Securing an Efficient, Effective, Value for Money Council Influence and Partnership Delivery

Appendix 1

Watford Borough Council

Corporate Plan 2010-14

Investing in our town to build a Watford to be proud of

Contents

Foreword by Dorothy Thornhill, Elected Mayor of Watford 3

Why we need a Corporate Plan 5

Our long-term vision for the borough 8

Our corporate objectives 9

What has influenced the priorities set out in this Plan 12

Challenging national, regional and county agenda 14

What influences our plans and how the link together 18

Our values 19

Our Corporate Medium Term Plan 2010-14 20

Medium-term delivery 2010-14 40

Key Performance Indictors 2010/11 41

Sustaining our capacity to deliver 42

Alternative formats of this Plan 52

Foreword by Dorothy Thornhill, Elected Mayor of Watford

I am pleased to introduce Watford Borough Council’s Corporate Plan 2010-14.

This Plan looks forward over the next four years and builds on the firm foundation of a successful year of achievement in 2009/10, when we made significant progress in delivering our vision for Watford, driven by our commitment to make a real difference for the town and local people.

We are particularly pleased to have welcomed a new Managing Director to the council last September, with Manny Lewis seamlessly replacing our previous Managing Director, Alastair Robertson, who retired following six very successful years with us at Watford. Manny has brought a wealth of experience to Watford and is keen to work with councillors, staff, partners and the community to make sure that we are best placed to deliver our ambitions for Watford, which you will find in this plan.

We set ourselves some challenging short term priorities for 2008-10 and I am delighted that we are well on our way to delivering them – on time and within resources. This progress has given us the opportunity to reflect on what we need to achieve for the future and see what areas we want to continue to prioritise over the next year, if there are any new areas that we need to focus on, and what we need to do to make a positive contribution to some important borough-wide partnerships.

Each year the council’s Cabinet reviews what we call our council objectives, which help shape the work we do. This year, we have developed new objectives based around where we know we need to ‘invest’ our time and resources to ensure we deliver our priority projects and areas of work. We think this renewed focus will support our work over the next four years and make them as successful as the last four.

Some of the highlights of the last 12 months include:

Following the opening of our two outstanding leisure centres – at Woodside and in the town centre – a national survey found that Watford residents were the most satisfied residents anywhere in England with their sports and leisure facilities. We work very closely with SLM Ltd, the company managing the centres on our behalf, to ensure that the high standards that launched the centres are maintained and that they continue to build on the initial success to ensure residents continue to have the first class facilities they obviously enjoy.

Achieving real reductions in the amount of crime and anti-social behaviour through our work as a member of the Safer Watford partnership. The partnership brings together all the key agencies in the town with responsibility for community safety such as the Police, Fire and Rescue, the Primary Care Trust and the council, so they can work collectively to tackle issues that are so important to our residents. The good news is that crime figures overall compared to this time last year, are down across the borough by over 11%.

Delivering the first ever cut in Watford’s council tax, without having to cut or reduce services. This was one way we could respond to the current economic climate and so we did all we could to reduce the part of the council tax payment that comes to Watford (as opposed to the amount that goes to Hertfordshire County Council and to the Police).

Added to our Green Flag achievement for Cassiobury Park with Green Flags for Cheslyn Gardens and Woodside Playing Fields. I know the borough’s parks and open spaces are extremely important to our community and local people value the town’s green spaces very highly. The Green Flag award is national recognition that a park or open space is well run, providing good facilities for local people and that the council has the right plans in place for their future improvement and development. When you know that Green Flag applications have around a 50% failure rate, you will understand why we are so proud of our three.

As we move forward, it is vitally important for us to ensure that our plans and priorities for improvement reflect those of our residents and local community. Over the last year, I have been out and about across the borough and met many of you, and found out at first-hand what is important to you and what areas we need to focus on to improve the town and your experience of living in Watford. I particularly enjoyed the budget consultation and information events we held at the Town Hall last autumn and was impressed with the interest shown by those who attended. We have also carried out a number of other special consultation events, which have given you the opportunity to tell us what you think about some key areas of our work and future plans. All of this feedback means we can firmly ground our plans on your views. Where we find that you are concerned about an area that, as a district council we do not have direct responsibility for, we work with other organisations to progress these issues on your behalf.

This Plan sets out specifically what we are doing over the next year to deliver a successful future for Watford and how you will be able to measure our success. We are an ambitious council and have high aspirations for the town, and you will see we have set ourselves some challenging targets over the next few years. However, we believe that the delivery of major projects, such as the build of our two new leisure centres, has shown that when we focus on the task in hand we are effective in delivering, and improving, outcomes for local people.

As ever, if you have any comments on the Plan, our plans for improvement or the council, then email me at: [email protected] or call: 01923 226400 and ask for the Mayor’s office.

Dorothy Thornhill Mayor

Why we need a Corporate Plan

Our Corporate Plan 2010 -14 is our key improvement and planning document, which identifies the main focus for Watford Borough Council for the next four years. It brings together what we are doing as a council to address our priorities and how we will achieve success in these areas.

In this Plan we will outline what we need to do to build on our reputation as a high performing, value for money council by ensuring we continue to focus on those services and areas that local people tell us are important. We also know that we cannot achieve all we want to for Watford without working in close partnership with other local organisations, businesses and community groups. This Plan, as well as identifying priority outcomes for our own service areas, will also identify projects where we work in partnership to deliver improved outcomes for Watford. Good examples of this type of project include; Watford Health Campus, our shared services programme and our work in relation to community safety.

Our focus for the next four years – building on success

We want residents, partners and staff to have a clear picture of what we are aiming to achieve for Watford. The Corporate Plan 2010-2014 sets out our direction for delivering our vision for the borough, focusing on what we will achieve in the medium term – the next four years - to make it happen.

It is underpinned by the feedback we have had from local residents and organisations, which has helped identify what are the most important things for us to do both in the short and longer term. We have also taken the opportunity to ensure it reflects what we know about the town – our population, our economy, our environment and the challenges and opportunities we face 1 – and the wider national, regional and countywide agenda.

Over the next 12 months members and council staff will use this Plan to ensure we are delivering on our promises and that we have achieved what we set out to do. We will regularly report back on our progress to members and to our community so that they can feel confident about how effectively this Plan is being delivered.

A high achieving council

As the local council, and under the leadership of our directly elected Mayor, our aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone in Watford through the facilities and services we provide and through working effectively with the other organisations that play a vital role in the life of the town.

Over the last few years, we have significantly improved our performance as a local authority, which has been recognised through external inspection and by our residents.

Recognition through external assessment In 2009, we received recognition from the Audit Commission as a ‘Level 3’ authority, which indicates ‘good performance, significantly above the average’. All local authorities in England underwent what is known as an ‘Organisational Assessment’ that looked at how well they are performing and how well they are using their ‘resources’ – such as their money, staff and buildings. In the performance element of the assessment we achieved a level 3 and in the resources part a level 2. The Audit Commission decided that, where an authority scored both a level 3 and a level 2, the performance element would be the overriding score as it assesses the outcomes that local people experience rather than the internal workings of the organisation.

1 ‘A Portrait of Watford – February 2010 5

“Councillors and staff have shown over a number of years that they can keep improving the Council’s services. Staff are clear about what they need to do. The council is also working well with its partners to deliver improvements for residents.” Watford Borough Council Organisatonal Assessment 2009 – Audit Commission

Looking forward We have set ourselves a target in 2010/11 to achieve a level 3 for both elements of the Organisational Assessment, which is identified as a key outcome in this Plan. This will include addressing the areas of improvement identified through the Organisational Assessment:

Areas of improvement for 2010/11

We need to improve our understanding of the costs of all our services and to see how our costs compare with similar councils to help us identify where we could deliver even more efficiencies We need to work with other organisations to deliver appropriate levels of affordable housing in the borough We need to work with other organisations to understand why older people are less satisfied with their homes and neighbourhoods We need to continue to work with our ‘Safer Watford’ partners to improve feelings of safety We need to ensure our work to improve health and physical activities achieves real improvements and to tackle health inequalities in the borough

Recognition through positive feedback from our residents We also received the final results of the national Place Survey during 2009. The Place Survey was conducted by every local authority in England during 2008 and tested what people thought about their local public services, including their local authority. Although it was a new survey, a number of the questions that related to people’s perceptions of their council and local services were ones that had been asked in previous national surveys.

Our results showed we had made considerable improvement in relation to how well we performed compared with other councils in Hertfordshire and, for one of the questions (people’s satisfaction with sports and leisure facilities) we achieved the highest response in the country. This was particularly good news for the council because it meant that Watford residents are enjoying the benefits of the excellent facilities available in the borough’s new leisure centres. These centres were a significant investment for the council but were something we knew we needed to deliver as local people had told us good quality facilities were important.

Investing and building the town’s success

We believe Watford is a great place to live, work and visit. It has built a strong reputation as a regional centre for shopping, recreation and business, which has meant it has become a prosperous and vibrant town. Combined with this, it is a town with a strong sense of identity and community, which is enriched by the diversity of its residents.

