Sub regional project - Somerset Partnership Programme (ISiS Project)

Project Objectives and Scope

The programme objectives have been developed and agreed jointly by Somerset County Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council as it is crucial that both councils share the same vision and expectations as to what the strategic service partnership will achieve.

• To improve access to and delivery of customer–facing services

• To modernise, reduce the cost of and improve corporate, transactional and support services

• To help modernise and transform the overall workings of the County Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council

• To invest in new world class technologies to improve productivity

• To create an excellent working environment and a more sustainable employment future for staff

• To generate economic development by attracting a partner willing to invest in Somerset

These objectives are set against the need to provide customer focused service delivery, make efficiencies and provide value for money for the taxpayer. Whilst the Somerset County Council CPA score has advanced from ‘fair’ to ‘good’ over the last two years the Council’s aim is to be excellent, and although corporate support services is one part of the whole service it is widely recognised that a transformation in this area will impact across the whole organisation.

The base programme scope is centred on corporate support services currently provided by the Resources Directorate and includes the majority of functions in Finance, ICT, HR, Customer Services and Property Services, together with elements from Legal Services, and Somerset County Services.

The application for Regional Centre of Excellence funding is based on the need to ensure that the collaboration is effectively managed so as to maximise the programme’s potential and is therefore required to fund the ProgrammeManager role. This role is seen as crucial to the success of the collaboration and to ensuring that both councils are able to meet the procurement timetable and provide consistent data.

Anticipated gains from the project

There are a number of key benefits for the customer from the project

• Deliver services in the way customers want
• Offer multiple fully integrated customer access alternatives
• Offer self service and facilitated service options
• Ensure direct service delivery is available within as many of our communities as possible
• Ensure that service delivery decisions are taken as close to the customer as possible. This means empowering front line staff to become leaders of change
• Aim to continuously improve the quality, consistency, effectiveness and efficiency of services to deliver ongoing increased customer satisfaction
• Ensure social inclusiveness in service delivery
• Ensure that we organise ourselves and our services around the needs of the customer, not necessarily around our needs
• Ensure that customers do not need to know which level of local government provides the service they require, by providing seamless, joined up access with Taunton Deane Borough Council and other partners.

The efficiency savings for the local authorities are in the order of £m’s and will be quantified during the first phase of the project.

Wider implications and anticipated gains if it were successfully rolled out

The OJEU notice advertising this procurement will clearly state that it is the intention of the programme that the other District Councils in Somerset and other public sector bodies across the South West will be able to take advantage of the partnership’s portfolio of services under framework agreements. This is likely to happen on an incremental basis as services are re engineered.