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Related Links News Updates |
News UpdateWeek Ending 13th October 2006
Agency Staffing Project Engagement Day 03.11.06
The NWCE in partnership with AGMA are pleased to announce Agency Staffing Project Engagement Day. Public Sector expenditure on Agency Workers across the UK is estimated be in the region of £12 billion per annum and is believed to be in excess of £50 million purely with AGMA.
For full details see the events section of this news update.
REGIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT DISCUSSION EVENT 09.11.2006
The North West Centre of Excellence is hosting a regional transformational government discussion event (organised by the Cabinet Office and DCLG). The event is taking place on Thursday 9th November at Ashton Town Hall, commencing 12.00noon with buffet lunch.
This is an opportunity to discuss this important topic with fellow authorities, senior DCLG and Cabinet Office representatives and shape future thinking in policy development.
For full details see the events section of this news update.
ONLINE RECRUITMENT PROJECT – CASE STUDY
In December 2002 recruitment services, including to schools, across Stockport Council were brought together. This enabled the service to have a clear overview which showed a high level of spend on recruitment advertising and that despite this there were still many hard to fill posts across the organisation. The Human Resources team were committed to manage, control and optimise the use of advertising spend across the Council and develop a strategy to ensure that recruitment processes were effective, cost efficient and delivered results. The Council advertises approximately 1,400 jobs per year. In the year 2003/4 Stockport Council spent over £1 million on external media recruitment advertising and approximately 900 of the 1400 posts were externally advertised during this period. In 2004/5 the expenditure was reduced to £680K with 713 posts advertised in the press. In the year 2005/6 there was a further reduction in spend to £350K with only 319 of the 1400 posts advertised in external media. In order to achieve this reduction Stockport Councils strategy has been to put in place a flexible recruitment policy and to make the main platform for vacancies the Councils web site.
To read the full case study please click here. To view all the case studies on the NWCE’s website click here.
NORTH WEST AUTHORITIES SHORTLISTED FOR ROUND EIGHT OF THE BEACON SCHEME
Seven authorities within the North West have been shortlisted for a Beacon Award. Shortlisted councils are as follows:
To read more on round eight of the Beacon Scheme please follow this link - http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=5399904
BEACON PUBLISHES CASE STUDIES
To read the latest case studies on waste and re-cycling, including case studies from this area, St Edmundsbury B.C. and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Waste Partnership follow the link: http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=5148277
PARTNERSHIP DESIGNED TO PROCURE REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLES (RCV’S)
Nottinghamshire’s waste collection authorities have joined forces in a partnership designed to procure Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCV’s) and deliver £297K in savings to their Authorities. Nottinghamshire’s District, Borough and City councils identified a collective requirement for RCV’s, and in 2005 formed a partnership comprising of representatives from each waste collection authority in Nottinghamshire. The Councils recognised that the key to delivering cashable savings in this project was to develop a single common specification for the RCV’s, and a subsequent "single tender process" for all the Authorities.
Download the news release from the East Midlands Centre of Excellence. For further information please contact: Bill Buckley, Lead Officer, Nottinghamshire Consortium, and Head of Neighbourhood Services, Ashfield District Council. Tel: 01623 457 864. Andrew Foster, Assistant Director (Procurement), East Midlands Centre of Excellence. Tel: 07921 491 698
PROCUREMENT OF RCV’S - CAN YOU HELP????
Are any local authorities looking to procure 23/24 tonne 6x2 narrow track RCV's in the next 6 to 9 months?? If so Hyndburn Borough Council would like to hear from you. If you can help please contact David Allonby at Hyndburn BC (David.Allonby@hyndburnbc.gov.uk)
SEFTON COUNCIL - MAJOR SERVICE REVIEW
Sefton Council are undertaking a major service review and are asking for local authorities/agencies to tender to manage aspects of their service provision.
All of the tendering documents (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire and OJEU documentation etc.) are available from this link - http://www.sefton.gov.uk/majorservicereview
The ultimate contract may be divided into lots and those providers invited to participate may bid for any combination of lots:
However, deadline for Pre-Qualification Questionnaires is tight - 5pm, 27th October 2006.
ADVICE STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR!
Just how do you ensure you provide advice to customers across a large area? Answer: get on board the benefit bus! It’s in every council’s interest to have an informed customer base. But for many, the benefits system is complex and even daunting. That’s why nothing beats sitting down with expert advisors instead of talking to a disembodies voice on the telephone or wandering through some website wilderness!
The problem is, how do you help those customers who cannot easily get themselves to your offices, people who are swamped with family responsibilities or have no means of transport?
