

defective buildings.

Shetland by numbers:

1 Global Geopark 19 hours of midsummer daylight 138 sandy beaches 567 square miles of islands

639 miles of good roads 1679 amazing miles of coastline 6,000 years of history

6,080 archaeological sites 23,240 people 54,000 gannets 200,000 puffins

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Shetland Islands Planning Service Organisational Chart

Executive Manager –Planning Service

Iain McDiarmid

Building Standards Team Leader

Aaron Kerr

Surveyor

Eilidh Eunson

Surveyor

Magnus Laurenson

Surveyor

Martyn Robertson

Surveyor

Alan Goudie

Receptionist

Jill Garriock

Business Support Officers (P/T)

Fiona Sutherland

Lucy Arthur

Julie Rosie

Monitoring & Liaison Officer

(Frozen- under review)

Coastal Zone Manager

(Vacant)

Marine Planning Officers x2

Roads Officer

Coastal Defences and Flood Risk Engineer

Colin Smith

Development Management Team Leader

John Holden

Planning Officers (DM) x 6 and Business Support Officers x2

Enforcement Officers

Norman Sineath

Development Plans and Heritage Team Leader

Suzanne Shearer

Planning Officers (DP&H) and KIMO Officer with relevant Clerical Officers

Mapping Services and first level ICT support

John Carolan/Lucy Wheeler

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3. Strategic Objectives

Meeting the Corporate Plan

Shetland Islands Council’s Corporate Plan for 2016-2020 has been refreshed. Of the

Top 5 priorities Building Standards can relate with:

Completion & occupation of the new Anderson High School & Halls of

Residence

Increasing the supply of affordable housing

Supporting more older people across Shetland to remain as independent as

possible

All directorates remain under pressure to remove reliance on the Council’s financial

reserves and work within their means. The cost of providing services continues to

rise, in part due to the demands of an ageing and increasingly more vulnerable

population and as a result of reduced Government funding. Building Standards will

continue to support the improvements and changes made within the built

environment in accordance with the Council’s priorities. For more information please

refer to the refreshed Corporate Plan on the Council’s website at

www.shetland.gov.uk.

The over-arching goal/vision of the Service

The goal of the Service is to provide value to the construction process within

Shetland through timely verification and intervention in relation to the duties ascribed

by the Scottish Ministers.

Departmental priorities for 2017-2018

Continue to develop processes for the eBuilding Standards system

Working within pre-agreed budget and strict financial restraints

Helping the Council to meet the demands of a balanced budget

Maintaining full complement of Building Surveyor staff to meet Service demands

Emphasising the importance of timely notification and inspections of work stages

Working to the Directorate and Corporate Plans

Integrating new business support staff processes and continuous improvement of

back-office systems

Meeting career development and training obligations (ERDS)

http://www.shetland.gov.uk/

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Meal Beach, Hamnavoe ©AJarden

The Key strategic objectives for the coming year (aligned with the continuous

improvement plan)

> The successful implementation of eBuilding Standards

> Reducing the Council’s demand on reserves

> Finding innovative ways of delivering the service with an ever decreasing

budget

> Meeting all financial directions given by the Executive Director and Executive

Manager

> Improving our understanding of the Uniform/ Enterprise back-office systems

> Considering how we do business with others and they do business with us

> Meeting National reporting requirements

> Finding the best way to provide warrant and inspection services

> Maintaining morale within the Service

The team continually works together to find ways in which we can minimise the time

taken to process and provide warrant assessments and carry out inspections of

work.

Areas under continuous review include validation procedures/ availability of

information/ task management using the Enterprise system/ and weekly updates on

performance and progress. A wholesale review of internal policies and publicly

available information is also ongoing as part of the continuous improvement

requirement (KPO9). Team meetings are held bi-weekly and records of agenda and

actions arising are kept.

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4. Key Performance Outcomes – (Professional Expertise and Technical

Processes, Customer Experience and Operational and Financial Efficiency)

Professional Expertise and Technical Processes

Protocols for dealing with work

A full suite of protocols exists which deals with how the Service works internally to

assess warrant applications and completion certificates. The aspects of internal and

external consultation are also covered.

Whilst these protocols have been audited previously by the BSD and the Council it is

recognised that demands change with time and new national risk management

controls have emerged with regard to reasonable inquiry. Work is ongoing to ensure

that the protocols reflect nationally agreed parameters and local expectations.