Together, with our partner organisations, we share an ambition to build on the town’s reputation and ensure Watford is an outstanding place of which we can all be truly proud. We want Watford to continue to be somewhere future generations will choose to live and work and one that offers a wide range of attractions and activities for residents and visitors. At the same time we want to protect and enhance the borough and ensure it retains the unique identity that has made it so popular and successful. Over the last year, we have made significant progress in ensuring Watford continues to be a successful town. This has included progressing some of the major projects that we believe will make a big difference to Watford and to the quality of life of its residents. We know that, although it 6 is successful in many ways, we could improve our town centre. This is why we are keen to re- develop Charter Place, which everyone agrees is outdated and in need of modernisation, and to improve what we call ‘ the top of the town’. Work in 2009/10 has put sound plans in place to move both of these projects forward and, in 2010/11, we will be sharing our vision with local people to see what they think.

We know that the more challenging economic climate means we have to carefully consider how we deliver some of these projects but we are determined to keep up the momentum for improvement, which started with the leisure centres and now includes the transformation of Watford Colosseum into a first-class entertainment venue, which will offer an exciting programme to suit all tastes and interests when it re-opens in 2011.

Case study 1 Responding to economic challenges

Although there are encouraging signs that the econ omy is improving, there are still significant challenges for us all and, as a council, we are responding as far as we can to the impact that the economic downturn has had on our local economy and our residents. We know household budgets are being squeezed , there is more job insecurity and lower income from savings and investments. Overall, it continues to be a very worrying time for many local people and businesses and we know that we are still facing a challenging and uncertain period ahead. These econom ic issues impact on the council too; our costs are under pressure at a time when we are facing lower return on our investments, loss of business rental income and more limited support from central government. However, demand for our services continues to g row and some services such as benefits experience even higher demand during a period of economic uncertainty. We are ensuring our services that support those facing difficulties are well- resourced and able to respond to greater demand from the community s uch as benefits advice and homelessness advice.

The downturn also brings opportunities and new challenges, which means we have looked again at our plans and strategies, including those we share with partners, to ensure that they reflect the impact of re cent changes to the national and local economy. We are an active member of the Watford Business Advisory Group, which brings together the key organisations and people who can help support those businesses already located in the borough and encourage new firms and companies to choose to locate in Watford.

Our long-term vision for the borough

All successful organisations have at their heart, a clear vision of what they want to achieve. This vision sets out the organisation’s direction, defines its priorities and guides its actions whilst making sure that it is constantly striving to improve the services it provides in line with local priorities.

Our vision as a council, therefore, sets us two challenges – it is about the sort of place we want Watford to be and it is about what sort of organisation we need to be to make this vision a reality.

Our long term-plans for the area are set through a vision for Watford, which we share with our ‘One Watford’ partners. The One Watford partnership brings together key organisations in the town, which have come together to make a greater impact on improving life in Watford. This shared vision ensures that our aspirations for the future are set out at a very high level, providing a framework for our plans and actions.

A town to be proud of, where people will always choose to live, work and visit

This vision is about looking forward from where Watford is today to where we want to be by 2026; achieving this vision is dependent on all parts of the community and local organisations and agencies working together.

Case Study 2 What is One Watford?

One Watford is the borough’s Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) that brings different parts of the public, private, commu nity and voluntary sectors together to work more effectively to deliver better outcomes for local people.

One Watford is responsible for setting the long term vision for the borough and for identifying the partnership’s key areas of action that will ach ieve this vision. The Sustainable Community Strategy 2006-2026, which was reviewed and refreshed in 2008, sets out what One Watford seeks to achieve and how it might be done. Each organisation represented on One Watford is committed to delivering areas of action in the Sustainable Community Strategy – focusing on where they can make a difference for local people.

Central government has agreed to a sum of money being set aside for local strategic partnerships to help them deliver better outcomes for local people, provided that areas, in our case the area is Hertfordshire, could demonstrate they had made significant improvement across a number of priority areas. This was known as a Local Area Agreement (LAA) and, during 2009/10, One Watford received a part of its share of Hertfordshire’s LAA ‘reward money’ - known as Performance Reward Grant (PRG). This will allow the partnership to make a significant contribution to delivering its priorities for Watford. During 2009, One Watford has identified its first pri ority projects to support with PRG – see page 16 for more details of One Watford’s PRG projects.

Dorothy Thornhill, Elected Mayor of Watford, is the Chair of One Watford. One Watford partners

Watford Borough Council Hertfordshire County Council Watford Council for Voluntary Services Hertfordshire Police Authority Watford District Children’s Trust Partnership John Lewis plc Watford Football Club Safer Watford – Watford’s Community Wenta Safety Partnership West Herts College Watford & West Herts Chamber of Commerce Hertfordshire NHS Watford Community Housing Trust 8

Our corporate objectives

Each year the Mayor and Cabinet review the corporate priorities and, where necessary, make recommendations on whether they should be amended or reviewed in any way. Over the last few months we have taken time to reflect on our achievements and think about what we need to do to deliver our ambitions and meet our commitments over the short, medium and longer-term

We believe we have a good track record on delivering our priorities but we know if we want to continue to be a high performing council we need to really challenge ourselves about what we do next.

We have an ambitious agenda for Watford, which we believe will deliver on some of the issues that are important to Watford residents. To ensure we deliver these objectives and our commitment to the One Watford Sustainable Community Strategy we have re-looked at our corporate objectives. These are the fundamental building blocks that supports the delivery of our Corporate Plan, so ensuring they are right for the council is a fundamental part of developing this Plan.

In December 2009, Watford Borough Council’s Cabinet agreed a new set of objectives that improve the synergy between the major projects we have identified as our priority area of work from 2010/11 and how we set out our Corporate Plan, service plans and individual work programmes. These objectives develop the ‘themes’ that represent our focus as an organisation and will ensure residents, members, partners, staff, local, regional and national organisations know what we are aiming to achieve by 2014.

Our outward facing objectives based on our investment themes

Improve the health of the town and enhance its heritage Enhance the town’s ‘clean and green’ environment Enhance the town’s sustainability Enhance the town’s economic prosperity and potential Supporting individuals and the community

In addition we recognise that to continue to improve the delivery of local services and ensure we meet our commitments through One Watford and the Sustainable Community Strategy, we need to make sure we have the best people, systems, processes and management arrangements in place to deliver efficient, high quality services that represent real value for money to the community. We also recognise the contribution that partnership working and influencing makes to how we deliver the priorities for Watford. We have therefore added two further objectives:

Our internal facing objectives based on our investment themes Securing an efficient, effective, value for money council Influence and partnership delivery

External investment themes

Investment theme 1 Investment theme 2 Investment theme 3 Improve the health Enhance the town ’s Enhance the of the town and of the town and ‘clean & green ’ town ’s enhance its heritage enhance its heritage environment sustainability

Investment theme 4 A town to be Investment theme 5 Enhance the Supporting town ’s economic proud of, where individuals & prosperity & people will always the community

potential choose to live, work and visit

Investment theme 6 Investment theme 7 Securing an Influence and efficient, effective, partnership value for money delivery council Internal investment themes

How these objective support our decision-making

These corporate objectives provide the framework for our decision-making as we assess our work against how well it will deliver the outcomes represented by the objectives. The council’s strategies and the allocation of our resources to our plans and projects are all focused on achieving the outcomes agreed with our partners and our community. Later in this Plan, we will identify how we have ensured that our finances are aligned to delivering our objectives by ensuring we are making the appropriate investments.

However, we know that there are several areas where we need to focus energies and resources to meet our goals. These are in addition to the delivery of existing services and activities but they represent a renewed focus for action that will deliver enhanced community outcomes for 2010- 2014.

Case Study 3 Delivering the vision, objectives and priorities for Watford:

The role of our Members

Watford Borough Council has a directly-elected mayor – just one of 11 local authorities to have this form of leadership and just one of two district councils.

A directly-elected mayor means that local people elect the person who leads the council. In authorities which do not have directly-elected ma yors the leader is chosen by the councillors.

The Mayor is supported by a Cabinet that plays a key role in determining the overall budget and policy framework of the council. At Watford the Cabinet is made up of the Mayor and four other councillors. Ea ch individual member of the Cabinet has a ‘Portfolio’ for which they are responsible and they can make decisions within their area of responsibility.

The council has three scrutiny panels which review and scrutinise the policy of the council, its perfor mance and its budget. We also have four further committees covering: development control, licensing, audit and functions.

In addition, all councillors play an essential role in the democratic leadership of their communities. We are working to ensure that our councillors are supported and equipped to be effective in this critical role.

Watford Borough Council’s Cabinet members and responsibilities

Dorothy Thornhill – Elected Mayor – portfolio holder for Community Services

Councillor Derek Scudder – Deputy Mayor – portfolio holder for the Environmental Services

Councillor Bernadette Laventure – portfolio holder for Corporate Services

Councillor Iain Sharpe – portfolio holder for Planning and Legal and Property Services

Councillor Andy Wylie – portfolio holder for Finance and Shared Services

What has influenced the priorities set out in this Plan?

What local people have told us is important for Watford

We know that one of the major challenges we face as a council is to balance the town’s local and regional importance, which supports employment and prosperity, with the wishes of our residents, identified through consultation and feedback from our community. As a council we have a strong track record of involving local people in decision-making and keeping them well informed about our plans and feeding back on our progress and achievements.

