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Report of the Chief Executive

FUTURE COUNCIL: ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

1. Purpose of report

1.1 To provide an update on the progress in taking forward the Future Council Strategy, giving an overview of recent highlights in the development of our organisation to a sustainable Future Council.

2. Recommendations

2.1 That Elected Members note this report and highlight any issues requiring future reports

3. Honouring the Past

3.1 Barnsley came into existence in 1086, recorded in the Domesday Book with a population of 200 people. Barnsley developed and flourished at that time and after 150 years a royal charter permitted a weekly market and an annual fair. Then, just 50 years later, there were three annual fairs!

3.2 This is important because it demonstrates that Barnsley has always developed

and flourished as a town. Everything that we do now as a Council, and everything that is done in the future here in Barnsley, is only possible because of that great history and all that has gone before. It’s important that we honour history and celebrate our past. It is also equally important to recognise that whilst it took 50 years to move to three annual fairs in the 1200s, seismic changes by comparison are happening almost overnight now.

3.3 The journey of the last three years has seen radical change for the Council.

Future Council has delivered a change programme that has significantly improved many of our services to our customers at the same time as our budget has reduced by £59m up to this year (15/16). We have also agreed a 2 year budget for 15/16 and 16/17 that sees a further £27m being saved and a reduction of 500 staff (approx. 2000 since 2010). Yet the Council has still invested in growing the economy, improving the aspiration and life chances of local people and changing the relationship with our communities. This has been the size of the challenge within a very short period of time. A sharp contrast with the pace and extent of change faced in 1086!

4. The Establishment of Future Council

4.1 Future Council was established as a concept in July 2013 and it represents a fundamentally different approach to the way the Council is orientated and designed to deliver services and achieve sustainability. It focuses on new business models, with more efficient ways of working and better engagement with our communities and customers to achieve better standards but also to provide greater community resilience. It required change of a significant size and scale. So whilst it was identified in the context of Service and Financial Planning for 2014/5, Future Council was much more than a reaction to the

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financial challenges the Council was facing at that time. It acknowledges that continual rounds of financial retrenchment will not result in a sustainable Council that meets our priorities in the future.

4.2 Cabinet has previously approved the building blocks to support this

transformation. For example, the Future Council Strategy, approved in June 2014 (Cab.4.6.2014/6), together with the Workforce Development Strategy 2014-2017, guided the organisational change required to take Future Council forward. This included the vision, values and behaviours that will be central to this work and the priorities and outcomes that we will seek to deliver. These are outlined again at Appendix 1 and 2.

4.3 The approach to how Future Council would be delivered was developed further

in a report to the Cabinet in October 2014 (Cab.8.10.2014/6.1). This provided more detail of the business model for the new Directorates and Business Units, how the units would be achieved and the framework for their delivery. The report also incorporated a number of proposals, to be implemented from April 2015, to implement new ways of working associated with Future Council but also to achieve savings.

4.4 The impact on the organisation has been far reaching and profound, with all

services affected. It has involved engaging the whole of the Council’s leadership team in adopting consistent approaches to business planning and development. The overall size and scope of what we have achieved since 2013, given the changes that this entailed for services and the relatively short timescales involved, have been remarkable. There remain challenges ahead, but the leadership team and our staff have come together to make the most of the opportunities for service improvement that this also presents.

4.5 This report seeks to update members on progress and achievements since this

time and the plan for further change. 5. Progress and developments to date

5.1 Following the report in October 2014, Executive and Service Directors have been focussed on establishing their Business Units to deliver Future Council in service terms. Considerable work had been undertaken prior to this to map the allocation of functions to appropriate business units. However, work was still needed to take forward the new operating model and put in place officer structures ready to deliver on this from April 2015. Alongside this challenge was the need to achieve significant savings for the 2015/6 budget.

5.2 The key outcomes of our Future Council will be achieved through the new

business model. Business Units will be responsible for the delivery of services focusing on the customer and, where necessary, alternative models of delivery will be introduced, ensuring that as a Council we only do those things which add value and achieve outcomes.