The Enterprise management information system (MIS) is used to co-ordinate

consistent workloads across all Surveyors. The same system is used to handle

inspection requests in order to maximise time and minimise costs. Enquiries are

dealt face to face during duty officer hours or by making contact with the caller as

soon as possible thereafter.

Variety of work

We engage in the assessment of a wide variety of building types; recent examples

include airport terminal refurbishment and renewals, the creation of the Sumburgh

Head visitor centre, accommodation for the TOTAL gas sweetening plant at Sullom

Voe, and the new Anderson High School at Lerwick.

Given that Shetland is a small community all of these projects are very much in the

public eye.

Working together

We continue to work closely with our development management colleagues to

provide free advice to applicants through our pre-application consultation service.

Access is presently available Monday to Thursday from 9.00 until 10.30, with other

times available by appointment. Amongst the positive benefits of our new office are

the ease of arranging face to face meetings at short notice and the abundance of

interview/meeting rooms which makes for a better customer experience.

Whilst there is no obligation to provide a building standards pre-application

consultation many users report that the service is worthwhile and it is hoped that,

whilst not a statutory service, it can be retained.

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Performance management systems

Performance managements systems include the Service Plan, Balanced Scorecard,

Building Standards Service Improvement Plan, time monitoring, internal (self) and

external (consortia) peer review, and periodic management overview.

Training and development/ CPD

Training and development needs are established through individual employee review

sessions, and as the situation requires; such as with the introduction of new or

revised software and processes. The Council requires that training needs be

assessed regularly in conjunction with the needs of the individual and the Service.

Training plans and budgets are now centralised within the HR Service.

Our business support officers are fully qualified in accordance with the single status

review and hold, as a minimum, an SVQ3 qualification in business administration.

Close links are maintained with the BSD, LABSS, and external suppliers through

direct attendance by staff at LABSS AGM and general meetings, local developers’

workshops and via online CPD events hosted by professional bodies such as RICS,

CIOB, CABE, RIAS, and product manufacturers.

Electronic communications such as video conferencing, webcasts, and email play a

significant part in keeping up to date with industry and political developments. Video

conferencing and Webinar facilities are available within the Council infrastructure

and, when appropriate, help to reduce travel costs.

Continuing Professional Development is maintained through attendance, sometimes

in the evening, at related events run by CIOB, RICS, and CABE. We continue to

explore ways of developing further CPD events through partnership working with

those companies who provide sales and training support to the construction industry

and suppliers within Shetland.

Some major sites in Shetland, notably those dealing with the petrochemical industry,

require visitors to demonstrate competency in site safety. We maintain professional

links with the HSE and each surveyor is qualified through the Construction Skills

Certification Scheme and carries appropriate accreditation.

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Benchmarking/shared services/partnership working

The Highlands and Islands Consortium (for the

Council areas shown in red) provides opportunity for

benchmarking, discussion and peer review. It is most

likely that, given the increasing cost of travel, such

liaison will continue mainly through electronic

methods such as email and web/telephone

conferencing.

Shetland Islands Council continues to look for better

ways of working through partnering and

consolidation. Imaginative collaboration, such as that

demonstrated by the Building Efficiencies

programme, has sought to find efficiencies through

sharing of resources between the Council and NHS

Shetland. We will continue to look at how other

services and resources may be shared.

Joint working is a hallmark of the Planning Service in Shetland where easy

communication exists between the various teams; most often between the building

standards and development management teams for aspects such as flooding risks.

Partnership working with our customers already exists with good working

relationships fostered between Building Standards and the remainder of the Council,

including Housing and Capital Projects. In such cases it is important to bear in mind

that the Service has a responsibility to act impartially; a point which is sometimes not

fully appreciated by other Council services who only see building standards as

another Council department rather than as an impartial Verifier.

The developers’ workshops and focus group have provided the ideal platform over

the past 4 years for changes to be discussed with our stakeholders and to promote

the message that the building standards are there to be met, not merely strived for.