The national Place Survey that was conducted with 1498 local people between September and December 2008 asked respondents to rate what they see as the key factors in making somewhere a good place to live from a comprehensive list of factors. It also asked people, looking at the list of factors again, to indicate what they thought most needed improving in Watford. The results are shown below.

50% 26% Level of crime

42% 18% Health services

37% 28% Clean streets

30% 19% Affordable decent housing

29% 8% Parks and open spaces

23% 53% Level of traffic congestion

27% 19% Public transport

17% 44% Road and pavement repairs

14% 32% Activities for teenagers

Good place to live Need to improve

Base: 1498 Watford Place Survey September – December 2008

We also conducted a survey with our Citizens’ Panel2 in December 2009, which focused on our budget setting and our spending plans and decisions. In this survey we asked respondents to select which five of the statutory and non-statutory services provided by the council they most value. Statutory services are ones that we have to provide. Non-statutory ones are those that we are not required by law to provide, but that we choose to because we believe they make a vital contribution to the quality of life in Watford and local people tell us they are important. Waste and recycling and street cleaning were the most valued statutory services whilst community safety was the non-statutory service that local people most wanted to see delivered to a high standard,

2 The Citizens’ Panel is a group of around 1200 local people who have agreed that the council can contact them on a regular basis to take part in consultation/engagement activities 12 followed by parks and open spaces, children’s play areas and playgrounds and improvements to the town centre. All of these priorities feature in this corporate plan.

Community Survey 2009 – Most valued statutory services

Collection of household rubbish 73% 25% 2%

Street cleaning and cleaning of 61% 34% 5% public spaces

Environmental health services 43% 48% 9%

Planning applications, advice and 36% 45% 18% policy High Homelessness services 35% 45% 18% Average Minimum Revenues and Benefits services 33% 53% 12%

Building regulation advice and 32% 48% 17% services

Running the Council’s democratic 24% 46% 28% and financial functions

Licensing 17% 47% 33%

Base: 487 Watford Borough Council Community Survey 2009

Community Survey 2009 – Most valued non-statutory services

Community safety 63% 29% 8%

Parks and open spaces 36% 55% 9%

Supervised activities & facilities for children's play 31% 56% 12%

Improving the town centre 30% 53% 17%

Improvements to cycle lanes & pedestrian footways 26% 48% 25%

Children's play areas / playgrounds 24% 47% 30%

Grants and support to local groups 21% 50% 27%

Sports activities + advice/suport for groups and clubs 19% 49% 31%

High Frontline customer services 16% 63% 21%

Average Arts and cultural activities and facilities 16% 49% 35%

Minimum Advice services 14% 52% 34%

Base: 487 Watford Borough Council Community Survey 2009

Challenging national, regional and county agenda

National agenda

Local government plays a significant role in delivering central government’s agenda for improving the quality of life of local people and their communities, whilst ensuring it meets the government’s targets for improved efficiency and value for money.

The previous government has set out its expectations of local councils over the next few years, although we are aware that these are likely to change in the months ahead. This has involved a wide range of guidance and a number of pieces of legislation, including the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 that made clear the important role that councils, and local councillors, will play in shaping strong, sustainable and safe communities – places where people want to live and work now and in the future. It is clearly looking to local councils to provide a strong community leadership role and to bring together other key organisations in their area to achieve better outcomes.

As an authority with a directly elected mayor, we believe we already provide strong community leadership and direction for the borough but we are eager to build on this. The council also has a strong track record of working in partnership with the public, private, voluntary and community sectors to deliver high quality services for Watford and so we welcomed the agenda as it fits well with much of what we are doing already and our plans for the borough for the future.

Central government’s expectations of local government and the resourcing available to deal with issues locally is likely to change significantly with the election of a new government over the next few years as the issue of public sector debt is addressed and measures are implemented to tackle it.

That is why our Corporate Plan needs to have effectively considered future challenges facing the organisation – in particular ensuring we have taken into account future budget projections and how this might impact on what we can deliver over the next few years. Over the past year, we have worked to improve the alignment of our budget setting with the development of our Corporate Plan and service plans to ensure we have the right amount of resources allocated to our priority areas for delivery.

Regional agenda

We are a determined council and have exciting ambitions for Watford. Our agenda, outlined in this Plan, acknowledges the important role Watford plays in the region and we know that much of what we are planning is more in keeping with many larger council areas. We know the town plays an extremely important role in south-west Hertfordshire and, although we are only a small borough, many people in the region see Watford as their main town and the place they look to for a wide range of services and activities.

These ambitions for Watford also reflect the current national agenda for local government. A key part of this is about encouraging councils to look beyond their own boundaries and to find ways to work together, and with other local partners outside their immediate area, to help deliver joined up solutions to issues – particularly those that need to take a broader view like economic development and housing.

We acknowledge that our plans, including this one, need to reflect the growing importance of this regional agenda and we want to be well-placed to ensure Watford’s interests are represented and considered when plans are developed for the future of the wider area and region.

This is of particular importance in the current economic climate and our medium-term priority project of delivering an Economic Development action plan for Watford will look to the borough’s regional role and potential as part of the context for the emerging action plan.

Case Study 4

Watford as part of the wider region

Watford has been designated a Key Centre for Development and Change (KCDC) in the East of England region, as part of the regional planning process, in recognition of the important role it plays as a focus for business, shopping, transport and other services for a wide catchment population. KCDCs are areas tha t have been identified for major development or regeneration and there are 20 others across the Eastern region.

This designation means that the wider role Watford performs needs to be properly recognised in the future planning of the town and in any plann ing decisions. It should also be a help in the process of attracting the necessary investment for infrastructure from the likes of East of England Development Agency (EEDA) as part of its regional investment programme.

For Watford the areas which are currently key strategic development sites comprise the town centre, the Watford Junction area, and the Watford Health Campus area.

Countywide agenda

Watford Borough Council operates in a two-tier system of local government. This means that as well as a local district council (us), Watford is also served by a county council (Hertfordshire). Both councils are responsible for delivering local services – some are our responsibility such as waste, street cleaning, planning, homelessness services and the collection of council tax, whilst others, such as schools and highways, are the responsibility of Hertfordshire County Council. This means that both councils work closely together to ensure that all these services are delivered effectively and seamlessly for Watford.

One way that we are currently working in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council is through the countywide Local Area Agreement (LAA).

What is a Local Area Agreement (LAA)?

LAAs are a three-year agreement between the government and a local area (in our case, Hertfordshire) to deliver a series of outcomes for that area in relation to four key areas of activity.

LAAs are designed to promote partnership working and deliver improved services and outcomes, focusing on the things that matter most to local people. In two-tier areas, the county council, as the accountable body, signs up to the agreement on behalf of its local partners, which include the district councils and their own LSPs as well as other public sector organisations such as the Primary Care Trusts and the Police.

What is covered by a Local Area Agreement?

Current LAAs are structured around these six ‘blocks’: • Jobs, prosperity and skills

• Children and young people • Safer and stronger communities • An ageing population and health and well-being • Transport and access and promoting sustainable development • Housing, affordable housing and quality neighbourhoods and sustaining Hertfordshire’s unique character and quality of life

However, it is recognised that not all local priorities fit neatly under these blocks and LAAs can include cross-cutting issues, such as the environment, equality and access to services.

Shared objectives and priorities for the area are identified for each activity block and targets are agreed to ensure outcomes are achieved. Some of these targets during the first LAA period (2006- 09) had a 'performance reward grant' (PRG) attached, seeking to encourage partnerships to set challenging or 'stretch' targets. The first LAA is now complete and the government assessed what amount of reward money Hertfordshire will receive to share across the county. For Watford, the reward money will be paid to One Watford who will use it to fund local priority projects.

Case Study 5 One Watford Performance Reward Grant Project Over the last year, One Watford has considered how it can use the money it receives as Performance Reward Grant (PRG) to address the important issues for Watford that it has identified through the Sustainable Community Strategy 2009.

During 2009, the partnership has commissioned three projects that it believes will support three priority areas:

Improving feelings of safety Supporting businesses to be more sustainable – through more sustainable modes of transport and reducing business carbon emissions Building a more engaged and involved community

One Watford has also committed some PRG funding to support the ‘Watford For You’ initiative, particularly around its role of promoting Watford as a good place for business.

More details of these projects, their progress and outcomes will be available during 2010 through a refreshed One Watford website and the council’s About Watford magazine. One Watford will also be holding an event for local people to let them know more about the PRG projects and what difference they make for them and for Watford.

The current (second) LAA was agreed in June 2008 and runs from 2008-11. There is no ‘reward’ or money attached to this LAA.

Case Study 6 Comprehensive Area Assessment Last year a new assessment framework known as a Comprehensive A rea Assessment (CAA) was introduced in England. CAA looks at how well public services in Hertfordshire are delivering the services and activities Hertfordshire residents need and want. CAA will take the countywide LAA as a starting point for its assessment – how well Hertfordshire is doing against the targets it has set through the LAA, but will also take account of local performance against local priorities. The council’s own performance as measured through its Organisational Assessment contributes to the overall CAA judgement for Hertfordshire.

CAA has two major elements

The Area Assessment, which will look at how well public services are being delivered across the county and what are the prospects that people’s needs and aspirations will be met in the future.