5.3 A greater focus has been placed on the “customer journey” and developing

more customer-oriented systems and processes. A new procedure for customer feedback was approved by Cabinet in May 2015 (Cab.20.5.2015/12) together with a new Customer Services strategy. The new website was launched on 12 May 2015, presenting information in a clearer way and

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highlights the “top tasks” of customers with the council. The availability of more transactional processes through the website has supported the “channel shift” needed to support Future Council, giving our customers the service they really want, in a way and at a time to suit them, and with a consequent reduction in face-to-face and telephone interactions with our staff.

5.4 The transformation achieved in the Benefits, Taxation and Income team in the

Finance Directorate provides a good example of the new business model in action. The team took full advantage of our new commercially focused model to streamline internal processes and web-enabled eForms, and simplify the operation, with customers able to do business with the Council at any time of the day or night at their convenience. A single multi-skilled team now deals with all aspects of the service, meaning that one person deals with each customer’s case, providing significantly better customer service. More detail is given in Appendix 3, which sets out the thoughts of Lisa Smith, service manager, on the difference this has made for employees and customers alike.

5.5 Of equal importance has been the better use of business intelligence in service

design and delivery. This has allowed us to provide services that are more targeted, whilst also achieving financial savings. The work to develop community newsletters, following the withdrawal of Open Door, has used analysis of Mosiac data to identify those areas of the borough where written newsletters will be the most effective type of communication with local people. This has then formed the basis for discussions with the Area Councils in those parts of the borough to see if local Members wish to use area funds for community newsletters.

5.6 There is no better example of the Council’s engagement with our communities

than the success of the Love Where You Live programme. The programme has seen hundreds of people coming forward in a wide range of activities to build a better Barnsley, from running sports centres (Sporting Penistone) to improving our walking trails and picking up litter (eg the Green Fingered Worsbrough Wanderers). The dedication of local volunteers was celebrated in a month-long volunteering event throughout June, held jointly with Voluntary Action Barnsley. Examples of the activity supported are set out in Appendix 4.

5.7 An important part of these changes has been to ensure that everyone

understands the need for change. To ensure success, collectively we need to continue to overcome any barriers that may stand in the way, set clear achievable goals and milestones, continue to make improvements and embed the changes we make. This has been a key element of the revised performance and development review process, as envisaged by the Future Council Workforce Development Programme and highlighted at Appendix 1.

5.8 The establishment of a strong and effective leadership team has been a critical

factor in achieving the successes we have seen in such a short space of time. We are taking forward a programme of leadership development that will enhance our leadership capacity throughout the organisation to secure a sustainable Future Council.

5.9 It is important to acknowledge the extent to which the programme of change

could not have been achieved without the hard work and commitment of staff at all levels of the Council. This has been clear from the contributions they

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have made at the recent round of Talkabouts in June and July, for example, which have focused on how the business units have come together and can have greater impact for customers in delivering services.

5.10 The significant part that Elected Members play in embedding Future Council

across the organisation as a whole and their role within the Area Councils and Ward Alliances was acknowledged at the Members’ Talkabout sessions held in September 2014 and 2015. This allowed Members to review the progress made on Future Council to date, and recognise the significant and very different leadership contribution they have made and will need to continue to make. A key outcome was the incorporation of the Future Council vision, values and behaviours in the Members’ Code of Conduct. This was approved by full Council on 4th June 2015 and Members will be asked to sign up to them in completing their Registration of Interests form for the new municipal year.

5.11 The Corporate Plan is what will drive the council forward over the next 3 years,

with a new set of performance measures. This will continue the significant progress in delivering council priorities since the current corporate performance management arrangements were established in June 2013. Particular improvements have been in the area of employment and support for business, revitalising the Town Centre and visitor economy, raising the aspirations of local people and improving the performance of local schools. Progress in helping people to live independently at home has continued, while the contribution of volunteers to activities in their local community continues to grow. Appendix 5 gives more details, drawn from recent corporate performance reports.

6. Further work, challenges and opportunities in coming months

6.1 It must be acknowledged that significant culture change takes 5-10 years to fully embed. Within Future Council we are not only seeking to change the culture of our organisation but also of our communities. This is without doubt a long and difficult (yet rewarding) journey and we will need to redouble our efforts to ensure success. Elected Members have a vital role in the political and community leadership that they provide and, as with officers in their need to deliver strong organisational leadership, we are changing and learning together. In the next year our focus must be on our customers, our new models of delivery, providing the right tools, work places and infrastructure for all of our staff, all supported by strong leadership.

