Performance Management Network meeting: 11th July 2013

Present: Heather Greenan (Chair) City Council Simon Walters (Vice Chair) City of Lincoln Lisa Butterfill EMC Lois Dale EMC Joanne Platts Chesterfield Borough Council George Spiteri County Council Vanessa Higgins High Peak & Staffordshire Moorlands Cal Bellavia & Bosworth BC Pat Jukes City of Lincoln Stewart Tiltman Melton Borough Council Richard Wilding County Council Sacha Ackland East Council Jacqui Clarke Council Colin Shepherd County Council Sarah Newton Dales District Council Spencer Payne County Council Helen Gretton Charnwood Borough Council Kate Hills LGA Anita Jackson Gedling Borough Council Rebecca Marriott Harborough District Council Chris Cary City Council Martin Durkin Erewash Borough Council Rebecca Swain Erewash Borough Council Jasmine Sodhi Lincolnshire County Council Carol Conway Wellingborough Borough Council Martin Derkin Erewash Borough Council Becky Swain Erewash Borough Council Sarah Walker Derby City Council Kas Sahota Derby City Council

Apologies: Adam Archer City Council George Spiteri Lincolnshire County Council Jayne Middleton Newark & Sherwood District Council Anne Court & Wendy Amis Peak District Julie Lewis Council James Edwards South Holland District Council Samantha Dancer South Holland District Council Colin Shepherd Nottinghamshire County Council Rob Bayley Nottinghamshire County Council Richard Corless Northamptonshire County Council Scott Webster Chesterfield Borough Council Esther Watt District Council Joanne Wilson Council Philip Allen Council David Rose Derbyshire County Council Adam Archer Leicester City Council Louise Tustian Cherwell &

1. Welcome and Introductions Chair welcomed colleagues to the meeting

2. Actions arising from 18th April 2013 meeting

Presentation – Improving Engagement with Performance – amendment to minutes – “Anita Jackson, Gedling BC, provided a presentation relating to her work to improve Local Government transparency. Performance data is published each quarter in a way that is accessible, open and timely. Information is published after consideration by Management Team but before it is shared with Members.

The number of visits to the performance pages has increased by using Facebook and Twitter to promote each quarter- rising from 50 to 400 in the first quarter the new pages were launched. No issues have been raised by members re receipt of paperless committee reports.

Small group discussions ensued around what are doing to increase public engagement with Councils’ performance information”.

The minutes were approved as a true record of the meeting.

Key priority working areas – members to share details of priority areas they are working on. Action: ALL. Template to be provided for completion prior to October meeting and circulated with the next agenda. Action: EMC

3. Improvement priorities and approaches Heather Greenan and colleagues from Derby City Council provided a presentation relating to the overview of Derby City Council’s improvement approach including Turning the Curve, Performance Surgeries and Improvement Boards.

Small group discussions ensued around: . Tools . Challenges . Improvement – top priority

(A copy of the flip charts outcomes is attached to these action notes).

4. Performance Systems Joanne Platts (Chesterfield BC) provided an insight into the background information relating to the performance systems currently being used by Chesterfield Borough Council. Benefits have been identified since CBC has used this Inphase system. The system was procured back in 2010 in order to enhance the management of performance within the Council.

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Colleagues interested in seeing the system in operation should contact Joanne direct – [email protected] .

5. Update on Performance Management Benchmarking Group Lisa Butterfill, EMC, introduced this item. No applications have been received for the secondment opportunity for Phase 2 of the project. Since the closing date in May, the secondment has been advertised on the EMJobs website and two outside LA have expressed an interest which is now being followed up.

£5k had been set aside from the RIEP legacy budget for this secondment. Simon Walters, City of Lincoln, advised that Lincoln has recently used students to fill a vacancy. This may be an opportunity to be explored for the secondment opportunity. Performance management colleagues agreed to provide University contacts within their areas. LB agreed to collate a list, make the necessary contacts, and report back to the October meeting. Action: LB

6. Update on LG Inform - http://www.local.gov.uk/about-lginform Kate Hills (LGA) attended the meeting to provide an update on the LG Inform.

Since the LGI was launched in summer 2012, comments and feedback have been received from various sources.

