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2014 Shortlist

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LGCplus.com Awards Shortlist 2014 Local Government Chronicle 3

A celebration of the bestin local governmentAcross the country individuals and teams in local government are working harder than ever before to meet the needs of their residents, despite increasing constraints

on time and budgets. They are working harder and smarter, innovating and finding new ways of doing things. They are putting service users at the heart of what they do.

They do so with little by way of thanks from the public, government or the wider media. Yet their work makes a difference to the lives of citizens and communities.

The LGC Awards was the first awards scheme launched to recognise that effort and achievement. In 2014 their role is more important than ever. It is right that we celebrate the successes, drive and determination of the best in local government, and we thank them for their work.

The following pages share some details about the organisations and projects that have made it through onto the shortlist for the LGC Awards 2014. I hope you enjoy reading the case studies and learning something about the projects.

The achievements have been hard won against the backdrop of another tough year. But local government has, once again, risen to the challenge and led others. Despite challenging times we had a record number of entries this year and the calibre was impressive.

All will now be put through their paces in be next stage of the judging process, where they will come face to face with our expert peer panels to present their cases and answer searching questions.

LGC is committed to sharing the learning from our finalists and winners, which is why we introduced a live judging stage for the council of the year and most improved categories. After receiving a visiting delegation of judges these finalists will once again face the panel for a final time on 12 March before the award ceremony that evening.

If you would like to join the audience to watch the judging - or perhaps inform your entry for next year - email [email protected] for details.

This year, for the first time, we will also be providing feedback reports after the awards. Each finalist will receive feedback from the judges, and we will also make available a pack for each category with the judges observations and information on the shortlisted entries. Look out for coverage in the spring.

Many congratulations to all those who have been shortlisted – a great achievement against stiff competition – and thank you for sharing your achievements with the sector.

Thanks must also go to our dedicated judges, who kindly give up their time to read entries and cross examine finalists.

And finally a big thank you to our business partners, who not only make the awards possible but also share their experience and expertise.

I look forward to seeing our finalists at the awards ceremony on 12 March and revealing who the winners are.

EMMA MAIER, EDITOR, LGC

Welcome

The stars of 2014

Zurich Municipal is a trading name of Zurich Insurance plc, a public limited company incorporated in Ireland Registration No. 13460. Registered Office: Zurich House, Ballsbridge Park. Dublin 4, Ireland. UK Branch registered in England and Wales,

Registration No. BR7985. UK Branch Head Office: The Zurich Centre, 3000 Parkway, Whiteley, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 7JZ. Authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Congratulations to all those

who have been shortlisted for the

2014 LGC Awards

We would like to congratulate all those who have been shortlisted for the 2014

LGC Awards. Zurich Municipal is particularly proud to support the Council of the

Year Award as we know how much time, effort and teamwork all the entrants have

put in. When local authorities realise their vision for positive change, the benefits

are felt by thousands, if not millions, of people. This means everybody wins.


Nicola Bulbeck, chief executive, Teignbridge DC Carolyn Downs, chief executive, LGA Andrew Jepp, director of public sector, Zurich Municipal Emma Maier, editor, LGC Mary Ney, chief executive, Greenwich LBC Becky Shaw, chief executive, East Sussex CC Dennis Skinner, head of leadership and productivity, LGA

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORZurich Municipal is proud to sponsor the prestigious 2014 LGC Council of the Year Award. It is especially important this year, given the ongoing challenges faced by authorities and the communities they serve.At Zurich Municipal we work with public sector organisations to help manage risk in these times of unprecedented change. It is uplifting to witness year on year the commitment of councils and their employees to deliver superior services and help improve residents’ lives. It is even more heartening to see them recognised.

DERBY CITY COUNCILDerby City Council takes pride in its leadership role in inspiring communities and local and international partners. It is proud of its role in regenerating the city and delivering the best possible outcomes. Its ‘one Derby, one council’ innovation programme is building on the success of its award-winning transformation programme, seeking innovative solutions to the city’s challenges. The ‘Derby Plan’ sets out a vision to ‘create a city for all through strong leadership and excellent customer-focused services’ and identifies three ‘big ambitions’ for the city to be a place that: inspires start in life; inspires working life; and is an inspiring place to live. Achievements of its ‘inspiring’ initiative include the number of schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted rising from 43% in July 2012 to 72% in September 2013.

DURHAM CCDurham CC prides itself on being ambitious, open to trying new things and beholding of a clear set of priorities. Its ‘altogether better’ plan is one example of the organisation’s priorities and sets out a precedent for collaborative community strategies. Across its six ‘altogether better’ themes, it is clear that making Durham ‘altogether wealthier’ is a top priority, hence the initiatives to realise Durham’s economic potential, major physical developments such as NETPark technology park and Durham Gate (the region’s largest mixed-use development) and its programme to boost tourism through Durham’s Year of Culture in 2013. Finally, its pioneering approach to engaging local communities through area action partnerships, neighbourhood budgets and participatory budgeting has won international acclaim. To date, it has involved more than 5,000 people in 2,200 projects. Partnership is a key part of this organisation’s success and Durham believes that it has a huge amount to offer its peers.

HACKNEY LBCHackney has gone from being the worst performing council in the UK to one of the very best in a decade. Under the leadership of mayor Jules Pipe, public services and infrastructure in Hackney have been transformed. Schools, leisure facilities, public transport, parks and libraries have all seen significant levels of investment and improvement, giving Hackney one of the most impressive public service offers in the capital. The transformation of Hackney’s public services has created the conditions for the unprecedented economic regeneration Hackney is now experiencing, with rapid growth in the technology, creative and hospitality sectors. Key achievements include £82m of savings over four years without reducing services; frozen council tax for the ninth consecutive year; and all of its maintained and academy secondary schools being rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.

OLDHAM MBCOldham MBC is looking to build a co-operative borough where everybody does their bit and is delivering this by developing a new model of public service delivery, working with partners and residents to redesign and co-produce services. Its ‘Fair Energy’ campaign saw 8,726 households sign-up to switch supplier, delivering average savings of £171 per household. Its ‘Fair Fares’ campaign saw First Bus Group introduce a whopping 28% reduction in weekly bus fares, saving residents money and removing a potentially significant barrier to work. Residents in this borough expect and receive high-quality services. The council is building upon a foundation of excellent services and strong financial management. Its co-operative approach is enabling it to transform Oldham, lead public-service reform nationally and reinvigorate its democratic leadership role to build a borough where everybody does their bit.

STAFFORDSHIRE CCStaffordshire CC is exploiting the changing face of local government to rethink how it better delivers sustainable results for local people. Its vision is to create a ‘connected Staffordshire, where everyone has the opportunity to prosper, be healthy and be happy’. Through innovation, commissioning and rapid action, it made significant strides towards this vision in 2012-13. It launched the UK’s largest integrated health and social care trust, made ground-breaking regeneration deals with district councils and developed a new commissioning approach. It has avoided a cut and shut approach while making £46m of savings in 2012-13 on top of £97m savings in the three preceding years. Customer insight is at the heart of its business planning, led by an in-house insight team, to ensure residents’ priorities underpin transformation.

WAKEFIELD MDCWakefield MDC has a long and sustained track record of success. Even in the most challenging economic and financial climate for local government since the 1930s, it has continued to deliver and go forward. In 2013 it improved performance across the organisation at an even faster rate than 2012, continued the transformation of the city centre and remained a low spending but high achieving council – with the fifth lowest council tax of all metropolitan authorities. An example of its modernising and saving is the completion of the Wakefield One complex in October 2012, a modern, user-focused, one-stop shop for council services now handling about 25,000 calls and 15,000 visitors a month to its customer access point, as well as saving more than £1m annually in accommodation costs and freeing up several former sites for disposal.

Council of the Year Award


LUTON BCLuton has been disproportionately affected by spending cuts and it has sought to harness the need to change to bring about positive improvements to its organisation and borough. Luton BC continues to maintain its focus on putting the needs of its residents first in everything it does and in October 2012 published its ‘Prospectus for Luton’. It is a road map to put Luton and its citizens in the strongest possible position to take advantage of the opportunities that exist. It is founded upon three themes: of improving learning; supporting the vulnerable; and nurturing business education and learning. An example of quantitative improvements shows the proportion of Luton pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades including English and Maths increased by 12% between 2009 and 2012 and the gap in performance between Luton and nationally narrowed from 5% to 1%. More and more people are noticing the positive work going on in Luton.

NORWICH CITY COUNCILThe Norwich City Council of a few years ago would be unrecognisable today. Finance was weak, resulting in unexpected overspends and qualified accounts (two section 11 notices), frontline services performed poorly, it had a zero-star housing service and low recycling rates and little focus on customers and performance. Its improvement work since then has transformed the council. It now performs well and is considered a good partner. It is motivated and wants to continually improve performance. This radical transformation has been achieved while simultaneously delivering approximately £23m of recurring general fund revenue savings during the past five years, equating to more than a 33% reduction in its gross controllable spend. The first few years of its improvement and transformation journey was also achieved while the council was in no overall political control. External verification of its improvement and its blueprint for the future initially came through a successful peer challenge in March 2012. The city of Norwich is a tale of two cities. It is now an innovative, creative city with the fastest growing population in the east of England.

SUFFOLK CCSuffolk is a mixed county made up of largely rural communities and villages interspersed with larger towns such as Ipswich, Felixstowe, Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft. Its size and diversity means that service delivery and communications can be difficult. It is also a predominantly affluent county but has significant areas of deprivation, centred in the major towns and in some areas of the rural community. In 2012, the political and officer leadership within the council set a series of clear priorities and performance improvement targets. These included: economic growth and jobs; education; building on Suffolk’s strengths; supporting vulnerable people; and localism. This has been a major piece of cultural change across the organisation delivering a more proactive, creative and entrepreneurial culture in all activities. Suffolk CC has since had extremely significant growth and improvement in all of these areas. For example, the overall employment rate of working-age people has increased from 74.3% to 76.9% in the past year.

THURROCK COUNCILThurrock Council has brought stability and innovation to a council previously judged inadequate and riven by managerial and political upheaval and tensions. It has developed a comprehensive growth plan to deliver 26,000 jobs and 18,500 homes by 2021 and delivered £30m savings over three years while increasing reserves. It has also created a housing company to kick-start house building and transformed how it works by sharing a chief executive with a London borough and opening up working arrangements to create a more open culture. Thurrock Council has transformed itself: rated inadequate by inspectors in 2009, a peer review found it was ‘stable’ by 2011. The council has continued that upward trajectory with strong financial performance, an ambitious growth agenda and new ways of working. Strong leadership and cultural change meant that it achieved ‘gold’ accreditation in Investors in People in 2013. Assessors highlighted strengths in strategic planning and performance, learning and development, leadership, culture and communications. Thurrock has shown that clear, energetic leadership and a consistent narrative can transform a council from ‘bottom of the league’ to ‘gold standard’.

Most Improved Council of the Year Award

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORAs a supporter of the LGC Awards for nearly a decade, Agilisys recognises the importance of highlighting and celebrating excellence. We are proud to sponsor the Most Improved Council Award again this year, and look forward to seeing the innovative and inspiring ways councils are meeting today’s challenges. The awards provide a fantastic opportunity for councils and their partners not only to recognise success but also to share knowledge and best practice, something we are delighted to be part of.