6.2 For example, customer focus is a key priority, and making it easier for customers to contact us is an outcome we need to deliver on effectively. The proposed Customer Service strategy will sharpen this focus in coming months, aligning the customer service vision and values with our corporate values, and embedding the customer service approach across the council. As well as further promoting channel shift, the strategy will emphasise our commitment and standards of service and what we expect of our customers. We will also examine how business units can work together with our communities to deliver a co-ordinated offer to them.

6.3 The development of the business units will continue, with our particular focus on achievements and challenges and on interdependencies between one another. The business units will also seek out further opportunities for

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efficiencies and income raising as we prepare for the likely budget challenges the council will face in 2016/7 if not sooner. We will continue to reappraise how services are organised and delivered with reference to the agreed future operating model, to continue to improve the offer for our customers, whilst at the same time looking for opportunities for greater efficiencies.

6.4 The extent of the challenge this presents is not to be underestimated, but this will bring with it opportunities to improve outcomes for local people. We are well-placed to face this challenge and take these opportunities. We have One Council working to shared vision, values and priorities that represent what Members see as the areas critical to the sustainability of the borough.

7. Financial Implications

7.1 Delivery of the Future Council Strategy will lead to the council successfully saving the required £28 million financial savings over the 2 year period 2015-17, whilst delivering improvements to essential services. Coupled with the Corporate Plan outcomes, it will guide the development of further efficiencies and income raising as we meet the further financial challenges.

8. Communications implications

8.1 Communications has been a key part of the move towards Future Council, with a robust communications plan supporting and engaging officers and teams in its delivery. External communications work has been carried out to ensure residents understand and can contribute to and take advantage of our changing relationship, working together to make Barnsley a great place to live, work and do business. This will continue in coming months as the changes continue to be implemented.

9. Conclusion

9.1 Significant work has been carried out, giving us a vital head start on our journey to Future Council. The progress we expected has been made and all programmes are on track to deliver. However, the work is by no means complete and there is a need to continue the pace of change, particularly given the change in government, the budget in July and the forthcoming comprehensive spending review. Especially important will be our collective work in role-modelling Future Council ways of working in all that we do, so that our staff and communities can have confidence in us and the opportunity that lies ahead.

9.2 Further reports will be provided to keep cabinet updated on future progress. 10. Appendices 10.1 Appendix 1 – Extract from the Workforce Development Plan – Vision, Values,

Priorities and Outcomes

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10.2 Appendix 2 – Extract from the Workforce Development Plan – Core Values and Behaviours

10.3 Appendix 3 – New business model in the Benefits, Taxation and Income team 10.4 Appendix 4 – Love Where You Live 10.5 Appendix 5 – Highlights from the Corporate Performance report 11. Background Papers 11.1 Corporate Plan 2015-17 (Cab 8.6.2015) 11.2 Our Future Council update (Cab.8.10.2014/6.1) 11.3 Future Council Change Programme (Cab 4.6.2014/6) 11.4 Our Future Council Cabinet Report (Cab.15.1.2014/6) All available on the council website at www.barnsley.gov.uk. Officer Contact: Diana Terris Telephone No: 01226 773301 Date: 20th November, 2015

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Appendix 1

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Appendix 2

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Appendix 3 Achieving Future Council with new delivery models – the Benefits, Taxation and Income Team

We’ve taken time to really get to know our business units and look at everything we do within them – our processes, our systems and our ways of working, so we can make them the very best they can be. Looking at ways other business units are changing can often inspire us to think about potential changes in our own work areas. This is a shining example of where business units have delivered changes that have led to huge improvements. As part of Future Council the Benefits, taxation and Income (BTI) team have completely overhauled every part of their service and the way they work. This is now giving their customers a much more efficient journey. Lisa Smith, Head of Benefits, Taxation and Income has taken the time to tell us about these changes:

