Agenda item

Consider report by the Corporate Transformation and Services Director providing an update on progress in developing and delivery of the Council’s Corporate Transformation Programme that will support the delivery of the 5 year Revenue Financial Plan.  (Copy attached.)

With reference to paragraph 11 of the Minute of 12 February 2015, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Corporate Transformation and Services Director providing an update on progress in developing and delivering the Council’s Corporate Transformation Programme.  Significant progress had been made against the 8 priorities as set out in the Corporate Plan and, through the exceptional efforts of staff, savings of £15.6m had been realised across the first 3 years of the 5-year financial plan 2013/14-2015/16, including current year savings which were on track to be delivered.  At the same time, significant operational efficiencies had been delivered while improving standards of service delivery in many areas.  A combination of funding restrictions and increasing demand for services meant that if these continued to be delivered in the same way as currently provided, a funding gap would develop.  As a result, £29.0m of savings needed to be made by 2020/21.   Moving forward, the Council needed to become a leaner and more flexible organisation that continually sought to improve and innovate to provide better more efficient services.  Technology would play a vital role in enabling this and would provide the Council with opportunities to rethink and redesign its business processes and make services available on an anytime, anywhere basis.  Although the Corporate Transformation Programme was only in its first year, it had already delivered some significant achievements, most notably, around the implementation of the Borders Railway which was already bringing benefits for the economy of the area.  Future work would ensure that these benefits were spread as widely as possible across the region.  Other significant achievements included the launch of SB Cares as a wholly-owned, arm’s- length organisation for the provision of adult social care services.  This model, which could be replicated elsewhere, provided an innovative way of providing services with the commercial and operational flexibility to allow the Council to pursue income streams that offset the costs of providing critical services.  Key programmes such as Customer First and ICT would bring about a comprehensive review of business processes, improving services and productivity as well as delivering savings.  Further online services, including building standards, benefits and fault reporting, would be made available to customers over the web in the year ahead.  Rationalisation of property would continue and further opportunities to accelerate this would be identified and pursued.  Steps to improve energy efficiency were already being planned and would be implemented to ensure that property running costs were reduced.  In addition to this, projects such as reducing the number of business miles travelled by at least 20% and reducing the volume and cost of printing across the organisation would contribute to the delivery of savings.  Members noted that this programme had placed the Council in a more favourable position than some other Councils in terms of the level of budget cuts required and would continue to help in future years.

DECISION

AGREED:-

(a)     to note the progress of the Programme to date; and

(b)     the role of the Corporate Transformation Programme in delivering significant savings whilst continuing to provide high quality services.