JUDGES Kay Andrews, executive director, Agilisys Michael Coughlin, executive director, LGA Charlie Parker, chief executive, Oldham MBC Joanna Simons, chief executive, Oxfordshire CC Chris Smith, deputy editor, LGC Nick Walkley, chief executive, Haringey LBC

We are proud to sponsor the LGC Business Transformation Award

Working in partnership with local authorities to design and deliver genuinely innovative solutions that address local needs.www.capita.co.uk/consulting

@Capita_Consult

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BABERGH DC AND MID SUFFOLK DC With leadership from the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Member Integration Board, Babergh and Mid Suffolk DCs are implementing a major change programme, ‘Smaller, Smarter, Swifter’. They have developed a new delivery model for local government integrating management and staff, encouraging a more flexible and collaborative culture to deliver optimum outcomes with reduced resources while maintaining the democratic integrity of each council. Their approach is threefold, focusing on three aspects of leadership and management: organisation structure; systems, policies and processes; and cultural.

CHERWELL DC AND SOUTH NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNCILIn 2010, Cherwell DC & South Northamptonshire Council recognised the need to take decisive action to protect the services they were delivering. Both councils agreed to develop a full business case setting out the beginning of business transformation. This proposed the senior management team of both authorities (31 posts) could be reduced to deliver the same level of services with 15 senior managers, saving in excess of £1m per annum. The ‘transformation challenge’ project has targetted the core of both councils through the delivery of eight major projects.

CHESHIRE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service has become a non-traditional supplier of early intervention and prevention initiatives. This entry recognises the achievements of its community risk reduction activities during 2012/13. It has been able to shift funding from frontline emergency response to early intervention; risk reduction is now an embedded culture. The service targets vulnerable people with home safety assessments, identifying risk relating to age, gender, geodemographics and response times on a household-by-household basis.

CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER COUNCIL The unitary council of Cheshire West and Chester is one of the most progressive in the country. It aims to make public services more responsive to citizens’ needs and achieve ‘better for less’ within a strong cultural framework, with values shared by managers, staff and partners. It is doing this by tearing up the traditional town hall model and creating a new ‘blueprint for local government’. At the heart of this is the drive to develop new ways of working to address issues such as unemployment, skills, domestic abuse, care for older people and support for families in need. The council has been among the pioneers of joint procurement and sharing services, saving nearly £9m.

CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION City of London Corporation made a commitment to recognise the value of the unique services offered

through its diverse departments. It is committed to London Living Wage principles, to supporting small and medium enterprises and the valued work of social enterprises. The Procurement and Procure-to-Pay (PP2P) programme was the platform by which these commitments were achieved. PP2P is a partnership between the Corporation and Accenture to deliver third-party sourcing savings as well as to set up a centralised procurement and procure-to-pay service. The City of London Procurement Service has achieved savings (as a percentage of spend under control) of 7.29%.

ESSEX CC Essex CC has embarked on a transformation journey enabled by the strategy, transformation and commissioning support function. The first phase of this journey, which began in 2010, aimed to reduce costs through improved internal processes and create a more unified, streamlined organisation with fewer layers and a greater sense of shared purpose. This phase is now completed and has changed the mindset of the organisation and put in place the building blocks from which further transformation can be achieved. Collectively more than 50 transformation projects delivered £364m of annual savings in 2012/13 as well as improving services.

SOUTHWARK LBCSouthwark has created an entirely new customer experience for residents. Doing away with concepts of ‘front’ and ‘back office’, it has developed a new inhouse operating model where service experts work with customer care professionals on a peer-to-peer basis. In the transition year it constructed a new contact centre; opened two new retail style access points; created 40 new apprenticeships; signed up 50,000 users to its My Southwark portal; achieved SOCITIM’s 4* rating for its website; put housing applications online; raised overall satisfaction; and achieved £3m in savings.

STAFFORDSHIRE CCThe scale of the economic challenge facing Staffordshire CC led it to embark on an ambitious journey to become a strategic commissioning organisation. It needed to achieve financial savings of £36m through transformational change in the 2012/13 financial year, on top of the £35m of savings delivered in 2011/2012. Its transformation programme includes more than 30 complex projects designed to deliver benefits and improve outcomes. Public satisfaction is now at its highest ever level (72%) among residents. In 2012/13, the transformation programme embedded new ways of working, protected frontline service delivery and improved outcomes for individuals and communities, while also delivering savings of £46m.

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORCapita’s consulting business is supporting local authorities through major changes in the way that they deliver services, making sure they achieve what’s required of them, but also helping them make the most of the opportunities that arise from change. In these difficult times of austerity, authorities are looking to the leading transformers to learn from new ways of working and identify how critical services can be delivered more effectively. The LGC Awards recognise and reward those who are working at today’s leading edge – delivering services in more effective, economic and innovative ways than ever before. We are delighted to be associated with these prestigious awards.

Awards Shortlist 2014 Local Government Chronicle 9

Business Transformation Award JUDGES Niall Bolger, chief executive, Sutton LBC Carl Brooks, director, local government, Capita Consulting Peter Bungard, chief executive, Gloucestershire CC Gavin Jones, chief executive, Swindon BC Adam Wilkinson, chief executive, Derby City Council

JUDGES Andrew Kerr, chief executive, Cornwall Council Diana Terris, chief executive, Barnsley MBC Cormac Smith, head of communications, Basildon BC

BRAINTREE DC In June 2010, Braintree DC began the ‘Green Heart of Essex’ campaign, with the ambition of making the district one of the cleanest and greenest in the UK. The council had undertaken previous successful litter campaigns, concentrating on awareness and education that car littering was an offence. However, two years on it found that for its campaign to be effective, changes to its campaigning style had to be made. What followed was the hard hitting and controversial ‘TOSSER’ car litter campaign. Media attention was intense, carried out through radio and national press coverage. This successful and daring campaign led to a 17% rise in public land clear of refuse and public satisfaction of 89%.

CHARNWOOD BC The ‘Don’t Muck Around’ campaign was launched in 2011 to tackle dog fouling, cigarette litter and fly-tipping. The objectives were: to raise awareness of these environmental crimes and the associated penalties over a three-month campaign; and to use effective communication to reduce the number of incidents of environmental crime in hotspot areas and raise awareness of the campaign brand. The campaign has had positive results, with public awareness of cigarette litter penalties increasing by 19%; awareness of dog fouling penalties increasing by 5.1%; and awareness of duty of care increasing by 11.1%.

CROYDON LBC Croydon LBC was an early adopter of the benefit cap and faced enormous communication challenges: it needed to ensure those affected understood the impact of the changes and the need to take action. In autumn 2012, the council established the welfare reform project with its third sector and private sector partners. The Croydon Welfare Reform Project used various approaches to take on board the evolving stages of the reforms and the needs of different customers. The impact of the campaign can be demonstrated by a positive engagement with nearly 900 most profoundly affected households; no increase in evictions; 89% of customers paying council tax for the first time meeting their payments; and a 16.6% reduction in unemployment compared with the previous year.

ESSEX CC ‘Dementia’, Essex CC’s first integrated health campaign, encouraged residents to live a healthier lifestyle and adopt behaviours that can delay the onset of dementia. This could translate into significant savings for the council, as social care support is therefore reduced for these residents later in life. The campaign drew on findings from Essex CC’s ‘Thinking Fit’ research pilot, which looked at delaying dementia through a combination of cognitive and kinaesthetic learning and physical activity.

LAMBETH LBC In January 2013, Lambeth LBC launched a campaign to save Clapham fire station after it was named one of 12 threatened with closure by the mayor of London. However, with 11 campaigns being run in other parts of London, the council had to use creative methods to get its message across. The organisation exceeded its objective of making the mayor and first authority chair aware of key messages and to persuade them to reverse the closure proposal through various methods of lobbying and campaigning. Its work resulted in 50% of Lambeth residents saying they had heard about the campaign, a 6,000 strong petition and backing from 95% of local Lambeth businesses. The six-month campaign also proved that great practice can be achieved with minimal cost, at £7,900.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATIONDuring the severe winter of 2009/10, councils appeared to be unprepared for snow and communications activity was generally poor, resulting in subsequent negative media coverage. This area is a key driver of public satisfaction and for 2012/13 the LGA developed ‘True Grit’, a winter readiness campaign to ensure resident satisfaction was maintained. Working with councils as early as late summer, it promoted the use of early photocalls and events to demonstrate councils preparing for winter. It also promoted a winter readiness survey and Winter Watch web page with LGA and council press releases, case studies, a Q&A and links to related documents. This has led to councils becoming increasingly more aware of the good practice of other authorities. Some 72% of the public are satisfied with how their council deals with winter weather, up from 62%, and the LGA is firmly established as the ‘go-to’ organisation for media.

WWiSH – WARRINGTON, WIGAN AND ST HELENS COUNCILS WWiSH Adoption is a shared local authority adoption service established in 2012 and delivered via a partnership between the neighbouring authorities of Warrington, Wigan and St Helens. This nomination relates to the WWiSHing tree campaign, launched in October 2012. Following analysis of input from focus groups of previous adopters, questionnaire responses from those currently undertaking the process and extensive service knowledge, it was clear prospective adopters did not want images of models or anonymised/fictional accounts of children. The campaign centred around a life-sized foamex tree featuring ‘leaves’ containing handwritten messages from each of the 66 children currently awaiting adoption with WWiSH. The campaign saw an increase in prospective adopter enquiries from 10 to 15 per month and 2,230 unique visitors to the campaign website.

LGCplus.com10 Local Government Chronicle Awards Shortlist 2014

Campaign of the Year AwardNEW

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BARKING AND DAGENHAM LBC The Pitstop programme is designed for those children with complex behavioural and emotional needs who have experienced many placement breakdowns. The aim is to teach children skills needed to be able to live successfully in families, avoiding more placement breakdowns and, ultimately, to they avoid requiring residential care. The council has overcome many challenges through the hard work of a highly motivated team and various partnerships. Since the programme began in 2009, there has been a 50% reduction in the number of children in residential settings, with 88% successfully completing the programme - 85% of whom were living in the same stable homes a year after.

EALING LBC Pathways is an outstanding, ambitious, multi-disciplinary team from the social care, youth and connexions, youth offending and regeneration service. The team works in creative partnerships to support vulnerable young people aged 16-24 to access employment and training and build a better future. It uses innovative, youth-led approaches to engage with young people including radio, word of mouth, newsletters, websites, music and videos. One of its aims is to have clear annual reduction of NEETs (young people not engaged in education, employment and training) and it has exceed initial targets for this by 3.3%.

LANCASHIRE CC The council’s ‘looked after children’ strategy has directly led to a refreshed commissioning plan that gives young people a greater say in service design and delivery. However, the outstanding element of this nomination is the creation of Golden Raven Productions, an independent film production company formed by six disabled young people aged 11 to 17. For their first production they scripted and produced their own short film, Beyond All Limits. Viewers reported a strong and immediate emotional response upon seeing the youngster’s on-screen accomplishments. The production company model is now fully integrated with existing youth services.

NORTH YORKSHIRE CC North Yorkshire CC Residential and Edge of Care Services has created a campaign to improve outcomes for children and young people by tackling risk taking behaviours and supporting parents and carers in the home. The intent of the campaign is ‘to work intensively with families in crisis where there is a risk of placement breakdown’. The outreach service supports young people on the ‘edge of care’ or at risk of placement breakdown. It provides a frontline

service with timely, consistent and flexible approaches to working with challenging young people. A key feature is a 24/7 telephone support line and the availability of workers to make evening and weekend visits. In addition to providing children and young people with developmental and social opportunities, it also indirectly provides respite to both the participant and parents/carers.