Tell us about the changes you’ve made We really needed to put our customers at the heart of our service, by helping them to get what they need from us quickly and easily. We knew that more customers are now online, and that people want to use this channel much more, at a time that suits them. We also knew we could streamline our internal processes in a way that would lead to financial savings. We’ve developed a brand new journey for our customers who claim benefits, pay council tax and apply for other benefits. To do this well, we’ve had to change every aspect of our service. We’ve totally changed the way we deal with customer enquiries. We used to have different teams dealing with different parts of the work. For example, one team would deal with council tax and another would deal with housing benefit. This meant our customers would have to speak to different people about their claims, and would find themselves repeating information. We now have a single, multi-skilled team of who can help with all claims. The customer only has to speak to one person. Another important change was moving free school meal assessments to our service area. Historically free school meals were the responsibility of education services, but now we look after this area, we can help people entitled to benefits to apply for this at the same time as they’re making their other claims. We’ve also changed the way our customers can contact us. We’ve made it easier for people to apply and interact with us online, so less people now need to phone us. For people who do need to talk to us, we used to have lots of contact numbers for different benefits and enquiries. We’ve now got just one main customer number for all enquiries. How have these changes helped our customers? The difference it has made to our customer has been huge in terms of efficiency, time and convenience. Customers now have one point of contact to deal with all their benefit claims, enquiries and bills. The same advisor will help the customer from start to finish. Online applications also save the customer time – forms take less time to complete and they’re processed more quickly – so customers receive their benefits more quickly. For our customers who’re not yet online, the form can also be completed over the phone with an advisor. The whole experience for the customer is so much better and less daunting. What are the benefits to you as a team and the organisation? One of the main benefits is the fulfilment it gives the team. They feel really rewarded by being able to see a job through from start to finish and help customers as much as possible, rather than helping with snippets and then passing customers from pillar to post.

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The changes have increased our efficiency with a huge reduction in duplication, and the online form software saves us a great deal of time. The software we use can identify high risk claims that need rigorous investigation. This means that our resources can be focused on investigating just the high risk claims instead of needing to verify all claims when many of them are low risk. Generic job profiles mean that our team members can be more flexible and can learn more about our business by working across different areas. It also means that at key times of the year, such as when the council tax bills go out, more team members can work on this to alleviate the pressure and keep our customers happy. What have the challenges been? We’ve delivered this change is really short timescales, with significant change taking place all at the same time. Team members have needed to learn new skills very quickly at the same time as new services were being introduced and they were uncertain about their personal futures. The new team that has been created has been amazing. They’ve taken a real sense of pride in helping to implement these changes, taken ownership and invested a great deal of time in wanting to achieve something that at first seemed very daunting. It’s incredible to look back and see what we’ve achieved in such a short space of time. What’s next? We’ll keep embedding the changes, monitoring as we go and striving for continual improvements. There’s more work to do in promoting the new services to customers and encouraging more people to apply on line. Our next big challenges are moving benefits and tax accounts online and e-billing, which will see a large proportion of our 104,000 annual bills being issues electronically rather than by post. This will save a lot of paper and thousands of pounds. How does your work fit into Future Council, and helping to meet the council’s priorities? When we started to look at the service and how we could increase efficiencies, we kept Future Council and the corporate priorities at the forefront of everything we did. Now we’re a great example of how the council can be more commercially minded, innovative and customer-focused. Our key focus has always been the customer – everything we have done has been with the customer in mind and we have succeeded in establishing a very customer focused service. We’ve empowered colleagues to take the lead, which has resulted in a dedicated, highly skilled, flexible and committed team. What would you say to inspire other teams to improve their ways of working? Don’t be scared! At the time it felt like an impossible task but look at what we’ve achieved – it’s incredible! We wouldn’t have got where we are without such a fantastic team. I’d encourage people to look at all their processes as a whole rather than in isolation, to make sure synergies are achieved and duplication is reduced. Most of all, colleagues should focus on how they can spend more of their time helping our customers. Lisa’s story is very inspiring, and I know that similar work is taking place across the council. Please share your examples with me for future issues of Terris talk.

