News Update

Week Ending 1st July 2005

Framework Agreements Workstream - Refuse Collection Vehicles

As part of the framework agreement’s workstream, Wigan Council is leading on the area of vehicle procurement and fleet management. The initial focus of this work is to establish some framework agreements for the various components of refuse collection vehicles on either a regional or sub regional basis. After this the plan will be to look at other vehicle types, supplies of parts, maintenance and overall fleet management.

In order to size the potential of this area, we are asking all authorities to complete the attached questionnaire to collect some baseline information on refuse collection vehicles. We are asking all authorities to complete the questionnaire regardless of how they might procure vehicles or deliver the refuse collection service. Evidence from other regions suggests there are significant savings to be made in this area.

The information will be collated by Wigan Council and will form the baseline for this workstream’s working group. Once the data has been collected it will be used by the working group to achieve its’ first objective of establishing a framework agreements for refuse collection vehicles bodies, chassis and lifts.  A report detailing the outcomes of the survey will be distributed to all North West Authorities. It must be stressed that the results of the exercise will only be shared with North West authorities and all information will remain private and confidential and will not be divulged to a third party.

We would be grateful if you could pass the questionnaire to the relevant person in your organisation responsible for transport / refuse collection. The closing date for the completion of the questionnaire is Friday 22^nd July 2005.   We are asking that all submissions are e-mailed back to the centre by this time and not submitted in a paper/ fax format.  Please email to bev.brooks@tameside.gov.uk.

Please relate any queries regarding the completion of the questionnaire to Ian Green at Wigan Council on 01942 827553, in order for completed questionnaires to be returned as quickly as possible.

For a copy of the questionnaire please contact Bev - bev.brooks@tameside.gov.uk

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter and we look forward to receiving a response from your authority,

Annual Efficiency Statement Data

We have begun performing some high-level analysis on the forward looking Annual Efficiency Statements submitted by every local authority in the North West, in order to provide information on areas where local authorities are looking to make efficiency gains, and to identify areas where local authorities could benefit from working together to achieve these gains.

A discussion thread has been started on the Centre’s website forum, under the General Discussion area, and a number of questions have been posed as the type of information you would all find useful. Please visit the forum and add any suggestions or comments you have regarding this issue as soon as possible – it would be extremely helpful to understand what sort of information you would find beneficial, and how you would like this presented.

If you have not already done so, please become a member of our website in order to use the member’s forum facility by registering at www.nwce.org.uk”

Health & Social Care Workstream – next meeting

The next meeting of the Health and Social Care workstream will take place on 24^th August 2005 at 10.00am.  The venue is Dukinfield Town Hall  - for directions please follow this link - http://www.tameside.gov.uk/corpgen2/duktcmap.htm

For more information about this workstream please contact Bev at the Centre bev.brooks@tameside.gov.uk

NWeGG Newsletter

NWeGG have issued a newsletter for the NW eGovernment community that summarises, in NWeGG's view, the key national goings on and highlights key NWeGG projects and events that we hope you can benefit from.  

To see the newsletter, please follow this link: www.nwce.org.uk/NWeGG Newsletter.doc

From now on NWeGG will be producing a news update once a month in this format. Alex Black will also continue to be send out regular events updates, links to which can be found on the ‘events’ page of the NWCE website.

The NWeGG Executive are having a brainstorming session on the 4th July to consider the future of NWeGG, and if you would be so kind as to tell NWeGG about anything they do wrong, and also what they do right, now is a good time to do it! Please email Phil Swan at phil.swan@knowsley.gov.uk or phil.swan@nwegg.org.uk.

NWeGG are also looking ahead to setting up a set of activities for the Autumn so again get in touch with Phil or Alex if you've specific topics you think should be covered.

NWeGG are holding an event on July 13th: Local Efficiencies and Transformation Group ("LETsGO"); Oldham; 9:30 -2.00.  “Productivity has moved from being at the bottom of Gershon’s savings list to the top – reflecting the increasing importance of process improvements and streamlining”.

ODPM to withdraw from eGovernment Policy

A new regional partnership group is to take over the policy-setting role from the ODPM.  The ODPM is “deliberately planning” to withdraw from setting the local eGovernment agenda.  A new 'e-Government Regional Partnership Group' is due to take over the ODPM's responsibilities in this area from March 2006.

The e-Government Regional Partnership Group would be in charge of shaping national and regional policy around the eGovernment agenda for local government.  It will comprise of two representatives from each region – one from every regional eGovernment partnership and another from a local authority – who will meet bi-monthly.

Chairing of the group will rotate every six months and be initially held by the London Connects Partnership, followed by the North West eGovernment Group.  Part of its aims would be to serve as a forum to promote best practice, as well as work with the Regional Centres of Excellence on areas, which contribute, to improving efficiency and customer service.