POWYS CC The Powys Children and Young Peoples Partnership (CYPP) is a strategic, multi-agency partnership that includes active, senior-level representation from children’s services, health services, police, justice services, education, housing and the third sector. The CYPP and its partners have taken a collaborative approach to commissioning and delivering efficient early intervention and prevention services that aim to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families. Its multi-agency, holistic commissioning approach has already provided efficiency savings.

TOWER HAMLETS LBC Tower Hamlets’ Children and Families Plan (2012/15) sets out its vision for all children and young people and provides the policy framework through which it commissions services. The plan has identified a number of cross-cutting principles to guide the commissioning and delivery of services, among them: early help and responsive universal services; managing effective transition between services; positive family and wider social relationship; and early detection and treatment of disability and illness. This last principle, in particular, is delivered through a multi-agency, virtual team that is able to respond to the wide-ranging needs of disabled children and families in a co-ordinated way.

WARRINGTON BC In the past four years Warrington’s Children and Young People’s Services has undergone a radical transformation - from an Ofsted notice to improve in 2009 to effective, good quality services that make a positive difference to the lives of children, young people and their families. Clear direction and an accountable leadership team have been a central component in improving the service; this includes the appointment of a new senior leadership team. The team led various successful service improvement strategies, resulting in a positive 2012/13 Ofsted report for three children’s centres. The final report on the pilot inspection judged arrangements in Warrington to be ‘good’ across the four key outcomes: the effectiveness of help provided; the quality of practice; leadership governance; and partnerships and overall effectiveness.


Children’s Services Award JUDGES Derrick Anderson, chief executive, Lambeth LBC Dr Maggie Atkinson, The Children’s Commissioner for England Mark Rogers, chief executive, Solihull MBC

Reason says:delivering savings impacts quality.

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Reason says:delivering savings impacts quality.

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BARKING AND DAGENHAM LBC WITH ELEVATE The council has created a joint venture with Agilisys that enables it to access the skills, expertise and economies of scale that the private sector can offer. This partnership, established as a limited liability partnership – Elevate East London (Elevate) – involves delivering services through more effective and less costly methods. Agilisys brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a depth of expertise to bear, alongside the council’s significant strength in service provision and community focus. The Elevate board is made up of representatives from Agilisys and the council, so that both parties work in true partnership. Unlike many outsourcing arrangements, this partnership has been able to change to reflect the prevailing economic climate, enabling an ebb and flow of commercial terms without dispute. The partnership implemented innovative solutions that made real improvements for the council and its customers and which demonstrated the success of their joint working.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE CCCorporate governance is innovative and distinctive in Buckinghamshire. Members are leading innovation in public service reform, demonstrably driving policy development and decision-making, and their roles in transparently monitoring and challenging performance on behalf of residents are proactive and tangibly supporting better outcomes. Strong corporate governance is at the heart of the arrangements for the new delivery models, so that members’ democratic mandate is directly influencing activity, whether of in-house or arms-length delivery units so that they achieve outcomes for our residents that are of a high quality, efficient and cost effective. Member-led governance within the council has prompted critical challenge to ‘how things are done’ in Buckinghamshire.

EAST RENFREWSHIRE COUNCILThe implementation of a strong risk management focus across the council has improved both the delivery of the service and the service offering and increased overall customer satisfaction. This is a council that is risk aware, rather than risk averse. Since 2003, the council has worked tirelessly using innovation to embed risk management into the duties of every operational supervisor. A questionnaire was sent to all the council’s operational supervisors to find out their perception of risks in 13 topic areas. Their feedback was then used to produce a risk management strategy and action plan. A corporate risk management group with departmental champions was set up to assist with the implementation of the risk management strategy. Significant financial savings have been made as a

result of this initiative, including a £211,000 saving on the annual insurance premium, through introducing robust risk management process, improved workforce planning and better financial planning.

MEDWAY COUNCIL The ‘Sharing the Gain’ CCTV partnership was initiated following announcements of local government public spending cuts of approximately £1.2bn, whereby Medway Council was required to reduce its deficit by £25m. There was a clear need for radical changes in the organisation’s structure and operating models. Medway Control Centre explored alternative delivery models that would create more efficient ways of operating to protect frontline services, while dealing with budget reductions and spending restraints. In a capital-intensive industry, local authorities were (and still are) looking to outsource their CCTV functions in an effort to reduce public spending. Tangible successes were realised at initiation, when the project came within time and budget. Fundamental to this success was undoubtedly the robust governance model that was applied from the outset.

OLDHAM MBCAfter a disappointing score for ‘use of resources’ from the 2006/7 Audit Commission, Oldham MBC realised that to deliver improved governance and financial probity, three ‘statutory recommendations’ would require immediate implementation. In 2009, the council set out its aspiration to deliver significant organisational change and become a ‘co-operative council’. The transformation agenda, ‘Repositioning Oldham‘, included cultural change, significant improvements to service and operational performance and the development of an effective and fully integrated governance and financial management framework. Four focuses of the framework are: managing demand for services; changing the way services are delivered; working together; and transforming business.

ST HELENS MBCSt Helen’s MBC has learnt that when it comes to good governance what matters is why it uses the principles it does, how they are applied, the differences they make and what they deliver. Some of the elements to its framework effectively embedded and adhered to are: effective, transparent decision making; strong engagement from members, officers, partners and co-opted members of the community; a strong, medium-term financial strategy that has real political ownership; and a regular and effective approach to reporting by members covering budget variance and required action.

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSOR

Grant Thornton is delighted to continue the sponsorship of LGC’s Corporate Governance Award, which is now in its third year. Good governance has always been key to local authority success. As authorities face the challenges and opportunities ahead, strong corporate governance will become even more critical to making effective decisions in an open, transparent and accountable way, delivering long-term financial stability and excellent public services. Congratulations to the shortlisted authorities for their contribution to the development of corporate governance and for their support for this award.Paul Dossett Head of local governmentT 020 7728 3180E [email protected]

Corporate Governance Award JUDGES Jessica Crowe, executive director, Centre for Public Scrutiny Simon Lowe, chairman, Grant Thornton Governance Institute David McNulty, chief executive, Surrey CC Nick Walkley, chief executive, Haringey LBC


Community Involvement Award JUDGES Kirsty Cole, deputy chief executive, Newark & Sherwood DC Martin Swales, chief executive, South Tyneside MBC Julian Wain, chief executive, Gloucester City Council

BARNSLEY MBC For eight years, Barnsley’s communities worked alongside council officers, members and partners to create a new museum in the town’s historic town hall. As a museum, Experience Barnsley has already attracted national acclaim. The project has transformed a significant part of the town, is attracting visitors to Barnsley and exciting them about places to explore across the metropolitan borough. It is a source of huge pride to local communities; thousands helped to create it. Now open, Experience Barnsley is still proving a real focus for a diverse variety of groups and organisations to contribute and work together. The engagement activities that marked its creation continue to thrive and the project has contributed significantly to the council’s corporate priorities.

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL – PING! BRUM TABLE TENNISBirmingham City Council’s sport and healthy lifestyles team aims to reduce health inequalities that exist in the city. The approach it uses is to provide a number of physical activities free of charge and easily accessible, particularly in areas of high deprivation. The Ping! Brum table tennis festival and year-round participation through subsequent table donation, addresses these aims directly. Altogether, 64 tables and 4,000 bats went out across the city hosted by a total of 57 third sector organisations.

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL – TACKLING ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOURWith antisocial behaviour becoming a concern for local residents, it was evident to Birmingham City Council that a new approach was needed. The council’s safer communities team identified a way to get involved with residents to deal with and prevent further incidents of antisocial behaviour and offer an extensive package of support to the perpetrators to prevent reoffending. The actions taken by the safer communities team to achieve these aims support a Birmingham City Council priority enabling communities to ‘enjoy a high quality of life - Stay Safe in Clean, Green Neighbourhoods’.

CHERWELL DC AND SOUTH NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNCIL Cherwell DC and South Northamptonshire Council wanted to maximise service take up, bring services to local people in neighbourhoods where there are low levels of engagement, improve trust and develop relationships between service providers and local communities. Their starting point was the local strategic partnership and its vision of ‘a diverse economy with opportunities for all, vibrant communities connected by a sense of pride, place and purpose’. The solution arrived at was simple and cost effective – interesting, accessible, fun and free events, which connect local people with service

providers and new opportunities in a place and time that suits the community, rather than service providers. At its heart, Connecting Communities is different because it starts with the community and also because it is able to offer great value at low cost. From increasing volunteering to improved service take up, better local networks, young people’s participation, satisfaction with local neighbourhoods, reduced fear of crime and community participation, the benefits of the programme have been wide.

HAVERING LBC Havering LBC’s library service has been recognised as exemplary by local people and recently by a leading inspection body for customer service excellence – and a key driving force behind this is the service’s dedicated corps of volunteers. This, together with its commitment to offering extensive book stock in a physical and virtual form, and hosting popular events and activities across the borough, has made it one of the council’s most popular services. As a result, 81 per cent of residents who responded in a recent borough-wide survey said they were happy with the library service and a significant increase in membership has been achieved. Strategies to encourage new volunteers and ensure sustainability of the volunteering programme include social networking and e-marketing.

SWALE BC Swale BC aims to extend the principles of localism to every part of its service delivery. To encourage this approach it is promoting freedom and enterprise, playing its part to encourage community responsibility in the borough. In the context of the government’s localism policy it has adopted ‘Embracing Localism’ as one of its three corporate priorities to develop over three years. By ‘Going Local’, Swale BC is giving communities the opportunity to improve the cost effectiveness and the social value of the services that they receive. It provides a way forward for the improvement and the reshaping of services to suit the needs of local residents.

WARRINGTON BC The Warrington ‘Safe Places’ scheme empowers vulnerable people to enjoy the freedom to travel around the town and is innovative and ambitious both in the way it is delivered and its scope. It also offers excellent value for public investment, helping to reduce expensive long-term care and medical costs. The scheme recruits accessible buildings such as shops, supermarkets, banks, community centres and libraries to display the scheme logo and train staff to provide help and support when it is needed, be it a friendly face, somewhere to sit down or to contact their carer for them. Feedback from people with learning disabilities has been extremely positive.


JUDGES Nina Dawes, former chief executive, Lichfield DC Sean Harriss, chief executive, Bolton MBC Martin Reeves, chief executive, Coventry City Council

BURNLEY BCBurnley is focused on being consistently business friendly and is deeply committed to partnership working. Its ‘total business environment’ model provides far more business support services than most councils of its size. Most recently, its approach has led to the bringing forward of prime ‘Grade A’ development land for employment and the creation of Burnley’s Knowledge Quarter. In August 2013, Burnley was named the most enterprising place in the UK.

BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCILThe Greater Brighton Economic Board is establishing a nexus of creative, ‘eco’ and digital growth hubs to bring together artists, scientists, businesses and social entrepreneurs to address the social aspirations and market opportunities of the future. The council’s ambition is to develop this into vibrant, long-term partnership including future participation with the South Downs National Park Authority, with which it is seeking to establish a UN-designated ‘Bio-Sphere’ linking the park to its city region. Its two universities, Sussex and Brighton, are central to achieving this ambition. They are two of the most significant ‘anchor’ businesses in the borough, supporting about 12,000 jobs and contributing nearly £1bn to the local economy. The council has also created ‘The Fusebox’, a learning and support centre specifically designed for businesses operating in a disruptive, digital business environment.

DERBY CITY COUNCIL In 2004, Derby City Council launched a masterplan to attract £2bn of investment and create 10,000 new jobs. In 2009, the council leader and chief executive led the revamping of structures to prepare, implement and monitor the city’s economic regeneration strategy. The Derby Renaissance Board was established with a mix of partners from all sectors. Two examples of changes made by this restructuring are the council’s £17m regeneration fund, which aims to give developers financial assistance to kick-start schemes that had stalled during the recession, and a £20m business support programme, which offers self-sustaining funding through returns on investment.