Overall the standard of application which we receive now is of a better standard than

previously seen and suggestions offered at developers meetings appear to be

adopted

Commitment to work together on technical issues

We remain committed to working together, with all parties, to ensure consistency in

our assessments and predictability of outcome for the applicant. Shetland Islands

Council is a signatory to the Scottish Type Approvals System (STAS), administered

by LABSS, which seeks to eliminate un-necessary replication and assessment of

designs already warranted by other Scottish Local Authorities.

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Succession planning

The failure to provide a balanced budget by 2015 and the continuing drawdown from

reserves will mean further cuts in services. Our operations will have to be tailored to

whatever reduction in budget is decided by senior management for 2017-18.

Quality Customer Experience

Customer communication strategies

We communicate with our customers by letter, email, by phone, or directly face to

face depending on the situation and circumstances. The Council provides alternative

methods of communication for any person who requires information in an accessible

format suitable to their own needs.

A recent customer questionnaire established that the majority of our customers

prefer face to face contact. The remaining options in order of priority are: by email,

by letter, by online portal (under consideration), and by using social media (under

consideration).

Charters (local/national)

The Building Standards customer charter is published online and is also available to

read at the reception area at our office. The wording, carefully chosen with the

assistance of the Council’s Plain English advisor, gives an overview of what we do,

our key performance targets, the obligations upon the applicant, and a request for

feedback on our operations. The National Charter template is described as being

complementary to the Local Charter.

Shetland Islands Council continues to provide a modern and accessible service

using both the local and national charter parameters.

Engagement

Our developers’ meetings serve as a platform to advise stakeholders, predominantly

professionals, of forthcoming changes and to promote discussion on pertinent

matters. The Service continues to be proactive in the press with pertinent information

being communicated through articles and press releases. Building Standards is

represented at the Education Service’s career guidance evening and will take a

stand at the bi-annual Shetland Ideal Home Show in September 2015 to encourage

an interest in the building standards amongst potential home owners.

We work within the Highlands and Islands consortium to assist in the transfer of

information and opinions and to meet our peer review obligations.

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Accessibility of Service

We provide an open and transparent service and are happy to receive suggestions

from our customers as to how we might improve the existing level of accessibility.

Duty Officers are available on every morning from Monday to Thursday and also by

appointment.

Escape Route

Customers who care to complain about the level of service provided have recourse

to the Council’s own complaints procedure, or in the event of refusal to issue a

warrant the Sherriff Court. This remains a viable alternative to the ‘escape route’

process which is embodied in KPO 3. Nevertheless, as part of the Highlands and

Islands consortium and a signatory to the verification appointment Shetland Islands

Council, as verifier, acknowledges the opportunity which the published KPOs offer

and the option of customer agreements, available through the KPO3 mechanism, is

made apparent to applicants.

Dispute Resolution Process

If you disagree with an interpretation of the Building Standards that the Building

Standards Authority is adopting in the consideration of a building warrant that you

have submitted or will require to submit you may request an interpretation through

Local Authority Building Standards Scotland. The Dispute Resolution Process deals

with disputes relating to technical and procedural processes. This does not remove a

local authorities’ formal comments and complaints processes.

Recognised external accreditations

Following Audit Scotland’s positive report Shetland Islands Council continues to

review Service expenditure. In the meantime we continue to look for ways to improve

the customer experience by working smarter to provide a first class service to our

customers. Shetland is a close-knit island community which hitherto has been

provided with, and demands, a high level of service delivery; following 3 years of

financial prudence and pruning there appears to be an acceptance within the wider

community that the cost of service provision has to be sustainable.

https://www.labss.org/advice-building-projects/advice-dispute-resolution-process

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Operational and Financial Efficiency

Team Structures (e.g. Area Splits/ Specialist Teams)

The assessment of a building warrant requires the Council to have proficient

administrative and technical capabilities and the team comprises skills in each

discipline.

Administration and Business Support

The administrative process for the Planning Service as a whole was subjected to

rigorous scrutiny in 2010-2011 as part of the implementation of the IDOX UNI-form

back office system. This highlighted certain pressure points on the administrative

aspects within Development Management and steps were taken to reinforce

business support by sharing officers between planning and building standards.

Senior management recognise that the business support element for the Planning

Service is a specialised function which should be kept within the Planning Service,

and exempted from the corporate rationalisation of administration.

Initial receipt and acceptance of any warrant application is the responsibility of the

business support officers who inspect the application to ensure that the application is

complete and the necessary fee has been paid. Once registered on the UNI-form

system the application is passed to the lead building standards surveyor, and the file

scheduled for technical assessment by an appropriate surveyor.