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Appendix 4 Communities really do love where they live Love Where You Live aims to encourage people to take greater pride in our neighbourhood, helping to make them great places to work and live. The project already has some great results which couldn’t have been achieved without your help To celebrate the dedication of our local volunteers and to get more people involved, Love Where You Live and Voluntary Action Barnsley held a month-long volunteering event throughout June. We had lots of fantastic activities going on across the borough showing some great community spirit. Here’s a taster of some of the events that took place: Curtain call for volunteers at Dearne Playhouse Dearne Playhouse asked for volunteers to help out with the running of the theatre. There were lots of roles on offer including ticket tearing, bar work, technical assistants and stewards. Blooming great achievement in Cudworth Volunteers joined forces to spruce up Cudworth Park. Volunteer Ernie Oliver, 92 showed there was no age barrier to getting involved. His inspirational story was featured on ITV calendar. Litter pickers were streets ahead A team of litter pickers proved they love where they live by tidying the streets of Platts Common. Their clean-up efforts helped them to collect 34 bags of rubbish. Discovering creepy crawlies in our local parks A fun bug hunt in Penny Pie Park inspired people to enjoy their local park and to learn more about the nature living around them. A rosy future for Wilthorpe Park Volunteers were recruited to tidy Wilthorpe Park ready for the upcoming Yorkshire in Bloom competition. The rose garden, circular beds and the triangular sensory beds needed some extra hands to keep them blossoming. Sowing the seed of success in Springvale Volunteers helped to tend to shrubs and buds at Springvale Community Garden in Penistone. Thanks to all volunteers that gave their time to get involved – making a real difference to our local area. By taking greater pride in our neighbourhoods and looking after our communities, we are making them better places to work and live. People can find out about the volunteering opportunities in your local area by visiting www.volunteerinbarnsley.co.uk

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Appendix 5

Highlights from the Corporate Performance report

Barnsley Council has launched a new corporate plan which celebrates the major

achievements of the past three years and sets out our challenges, opportunities and

priorities over the next three years. The new, easy to read plan explains what the council

does, how they will do it, and how success will be measured. The plan also highlights

achievements made over the last three years and identifies the opportunities and

challenges ahead.

The council has changed so much over the last three years. This has challenged us to

deliver services in more innovative ways. Like many other public sector bodies, we face

many further challenges and changes over the next three years. Our corporate plan helps

us to be clear about our priorities, how we are going to work, and what we are going to

achieve with reducing resources. We have a high level of ambition and aspiration here in

Barnsley and will do our very best to support people, communities, partners and business

to thrive and achieve.

Some of the achievements from the past three years set out in the new plan include:

More people in work: 3,421 private sector jobs have been created and employment levels

of 72.5% take us higher than the regional and national averages

Support for business: 276 new businesses created in the past three years and 762

businesses supported to expand.

Town centre regeneration: Our Better Barnsley programme has started and

improvements in the town centre environment are already visible.

More visitors: 1 million visitors to Experience Barnsley in its first year, and a visitor

economy contribution of £60 million

Bright futures for our young people: Young people from Barnsley are more likely to be in

education, employment or training than their peers in South Yorkshire, with only 5.3% of 18

to 24 year olds not in employment, education or training

Improving schools: 81% of primary schools were rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding.

This is above the regional and national average

Good early years support: 85% of early years settings rated by Ofsted as good or

outstanding

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Raising aspirations: The I Know I Can programme has delivered a wide range of activities

to help support young people

Helping people to be independent at home: 641 people using Home Assessment and

Reablement services, and 1305 people using assistive technology to help them live

independent lives in their own homes.

More services online: 1.7 million web hits in 2015.

More people helping their local areas: 2400 volunteers contributed 12,4523 hours, with a

cashable value of £138,000.

The plan is supported by a new vision and values. Our inspiring new vision ‘Working

together for a brighter future, a better Barnsley’ was developed by our employees.

Supported by our new values, this will help us to drive change and improvement and help

us achieve our priorities. We want to work more with our communities, support people to

achieve their potential and we want our residents to feel and see that we’re making a real

difference together.

The council’s three priorities remain similar as these are still the areas that require the

greatest focus. These are:

Thriving and vibrant economy

People achieving their potential

Strong and resilient communities

These are supported by the concept of One Council, where everyone works together in a

culture that’s customer-focused and commercially-minded. Under each priority is a

number of key outcomes, which the council will monitor progress against on a quarterly

basis. The council will keep residents up to date about their achievements and areas for

improvement throughout the three year period.

To view the full plan, as well as the performance report measuring progress against the

previous corporate plan, visit www.barnsley.gov.uk/performance.