Roger Clarkson

1
Release of the Business Improvement Package
(BIP) What Weve Launched, Why, and How to
Use It

• Roger Clarkson
• Local Government Modernisation Efficiency
• Department for Communities Local Government, UK

2
Business Improvement Package (BIP)

• The Local Government White Paper included a
  specific commitment to publish a Business
  Improvement Package early in 2007
• to incorporate ongoing work on business process
  improvement (BPI) and shared services
• to incorporate work on supporting
  customer-focused services, migration of customers
  to cheaper delivery channels and understanding
  unit costs

3
Why We Are Launching this BIP Now

• Councils have said they want to learn about
  successful process improvement and service change
• They have said they want to exploit their
  e-Government investment and make business
  decisions about effective use and costs of their
  access channels.
• They want to share and collaborate on services
  with other agencies
• ..and that these solutions are often
  intertwined !
• Its bottom up, based on work by Councils with
  partners who are transforming services
• It provides challenges existing ways of working,
  and it will also help us to challenge and
  influence Government departments.

4
The Challenge of CSR07
Continuing drive for efficiency from local
authorities 3 for public sector in the
Pre-Budget statement Will put strain on poor
performing councils that have relied on
housekeeping approach Will also provide key
challenge for a coherent change in service
delivery and benefits of LAAs / LSPs / MAAs A
key link is with pay and workforce strategy a
need to see flexible workforce planning being
implemented by councils much more than is the
case to date
5
all to support a culture of sustainable self
improvement
Councils have different catalysts for change,
and have different starting points when looking
to better manage their local delivery chains

• In focussing on these inter linked areas, the BIP
  will provide
• information
• method/toolkits
• case studies from others
• plus
• clear links to related support for making
  change.

Process management
Customer insight
Partners/ collaboration co-operation
Channel management
6
How to Use the BIP

• The BIP provides
• Guidance
• Method
• Toolkits
• Case studies
• links to other sources
• .. within a context of Customer led
• end-to-end transformation

7
Business Process Improvement
8
Test Beds Involving 25 Local Authorities
Work tailored for District councils.
Waste management
Democracy community (public protection)
Infrastructure (highways transport)
Business support (corporate) processes (. HR,
Finance)
Housing management
Revs and bens
Adult social care
Childrens services
getting clear picture for whole community
- the case for bpi work across all local
services.

• whats good practice (pragmatic method)

- the pitfalls to be avoided
- whats the ROI from deploying bpi
method/capability
9
Total cost of same process in 3 London Boroughs
Child protection -the high level, standard (i.e.
statutory) process
10
Channel Management

• Total using any online channel up from 19 to
  28
• Accessing council website up from 9 to 17.
  Overtaking email as leading online channel
• Significant post-campaign first-time access.
  Search engine dominant among first time users
  (90)

11
Understanding changing lifestyles
People in UK now spend more time browsing the
Internet than watching TV (Source Google,
March 2006)
85 of people want to access government services
out of hours
12
Channel Optimisation
Suburban Comfort - Close to Retirement i.e. older
couples and families reaping the benefits of
their industrious working lives
Source Hitwise, based on data for the 4 week
period ending 10/02/2007
13
Customer InsightSuffolkcoastal.gov

• Suburban Comfort comprises people who have
  successfully established themselves and their
  families in comfortable homes in mature suburbs.
  Children are becoming more independent, work is
  becoming less of a challenge and interest
  payments on homes and other loans are becoming
  less burdensome. 
• F Welfare Borderline is comprised of many people
  who are struggling to achieve the material and
  personal rewards that are assumed to be open to
  all in an affluent society. Few hold down
  rewarding or well paying jobs and, as a result,
  most rely on the council for their accommodation,
  on public transport to get around and on state
  benefits to fund even the bare essentials.
• J. Grey Perspectives consists mostly of
  pensioners who own their homes and who have some
  source of income beyond the basic state pension.
  Many of these people have, on retirement, moved
  to the seaside or the countryside to live among
  people similar to themselves. Today many of these
  people have quite active lifestyles and are
  considered in their purchasing decisions

14
Business Improvement Package (BIP)
Executive Overview Mailed and available in pdf
format from the CLG Website BIP
Website Supported on the national RCE site and
available via www.Communities.gov.uk/BIP
15
Summary

• Rising customer expectations
• Tight settlement in prospect many cost pressures
• Requirement for 3 annual cashable efficiencies
  across all parts of public sector a tough but
  achievable challenge for local government
• Local Government White Paper sets strategy
• Place shaping role
• New performance framework
• Efficiency and service transformation many
  themes

16
Framework for efficiency

• Support will align improvement and efficiency
• Efficiency embedded in National Improvement
  Strategy
• Integrated bid to Treasury for Improvement and
  Efficiency investment in CSR07
• Regional partnerships (Regional Centres of
  Excellence merging with Improvement Partnerships)
• Business Improvement Package

17
The Challenge for SOCITM Members

• Councils remain free to determine for themselves
  where and how to achieve efficiency gains
• Councils retain efficiencies achieved within
  budget
• Streamlined system of targets and measurement

18
Release of the Business Improvement Package
(BIP) What Weve Launched, Why, and How to
Use It

• Roger Clarkson
• Local Government Modernisation Efficiency
• Department for Communities Local Government, UK