GREENWICH RBCGreenwich has benefited from strong political leadership setting out a clear, ambitious vision for how growth can underpin its strategic priorities of addressing poverty and social exclusion. Responding to the national economic outlook, and building on its long-term vision for regeneration, the council made significant interventions in 2012/13, including a comprehensive growth strategy focusing on job creation; and new housing and initiatives to grow the technology sector, tourism and river transport. It recognises the need for flexibility and uses the council’s leadership to facilitate growth through the use of its assets, influencing investment decisions and supporting partners.

HACKNEY LBCThe London Borough of Hackney is booming. The tech

sector, digital, creative economies, hospitality and retail now represent more than 60% of the borough’s 12,455 businesses, creating opportunities, where there was once derelict space. Hackney is in fifth position in overall economic performance out of all local authority areas in England and Wales, according to the Local Future survey, seventh for business enterprise and ninth for growth in business stock, which has grown by 30% since 2004. New developments and business proposals are evaluated for their job creation potential and supply industry benefits. Its select development partners, who align to its strategies and share its vision for Hackney, actively seek likeminded companies to move in. It is leading the way in fostering a dynamic micro-economy within a major global city, and using that growth for the benefit of its citizens.

NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCILNorth East Lincolnshire is an area of much diversity and opportunity offering significant future potential. The council is working hard to capitalise on this by creating a dynamic environment to enable business growth and the creation of sustainable jobs. The economic development and inward investment service is delivered through the North East Lincolnshire Regeneration Partnership, which is a partnership between Balfour Beatty Workplace and North East Lincolnshire Council. During 2012-13, the council embarked on a planning project to ‘fast-track’ developments related to key employment sectors. This has seen planning permission granted earlier than the government’s target date. The council also offers a number of programmes to give help and support to SMEs, including a wage subsidy scheme, an apprenticeship grant scheme and a SME grant fund.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CCWith confidence in the local economy low, growing levels of youth unemployment and an increasingly difficult economic climate for SMEs, decisive action was required. The council approved a ‘prosperity fund’ of more than £2m per annum for a three year period commencing April 2011, a number of targeted loans and a programme of activity to stimulate economic growth. Northamptonshire is ready, willing and able to help Britain in the global race for prosperity. Its ambitions are clear: 70,000 new jobs and 80,000 new homes in the next 15 years. Its flagship initiative is INV-ENT - the Innovation and Enterprise Fund – designed to stimulate growth through a business rate rebate of up to £20k.

THURROCK COUNCILThurrock Council’s community strategy prioritises education and growth that will provide jobs for local people, improve health outcomes and reduce demand for public services. The transfer of the Thames Gateway Development Corporation’s responsibilities to the council on 1 April 2012 symbolised the influence, stability and confidence of the council. Its growth agenda will see council investment of £300m matched by £250m from central government, levering in £6bn of private sector investment to create 26,000 jobs and 18,500 homes in Thurrock by 2026.

Driving Growth AwardNEW

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LGCplus.com Awards Shortlist 2014 Local Government Chronicle17

BEXLEY LBCValue for money for residents is a key priority for Bexley LBC. In 2010, a four-year programme of efficiency saving, known as ‘Strategy 2014’, was developed as a response to government expectations for local authorities to deliver more for less. The overall aim was to save £33m by 2013/14. As the council began thinking about the budget challenges a year before, an organisational restructure in 2010/11 delivered an additional £3.5m of savings but more importantly put in place a management structure to enable more efficient service delivery in the future. Strategy 2014 will exceed its original target, achieving about £35.5m of efficiency savings.

CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE COUNCILCentral Bedfordshire Council was created in 2009, following a local government review. This was a contentious process and the shadow authority had less than a year to prepare itself for transition. Four years on and the council has a sustainable medium-term financial plan and has protected the public from service cuts or tax increases. It has adopted a more commercial focus, maximising the use of technology to improve efficiency; this has completely changed customer satisfaction, with 72% of people believing that the council offers value for money. Among the achievements of this agenda is a 25% reduction in senior management and efficiency savings of more than £50m. As the council continues to navigate its way through extremely challenging financial times, it is maintaining its engagement with residents through consultation and setting budgets that reflect the views and priorities of local people.

CROYDON LBCThe council undertook a major service review within its customer services division with a view to better serving residents. It found a high volume of transactions could take place through alternative channels, allowing residents more flexibility in how they access council services. This approach would also be more cost effective and allow the council to focus on delivering more complex transactions with vulnerable customers. A review of existing customer profiles and workshops with key service stakeholders led to a series of recommendations and the formation of the customer access strategy.

DERBY CITY COUNCILOver the past three years Derby City Council has delivered £67.4m of savings with further targets of £63.3m to deliver by March 2017. To date, 70% have been transformational/efficiency savings with only 30% delivered through reducing or stopping services. The council’s drive for efficiency has been underpinned by an ambitious programme of transformation and improvement. For the past three years it has achieved a ‘green’ value for money judgement from external auditors. Derby’s commitment to efficiency and improvement is based on three things, vision, leadership and ambition.

DURHAM CCProviding ‘altogether better council’ services and making County Durham ‘altogether greener’ are key themes for the council. June 2013 saw it successfully complete one of its biggest transformational programmes – the Durham County Council Waste Programme. This has successfully transformed waste services to deliver responsive, high-quality services, while massively reducing cost, increasing value for money and introducing improved ways of working. The new arrangements across the entire waste management portfolio have generated £4m savings and significantly increased landfill diversion and recycling performance.

EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE COUNCILEast Riding of Yorkshire Council has a very low level of revenue support grant per head of population. This, combined with a predominantly dispersed rural population, has resulted in a dynamic approach to innovation. The council has taken advantage of previous forward planning to deal with a 45% expenditure reduction, £70m, with a planned, strategic approach over a seven-year period rather than unplanned panic cuts. Savings of £12m have been achieved to date, with £23.5m on target to achieve by 2014-15 and the remainder planned from 2014-15 to 2017-18.

FENLAND DCA cut of 14.2% to accommodate efficiency savings has not deterred Fenland DC from pursuing excellence. It remains determined to succeed, rising to the challenge through strong political leadership, management, business transformation, staff engagement and effective communication. Last year it achieved an under-spend of £25,000 on its General Fund and contributed to reserves, helping to manage the continuing financial challenge of the medium term. Its business transformation approach was ‘The Modernisation Programme’, which holistically explored efficiency opportunities with staff without focusing on budget cuts. This clever thinking involved an organisational-wide modernisation of working practices and arrangements, ensuring the ongoing delivery of high-quality services.

WEST LONDON ALLIANCEThe West London Alliance is a formal alliance of nine London boroughs: Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster. At the end of 2011 it launched its Special Educational Needs Programme, which is focused on the £55m spent on externally purchased school places. The programme is based on a locally developed cross-borough category management methodology. It has achieved nearly £500,000 in fee reductions and more than half its children are now in schools that reduced or held fees last year. An even bigger success has come from identifying a wider range of provision and working with the lower-cost schools to increase admissions.

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORThe National Audit Office (NAO) scrutinises public spending for Parliament. Our public audit perspective helps Parliament hold government to account and improve public services. Our work allows us to evaluate the value for money of all public spending nationally and locally. We work increasingly with local authorities to understand the challenges they face and how they are responding.Examining efficiency and effectiveness in government is a key focus for the NAO’s work, and so we are pleased to sponsor the Efficiency category of the LGC Awards.

Efficiency AwardJUDGES

Paul Blantern, chief executive, Northamptonshire CC Mike Suffield, lead director, National Audit Office Stephen Baker, chief executive, Suffolk Coastal DC & Waveney DC Andrew Smith, chief executive, Hampshire CC

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BRISTOL CITY COUNCILThe 3e houses project recruited 100 participant properties to measure the effect of ICT solutions on energy consumption. The project provided real-time monitoring equipment and a computer tablet for each household that displayed energy consumption in an easily accessible format. The equipment monitored consumption over a period of 12 months to see whether data visualisation could affect behaviour and change attitudes toward energy consumption. The project was highly successful, resulting in reductions in energy consumption overall and raising awareness among participants of the link between individual behaviour and climate change.

DURHAM CCDurham CC is committed to reducing carbon emissions. A corporate carbon management programme board drives its ‘invest to save’ programme of energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofits to its buildings, alongside staff engagement initiatives. The council has in place a wide-ranging climate change strategy and delivery plan and County Durham has already met its challenging 2020 40% carbon reduction target (on 1990 levels) and is now aiming to achieve a 55% reduction by 2031. Evaporative cooling units have been installed at Tanfield Data Centre to replace the current air conditioning system. These use 90% less energy than traditional cooling methods. This system cost £300,000, with a three-year rate of return through energy savings.

ENFIELD LBCThrough its ambitious and innovative Enfield 2020 sustainability programme an estimated £500m is already being invested to improve the sustainability of the borough. As part of this transformational change, Enfield LBC has in just two years invested £6.5m to improve the energy performance of its council buildings, schools and street lights, which is forecast to save the council and schools more than £800,000 annually on their energy bills, with a payback of eight years. It has also saved the council £2m in avoided borrowing costs over the lifetime of projects from successful Salix interest free loan applications for £3.8m. Rather than focusing on climate change and carbon reduction, which most people struggle to relate to their daily lives, Enfield 2020 uses marketing messages focused on ‘What’s in it for me?’ and ‘This is part of something bigger’ to promote behaviour change across the borough’s stakeholders.

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORDONG Energy Sales is delighted to support the LGC Energy Efficiency Award. Our sponsorship represents a welcome opportunity to celebrate best practice in energy management and recognises those who have made a real difference in their authorities. We work closely with our customers to help them understand and manage their energy usage so that their costs and environmental impact are reduced as far as possible, which in turn supports them in meeting their energy targets. We congratulate all award nominees, who understand the power that energy efficiency can bring to their organisation.

GREATER LONDON AUTHORITYRecognising the potential to improve the energy performance of a typical public sector building and therefore reduce its running costs, the Greater London Authority established RE:FIT: a building retrofitting scheme to support public sector organisations to reduce their carbon footprint and subsequent energy bills. The target is for 40% of public sector buildings in London to be retrofitted by 2025, realising a reduction in carbon emissions of more than 2.5 million tonnes per annum. The RE:FIT framework streamlines the procurement process for energy services by providing prenegotiated, EU-regulation-compliant contracts that can be used with a group of 13 prequalified energy service companies. RE:FIT is a public sector initiative for the public sector. There are no royalty or other costs associated with organisations, such as local authorities. Helping RE:FIT to succeed is the Programme Delivery Unit. The PDU is the public face of the RE:FIT programme, proactively recruiting building owners into the programme and supporting organisations throughout the process.

NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCILEnergy efficiency and providing secure, affordable energy to residents and the commercial sector is driving Nottingham City Council towards the two main sustainable community strategy targets of 26% reduction of 2005 levels of CO2 by 2020 and 20% of energy consumption generated from low and zero carbon sources. Its approach to energy efficiency can be outlined by its implementation of the biggest energy from waste district heating network in the UK, one of the largest domestic solar PV installation projects on its social housing stock and its plan to deliver two non-domestic workshops.