Building Standards Surveyors

Technical officers are assigned powers to assess, and approve warrant applications

and to carry out appropriate inspections to ensure that construction work meets the

building standards. Each officer possesses membership of at least one professional

body; all but 1 at full corporate level.

Revised procedures ensure that each officer’s workload can be managed and

monitored, with appropriate adjustments taking into account capacity and aspects

such as annual leave and other approved absences. For large scale and

complicated projects the technical officers work collaboratively under the guidance of

the Team Leader; this ensures that officers can experience unique projects beyond

the routine.

Periodic assessment of files and joint inspection with officers provides sufficient

management review at this time.

Officers are reviewed annually to establish what went well, where improvements

might be made and what training needs need to be met. In actuality the smallness of

the team and the close working which exists means that problem areas are identified

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and minimised. In-team discussion on applications under assessment is encouraged

and aids consensus and the adoption of a unified position.

Specialist areas

Collectively the team holds considerable experience in construction matters;

qualifications held include the fields of Architecture and Building Surveying. Qualified

support for evaluation of sound testing results is available in-house via the

Environmental Health Service.

Appropriate checks are conducted on chosen engineered solutions, where the SER

option has not been taken, using in-house Council resources, with costs invoiced as

a recharge against the warrant income.

Training has been undertaken to provide in-house expertise for the purposes of

checking submitted energy calculations such as SAP.

The existing technical officers have a wide range of experience in the construction

industry. Collectively the team boasts over 100 years combined service in the

legislative field of building control/building standards.

Employee Review and Development reports are completed annually in line with

Council policy to ensure that training needs are established and planned for. The

training requirements and related costs are then planned corporately.

Time recording systems

The Council operates a Flexible Working Hours system and leave is managed

electronically. Cover is arranged to ensure that a response can be provided to any

enquiry within corporate timescales, such as a reply within 5 days. Review of the

Council’s services places emphasis on meeting our statutory obligations. Back-office

administration is monitored using the Enterprise system.

Financial monitoring/governance

Financial reporting is conducted through the Council’s INTEGRA system. Financial

Accountancy provides scheduled monthly updates. Service costs and income can be

directly compared against current and past records. The Building Standards Team

Leader is named as a budgetary responsible officer, with ultimate budget

responsibility resting with the Executive Manager-Planning Service.

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IT systems

An intensive review of the administration systems used within the Planning Service

in 2010 resulted in the adoption of the IDOX UNIFORM back-office administration

system.

This system is presently under review as part of the readiness work involved with the

adoption of the new e-planning and e-building standards portal later this year.

The team works aims to maintain consistency of operation and ICT support is

obtained from the Council’s own IT Service, the IDOX helpdesk, and the IDOX User

Group.

The Service now uses the IDOX Enterprise system for monitoring of workloads by

the entire team, with individual tasks assigned or agreed at weekly meetings.

Data Handling

Since the introduction of the Uniform database system data handling procedures

have been continually reviewed to provide solutions which meet both internal and

external demands.

In answer to customer demand the service continues to offer submissions on a 50%

paper plans and 50% electronic plans basis. The applicant benefits from reduced

print costs and time spent by staff in scanning files is reduced. This work will help

inform the development of the emerging E-Building Standards process.

Workflow processes

Our IDOX Enterprise system provides real-time updates and prompts for both

warrant applications and inspections. This is updated daily by the Business Support

team and assessing Surveyors. Monitoring of workloads is by peer review with an

over-watch by the Team Leader to ensure equity and drive a consistent approach to

warrant assessments and related activities.

Financial Systems

Comments in 2010/2011 from internal audit regarding the raising of invoices for

internal applications were noted and procedural changes made to ensure that

income is not delayed. With the exception of warrant applications eligible for 100%

discount all building warrant applications are required to be accompanied by the

required fee. Internal applications are now accompanied by the requisite journal.

The administration team process these applications in accordance with agreed

protocols, which includes carrying out an initial check to ensure that the appropriate

fee has been paid. Amendments to warrants are treated in a similar way.

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Payment may be made by cheque/cash/ credit or debit card and by journal (for

internal Council applications).