The Organisational Assessment – this looks at how Watford Borough Council is performing the use of resources assessment and a managing performance assessment. We outlined Watford’s assessment results in 2009 earlier in this plan.

What is the Hertfordshire Pathfinder?

Another initiative that impacts on Watford’s work with the County Council and its district partners, as well as our future plans, is the Hertfordshire Pathfinder.

Councils that work within the two-tier system of local government face unique challenges but also exciting opportunities that, by joining together across a range of work and projects, allow them to provide better, more cost effective services for local people and their communities.

Central government recognises that within two-tier areas there a number of important benefits that could be achieved through partnership working. In 2006, it set up an initiative known as ‘two-tier pathfinders’ to encourage, and challenge, two-tier areas to work together even more closely to bring about improvements and efficiencies.

In 2007, all Hertfordshire councils signed up to be one of the pioneering ‘Pathfinder’ pilots in the country and received government approval for their plans.

What does Pathfinder mean for Watford? Watford is committed to making Pathfinder work for local people. Our task will be to identify initiatives that ensure residents directly benefit from us working with our fellow Hertfordshire councils by cutting costs whilst improving services. Current Pathfinder projects include our own Shared Services programme and improving customer access.

What influences our plans and how they link together

This diagram shows the council’s key drivers for improvement and development and how this Corporate Plan links those drivers, whether they are external or internal, to the work we do – right down to how this impacts on an individual member of staff.

Watford Borough Council – What Influences Our Plans and How They Link Together

Partnership agendas Sustainable Community Strategy National agenda government plans and Partnerships strategies and (SCS) action plans requirements -developed and monitored by One Watford Regional agenda Long-term vision and objectives for the town • Key Centre for Development County agenda + and Change Herts Forward • East of England Plan • Hertfordshire Sustainable • Regional Economic Strategy Community Strategy 2021 Watford Borough Council • Local Area Agreement (LAA) Corporate Plan Partnership agendas • Pathfinder Partnerships strategies and - including council vision, objectives and action plans 4 year medium term plan Feedback from external feedback from consultation inspection and reviews and community engagement Local Development Framework providing a spatial dimension for other strategies / plans including SCS

Key Council Strategies and Plans

Service Medium-Term Plans Budget proposals and plans

Unit Plans

Individual objectives / (appraisals)

Our values

Our council values support us to realise our vision and deliver our commitments outlined in this Plan.

The council exists as part of the democratic process with the Mayor and local councillors making choices on behalf of local people. Our operating values are:

Customer and citizen focus We will ensure high quality services that meet the needs of local people and businesses. We will engage with them to help shape what we do and improve their satisfaction with us.

Honesty and integrity We will be clear about what we are going to do, accept responsibility for our actions and deliver on our promises. We will work with impartiality and fairness.

Forward and outward looking We will foster an innovative, ‘can do’ culture that encourages continuous improvement and creativity, and supports the drive for change and progress.

Outcome and efficiency driven We will focus on outcomes that matter to local people and take pride in doing the job well. We will challenge the way we deliver services and do things, to ensure economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

Respect, openness and participation We will value, listen to and acknowledge everyone’s contribution. We will pursue an inclusive, consultative and participative approach in working with communities, citizens and staff.

Our Corporate Medium Term Plan 2010-14

Our Corporate Plan identifies the main focus of Watford Borough Council for the next four years.

It sets out the key priorities for the council, in the context of the Sustainable Community Strategy and the framework of our priority areas, and how we will achieve success in these areas.

Medium Term Financial Plan 2010-2014

Aligned with the Corporate Medium Term Plan, the council approves a four year financial forecast which identifies factors likely to impact upon capital and revenue budgets. This Financial Plan is discussed in greater detail later in this Corporate Plan.

Corporate Objective 1

Improve the health of the town and enhance its heritage

This objective focuses on how our work will improve opportunities for participation in activities that impact on people’s health and fitness and how some of our major transformational projects will contribute to enhancing the heritage of the town.

Local arts strategy Local Sports Strategy

Improve the Watford Colosseum health of the town and enhance its and enhance its heritage

Sustainable future for Watford town centre community centres Cultural Study

Why

We know that we need to improve participation in sports and leisure activities amongst some members of our community – for example the 55 plus and 19 to 25 year olds. Greater participation in sports and leisure also has a positive impact on issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, which, although only slightly worse in Watford than the rest of Hertfordshire, do need to improve. In the Place Survey 42% of residents cited good health services as important in making somewhere a good place to live. Our One Watford partner, West Hertfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust leads on improving health across the town but there are things we as the local council can do to support them. Feedback from local people has highlighted the town centre as a priority for improvement, both in terms of improving the overall look of the High Street and in terms of the types of activity the town centre currently offers. We know there is a strong link between achieving some of our other objectives and making Watford a healthier town. For example, this is why tackling problems such as alcohol and drug abuse not only has a positive impact on crime levels but also on people’s health. Also, our parks and open spaces are a vital facility for sports and leisure and this is one of the top reasons why people use them, so ensuring we maintain and improve them to a high standard, and with the facilities people want, is another essential part of delivering a healthy town. Our work on delivering ‘homes to suit all needs’, especially around homelessness and affordable housing is an additional vital link to ensuring Watford is a ‘healthy town’ for local people.

Improve the health of the town and enhance its heritage

Ref Name of project Project lead What we will do in 2010 (service area and Cabinet sponsor)

Cp1 Develop and deliver a local Community Services Build understanding of current arts strategy and action plan Dorothy Thornhill – provision through research and for Watford Elected Mayor consultation/ engagement Develop strategy and action plan and achieve Cabinet agreement for implementation

Cp2 Develop and deliver a local Community Services Build understanding of current sports strategy and action Dorothy Thornhill – provision through research and plan for Watford Elected Mayor consultation/ engagement Develop strategy and action plan and achieve Cabinet agreement for implementation

Cp3 Deliver a sustainable future for Community Services Transfer of Orbital Community community centres Dorothy Thornhill – Centre to Watford YMCA and Elected Mayor Holywell Community Centre to Watford CVS in quarter 1 Transfer of Centrepoint Community Centre in quarter 2 Transfer of Leavesden and Meriden Community Centres to Watford Community Housing Trust in quarter 3

Cp4 Deliver Watford Colosseum’s Community Services Work to star on refurbishment in refurbishment Dorothy Thornhill – spring 2010 Elected Mayor HQ theatres to develop programme for re-opening Plan opening event for 2011

Cp5 Deliver Watford town centre Executive Director – Phase 1: Improvements to cultural study Services Palace Theatre area + Town Dorothy Thornhill – Hall subway including Elected Mayor consultation Phase 2: consultation on wider public realm

How this contributes to the delivery of One Watford’s Sustainable Community Strategy a healthy town a prosperous and educated town

Links to other strategies

Watford’s Sustainable Community Strategy – 2008 Watford’s Local Development Framework Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy 2021 Hertfordshire Sports Development Strategy Watford’s Cultural Strategy 2007-2012 A Cultural Study for Watford 2009 Watford Borough Council’s Capital Strategy Watford Borough Council Asset Management Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Housing Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy

Links to our key partnerships

One Watford Hertfordshire Local Area Agreement 2008-11 • Jobs, prosperity and skills • Children and young people • Safer and stronger communities • An ageing population and health and well-being • Transport and access and promoting sustainable development Watford District Children’s Trust Partnership Watford Community Sports Network Watford Arts Network Watford and Three Rivers’ Health Partnership

Corporate Objective 2

Enhance the town’s ‘clean and green’ environment

This objective builds on our work to deliver a cleaner local environment through a first-class street cleansing service that can respond to issues as they arise and our programme for improving and enhancing our parks and open spaces.

Keep the physical environment clear of litter, graffiti, detritus, fly posting and abandoned vehicles

Enhance the town’s

‘clean & green’

environment

Green Spaces programme

Why Feedback from local people put high quality street cleansing in their top two most valued statutory council services and ones that they would want to see continued at a high level in terms of the council’s commitment and resources. Feedback in the same survey also put parks and open spaces as the second most valued non-statutory services for local people. In the Place Survey 2008, clean streets and parks and open spaces were both cited in the top five things that are important in making somewhere a good place to live. The Place Survey also showed that 80% of local people are satisfied with the borough’s parks and open spaces, which is a good achievement for such a densely populated area and shows that the high priority we have put on this area of work over the last few years is recognised by local people. We achieve good performance results for our street cleansing service (National Indicator 195) but in the Place Survey people’s satisfaction did not mirror this good performance. We need to improve people’s perception of Watford as a place which delivers good quality street cleansing.

