Solutions Service PILOTs

The Solutions Service has already been used to identify better delivery models for issues as diverse as Civil Parking Enforcement, Asset Management and Tackling Domestic Abuse. The scope of the solutions identified has varied from covering a single area to services delivered in partnership across an entire county.

Below is further information on these pilot programmes which were delivered by Bluemarble and Improvement East.

• Civil Parking Enforcement Across Essex

Essex CC were looking for alternative ways of delivering a more efficient car park enforcement services that could address the operational deficit and inconsistent policies created by inconsistent delivery across all 12 Districts and Boroughs. They wanted to find new collaborative ways to deliver in partnership and develop the relationship between the county and districts.

Bluemarble facilitated the approach that engaged all partners over a ten week period to generate design features and commitment to a new delivery model. The programme delivered a new joint policy framework, a strategic commissioning arrangement for the County Council and a more resilient, consistent and efficient service delivery model owned, controlled and run through two new ventures run in partnership by the Districts and Boroughs.

After the programme had concluded, work continued alongside County, District and Borough Councils to implement within 6 months the new parking service. Two Parking Partnerships were established as legal entities and each with a lead authority providing operational processing through a single centre of excellence. The Partnerships are commissioned by the County Council and governed by a formal partnership agreement, with a partnership Board made up of political and operational representatives from each partner thus ensuring local needs are understood and met.

This was a highly successful programme, creating a radical new model with support from all the partners as well as high level sponsorship. Total potential annual efficiency savings are between £1.25-£1.81m, with other benefits including a more consistent, localised and sustainable service.

"(This) approach provided a highly effective way of bringing together the twelve Districts in Essex and the County Council to develop two new Parking Partnerships. The new service arrangements cut across existing organisational boundaries to deliver significant efficiency gains."  Paul Bird Director of Highways and Transportation, Essex County Council.

• Thurrock 'Making Assets Work'

Building on its emerging growth strategy, Thurrock Council was keen to explore options for the management of its public sector assets.  This required: the creation of a single integrated service; front office services built around the needs of natural communities, and; centralisation and streamlining of the back and middle office services in order to create substantial efficiencies.

Representatives of the Development Corporation, the Council's outsource partner, and each of the Councils main service areas met over a ten week period to design and develop a single service and asset solution.

A new Corporate Asset Team was created by bringing together all property activity undertaken across service areas and partners into a single integrated team. This includes asset management staff who were in Education, Housing and Environmental services. The new Corporate Asset Team will provide property advice to the Council, its members and officers. Its work will support the aims and visions of the Council by enabling all services to meet their objectives and ensuring that the Council returns to a healthy financial position.

The solution programme developed a model of tailored provision of local services to community areas, creating new centres for advice/information and additional service provision. The main town in the Borough is to be established as the Administrative hub, centralising back office and support services into a single building.

This was a highly effective solution programme that provided impetus and brought partners together to create an innovative and ambitious solution that is on the way to implementation and could realise up to £4.5m per annum.

"(It) enabled us to resume focus on the benefit available from the rationalisation of our estate, and to resource that initiative properly from 2012." Ian Rydings, Corporate Asset Manager, Finance and Corporate Governance, Thurrock Council.

• Southend Multi-Agency Domestic Abuse Programme

The programme was commissioned by the Southend Together Partnership (the LSP) to investigate the problem of domestic violence in Southend; seen as a major problem within the area and which costs public services an estimated £15.9m p.a. The aim was to address root causes with solutions covering the experience of victims and perpetrators and their access to services.

The programme brought together all local partners in an intensive 10 week process. A cross-section of practitioners, covering borough, council, police, social care, and local hospital, voluntary sector groups who work with victims, probation and housing, came together for the first time to work through the issues, map out all the root causes, share experiences and co-design a new delivery solution.

The programme uncovered and mapped out the significant duplication of effort across partners and identified ways of streamlining activity into a more effective and coherent service.

The proposed solution, a new single organisation operating as a social enterprise from a dedicated new service centre, will provide a dynamic focal point and leadership for the Borough on tackling domestic abuse. With a focus on prevention services built around the needs of victims its proposed that a new professional 'triage' and single risk framework will enable key case workers to manage down the incidents of domestic abuse. A local base will provide an easy access point and speedy and effective links to core services.

If made operational the new service  should result in fewer incidents through earlier intervention, prevention and social marketing. A reduction in repeat offending will be driven through better risk assessment and victim/perpetrator support. A 10% - 20% of reduction in repeat offenders is aniticpated to save in the region of at least £600k per annum. These savings will be generated from a combination of less need for expensive emergency housing, fewer police investigations, reduced impact on the criminal justice system and fewer admissions to A&E departments.

The solutions programme was successful through using the core Solutions Group in particular to obtain and analyse evidence and insight from a range of partners and by then aligning partners to a new, integrated service model.

"It helped the strategic partnership see how we could turn an important joint priority in difficult cross-cutting issues into practical new delivery on the ground. It also provided the momentum to identify new ways of working that have the potential to save significant sums of money and provide better services for our residents."  Ade Butteriss, Senior Partnership Advisor, Policy and Improvement Service, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council.


For further information on these examples please contact us at info@improvementeast.gov.uk or 01284 758300.