RUGBY BCThe council identified that there was scope to make substantial savings while fulfilling its responsibility to reduce carbon emissions. That social responsibility extended to working with households and small businesses to assist them in making similar savings. It worked collaboratively with the Carbon Trust, and formally developed and adopted a carbon management plan. The project was led by a senior manager with buildings management expertise and green energy was purchased in bulk on a long-term contract that fixed its energy prices until 2016. The council met milestone targets for 2012/13 by reducing emissions. By implementing the plan the council predicts that its energy costs will be reduced by 31% to £970,000 by 2016 compared with doing nothing.

Energy Efficiency AwardJUDGES

Mary Harpley, chief executive, Hounslow LBC Mike Hogg, managing director, DONG Energy Nigel Pearson, chief executive, East Riding of Yorkshire Council

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BARKING AND DAGENHAM LBCPitstop is the local name for the national group of programmes known as Multi-dimensional Treatment Foster Care. The MTFC programmes were developed and researched in the US more than 40 years ago and are now a tried and tested way of working with children in foster care. Pitstop is designed for those children with complex behavioural and emotional needs who have experienced many placement breakdowns. Its aim is to teach children skills needed to be able to live successfully in families, avoiding more placement breakdowns and ultimately doing its best to help ensure that children avoid requiring residential care. Pitstop has been fortunate in having a cohesive, dedicated and committed team, who even when the project was faced with imminent funding withdrawal stuck with it and were rewarded when last-minute funding was secured.

BARNSLEY MBCThe project addresses secure access and delivery of online public services. It demonstrates how citizen public service users can very simply, yet highly securely, access public services via the online channel, using a digital credential (eg their ‘bank card’). This is a shared cross organisational proof of identity so besides obvious cost savings for service providers, the user experience is enhanced and confusion to the citizen is removed. The project started in November 2012 with an initial digitally and financially excluded citizen participant group sourced from regional Credit Union membership. The project targeted those people who often cannot get, or do not want, a conventional bank account, the ones that are often the highest burden for public service providers. This project proves things happen by creating ownership, belief, mutual respect and trust through real partnership working.

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCILThe Older Adults Modernisation Team from Birmingham City Council was tasked with reshaping care services for older adults living in traditional residential homes to ensure vulnerable citizens had a healthier quality of life while at the same time delivering savings for the council. The project team comprised members of staff from commissioning, assessment support planning, specialist care services, human resources, finance, professional support services and business change, and project managed the decommissioning of 29 elderly persons homes. The project produced savings of £8m per year, saw £10m invested in new care centres and also generated more than £15m in capital receipts through strong financial control on the project.

CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER COUNCILVivo Care Choices is a social care company owned by Cheshire West and Chester Council providing a range of services for people with learning disabilities. The modernisation of day services has focused on developing person-centred support, which is responsive to people’s personal choices, promotes health and wellbeing and provides opportunities for

greater inclusion in the local community. As part of this approach to service delivery, Vivo has formed a successful working partnership with the Cheshire Football Association and Cheshire Sport by establishing the Cheshire Disability Social League, a competitive football and sporting league that provides sporting opportunities for people of all abilities.

LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL The Leicester City Health & Social Care Integrated Crisis Response Service is a partnership of representatives from adult social care, community nursing and therapy, and mental health services for older people. The service supports people who are experiencing a health or social care crisis at home and without which they will be admitted to hospital or a care home. It can provide short-term (maximum of three days) intervention within two hours as well as urgent hands-on social care support. It works alongside health partners such as the rapid intervention team, which specialises in responding to health emergencies. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is open to anyone.

LINCOLNSHIRE CC, LINCOLNSHIRE PARTNERSHIP FOUNDATION TRUST AND SHINE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT NETWORK In 2011, there was a 30% reduction in the adult social care budget. The county council and the mental health trust designed a new model of integrated health and social care, recognising the crucial role volunteer and voluntary groups and organisations play in helping people to maintain good mental health and to recover from periods of mental ill health. However, it also recognised that people who are not eligible for adult social care also need help, and so a mental illness prevention fund was established. At the same time, it was recognised there is a much wider community interested in mental health in the county. The SHINE mental health support network was set up as a way of engaging the people of Lincolnshire.

STAFFORDSHIRE CCStaffordshire CC has taken an innovative approach to working with health sector partners. A fundamental reorganisation in its approach to health and social care has led to the largest single integrated trust in the UK being established. The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership NHS Trust has brought together expertise from Staffordshire CC, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the NHS under one management structure to provide an integrated health and care service for the 1.1 million residents of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The removal of organisational boundaries is providing improved opportunities for innovation and efficiency. A whole system approach to health and social care planning in Staffordshire enables the alignment of needs, outcomes, responsibilities and use of resources that encourage local innovation and growing the market.

JUDGES Dr Catherine Brogan, chief executive, PHAST Stephen Halsey, head of paid service, Tower Hamlets LBC David Pearson, vice-president, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services

Health & Social Care Award

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORPHAST is a community interest company. Our ethos is that nothing is more important than the nation’s health and wellbeing. With the transition of public health teams to local government, councils have an even greater opportunity to transform whole systems of health and social care, while working with communities to promote wellbeing and prevent ill health. The LGC Awards is an important part of recognising and rewarding best practice in the successful delivery of these goals.

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EALING LBCNorthala Fields is the centrepiece in the Northolt and Greenford Countryside Park and is widely recognised as one of the most exciting and innovative park developments in London for decades. Since the self-funded 18.5ha site at Northala Fields opened in 2008, it has played an essential role in connecting existing facilities and features within the countryside park and providing new facilities and features for the local community. Northala Fields was developed by turning demolition waste from the original Wembley Stadium and Westfield (London) into a new park with habitats for wildlife and a range of recreational facilities. The park now regularly entices more than one million annual visitors. The key innovative principle of this project was that all costs associated with it should be met by income generated by the work itself.

LAMBETH LBCThe establishment of the Young Lambeth Co-operative as a community commissioning organisation is a radical power shift which typifies the aims of Lambeth being a co-operative council. The co-operative has been developed as a partnership between the council, young people and the community over the past 18 months and is the first of its kind. It will take over responsibility from Lambeth LBC for commissioning £9m of services over the next three years and has plans to grow. The YLC model of outcomes-based commissioning will put young people and communities at the centre of making decisions about their local services. It is also a more efficient model of commissioning that will realise savings for the council and will lead to a growth in resources for young people.

MERTON LBCThe past five years have been a challenging time for the majority of councils, but it is during the difficult times that we see real innovation and so Merton Managed Accounts was born. Merton has been providing a service to social care customers called ‘Direct Payments’ for more than 10 years. Direct Payments enables customers to have the choice to receive money from the local authority to purchase their own care services or perhaps interview and employ their own worker. A direct payment allows customers to buy services from the open market. In the middle of the recession Merton set up a new approach. Instead of having one huge ‘holding account’ to monitor all customer transactions, each customer would have an individual account (via a pre-paid card) that could be clearly and efficiently opened and monitored with fewer resources. These accounts show each individual customer’s transaction history, including any financial contributions made by them. There is no longer the resource-consuming task of having to reconcile one huge account.

NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCILIn Nottingham, stray dogs are managed by community protection’s dog control team. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a stray dogs’ service, seizing strays and aiming to reunite lost pets with owners. Every year, the team deals with more than 600 stray dogs. Including costs of kennelling, veterinary bills and fixed costs such as staff, equipment and transport, this costs the local authority in excess of £160,000 a year. A Facebook page was created, specifically written and designed to target pet owners and pet lovers. With more than 8.5 million dog owners in the UK and 50% of the UK population actively using Facebook, this platform was selected in order to avoid costly web set-up charges and consequent marketing of a brand new platform. The dog control officers take a picture of the dog and upload it directly to the page, including the location and time it was found. This ensures that the moment the dog is found its image is being circulated, reducing the time the officers are required to keep charge of it and thereby reducing costs.

WARRINGTON BCThe Warrington Criminal Justice Liaison Service is an integrated, multi-professional mental health service. It acts as a link between health, social services and all criminal justice agencies in their work with adults who have mental health needs or a learning disability, who find themselves at any stage of the criminal justice system. The programme, locally called ‘Support 4 Change’, was established in October 2012. It enables people who are passing through the criminal justice programme to be screened for mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and other vulnerabilities, so that they are identified and can be supported early in the offender pathway. The programme’s aim is to offer intensive, innovative and assertive CJLS support with an element of compulsion provided by a formal court order, to catalyse the engagement of these offenders and to help them turn their lives around.

WEST LONDON ALLIANCE The West London Alliance is a formal alliance of nine London boroughs. At the end of 2011 it launched its Special Educational Needs Programme programme, which is focused on the £55m spent on externally purchased school places. The programme is based on a locally developed cross-borough category management methodology. It has achieved nearly £500,000 in fee reductions and more than half its children are now in schools that reduced or held fees last year. An even bigger success has come from the authorities, identifying a wider range of provision and working with the lower cost schools to increase admissions. This has reduced the average fee across all provision by £3,800.

Innovation AwardJUDGES

Deborah Cadman, chief executive, Suffolk CC Sukhy Duggal, account director, Atkins Ged Fitzegerald, chief executive, Liverpool City Council Barry Quirk, chief executive, Lewisham LBC Joanne Roney, chief executive, Wakefield MDC

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BORN LEADERS

…who better to sponsor theManagement Team Award?

Talent and Leadership Specialising in executive recruitment across the UK private and publicsectors, Berwick Partners fulfil key appointments which have a criticalimpact on their clients’ organisations.

We work with organisations ranging from Local Authorities to CentralGovernment Departments, NHS Trusts and Charities, and our specialistrecruiters provide candidates who are ready to meet the futurechallenges of the public and not-for-profit sectors. Our private sectorclients range from multinational and listed organisations to regionaland privately held SMEs and start-ups.

We combine the latest technology and expertise in social media withour strong networks, rigorous process and the insight which onlyexperienced recruitment professionals can offer.

Trusted Advisors Our aim is to be seen as trusted advisors; our Partners and Consultantsare all specialists with deep knowledge of their industry sectors,functions and regional economies. We understand the markets withinwhich we work, yet we are never complacent about the importance oflistening and learning. At times we advise and at times we challenge.We always deliver.

A division of Odgers Berndtson, the UK's leading executive search firm.

London • Birmingham • Manchester • Leeds • Glasgow

For all enquiries, please contact Andrea Bainger,

Head of Government on + 44 20 7529 6320.

Trusted AdvisorsBerwick Partners is the division of Odgers Berndtson that recruits senior and executive leadership roles within local government and related organisations. We are trusted advisors to our clients; organisations value our constructive advice, market insight and ability to find exceptional talent. Berwick Partners offers insight, experience and a commitment to delivery across the range of leadership and senior positions.

Shaping the Agenda for the FutureIn the dynamic and evolving context of Local Government we bring understanding, access and reach to talented individuals from within and beyond the immediate sector. It is important to augment the existing skills within local authorities with new and complementary skills from outside as well as nurturing the talent within. Local Government races current and emergent challenges, new models for service commissioning, provision and delivery. It requires leaders with the confidence to lead in uncertain times and shape the agenda for the future.

Berwick Partners enable organisations and their leaders to achieve that.