Enhance the town’s ‘clean and green’ environment

Ref Name of project Project lead What we will do in 2010 (service area and Cabinet sponsor)

Cp6 Deliver Green Spaces Community Services Maintain green flags for Programme Dorothy Thornhill – Cassiobury Park, Cheslyn Elected Mayor Gardens and Woodside Playing Fields Improve playgrounds at Callowland, Leavesden, Woodside, Oxhey and Nascot Colne Valley Linear Park improvements Launch Green Gyms (programmes to keep fit whilst working on local environmental projects) Agree allotment management options with each site

Cp7 Keep the physical environment Environmental Launch of Area Team Action clear of litter, graffiti, detritus, Services Plan fly posting and abandoned Councillor Derek Town Centre Spring Clean vehicles Scudder Town Centre Environmental Action Zone Clean Britain Award submission Deep clean programme Review of DVLA devolved power to manage nuisance vehicles effectively

How this contributes to the delivery of One Watford’s Sustainable Community Strategy a town that protects its environment and heritage a healthy town a well-informed community where everyone can contribute

Links to other strategies

Watford Sustainable Community Strategy Watford’s Local Development Framework Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy 2021 Watford Borough Council Green Spaces Strategy Watford Borough Council Asset Management Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Housing Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy

Links to our key partnership agendas

Support One Watford’s objective Supports Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy themes: o Children and young people o Safer and stronger communities o An ageing population and health and well-being

Corporate objective 3

Enhance the town’s sustainability

This objective puts our commitment to a more sustainable local and global environment at the heart of everything we do.

Climate Change Waste Minimisation / Sustainable Transport Maximise recycling Strategy Strategy

Enhance the

town’s

sustainability

Why Watford is the fifth best connected local authority in the country, which means it has excellent transport links. These excellent links bring many benefits to the borough – jobs, visitors and overall economic prosperity. But we also know that traffic congestion is a concern for local people. We are currently 14 th nationally on levels of traffic congestion and in the Place Survey 2008, tackling traffic congestion was the number one area identified as needing improvement in Watford. Of over 1000 people surveyed, 60% identified it as their top priority for improvement.

We also know that tackling climate change is important locally, nationally and globally and we want Watford to play its part in protecting the environment for future generations. This means reducing the waste we generate, building on our high recycling rates and looking at ways to cut the borough’s CO 2 emissions.

Enhance the town’s sustainability

Ref Name of project Project lead What we will do in 2010 (service area and Cabinet sponsor)

Cp8 Develop and deliver a Environmental Develop Climate Change Climate Change Strategy and Services Strategy and adaptation action plan for Watford Councillor Derek action plan and achieve Scudder Cabinet agreement

Cp9 Minimise waste and Environmental Second phase of kitchen maximise recycling Services caddie distribution Councillor Derek Placement of on street Scudder recycling bins Improved recycling for flats Review of black sack collections and 240 litre bins Targeted campaign to increase recycling participation

Cp10 Develop a Sustainable Planning Develop Watford Business Transport Strategy for Councillor Iain Network Travel Plan Watford Sharpe Produce Watford Borough Council Green Travel Action Plan Develop sustainable travel action plan Analysis of sustainable travel modes in Watford

How this contributes to the delivery of One Watford’s Sustainable Community Strategy a well-planned town with homes to suit all needs a town that protects its environment and heritage a healthy town a well-informed community where everyone can contribute

Links to other strategies

Watford Sustainable Community Strategy Watford’s Local Development Framework Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy 2021 Hertfordshire Joint Municipal Waste Strategy 2007 Hertfordshire Climate Change Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Waste Strategy Action Plan Watford Borough Council’s Green Travel Plan Watford Borough Council’s Carbon Management Strategy

Watford Borough Council’s Community Engagement Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Housing Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy

Links to our key partnership agendas

Support One Watford’s objective Supports Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy themes: o Health and well-being o Transport and access and promoting sustainable development • Housing, affordable housing and quality neighbourhoods and sustaining Hertfordshire’s unique character and quality of life Hertfordshire Waste Partnership South West Herts Transportation Strategy

Corporate objective 4

Enhance the town’s economic prosperity and potential

Local Development Economic Watford Framework Development Junction

Watford Health Charter Place Campus Enhance the and Watford Market

town’s

economic

prosperity &

potential

Why We know that ensuring Watford has the right long-term plans for how it will develop underpins all our other plans. The Local Development Framework (LDF) is a vital strategy in delivering this and sits alongside One Watford’s Sustainable Community Strategy to ensure Watford is a place that develops in a way that is well-thought out, has the right vision and ambitions for the borough and focus on local needs. How the borough develops impacts on housing, traffic and congestion, the town centre, our neighbourhoods and the facilities and activities Watford has to offer. We know that Watford is mainly an urban borough and there is limited land available for development, which means that pressures on existing buildings and land uses can be high. We also know that we are the most densely populated district in the country (only 12 cities and towns in England are more densely populated). That is why careful, well-thought out plans for development are essential. We know that Watford has enjoyed considerable success and prosperity because of the range of activities it offers residents and visitors; excellent shopping in particular is a vital part of Watford’s prosperity and reputation. The development of Charter Place will make a significant

contribution to the town’s retail and entertainment offer and we know local people are keen to see what is an outdated facility modernised and improved. We also know from resident and visitor feedback during 2009, that Watford Market is seen as an important part of the town’s identity and shopping experience and so we will be considering how we can match people’s expectations with the development in Charter Place. Watford Health Campus is a critical development for the borough and for the wider region and we are actively supporting the project that will rejuvenate a significant part of the town and deliver world-class health facilities.

Enhance the town’s economic prosperity and potential

Ref Name of project Project lead What we will do in 2010 (service area and Cabinet sponsor)

Cp11 Work in partnership to Managing Director Issue planning permission deliver the Watford Health Legal and Property Complete financial viability Campus project Services appraisals for scheme Councillor Iain Agree delivery vehicle Sharpe Tender for procurement partner Complete key terms for delivery vehicle

Cp12 Deliver the Local Planning Complete evidence base Development Framework Councillor Iain Complete spatial portrait core strategy Sharpe Complete vision and strategic objectives Complete infrastructure delivery plan Complete sustainability appraisal Consultation on core strategy Submission of core strategy (January 2011)

Cp13 Develop an Economic Planning Develop a Watford action Development strategy and Councillor Iain plan to reflect the Economic partnership approach for Sharpe Development Strategy for Watford Hertfordshire Consult on action plan

Cp14 Progress Charter Place Managing Director Select development partner development and Watford Legal and Property and conclude Development Market Services Agreement Councillor Iain Work with Watford Market Sharpe Working Group to improve the market

Cp15 Support Watford Junction Managing Director Work in partnership to development Planning integrate the Abbey Flyer Councillor Iain tram into the Watford Sharpe Junction scheme Respond to Hertfordshire County Council on the

Enhance the town’s economic prosperity and potential

Abbey Flyer tram Agree supplementary planning document

How this contributes to the delivery of One Watford’s Sustainable Community Strategy a well-planned town with homes to suit all needs a town that protects its environment and heritage a healthy town a prosperous and educated town a well-informed community where everyone can contribute

Links to other strategies

Watford Sustainable Community Strategy - 2008 Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy 2021 Economic Development Strategy for Hertfordshire 2009 Watford Borough Council’s Engagement Strategy Watford Borough Council Asset Management Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Housing Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy

Links to our key partnership agendas

Support One Watford’s objective Supports Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy themes: o Jobs, prosperity and skills o Safer and stronger communities o An ageing population and health and well-being o Transport and access and promoting sustainable development o Housing, affordable housing and quality neighbourhoods and sustaining Hertfordshire’s unique character and quality of life Watford For You Watford Business Advisory Group

Corporate objective 5

Supporting individuals and the community

This objective focuses on work that impacts on our residents and community across a wide range of our work and partnership involvement. It includes working in partnership and with our community to keep Watford a safe place to live, work and visit and tackling the issues that will improve people’s feelings of safety in the borough. It also covers the work we do to tackle homelessness and meeting housing needs as we recognise that having access to appropriate housing is the first and most fundamental aspect to achieving an acceptable quality of life for the individual and their family. Under this objective we are also considering how we deliver our play services to meet the needs of Watford’s young people and how we engage with, and ensure, all 29 our community has access to our services and all that the borough has to offer. We want to build a cohesive and inclusive community where all our residents are empowered to have their say on how the town is run, support each other, and their community, and have opportunities to get involved in decisions that impact on their lives and neighbourhoods.

Review of Customer Play Services Services + Equalities Accreditation

Community Suppo rting engagement / Housing involvement / individu als & + Homelessness communication the comm unity

Improve feelings Identify and tackle of safety anti-social behaviour

Why

Community safety remains a high priority with our residents. In the 2008 Place Survey of residents over half of the respondents (over 1000 in total) identified low levels of crime as the most important thing in making somewhere a good place to live. And although we know that crime figures in Watford are falling, they are still higher in some areas than the rest of Hertfordshire. In the Community Survey 2009, community safety and tackling anti-social behaviour were clearly the most valued non-statutory service the council provides. Nearly two thirds of respondents said these were services they valued and that they would like to see delivered to a high standard. The Place Survey 2008 showed that real outcomes are being delivered for local people – for example 90% of people feel safe in their local area during the day and nearly 60% of people think that local public services are working to make the place safer. But the Safer Watford Partnership knows there is more that could be done. Whilst people feel safe during the day, half as many feel safe at night (45%) and there is work to be done in reducing the perceptions of anti-social behaviour in the borough (currently 21%). We also know that the affordability of housing is a pressing concern in Watford (around a third of people think it is important in making somewhere a place to live) and in consultation on the Local Development Framework local people have made it clear that they think more affordable housing is needed. Watford is proud of its diverse community and how well different groups within the town get on and work together to build a really strong, cohesive community. The council is committed to recognising the value that everyone within our diverse community brings to the borough and to ensuring everyone feels part of what the town has to offer. Through our work on equalities and diversity we are ensuring that everyone’ voice is heard and considered when we think about how we deliver services and what our priorities should be. The success of our plans for the future depends on making sure they reflect what local people think is important and we want to involve our citizens in shaping the future of the borough –

what it looks like, what facilities and activities it offers and how it becomes the sort of place they want to live and work. Involving people in these decisions and keeping them up to date with our plans is a vital part of the council and the borough’s future success.