The Planning Service works closely with the Finance Department and financial

records are accessed through the INTEGRA financial system.

Records are retained on the Uniform system for subsequent reporting to the Scottish

Government. Our performance monitoring and reporting is now carried out

electronically through the ScotXed portal.

Internal Communication Strategies

Opportunities to inform and listen to the staff are available through face to face

discussion/ staff meetings / management meetings and corporate news briefings.

The team works with other Council departments to help develop an understanding of

the building standards and to emphasise the exemplar role and responsibility that the

Council has regarding any in-house warrantable work.

Review of operations has become a constant team activity to promote consistency of

understanding and application in everything we do.

The bi-weekly planning team meeting is used to promote decisions made at the

Corporate and Directorate management team meetings which are relevant to the

Planning Service and how our work affects and is affected by other Services. The

meeting is also used to inform others on what the various parts of the Service are

doing, to advise on forthcoming events and changes, to advise on any training

opportunities, and to provide a sounding board for information intended to be passed

up the chain of command. Guests are invited on occasion to speak on areas of

interest. Reports on seminars and courses attended by others are included when

appropriate.

The meeting is usually chaired by the Executive Manager-Planning Service. Ample

opportunity is given for all staff to attend although the duty officers for each part of

the Service remain on-call.

Work is ongoing to provide fibre-optic broadband availability throughout Shetland to

stimulate business opportunities. Corporate information is available to our staff via

the intranet and supplemented by regular team and Service meetings.

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5. Performance Data Summary of performance against Key Performance Outcomes & Targets.

KPO TARGETS

1.1 1.2 3.1 3.2 4.1

95% of first reports (for building warrants and amendments) issued within 20 days – all first reports (including BWs and amendments issued without a first report).

90% of building warrants and amendments issued within 10 days from receipt of all satisfactory information – all building warrants and amendments (not including BWs and amendments issued without a first report).

National customer charter is published prominently on the website and incorporates version control detailing reviews (reviewed at least quarterly).

95% of BSD requests for information on a BSD ‘Verifier Performance Reporting Service for Customers’ case responded to by verifier within 5 days.

Minimum overall average satisfaction rating of 7.5 out of 10

Performance 2017/18 Q2

76.47% 85.71% Published

prominently (with review)

No cases referred to BSD 'Reporting

Service' 7.4


89.29% 89.58% Published

prominently (with review)

No cases referred to BSD 'Reporting

Service' 6.5

KPO TARGETS

5.1 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2

Local Authority

Building standards verification fee income to cover indicative verification service costs (staff costs plus 30%).

Details of eBuilding Standards are published prominently on the verifier’s website.

75% of each key building warrant related processes being done electronically (Plan checking; BWs and amendments (and plans) issue; Verification during construction; CC acceptance)

Annual performance report published prominently on website with version control (reviewed at least quarterly).

Annual performance report to include performance data in line with KPOs and associated targets (annually covering previous year e.g. April 2016 – March 2017).


96.46% Published

prominently 2 of 4 done

Published prominently (with review)

Includes all performance

data


46.03% Published

prominently 3 of 4 done

Published prominently (with review)

Includes all performance

data

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6. Service Improvements and Partnership Working In the previous 12 months (2016/2017) we did:

Number Continuous Improvement action Status

1 Implement National eBuilding Standards System Complete

2 Review of operational procedures Complete

3 Improve performance against national targets Complete

In the next 12 months (2017/2018) we will do:

Number Continuous Improvement action Status

1 Ensure terms of the Verifiers Operating Framework met/implemented March 2018

2 Work to achieve targets set out in the National Performance Framework

March 2018

3 Address actions for improvement set out in Appointment of Verifiers March 2018

4 Continue and improve benchmarking leading to service improvements March 2018

In the previous 12 months (2016/2017) we worked with:

Highlands and Islands Consortium Group

Other Local Authorities via Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS)

Local Development Management Service

Local Agents and Developers through Developers Workshops.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Internal Structural Engineers

In the next 12 months (2017/2018) we will:

Engage with other local authorities and groups e.g. LABSS

Engage with local agents and developers through meetings and workshops

Engage with external stakeholder organisations and groups

Commit to work together on technical issues

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Planning Service

Building Standards

Train Shetland Office

Gremista Ind Est.

Lerwick

ZE1 0PX

Telephone 01595 744293

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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