InnovATIon And commISSIonIng… BlAzIng A TrAIl

For all enquiries, please contact Jonathan Clark,

Partner, on +44 121 654 5926

9 Brindley Place, Birmingham, B1 2HS +44 121 654 5926


JUDGES John Barradell, chief executive, City of London Corporation Jonathan Clark, partner, Berwick Partners Martin Esom, chief executive, Waltham Forest LBC Joanna Killian, chief executive, Essex CC

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORAt Berwick Partners we enable organisations and their leaders to respond effectively to the evolving context of local government and the challenges and opportunities this presents. As such, we are proud to sponsor the new award of Innovation in Commissioning. Talented leaders offering a breadth of background and experience, opinion and judgement within any organisation will inject energy, constructive challenge and creativity. Combined with courage, resilience and a preparedness to do things differently, these qualities will allow for more innovative service configuration, commissioning and delivery. The shortlisted nominees for this year’s award demonstrate that by adopting different approaches tangible benefits and outcomes can be realised for the communities they serve.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE CCBuckinghamshire CC considered there was an urgent need to think differently and to commission a new model of delivery for school-based services. The collective aspiration was a user-led model of delivery that would focus on attainment and achievement of children and young people; ensure that early years providers and schools were ‘owners’ of the arrangements; deliver £15m worth of early years and school-based services; and to establish a sustainable future for early years and school improvement services. Established in August 2013, the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust is an independent charity with a board of trustees from early years providers, schools and Buckinghamshire CC.

CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER COUNCIL Cheshire West and Chester Council is at the forefront of changes to the public sector through delivery of innovative work undertaken as part of the community budget programme, known locally as ‘Altogether Better’. At the heart of this programme is a radical approach to commissioning. Each of the major change programmes is based upon an agreed commissioning model designed to oversee the joint commissioning of services, the pooling of limited resources and the achievement of common outcomes centred around the needs of the individual. In 2012/13, this involved the creation of a public services board, the development of a joint commissioning framework and joint commissioning structures within the council and across the public sector. Traditional directorate structures have been transformed into a single strategic commissioning directorate.

EAST SUSSEX CCThe East Sussex Commissioning Grants Prospectus is a locally designed approach to outcomes-focused commissioning that targets and values the contribution social capital makes in the county towards health, social care and wellbeing. Amounts of between £3m and £7m (over three years) are annually invested through a one-off process covering multiple commissioning outcomes, which includes engagement and dialogue about desired outcomes, quality and value for money. This has developed to meet strategic needs such as the market for choice and personalisation in care or simplifying and streamlining existing commissioning and tendering exercises. The prospectus is a statement of commissioning intentions which, through a transparent and competitive process, awards grants to deliver specified outcomes.

LANCASHIRE CCLancashire CC has transformed independent health and social care advocacy by listening to feedback from professionals, service users and their carers. As a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, additional advocacy commissioning responsibilities transferred to councils. The Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group Network agreed there were inconsistencies in NHS funding and that all seven CCG areas should contribute fairly to the cost of advocacy. The advocacy landscape has now been

simplified for both staff and the public by creating a single point of access across all areas. Many people with disabilities have a heavy dependence on health and social care services and dealing with large organisations can be a daunting task. Advocates know how NHS and social care systems work and who to talk to, and help people to speak up for themselves. Organisations welcome and invest in this customer feedback to ensure they can learn from people’s experiences and improve services.

NORTH YORKSHIRE CC North Yorkshire’s approach to personalisation and particularly its development of local personalised learning pathways for young people in their transition to adulthood have been recognised as an example of good practice by the Department for Education. North Yorkshire’s strategy for personalised learning reflects the aspirations of the special educational needs and disability provisions in the Children and Families Bill. Personalised learning pathways have led to smarter, more locality-based commissioning arrangements and have culminated in a saving in the placement budget of £1.2m in the period 2011-13.

NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCILDuring 2011, Nottingham City Council undertook a new approach to commissioning. Changes covered all aspects of commissioning. Initially the approach has been used to look at whole systems of support across children and adult services focusing on need and outcomes for both individuals and communities. Subsequently, the commissioning change programme was instigated to disseminate more consistent and clear approaches to commissioning.

STAFFORDSHIRE CCIn Staffordshire, the council ‘commissions’ in order to make the right things happen that achieve positive outcomes for residents, communities and society. It does this based on knowing their needs, wants, aspirations and perceptions. To be successful it seeks to do this with partners, communities and residents. Over the past 12 months, partners have reviewed the council’s approach to commissioning to take account of its experiences, as well as learning from a range of sources including the Cabinet Office Commissioning Academy. The Staffordshire commissioning diagnosis showed where the gaps were and, in particular, that it needed to get better at asking ‘what is the question - why are we commissioning?’

WEST LONDON ALLIANCEThe West London Alliance is a formal alliance of nine London boroughs – Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster. At the end of 2011 it launched its Special Educational Needs Programme programme, which is focused on the £55m spent on externally purchased school places. The programme is overseen by a director level management board. The borough’s senior SEN managers form the SEN board, responsible for developing and delivering the programme.

Innovation in Commissioning Award

NEW

The LGC Awards recognise the success of local councils over the past year, and highlight the innovation, partnerships and leadership they are bringing to local government.

In these times, never has advancement and integration between health and social care been of such paramount importance. We are proud to be sponsoring the Most Innovative Service Delivery Model Award and applaud the huge effort of the councils involved. We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all those who have been shortlisted for an award.

Capsticks’ health and social care team has experience of both the health and local government sector and can help you to deliver the groundbreaking solutions that now need to be delivered. Find out more about how we can work with you by visiting our Partnership working / social care page at www.capsticks.com or email [email protected]

www.capsticks.com

Capsticks is pleased to support the Most Innovative Service Delivery Model Award 2014

health and social care been of such paramount importance. We are proud to be sponsoring the Most Innovative Service Delivery Model Award and applaud the huge effort of the councils involved. We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all those who have been shortlisted for an award.

Capsticks’ health and social care team has experience of both the health and local government sector and can help you to deliver the groundbreaking solutions that now need to be delivered. Find out more about how we can work with you by visiting our

www.capsticks.comwww.capsticks.com


JUDGES Chris Brophy, partner, Capsticks Sarah Pickup, deputy chief executive, Hertfordshire CC Lesley Seary, chief executive, Islington LBC Dave Smith, chief executive, Sunderland City Council

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORIn these times, never has advancement and integration between health and social care been of such paramount importance and we applaud the huge effort that the councils involved are going to. We are proud to be sponsoring the newly introduced Most Innovative Service Delivery Model Award where we have the opportunity to recognise the success councils have achieved over the past year.Capsticks’ health and social care team has experience of both the health and local government sector and can help you to deliver the groundbreaking solutions that now need to be delivered. We add value to our clients’ businesses through our detailed knowledge of the sectors, our involvement in many innovatory projects and our ability to provide practical and commercial insights in addition to clear and concise legal advice.

BARNSLEY MBC The South Yorkshire Digtal By Default Project addresses secure access and delivery of online public services. It demonstrates how citizen public service users can securely access public services via the online channel using a digital credential (eg their ‘bank card’). Besides obvious cost savings for service providers (councils, health etc), the user experience is enhanced and confusion to the citizen (a council or health service with different pin and passwords) is removed. It gives access to their money, not just to public services. Money access is cherished far greater than any ‘council service’, yet the result is beneficial to all. The project initially wished to work with the hard to engage in particular to address their needs and concerns as well as the service providers.

CROYDON LBCThe integrated procurement hub is focused on community equipment and is provided through a local authority trading company. Croydon Care Solutions shares the value base and purpose of the council, which makes it an option for other partner local authorities and health organisations to share. Its purpose is to help people to live independently in the community, supporting the personalisation, hospital avoidance and early hospital discharge policies. The focus is on outcomes delivered in the most cost-effective way for individuals and partners. It has created flexible ways of working with partner organisations in relation to the provision of community equipment to allow access to a dynamic purchasing hub.

HAMMERSMITH AND FULHAM LBC, KENSINGTON & CHELSEA RBC, WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCILThe employee-led mutual is an innovative alternative service delivery model set up to provide school support services across three London boroughs and beyond. The three councils were clear in their objective, which was to create a genuine employee-led mutual that would deliver savings and maintain or improve support provision to schools. The councils defined employee-led as employee controlled. There have been savings of £1m within a four-year period.

LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCILBlue Room is an innovative project, established in 2008 in partnership with the Bluecoat, a contemporary arts centre run by a charity in Liverpool. For five years Blue Room has provided a high quality arts programme on a weekly basis for about 30 learning disabled adults, all of whom have an active interest in art and are eligible service users under Fairer Access to Care. While contemporary in its outlook, the Blue Room model of service delivery was quite traditional and had become unsustainable. In the past 12 months the project has radically changed in terms of its funding model and relationship to the council. It is now based on self-directed support principles of choice and control, promoting independence and using mainstream services as

opposed to those traditionally commissioned as a specialist service, such as transport.

SOUTH YORKSHIRE PASSENGER TRANSPORT EXECUTIVEThe Sheffield Bus Partnership is a new start for buses in Sheffield. Unprecedented in geographical scale and using many of the legislative Local Transport Act tools, it was established due to a joint acknowledgement that a new approach was needed. The SBP is a voluntary partnership that brings together South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Sheffield City Council, and bus operators First South Yorkshire, Stagecoach in Sheffield and Sheffield Community Transport. The ambitious nature of the partnership and the speed with which it has delivered results has gained recognition from government and secured additional £18.3m Better Bus Area funding.

STAFFORDSHIRE CC Early in 2012, Staffordshire CC embarked on an initiative to create a company to provide schools with operational services that had previously been delivered in-house. The existing service model had become unsustainable due to recent economic changes. The council undertook extensive analysis of various types of delivery vehicle available, finally choosing joint venture with equity split. Staffordshire CC decided to procure a newly branded joint venture company - Entrust Support Services – with a partner that could bring the financial investment and expertise needed to take the services and turn them into a sustainable business. This project clearly demonstrates that procurement’s role today goes way beyond that of negotiating contracts and saving money.

WWiSH – WARRINGTON, WIGAN AND ST HELENS COUNCILSWWiSH is a pioneering shared local authority adoption service. The service provides enhanced adoption recruitment, family finding and support services for adopters, adopted children and adults adopted as children. Through the expansion of scale the service is providing a better service to children by offering more choice of placements, resulting in more adoptions. Since WWISH was established, the average time between receiving a court order to place a child for adoption and matching a child has been reduced. WWISH’s innovation is setting new standards for public service delivery and sharing the lessons at national and local levels.

WEST LONDON ALLIANCEThe West London Alliance is a formal alliance of nine London boroughs. At the end of 2011 it launched its Special Educational Needs Programme, which is focused on the £55m spent on externally purchased school places. The programme is based on a locally developed cross-borough category management methodology. It has achieved nearly £500,000 in fee reductions and more than half its children are now in schools that reduced or held fees last year.

Most Innovative Service Delivery Model Award

NEW

www.nice.org.uk/localgovernment

Achieving excellence in public healthInvesting in public health protects communities, saves lives and saves money

Local government’s new responsibility for public health presents a huge opportunity to reduce health inequalities and premature deaths from disease.

Since 2005 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been producing evidence based, public health guidance which shows the most effective and value for money ways of improving the health and wellbeing of the population.

NICE is sponsoring this award to highlight how councils are meeting public health challenges and show that investing in public health will bring benefits for all.