Case Study 7 What is the Safer Watford partnership?

Safer Watford is a statutory partnership tasked by the government to improve safety and reduce

crime and disorder across the borough. It includes: the Hertfordshire Police Authority

Hertfordshire County Council

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Hertfordshire Constabulary

Watford Borough Council Hertfordshire NHS The representatives of the Hertfordshire Police Authority and of Hertfordshire Constabulary are

also members of One Watford, which supports its role as an integral part of the wider One Watford partnership.

The recent assessment undertaken by the Safer Watford partnership has clarified key areas for partnership working in 2010/11.

reduce alcohol and drug related crime

reduce violent crime reduce acquisitive burglary reduce anti-social behaviour increase feelings of safety tackle prolific and priority offenders

preventing violent extremism work

To find out more about Safer Watford visit: www.saferwatford.org.uk

Supporting individuals and the community

Ref Name of project Project lead What we will do in 2010 (service area and Cabinet sponsor)

Cp16 Review of Play Services Community Services Build understanding of current Dorothy Thornhill – provision through research Elected Mayor and consultation/ engagement Develop strategy for effective future delivery and achieve Cabinet agreement

Cp17 Customer Services Corporate Services Achieve accreditation for Accreditation Councillor Customer Services by April Bernadette 2011 Laventure

Cp18 Equalities Corporate Services Publish Single Equalities Accreditation Councillor Scheme by April 2010

Supporting individuals and the community

Ref Name of project Project lead What we will do in 2010 (service area and Cabinet sponsor)

Bernadette Achieve accreditation under Laventure the Equalities Framework for Local Government by March 2011

Cp19 Implement Housing and Community Services Review and refresh Housing Homelessness Strategy Dorothy Thornhill – and Homeless Strategy Elected Mayor Cabinet agreement for Private Sector Housing strategy Complete transfer of Callowland and Gammons Farm

Cp20 Support Safer Watford to Executive Director – Work with Safer Watford deliver its priority to Services partners to meet milestones increase feelings of safety Corporate Services and targets in its Strategic Dorothy Thornhill – Assessment 2010/11 Elected Mayor

Cp21 Support Safer Watford Executive Director – Work with Safer Watford deliver its priority to tackle Services partners to meet milestones anti-social behaviour Corporate Services and targets in its Strategic Dorothy Thornhill – Assessment 2010/11 Elected Mayor

Cp22 Review our approach to Corporate Services Engage with our community engagement/consultation/ Councillor on the significant projects communication to ensure Bernadette outlined in this plan, including people have the opportunity Laventure the cultural study and LDF to shape the way we do Explore new ways of things engagement/communication, particularly around online opportunities

How this contributes to the delivery of One Watford’s Sustainable Community Strategy a well-planned town with homes to suit all needs a safer town a healthy town a well-informed community where everyone can contribute

Case Study 8 Safeguarding children and young children

We believe that all children deserve the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Through the services we provide and our work in partnership, particularly through the Watford District Children’s Trust Partnership, we aim to achieve the five outcomes that have been identified as key to children and young people’s wellbeing: stay safe; be healthy; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution and achieve economic wellbeing.

But we know not all children live in environments that support them achieve these outcomes. This can put them at risk not only of a disadvantaged childhood, but also at risk of abuse and neglect, and social exclusion in adulthood. We have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people – and in particular to protect them from significant harm – which we do by effective joint working between agencies, ensuring all staff whose work brings them into contact with children and young people are appropriately screened, trained and fully aware of their responsibilities .

Links to other strategies

Watford Sustainable Community Strategy – 2008 Watford’s Local Development Framework Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy 2021 Safer Watford Community Safety Strategy 2008-2011 Safer Watford Strategic Assessment 2010/11 Hertfordshire District Children’s Trust Partnership Strategy Watford’s District Children’s Trust Partnership Strategy and action plan Watford Borough Council’s Single Equality Scheme 2010 Watford Borough Council Access Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Housing Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy Watford Borough Council Asset Management Strategy Watford Borough Council Engagement Strategy Watford Borough Council Consultation Strategy Watford Borough Council Communications Strategy

Links to our key partnership agendas

Support One Watford’s objective Supports Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy themes: Safer Watford Watford District Children’s Trust Partnership Supports Hertfordshire Local Area Agreement 2008-11 London Commuter Belt HARI (Housing and Regeneration Initiative) Prevention of Homelessness Consortium (PoSH) Herts Choice Homes

Case Study 9 Equalities We recognise that everything we do as a council can have a real impact on people’s lives in different ways. This is not just about the services we provi de to local people but also in our role as an employer.

This is why we are committed to ensuring we serve everyone in our community in a way that does not cause unfair advantage or disadvantage.

For Watford, this goes beyond just ensuring we comply with the law in respect to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and religion but really challenging the way we do things so that we embed equality principles in our plans, policies and procedures – in fact in everything we do. It is also about identifyi ng where inequalities might mean that certain people in Watford are at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing services or playing a full part in the life of the town.

Our Single Equality Scheme identifies our equalities priorities for the next three ye ars. Within the Scheme is our timetable for the delivery of Equality Impact Assessments (EqIAs). An equality impact assessment (EqIA) is a tool for identifying the potential impact of a council’s policies, services and functions on its residents and staff . It can help staff provide and deliver excellent services to residents by making sure that these reflect the needs of the community. By carrying out EqIAs, a council may also ensure that the services that it provides fulfil the requirements of anti-discrimination and equalities legislation.

Another part of our commitment to delivering equalities and diversity in everything we do, is the One Watford Equalities Panel, which is made up of a wide range of representatives from our community. Their role is to p rovide the critical challenge that helps us ensure we are getting it right for local people.

Corporate objective 6 Securing an efficient, effective, value for money council

We will focus on our customers, improve the quality of our services and achieve value for money for residents through challenging the way we do things.

Value for money E-enabled services Building an effective programme workforce

Strengthen Securing an Shared services Performance phase 1 and Management efficient, phase 1 plus

effective, value for money value for money council

Why

Our ambitions for the town are challenging and we want to improve resident satisfaction with what we do. This means we need to be an effective organisation that local people can be certain will deliver for them.

Feedback from our residents tells us that they want to be confident that the council is well run and has sound processes and policies in place to manage its finances and other resources. We know that people want us to do what we can to keep council tax rises low and we are committed to ensuring that we set a below inflation rise each year. This means that the share of the council tax that comes to Watford (around 17%) is more affordable in real terms for local people.

We are clear that, although now recognised as an authority that is ‘performing well’, there are areas where we could improve. We want to continue to be recognised through external inspection, and comparison with other councils, as a council ‘on the move’ and one that is delivering better outcomes for local people.

Securing an efficient, effective, value for money council

Ref Name of project Project lead What we will do in 2010 (service area and Cabinet sponsor)

Cp23 Implement projects to Corporate Services Deliver the Organisational strengthen organisational Councillor Assessment (including use of performance Bernadette resources) and achieve a Laventure Level 3 Implement customer profiling to improve our understanding of customers and shape service delivery more effectively Deliver organisational approach to project management Ensure key projects are underpinned by sound project management

Legal and Property Deliver service asset Services management plans Councillor Ian Sharpe Deliver Member development programme in line with recommendations from IDeA member assessment

Cp24 Value for money programme Head of Strategic Identify service areas for Finance value for money reviews Councillor Andy Wylie

Securing an efficient, effective, value for money council

Ref Name of project Project lead What we will do in 2010 (service area and Cabinet sponsor)

Cp25 Deliver efficiencies in line Head of Strategic Identify efficiency gains within with efficiency targets Finance council budgets Councillor Andy Report on National Indicator Wylie 179

Cp26 Deliver sustainable Head of Strategic Sustainable procurement procurement, supported by Finance embedded within council’s online procurement tool Councillor Andy overall commitment to Wylie sustainability Implementation of online procurement tool

Cp27 E-enabled services Head of ICT Implement Asset Councillor Andy Management system Wylie Handheld devices for Environmental Services

Cp28 Shared services Executive Director – Implement new Finance phase 1 and Resources Management System phase 1 plus Councillor Andy Harmonisation of ICT Wylie infrastructure Councillor Ian Roll out of four modules of Sharpe new HR system Take forward Building Control shared service

Cp29 Building an effective Human Resources Achieve organisational workforce Councillor Andy Investors in People by July Wylie 2010 Deliver staff survey by August 2010 Deliver workforce development plan by August 2010 Manage staff sickness absence

Links to other strategies

Watford Borough Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan Watford Borough Council’s Value for Money Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Customer Access Strategy Watford and Three Rivers Shared Services delivery programme Watford Borough Council Asset Management Strategy