Possibility of a LGInform Master class taking place – LB to liaise with LGA

Key dates: . 31 July 2013 – new version released which is much more user friendly and quicker . September 2013 – launch date . November 2013 – developed and made open to the public . Regional events/workshops will be held in the future (dates to be advised). User guides to be produced.

Future Work Programme for the Network . LGA update on peer reviews – key messages/themes (relating to performance management) that have emerged from the LGA Peer Reviews. . Performance Clinics . LG Inform Master class at October meeting? . Incorporating Public Health indicators within Local Authority Performance Management systems . Topics for discussion in smaller groups – interactive

Actions:

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. Colleagues interested in seeing the Chesterfield BC system in operation to contact Joanne Platts direct – [email protected]

. Update on Performance Management Benchmarking – Lisa Butterfill to:

- Follow up with those who expressed an interest in the secondment opportunity - Explore the possibility of using University students - Update performance management colleagues on the outcomes - Liaise with Kate (LGA) re LGA attendance at a future meeting relating to key messages/themes that have emerged so far from the LGA Peer Reviews. - Liaise with LGA re possibility of running a masterclass on LGInform

. Key priority working areas – EMC to send a template out in September for completion by performance management colleagues prior to the October meeting. Template to be provided for completion prior to October meeting and circulated with the next agenda.

11th July Performance Management Network: Flip charts

Group 1:

Tools: . Lean & internal direction . Performance scrutiny / value for money . Corporate delivery boards: exception reporting – Q reporting . Different perspectives – growth, financial etc . Format of reporting – clear & quality of reports (performance management system) . ‘Surgery’ system & not indusive of members

Challenges: . Buy-in from members . District/City – v – different frameworks - lack of external challenge framework - how we engage all without external drivers - lack of benchmarking . Change views on what works . Quality of comments – common challenge

Improvement – top priority . Engagement/leadership/buy in . Strategic leadership!! . Senior management/member leadership interest & desire to make improvement a priority . Leadership engagement – wanting to change 4 . Member engagement – understanding & involvement in performance management . Leadership – to lead by example . Leadership – chief executive . Alignment between officers & members . Relationships – being open and honest – agreed priorities . CEO need to own performance & embed culture of performance . Obtaining buy in from all service areas and staff from the top down . Agreed objectives . Communication at all levels – members; directors; staff; public . Two performance management groups – strategic; operational

Group 2:

Priority: . Affordable homes . Corporate alignment (Melton BC) . Challenging but realistic targets . Clear leadership from top of organisation . Clear view of what the performance management framework needs to achieve between officers & members (City of Lincoln) . Cost cutting (HPBC) . Leadership buy-in ‘one council approach’ (NCC) . Corporate accountability (HBBC) . Better data & stronger business intelligence (Leics CC) . Quality of life for residents (HBBC) . Commissioning for outcomes (LCC) . Strategic leadership & direction & focus on performance . Continue to make cost savings . Good quality data supporting performance that is accepted and not challenged – confidence in the system (City of Lincoln) . A mix of engagement with and support from/for service areas – a joint approach between front line and corporate support (City of Lincoln) . Reprioritising to save money (DDDC) . Partnership working (DDDC) . Adult care transformation (LCC) . Savings . Transformation – aligning strategies – project academy – IT – corporate plan – corporate assessment management plan . Better use of resources – ‘more for less’

Tools: . Clear & accessible performance system (easy to access/understand) (City of Lincoln) . Impact analysis – to assess the impact of a change on people (LCC) . Service reviews – new operating model – peer assessments (Harborough DC) . Corporate dash board and reporting of summary performance by directorate (LCC) . More qualitative measures (DDDC) . Performance & risk management system (TEN)

5 . Service reviews (DDDC) . Develop service performance frameworks (based around outcomes) . Systems thinking is our key improvement tool (Blaby DC) . Lean reviews (NCC) & (CBC) . Project management assurance (for councils key priority activities) (LCC) . Leadership . Peer reviews (NCC) . Corporate Scorecard (Melton BC) . Scorecard key line of enquiry - template for audit – per team (Melton BC) . VFM frameworks (CBC) . Performance clinics (CBC) . VFM studies (external) . Corporate KPIs and service metrics ‘grids’ for central recording of performance (Melton BC) . Performance reviews utilising performance scrutiny committee

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