We would like to congratulate everyone who has been shortlisted for this year’s award

FINAL-NICE Achieving excellence in public health 2013.indd 1 08/12/2013 18:16:34


JUDGES Ann Hoskins, director, children, young people and families, Public Health England Professor Mike Kelly, director, Centre of Public Health, NICE Doug Patterson,chief executive, Bromley LBC

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSOR

In difficult economic times, councils need to show a return on the resources they invest in public health. Applying evidence-based solutions, such as NICE guidance, to reducing health inequalities and improving health and wellbeing can deliver significant social and economic benefits over the long term. We have been encouraged by the high number of entries for this first Public Health Award and impressed by the innovative ways councils across the country are fulfilling their new responsibilities. We hope the eight councils shortlisted here will inspire others in their work to improve the health and wellbeing of their communities.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE CCBuckinghamshire CC has seized on the new local authority public health responsibilities to drive forward positive change in people’s health and wellbeing using innovative joint working between council departments, other Buckinghamshire partners and local communities. The public health team has provided extensive briefing and training for cabinet members and directors to ensure the public health aspects of each council portfolio were identified and fully integrated into their work programmes, adding value to council services across the board. Buckinghamshire’s health and wellbeing strategy is informed and shaped by the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and clearly sets out the county’s overall health.

CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER COUNCILIn West Cheshire, partners share an ambition to radically reshape local public services to make a positive difference and deliver significant improvements for residents, communities and businesses. Their vision is to offer the best environment for children to grow up, learn, play, be healthy and be happy. The Children’s Trust is the delivery vehicle for the priorities under the ‘Starting Well’ theme of the ‘Altogether Better’ programme. Based on evidence in its strategic needs assessment, increasing the numbers of mothers who breastfeed their babies offered the opportunity to achieve real health gains. The challenge was to start to normalise breastfeeding among young mums to affect a culture shift in the community, through the ‘team baby’ campaign. The ‘Team Baby’ campaign featured a young local breastfeeding mum.

EAST RIDING OF YORRKSHIRE COUNCILIn April 2013, a small team of public health professionals took on the challenge of helping transform a poorly funded but highly efficient rural local authority into the major force behind public health and wellbeing in the area. They needed to adapt to the new environment and learn how to thrive in it. The team began by building a shared vision of what public health and wellbeing could be like in the East Riding and how each member of the team could contribute to getting there. This vision was shared with their new colleagues to dispel real fears about what the return of public health might mean for them. Their ambition is to strive towards a culture and brand of wellbeing across the East Riding, and the creation of an integrated, whole system, user-led ‘wellbeing service’.

LEEDS CITY COUNCIL The council’s priorities, as laid out in the joint strategic needs assessment, Leeds Tobacco Action Plan and by the Health and Wellbeing Strategy Group, is to reduce health inequalities by improving the availability and access to services for people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds and reducing the number of BME tobacco users. Research from the Royal Society of Medicine in 2004 suggested that there is extensive misinformation surrounding cancer and that it is perceived to be a low priority public heath issue in South Asians. This lack of community awareness will

expectantly result in increased exposure to risk factors, poor uptake in screening and delayed clinical presentation. This project tackled both by raising awareness among hard to reach groups and providing tailored cessation services with a choice of advisors, interpreters and services at local venues.

MEDWAY COUNCIL The Medway Health and Wellbeing Board is a new body created under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It brings local government, the NHS and HealthWatch together to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for the population. The key strategic themes within the joint health and wellbeing strategy were confirmed by the HWB members following a stakeholder consultation. One of the strategic themes is to improve health and reduce inequalities. A top-scoring priority for the board was to improve uptake of NHS health checks in the most disadvantaged areas. NHS Medway delivered a pilot project within the most deprived wards in Medway and with targeted groups that had been identified as low attenders. Recommendation from the pilot allowed a smoother delivery of the later NHS Health Check Outreach programme, procured by the trust in 2013.

SOUTH TYNESIDE MBCThe transfer of the public health function to South Tyneside MBC in April 2013 has provided the council with an opportunity to put public health at the heart of everything it does. Every ‘Contact a Health Improvement Contact’ is central to the council’s vision to make South Tyneside ‘an outstanding place to live, invest, and bring up families’. South Tyneside MBC’s position as strategic lead for improving the health and wellbeing of the public is demonstrated through its commitment to service redesign, ensuring frontline staff are involved in promoting positive health messages to the public to encourage health behaviour change.

TOWER HAMLETS LBCMost local public health services became the responsibility of the Tower Hamlets LBC from 1 April 2013. The move has sustained the focus and profile of public health as a strategic function while aligning with the council approach to delivery and enables innovative work both within and across departments. Given the level of health inequalities within the borough, a focus on maternity and early years was the first priority within the strategy. The early years are vital for a child’s nutritional, cognitive and emotional development and this is why the council set up the Healthy Early Years Accreditation Scheme.

WALSALL MBCThe Move-It project is a scheme that has had a dramatic impact in getting Walsall’s sedentary citizens more active to deliver the health benefits associated with physical activity. In the space of nine months the scheme has seen 5,000 mostly sedentary people converted into regular exercisers and at the same time has generated in excess of £100,000 revenue.

Public Health AwardNEW


Public/Private Partnership Award

JUDGES Stephen Hughes, chief executive, Birmingham City Council Tony Hunter, chief executive, Social Care Institute for Excellence Jane Robinson, chief executive, Gateshead Council AMBER VALLEY BC

A partnership between Amber Valley BC and Veolia Environmental Services has secured significant service and performance improvements, a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction and substantial financial savings. In March 2012, with just 15 months remaining on the existing contract, the council knew from extensive consultation exercises that its residents wanted the ability to mix all recyclables in one large container, to have plastics collected at kerbside and to have the option of a free garden waste collection. The Veolia proposal involved replacing the existing boxes and bags used for recyclables with a 240-litre (standard size) wheeled bin that could store all the recyclable materials currently collected and, importantly, plastics. The new service commenced on 19 November 2012.

BARKING & DAGENHAM LBC WITH ELEVATEThe council is committed to providing support to individuals, families and businesses by working closely with partners. It worked with Agilisys to create a joint venture to enable it to access the skills, expertise and economies of scale that the private sector can offer. This partnership – called Elevate East London (Elevate) – involves delivering services through more effective and less costly methods. The partnership began with three key strategic objectives: to deliver efficient and innovative service improvement; generate more than £44m in savings; and to create 400 lasting jobs for local people by 2017.

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL WITH AMEYThe Birmingham Highways Maintenance and Management Service, delivered by Amey in partnership with Birmingham City Council, is a 25-year private finance initiative to improve and maintain the city’s highway network. The service is bringing Birmingham’s roads, pavements, street lights and trees up to an improved standard during the first five years (the core investment period), with the standard to be maintained over the following 20 years of the contract. The partnership was launched in June 2010.

DERBYSHIRE CC Derbyshire CC, Faithful and Gould and Scape have formed a public/private partnership to provide Connect: an innovative standardised classroom solution. Schools and local authorities faced with the pressures of rapidly rising pupil numbers have two options: they can commission a traditional, bespoke classroom extension; or purchase a modular or temporary classroom. Connect sits between the traditional and the modular classroom, avoids the limitations of each but provides the best of both. It is an off-the-shelf classroom solution that provides additional classroom accommodation in specific key stage designs faster and cheaper than traditional bespoke methods.

EXETER AND EAST DEVON GROWTH POINTThe Exeter and East Devon Growth Point is a partnership between the local authorities of Exeter

City Council, East Devon DC, Teignbridge DC and Devon CC. Together with a wide range of private sector partners, the local authorities have collaborated through a board structure to deliver an ambitious growth programme. This is expected to deliver about 20,000 new homes and more than 25,000 jobs in the period up to 2026. Very early in the establishment of the programme the partnership saw a need for a dedicated delivery team that could work across local authority boundaries and with the private sector to address barriers to growth and provide a mechanism for collaboration, knowledge and resource sharing. Hosted by East Devon DC, the Growth Point Team reports to Exeter and Heart of Devon Growth Board.

GLOUCESTER CC WITH PROSPECTSSince 2009, Prospects has forged an innovative and effective partnership with Gloucestershire CC Education Department and other key partners in the county. This began when Prospects won the council’s education contract to deliver the Connexions young people’s guidance services and also offer integrated leadership for targeted youth services. Driven by the objective of seeing young people currently out of education or training, the multi-agency approach taken through this partnership included: the Youth Offending Service, the Leaving Care Service, the Young People’s Specialist Substance Misuse Service, the Youth Service and the Youth Housing Advice Service.

PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL The 1000 Club is one of 19 projects in Plymouth’s Plan for Jobs - a concentrated effort by the council and businesses in the city to pump energy into the local economy to stimulate growth and jobs. The 1000 Club initiative was established to help address unemployment, particularly those in the 18 to 24-year-old age group - 33 per cent of all claimants in Plymouth, compared with 28 per cent nationally. Launched in September 2012, the club aims to recruit 1,000 local companies by May 2014 and work with them to encourage and support a young person into work either by creating a job, taking on an apprentice, work experience, graduate intern or providing a schools work experience placement

STOKE-ON-TRENT CITY COUNCIL WITH KIERFollowing an Audit Commission inspection of the holistic housing service during 2002, Stoke-on-Trent City Council carried out an independent service review and options appraisal for future service delivery. The review identified the need to establish a joint venture partnership with a private sector company to deliver a high quality repairs and maintenance service for the 19,100 council houses and 450 public buildings city-wide. Following a rigorous, competitive tender process, Kier was appointed as the JV partner and Kier Stoke was launched in 2008. Over the initial 10-year term contract, Kier Stoke provides responsive repairs, voids and planned maintenance services, with an annual turnover circa £35m.

LGCplus.com

DEVON CC Addressing doorstep crime and rouge traders, Devon CC co-ordinated a multi agency approach. With trading standards services in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall and Devon and Cornwall police, it has developed a partnership aimed at targeting organised crime. The aim of the partnership is that through robust partnership working, consumers can feel safe at home, are empowered to say “no” to doorstep callers and are confident in their dealings with local businesses. Methods include recording and sharing intelligence, training officers as ‘champions’, and responding to live incidents promptly and effectively.

HACKNEY LBCHackney’s Integrated Gangs Unit is a partnership team born out of a desire from all members to tackle gang crime at its root. The IGU was launched in 2010, after two years of development work between the council, police and voluntary sector. It is led by Hackney LBC but co-funded and co-located, with staff embedded from the Metropolitan Police, Probation Service, Department for Work and Pensions, Young Hackney (the council’s youth services), Hackney’s Community Safety team, a dedicated research and analysis team and the Safer London Foundation. The team combines expertise from each agency with the most senior level of governance, led by the council’s chief executive. Education, skills and opportunity are central to this.

HARROW LBCHarrow’s legal department sought ambitious changes when it partnered with Barnet in August 2012, securing the delivery of a shared legal service now called HB Public Law. The Inter Authority Agreement was signed in August 2012 and the service went live in September 2012. Running up to the implementation of the shared service, the head of legal from Harrow spent two days a week in Barnet and three joint staff meetings were held so that staff could get to know each other. Merging two practices with different cultures was probably the most difficult, and the most successful, aspect of the project. A staff survey has recently been completed and 76% were satisfied with their role in the partnership.

HERTFORDSHIRE CCHertfordshire’s social workers have a good record of dealing with child abuse over the years, but the previous system was complicated and progress on cases could be slow. Despite the very challenging economic climate, Hertfordshire CC committed an annual budget of £1.5m to set up the very first Joint Child Protection Investigation Team in the country in September 2011. The team, which works together at Hertfordshire’s police headquarters, includes eight full-time social workers (core hours) and 24 police officers (three teams of eight working shifts to cover 24 hours), regularly liaising with health colleagues. It has vastly improved the service provided to vulnerable children who are

at risk of significant harm, in a co-ordinated and timely way.