Links to our key partnerships

Watford Sustainable Community Strategy - 2008 Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy 2021 Safer Watford Community Safety Strategy 2008-2011 Safer Watford Strategic Assessment 2010/11 Hertfordshire District Children’s Trust Partnership Strategy Watford’s District Children’s Trust Partnership Strategy and action plan Watford Borough Council’s Single Equality Scheme 2010 Watford Borough Council Access Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Housing Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy Shared Services programme Hertfordshire Pathfinder

Case Study 10

Data Quality The council recognises the importance of well-managed information within the organisation. It is committed to the fundamental principles of information governance; including good data quality, robust data security and strong information management processes. It set a corporate target of achieving Level 3 for data quality in its 2009/10 use of resources assessment, which will demonstrate the effectiveness of its work to embed data quality. Information is one of the council’s most important assets, which is demonstrated by full commitment from the Managing Director a nd the Leadership Team to robust data quality. Members too have undertaken training in data quality to support their expectation of sound data to support evidence based decision making. Changes to services are only considered on the bases of good information. Each service area now has a data quality champion and there is a Cabinet level member champion. The data quality champions meet regularly to address issues and developed and monitored by One Watford our data quality over the last 12 months include: Creating clear data management structure Strengthening the council’s data quality policy Rolling out training to staff and members

Corporate objective 7

Influence and partnership delivery

One Watford Response to CAA partnership issues

Influence and

partnership delivery

Why

We recognise the importance of partnership working and know that, where partnerships are effective, we can achieve better outcomes for local people than by working alone. We need to build on our strong track record of partnership working to maximise benefits from local, county, regional and national partnerships. Overall Watford is a healthy town but we know that there are some areas where we could do more to improve people’s health and fitness. For example, we know that obesity amongst our young people is a growing problem and that some of our community suffer more from long term illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease than in other parts of the county. So we know that we need to focus on identifying and tackling health inequalities through partnership working to make a difference where it is needed. We have identified our commitment to reducing perceptions of crime and congestion under other corporate themes but they are highlighted here too as we acknowledge that they can be delivered most effectively through partnership.

Influence and partnership delivery

Ref Name of project Project lead (service What we will do in 2010 area and Cabinet sponsor)

Cp30 Support One Watford to Managing Director Provide support for the deliver the Sustainable Corporate Services identified PRG projects to Community Strategy Corporate Services ensure they deliver identified priorities Dorothy Thornhill – outcomes Elected Mayor Support the partnership to identify further priority areas for funding Organise a public event to promote One Watford’s achievements and engage with the community on PRG priorities

Cp31 Identify CAA partnership Managing Director Deliver a health strategy for issues and work with Corporate Services Watford in collaboration with partners to address Community Services One Watford partners Health inequalities Planning Community safety Dorothy Thornhill – Provide support identified for Transport/congestion Elected Mayor One Watford’s Partnership , Protected Areas (PPA)

Provide support identified for One Watford green business travel project

Links to other strategies

Watford Sustainable Community Strategy – 2008 Watford’s Local Development Framework Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy 2021 38

Safer Watford Community Safety Strategy 2008-2011 Safer Watford Strategic Assessment 2010/11 Hertfordshire District Children’s Trust Partnership Strategy Watford’s District Children’s Trust Partnership Strategy and action plan Watford Borough Council’s Housing Strategy Watford Borough Council’s Homelessness Strategy

Links to our key partnerships

Support One Watford’s objective Supports Hertfordshire Sustainable Community Strategy themes: Safer Watford Watford Children’s Trust Partnership Supports Hertfordshire Local Area Agreement 2008-11 London Commuter Belt HARI (Housing and Regeneration Initiative) Prevention of Homelessness Consortium (PoSH) Herts Choice Homes

Medium- term delivery 2010-14 Below is a chart that details the delivery timetable of our corporate plan priority projects and areas of work over the medium-term – 2010-14.

Corporate Name of project Over which years Plan reference 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

Cp1 Develop and deliver local arts strategy and action plan Cp2 Develop and deliver sports strategy and action plan Cp3 Deliver sustainable futures for community centres Cp4 Deliver Watford Colosseum refurbishment Cp5 Deliver Watford Town Centre Culture Study Cp6 Deliver Green Spaces programme Cp7 Keep physical environment clear of litter, graffit, detritus, fly posting & abandoned vehicles Cp8 Develop and deliver a Climate Change Strategy & action plan for Watford Cp9 Minimise waste and maximise recycling Cp10 Develop a Sustainable Transport Strategy Cp11 Work in partnership to deliver the Watford Health Campus project Cp12 Deliver Local Development Framework core strategy Cp13 Economic Development strategy and partnership approach Cp14 Progress Charter Place development & Watford Market Cp15 Support Watford Junction development Cp16 Review of play services Cp17 Achieve Customer Services Accreditation Cp18 Achieve Equalities Accreditation Cp19 Implement Housing and Homelessness Strategy Cp20 Support Safer Watford to deliver its priority to increase feelings of safety Cp21 Support Safer Watford to deliver its priority to tackle anti-social behaviour Cp22 Review our approach to engagement and consultation Cp23 Strenthen organisational performance Cp24 Organisational assessment Cp25 Customer profiling Cp26 Project management Cp27 Service asset management plan Cp28 Member development Cp29 Value for money programme Cp30 Deliver efficiency savings Cp31 Deliver sustainable procurement Cp32 E-enabled services Cp33 Shared Services Phase 1 & 1 plus Cp34 Building effective workforce Cp35 Support one Watford to deliver SCS priorities Cp36 CAA Partnership issues

Key Performance Indicators 2010/11

Each year, we identify a number of performance indicators that measure our key priorities and where we know we need to improve our performance. Our chosen key performance indicators (KPIs) for 2010/11 are:

Indicator Definition NI 1 Percentage of people who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area

NI 155 Number of affordable homes delivered (gross)

NI 156 Number of households in temporary accommodation

NI 181 Time taken to process Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit new claims and change events

NI 191 Residual household waste per household

NI 192 Household waste recycled and composted

NI 195a Improved street and environmental cleanliness (levels of litter)

NI 195b Improved street and environmental cleanliness (levels of detritus)

NI 195c Improved street and environmental cleanliness (levels of graffiti)

NI 179 Value for money – total net value of ongoing cash-releasing value for money gains that have impacted since the start of 2008-09 financial year

NI 188 Planning to adapt to climate change

KPI 1 Achievement against the new Equalities Framework

KPI 2 The average working days lost to sickness per full-time equivalent employee

Sustaining our capacity to deliver

In order to deliver this corporate plan, we have to ensure we have the right resources and capacity in place.

In part this is about financial resources but it is also about capacity in other ways and ensuring we have the right framework in place to keep our plan on track.

Therefore we need to ensure: o We manage our resources in a prudent and accountable way o We have a workforce with the right skills and experience and that it can adapt to changing needs and rise to new challenges o We have well resourced and fit for purpose ICT o We have sound performance, partnerships, project and risk management frameworks in place and that they are embedded across the organisation

All these issues are highlighted as important areas for delivery within our Corporate Medium term plan.

Case Study 11 Risk Management

We want to ensure that we can continue to deliver on our corporate priorities to our local communities and it is, therefore, essential that we take into account and plan for any risks that might arise.

The achievement of the council’s corporate plan projects and priority areas will be dependent on partnership working with our community and external agencies. Achievement of our priorities will also be reliant upon the council’s own capacity and organisational ability to deliver necessary actions within tight timescales.

The Corporate Risk Register (which is reviewed annually) identifies potential problems that could prevent the achievement of key priorities. The Risk Register details actions taken/planned to mitigate against individual risks and identifies those individuals with responsibility to ensure the effects of such risks are minimised. The Risk Register is managed through the Corporate Risk Management group and overseen by the council’s Leadership Team and Audit Committee, which plays a key role in monitoring risk management arrangements.

Funding our Plan and Priorities

The council is not immune from the current economic issues facing the country or the pressure on public spending that all public bodes are currently facing. Much of our spending is financed from income generated from investments, rents and fees and charges from our own services. Whilst these income streams have suffered considerably over the last couple of years, there have only been limited extra funds from central government to compensate (and this is not likely to change in the future). This means the council has to carefully manage its money and keep an eye on spending to ensure it is delivering what we have identified as our priority areas.

This Corporate Plan outlines where we are going to focus our energies and resources over the next few years and, therefore, we have developed our current budget to ensure it aligns with the commitments within this Plan. Both our corporate and budget planning have taken into account a number of drivers including funding variations and requirements to improve efficiency; capital investment plans and their revenue implications; risk assessments and financial contingency planning.

In addition, we are accountable to our residents for how we spend our money. The council is committed to keeping council tax increases low but at the same time we want to improve the quality and value for money of the services we provide.

Medium Term Financial Plan To help us ensure we meet our commitments outlined in this plan, we have established a four-year financial strategy, which provides a framework for developing each year’s annual budget. Our Medium Term Financial Plan is aligned with the priorities outlined in this plan and provides the underpinning financial planning needed to ensure we deliver them.

When we agree new priority projects we look to deliver them within existing budgets but the annual budget process is used to ensure that these projects receive the necessary funding. As far as possible, savings are identified through efficiency measures but increased fees and charges or reductions in lower priority activities are also used to offset the cost of new schemes. Where projects involve major investment such as large building projects like the improvements to the top of the town, funding mainly comes from the sale of council assets (buildings / land), which are no longer needed to deliver our priorities.

The Medium Term Financial Plan is based on looking at the factors that are likely to impact on the council’s budget over the coming four years. We take account of our vision, our corporate plan and significant external pressures so that we can be sure that we can best use our resources to deliver our targets and meet corporate priorities. It also takes into account other plans and strategies to ensure we align our spending priorities with our objectives. A key element of the Financial Plan is the need to reduce our costs. This is vital to improving value for money – gains made through greater efficiency can be used to keep tax increases down and pay for new projects. Our shared services programme with another local authority for Revenues and Benefits, Human Resources, ICT and Finance is similarly intended to ensure we achieve optimum value for money for our back office functions and transactions, to allow resources to be targeted at services that directly affect the public.

Our resources 2010/11 In terms of resources available to the council in 2010/11, our net general fund expenditure for 2010/11 is £16,880,000 leading to a council tax requirement (after receipt of Government Grant and a contribution from working balances) of £8,005,000. This has resulted in a council tax (at Band D) of £249.84 and which is a reduction of 1.44% compared to the previous year. This has been achieved without using any of the council’s available General Reserves which are approximately £5,500,000 at the start of 2010/2011. In addition the council has a working balance of £1,350,000 (8% of revenue expenditure) and is retained as a source of funding to meet unforeseen pressures on expenditure/income. 43

Our ongoing revenue expenditure reflects our continuing priorities such as better quality leisure facilities, cleaner streets, weekly refuse collection, improved recycling and outstanding parks and open spaces.

The council’s capital programme is used to either maintain our current facilities or to invest in further developments to improve services to our community. The planned spend over the next four years is planned to be around £24,847,600 million.

Analysis of our budgets 2010/11 We have analysed our budgets to identify how resources link to our corporate priorities, to chart the proportion of Watford’s expenditure linked to priorities. This exercise helps us track our spend against both the objectives and what we have identified as priority areas within this plan.

This chart shows an assessment of the proportion of General Fund Gross Expenditure linked to each of the objectives.

2010/11 General Fund Gross expenditure linked to our corporate objectives/investment themes

Corporate Objective 7 - Corporate Objective 1 - Improve Corporate Objective 2 - Influence and partnership Corporate Objective 6 - the health of the town and Enhance the town’s ‘clean & delivery, £333,630, 1% Securing an efficient, effective, enhance its heritage, green’ environment, £3,611,860, value for money council, £1,520,250, 5% 13% £8,088,230, 29%

Corporate Objective 3 - Enhance the town’s sustainability, £2,361,930, 8%

Corporate Objective 4 - Enhance the town’s economic Corporate Objective 5 - prosperity & potential, Supporting individuals & the £3,245,980, 12% community, £9,019,490, 32%

Further analysis of our general fund spending identifies some of the areas where we have committed funding to support our corporate priorities. See below.

Corporate objective Name of project/area of work Capital budget Improve the health of the town Arts events and heritage £218.38k and enhance its heritage Commissioning funding £2.077 million

Events Market £110k

Enhance the town’s ‘clean and Allotments £22.5k green’ environment Parks development £1.562 million

Street cleansing £444.24k

Enhance the town’s Recycling (including waste collection) £1.512 million sustainability Sustainable transport £947.92k

Enhance the town’s economic Economic development and £1.261 million prosperity and potential infrastructure Planning services £343.15k

Supporting individuals and the Community Safety £220.36k community

Housing Strategy £154.55k

Housing needs £297.8k

Homelessness prevention and advice £250.78k

Housing benefits £730.9k

Customer services £780.77k

Cemeteries £220.36k

Securing an efficient, effective, Shared services – Finance, ICT, HR £3.218 million value for money

Shared service implementation £458.43k

Legal services £399.41k

Elections £243.16k

Facilities and emergence planning £882.33k

Finance Services £458.09k

Property management £718.11k

Democratic services £428.25k

Influence and partnership Support for One Watford £70.38k delivery 45

2010/11 General Fund Net expenditure linked to our investment themes Our spend against corporate objectives is offset by the income we receive from our service activities such as fees and charges and rental of our commercial properties. Below is another way of analysing our expenditure against our corporate objectives or investment themes by taking into account the income we receive – this is known as ‘net’ expenditure. As you can see, there is a ‘minus’ figure against the objective ‘enhance the town’s economic prosperity and potential’. This is because this includes the income we receive from property rental, which far exceeds the expenditure against the objective.

£7,065,552

£6,448,194

£3,658,642

£2,263,938

£1,605,163

£332,403

Corporate Corporate Corporate Corporate Corporate Corporate Corporate Priority 1 - Priority 2 - Priority 3 - Priority - Priority 5 - Priority 6 - Priority 7 - Improve the Enhance the Enhance the Enhance the Supporting Securing an Influence and health of the town’s ‘clean & town’s town’s individuals & efficient, partnership town and green’ sustainability economic the community effective, value delivery enhance its environment prosperity & for money heritage potential council

-£4,569,204

Capital Programme corporate objectives/investment themes

We have analysed our capital budget from 2010/11 to 2014 to identify how it links to our corporate objectives.

Corporate Objective 7 - Influence and partnership delivery, £0.00, 0%

Corporate Objective 6 - Corporate Objective 1 - Securing an efficient, Improve the health of the Corporate Objective 2 - effective, value for money town and enhance its Enhance the town’s ‘clean Corporate Objective 5 - council, £1,732,600.00, heritage, £936,000.00, 7% & green’ environment, 13% Supporting individuals & the £232,500.00, 2% community, £932,750.00, 7%

Corporate Objective 3 - Enhance the town’s sustainability, £1,775,000.00, 14%

Corporate Objective 4 - Enhance the town’s economic prosperity & potentia, £7,365,250.00, 57%

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Further analysis of our capital programme identifies some of the areas where we have committed funding to support our corporate priorities.

Corporate objective Name of project / area of work Capital budget Improve the health of the Cultural Study – improving the top of the £500k town and enhance its town heritage Woodside access improvements £226k

Events Market £110k

Enhance the town’s ‘clean Green Spaces Strategy £210.5k and green’ environment

Enhance the town’s Refuse collection freighters £1.6 million sustainability

Carbon management / climate change £77k

Recycling boxes £35k

Enhance the town’s Colosseum refurbishments £5.085 million economic prosperity and potential

Cassiobury and Nascot Controlled £150k Parking Zone

Watford Health Campus £1.25 million

Replacement of match day parking £100k signage

Decent Homes Assistance* £100k split between two corporate objectives

Affordable housing* £125k split between two corporate objectives

Supporting individuals and Disabled facilities grants £500k the community

Affordable housing* £125k split between two corporate objectives

Decent Homes Assistance* £100k split between two corporate objectives Town Centre CCTV

Securing an efficient, Refurbishment of Wiggenhall Depot £400k effective, value for money

Repairs to council buildings £500k

Council chamber sound system £80k

Shared services programme £96.6k

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Figure A: This shows how much of the money paid through council tax comes to us, how much goes to Hertfordshire County Council (nearly three quarters) and how much goes towards paying for the police in Hertfordshire. This is based on what is known as the Band D level of council tax, which equates to the average household payment. For 2010/11 the Band D level for Watford is £1,516.49 with £249.84 of this coming to Watford. .

Hertfordshire County Council £1,118.83 Watford Borough 74% Council £249.84 16%

Hertfordshire Police Authority £147.82 10%

Figure B This diagram shows where we get the income to deliver services. Council tax accounts for just 15% of the money we receive as income. This year, as part of our commitment to keep council tax rises as affordable as possible for local people, we have used a limited amount of special government grant and our working balance to fund spending.

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Government Grants £34,670,000 58%

Housing Rents £360,000 1%

Council Tax £8,010,000 14% Fees, charges and Use of Reserves other rents £690,000 1% £15,200,000 26%

Figures C and D These diagrams show how much money we are planning to spend across our service areas. Figures C shows the gross figures whilst Figure D shows ‘net’ figures meaning that income that services receive from, for example, rents or charges or government has been included.

Figure C – gross spending across service areas

Planning Other services (e.g HR, ICT, £5,280,000 8% Finance, Customer Service Centre) £4,040,000 6% Legal & Property £6,060,000 9%

Environmental Services Revenues and Benefits £7,030,000 10% (before government grants) £35,150,000 53% Community Services (including Housing) £9,550,000 14%

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Figure D – net spending across service areas

Other services (e.g HR, ICT, Finance, Customer Revenues and Benefits, Service Centre), Community Services £240,000, 1% £2,660,000, 12% (including Housing), £8,330,000, 39% Environmental Services, £5,320,000, 24%

Planning , £2,770,000, Legal & Property 13% (includes rents from property we own so income exceeds expenditure), -£2,440,000, 11%

Our total spending requirement for 2010/11 is £67.11million whilst our income is £50.23million. This means our net spending is £16.88million of which £690k is funded from special government grant and the Working Balance. Our final budget requirement for 2010/10 is £16.19million of which £8.01 million is funded by council tax.

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Alternative formats of this Plan

For a copy of the Plan in large print, on audiotape or in one of the languages listed below, please contact:

Partnerships and Performance at Watford Borough Council, Watford Town Hall, Watford WD17 3EX or email: [email protected] or tel: 01923 278077.

This plan is also available on our website: www.watford.gov.uk

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