MEDWAY COUNCIL The project was initiated following announcements of local government public spending cuts, whereby Medway Council was required to reduce its deficit by £25m. There was a clear need for radical changes in the organisation’s structure and operating models. In a capital-intensive industry, local authorities were (and still are) looking to outsource their CCTV functions in an effort to reduce public spending in their areas. A joint delivery structure was an attractive proposition, and a better option than being faced with a ‘make or buy’ decision. Medway Control Centre had the capacity, capability and competencies to take this agenda forward. In 2012, four local authorities in Kent entered into the CCTV shared service, making this the largest CCTV collaboration in the UK.

ROTHERHAM MBC – HEART TOWN PARTNERSHIPRotherham Heart Town is a five-year partnership focused on preventing cardiovascular disease. The key partners are Rotherham MBC and the British Heart Foundation, with a wide range of other partners actively engaged in the project. The partnership was launched in January 2012. Becoming a heart town puts an increased focus on cardiovascular disease, increasing awareness of risk factors and improving health and wellbeing of the community. The partnership’s aims are to improve cardiovascular health, bring communities together through local fundraising and volunteering and to offer residents a range of support services including schools initiatives, workplace programmes and health and lifestyle information resources.

ROTHERHAM MBC – HR SHARED SERVICESFor several years Rotherham MBC has enjoyed a successful HR Service, leading in manager and employee self-service with excellent payroll performance. When neighbouring Doncaster MBC, was faced with end of life payroll software and a need to meet corporate efficiency targets, strategic leaders from both authorities saw an opportunity to bring the two public sector organisations together in a shared service. The Shared Service Partnership between Rotherham and Doncaster was created on 1 April 2012 and started the ‘journey’ of transformation and improvement to the Doncaster Council HR and payroll service.

WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCILThe tri-borough initiative is an ongoing programme to deliver savings while maintaining and enhancing frontline services across Westminster, Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea. The scheme had two initial objectives: to deliver a better quality of life to people through improved combined services; and to make the taxpayer’s money go further by pooling respective expertise. Starting from a vision in 2011 to share services with neighbouring boroughs the tri-borough initiative saved £7.7m in 2012/13.


Public/Public Partnership Award

JUDGES Theresa Grant, chief executive, Trafford MBC Sue Smith, chief executive, Cherwell DC and South Northamptonshire Council


CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER COUNCILIn a challenging economic environment Cheshire West and Chester Council has developed ‘Money, Money, Money’, a project with the objective of raising awareness and reducing fraud, recovering the proceeds of crime and investing recovered proceeds into further preventative work and the community. The project has been developed and is being delivered by a small financial investigations team located within regulatory services. It is intended that this team will make an impact on the ‘whole council’ in its bid to tackle fraud. The strategy is to strengthen awareness, and through investigation and recovery act as a deterrent. Since the start of the campaign 20 fraud and anti-money laundering awareness sessions have been delivered to more than 200 key staff across the authority and additional training has been delivered to members and internal teams to develop fraud knowledge.

CUMBRIA CCOver the past several years Cumbria CC’s Trading Standards has led an innovative partnership effort to tackle doorstep crime head on. Typically doorstep crime comes in two forms: rogue traders and distraction burglary. Trading Standards’ approach has targeted both these types of crime by making best use of the skills of Trading Standards officers, local partners and most importantly local communities themselves. According to national estimates only one in 10 doorstep crime incidents are reported. Trading Standards reviewed its approach and acknowledged its focus on reactive enforcement was not increasing reporting. The team took a fresh look which began with a review that completely transformed methods of preventing doorstep crime and encouraging reports.

DEVON CC AND SOMERSET CCAddressing doorstep crime and rouge traders, Devon CC co-ordinated a multi agency approach. Trading standards services in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall and Devon and Cornwall police have developed a partnership targeting organised crime. It is hoped that through robust partnership working, consumers can feel safe at home, are empowered to say “no” to doorstep callers and are confident in their dealings with local businesses. Methods include recording and sharing intelligence, training officers as ‘champions’ and responding to live incidents promptly and effectively.

LEICESTER CITY COUNCILIn April 2011, Leicester City Council’s insurance team took on responsibility for handling personal injury claims. At that time the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy benchmarking report stated that the council had 2.82 claims per 1,000 population from its catchment area. This resulted in the issuing of an insurance claims fraud protocol, which included wide ranging and innovative changes from normal procedure. In 2012, CIPFA benchmarking statistics revealed claims per 1,000 population had reduced to 2.49, meaning the changes were having an impact.

OXFORD CITY COUNCILThe council is committed to eliminating all forms of bribery, fraud and corruption and to protecting public funds. Minimising losses to fraud is an essential part of ensuring all of the council’s resources are used for the purpose for which they are intended. The council has a number of policies to tackle this, the most prominent being its avoiding bribery, fraud and corruption policy. Despite the challenges, 2012/13 was successful in that a significant number of benefit cases were referred for investigation. Due to the success of the housing fraud team, the council was successful in its bid for £200k in funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government for 2013/14 and 2014/15, which contributes to the continued effort in combatting housing tenancy fraud.

SOUTHWARK LBCSouthwark’s anti-fraud service’s role is to clamp down on fraud. The starting point for everything it does is motivated by a desire to protect resources for those in genuine need. This has been attempted through an increase in council tax billing by £1.5m, the development of a hard-hitting communications campaign and operations bronze and silver. Operation bronze is a housing allocation project resulting in 24 properties recovered and operation silver is a data-matching exercise analysing 2,000 leads, and working with internal and external partners. Operations are structured around building effective and secure control, which helps departments prevent fraud as part of their ‘business as usual’ approach.

WALTHAM FOREST LBCThe Counter Fraud Group is responsible for undertaking proactive anti-fraud work and investigating any fraud committed against the council. Midway through the financial year, with an increased target of 120 sanctions, the team had secured 53 sanctions with a further 61 sanction actions agreed and being administered or prosecuted and identified almost £600k of fraudulently overpaid benefit. The Counter Fraud Group is dedicated to tackling tenancy fraud, an area identified as historically difficult to deal with and as a high priority by council members.

WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL In 2010, following a paper to government ministers, Westminster City Council established a working group of members, officers, the police, UK Borders Agency, housing associations and the Department for Work & Pensions to review and enhance the authority’s approach to tackling fraud. The working group was initially established to share information and undertake a series of targeted raids on housing blocks where sub-letting was suspected. Following the targeting of seven blocks where the intelligence was good, the raids found a rate of 61% to 95% of the visited housing benefit tenancies were being illegally sub-let. To raise awareness of the impact of fraud and encourage residents to report suspects, the council and its tri-borough partners launched the ‘Know a cheat in your street’ campaign, which included a successful fraud-awareness month.

Tackling Fraud AwardJUDGES

Nick Bell, Chief Executive, Staffordshire CC Kim Bromley-Derry, chief executive, Newham LBC Andrew Davis, director of public sector, Call Credit

A WORD FROM THE AWARD’S SPONSORThe cost of fraud to local government is estimated at more than £2bn a year, this is money that could be used for local services. Fraud is an issue that executive management and elected members within local authorities are dealing with, and a great deal of new thinking, best practice and innovation is being deployed – but more needs to be done. Callcredit is proud to be sponsoring the LGC Tackling Fraud Award and to be actively helping local authorities fight fraud through its Public Sector Solutions. See how Callcredit helped Northampton Borough Council at www.callcredit.co.uk/press-office/case-studies/n/northampton-borough-council. For more information on Callcredit and its solutions please visit www.callcredit.co.uk/threesixty or call us on 0113 3884300.


NEW Team of the Year Award JUDGES Gifty Edila, corporate director - legal, HR and regulatory services, Hackney LBC Trevor Holden, chief executive, Luton BC Andy O’Brien, chief executive, East Staffordshire BC Robert Tinlin, chief executive, Southend-on-Sea BC

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCILThe Sport and Healthy Lifestyles Team’s remit is to deliver sport and physical activity to all Birmingham citizens. It achieves this through fundraising to deliver innovative projects. Increasing participation of the hardest to reach and most deprived communities in Birmingham is central to the council’s priorities and forms the basis of the role, ethos of the team and its objectives. The flagship scheme, ‘Be Active’, has won a number of awards in its own right for tackling inequalities. Targets are set in line with organisational priorities and objectives from the leader’s policy statement. These provide a clear, golden thread through to its work - tackling deprivation and promoting growth.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE CC CATCH is a unique service with a proven track record of helping scores of teenagers stay out of care. The project was started in September 2011 to fill a serious gap in provision for children and families, which existed both locally and nationally. The team never says no and is the only one within the council that has never had a complaint made against it. The CATCH objectives for 2012/13 were to support young people and families at a point of crisis and to reduce the likelihood of the young person going into care. Last year alone, CATCH supported 129 families with many of these interventions helping to avoid a care placement. CATCH has proven time and again it is value for money by saving approximately £3,000 per week for each placement.

EAST RENFREWSHIRE COUNCILIn 2011, Barrhead Centre service users sought funding to develop a cycle club for adults with learning disabilities. The service user committee set up ‘The Barrhead Melo Velo Club’ and purchased three special adult trikes, five standard bicycles and tools/equipment for cycle maintenance. For some, this was their first experience of cycling and they enjoyed the exercise and social benefits. Continued demand led to further funding to provide cycle riding and maintenance training for service users of the Barrhead Centre, with the aim of creating a low-cost service for adults with disabilities to service and repair their cycles and pass on new skills.

EAST SUSSEX CCIn 2012, the Highways Liaison Team was put together with an aim to improve the quality of customer service, provide better value for money and improve response times. It identified the opportunity to create a team to sit between the contact centre and the rest of the service. This small team would have both communications skills and technical insight, hence bridging the gap between the customer service professionals and the engineering service quality.

GATESHEAD COUNCILBuilding Cleaning Service is Gateshead Council’s own professional cleaning service. BCS provides an extensive cleaning service to more than 250 locations. Its clear and shared vision is projected through recognised high cleaning standards, a forward-thinking approach and highly dedicated team. It has successfully retained the government’s prestigious Customer Service Excellence Award for the past four years after becoming one of the first organisations in the UK to be awarded the standard.

HERTFORDSHIRE CCUnique to Hertfordshire is a nurse-led team that works across primary, secondary and tertiary services promoting fair and reasonable access to healthcare for people with learning disabilities. The team works with adults aged 18 plus who have learning disabilities and associated conditions around all aspects of healthcare with a particular emphasis on complex physical health needs. Working in partnership with service users, carers, health and social care professionals, it adopts creative strategies that empower people with learning disabilities to develop a greater understanding of their healthcare provision. The purpose of the team is to improve overall health outcomes of this disadvantaged group enabling individuals to live healthy, safe and fulfilling lives in the community.

MERTON LBCThe Merton and Richmond Shared Legal Service, formed in September 2011, combined the legal teams of Richmond upon Thames and Merton LBCs. The aim was to form London’s first integrated shared legal service, reducing cost by 20% and improving service quality. In 2012-2013, the team was asked to expand to incorporate the legal teams of Sutton and Kingston. The new team, the ‘South London Legal Partnership’, went live on the 1 October 2013. The close management of actions has resulted in an overall cost reduction of 16 per cent and 62 per cent of customers reporting an increase in service quality; proving that this team is working effectively together to provide better legal services for its customers.

OXFORD CITY COUNCILThe welfare reform agenda means tenants within Oxford City are likely to face significant reductions in their household income, particularly customers subject to the under-occupancy restrictions and the benefit cap. This team aims to work with customers affected by the welfare reforms to identify barriers that prevent customers entering work and the solutions for removing those barriers. In most cases, where it is established that the welfare reforms will impact the customer, an interview is arranged with the aim of trying to fully understand the customers’ needs, the barriers preventing them entering work and the solutions for removing those barriers.

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