Wyre Borough Council came up with a good solution – go to them! Like all local authorities, Wyre is always looking for ways to improve its service to residents. The challenge was to provide specialist benefits advice to customers over a large area. To succeed, the council not only had to ensure they have the right advice, but also to get this advice to the people who needed it.
The answer was to provide a vehicle (literally) that could deliver this information to customers. Read more about Wyre’s innovative solution.
E-AUCTIONS ADD TO COUNCIL EFFICIENCY GAINS
Local authorities in England have made 13 million pounds of savings since turning to e-procurement. Go to http://www.UKauthorITy.com/articles/story1681.asp for the complete story.
IDEA IMPROVEMENT NETWORK - ADDRESSING THE EFFICIENCY AGENDA
Find out what you need to know about the efficiency agenda and how to achieve efficiency gains with these comprehensive resources that pools together key guidance and support tools. Visit: http://www.improvementnetwork.gov.uk/imp/core/page.do?pageId=1037519
GREEN PAPER PUBLISHED BY THE DFES - OCTOBER 2006
This green paper sets out radical and wide-ranging reforms to improve the quality, range and choice of care for society's most vulnerable children. The paper sets out consultation policies to ensure earlier interventions and support for families where children are on the edge of care. It goes on to include proposals to strengthen the corporate parenting role of local authorities; high quality placements which meet their needs; a first class education; positive life outside school; and support for transition into adulthood.
Download the Green Paper
Please note that Word document version of the paper and the summary are available to download from the DfES website.
NOMAD WIRELESS BRIEFING
The fourth in a series of five briefing from the Nomad Wireless Forum is now available at: http://www.projectnomad.org.uk/products/nomadwirelessbriefingsepoct2006.html
PURCHASING CARDS – THE GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT CARD
The 2005 Annual Report concerning the Government Procurement Card has been published. The report and a range of related information, including self-assessment tools and frequently asked questions can be found on this website: www.purchasingcard.info
ANNUAL EFFICIENCY STATEMENTS GUIDE FOR FIRE SERVICES
The DCLG has now published a guide for fire and rescue authorities on completing their annual efficiency statements. To view the guide please follow this link - http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/763/AnnexAtoFRSCircular332006GuideforcompletingAnnualEfficiencyStatments_id1500763.pdf
CPP NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER ISSUE
The Centre for Procurement Performance latest newsletter is out! Have a look at their latest news and events. Follow this link to download the newsletter
LAUNCH OF ‘MAKING ENDS MEET’ RESOURCE
Access this new IDeA online toolkit for analysis of resource management for adult and children’s services. The toolkit has six easily navigated modules summarising how to resource management impact on national priorities and service frameworks. Full detail: http://www.makingendsmeet.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=1
Agency Staffing Project Engagement Day 03.11.06
The NWCE in partnership with AGMA are pleased to announce Agency Staffing Project Engagement Day. Public Sector expenditure on Agency Workers across the UK is estimated be in the region of £12 billion per annum and is believed to be in excess of £50 million purely with AGMA.
As you may be aware the AGMA Agency Staffing Project is progressing well and has completed a quick win exercise that could save over £2million across the eleven participating authorities and associations. The success of the project to date demonstrates the power of true organisational collaboration. Not only will each organisation gain substantial ‘cash’ savings and streamlined processes, but a new model would afford greater control over the quality of agency workers for all parties.
This event will demonstrate with further single authority and collaborative case studies from Lancashire, Southwark, Fulham and the OGC (who in partnership with the London RCE have developed a toolkit for agency Staff projects) how this process is already proved to work. We will take you through all the phases of the project, from Pre-Implementation to Delivery right through to What Happens Next and Future Operations.
The event will be held in Manchester (Barbirolli Square) on Friday 3rd November. To see the agenda and map please click here
To register for this event please email viv.greatwich@tameside.gov.uk with full contact details of those who you would like to attend. Numbers are limited so will be allocated on a first served basis. We look forward to seeing you there.
REGIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAL GOVERNMENT DISCUSSION EVENT09.11.2006
The North West Centre of Excellence is hosting a regional transformational government discussion event (organised by the Cabinet Office and DCLG). The event is taking place on Thursday 9th November at Ashton Town Hall, commencing 12.00noon with buffet lunch.
This is an opportunity to discuss this important topic with fellow authorities, senior DCLG and Cabinet Office representatives and shape future thinking in policy development.
Date: Thursday 9th November 2006
Register at: www.govevents.co.uk
The Transformational Local Government discussion paper can be found at www.cio.gov.uk/documents/pdf/transgov/trans_local_gov060328.pdf . This paper identifies some of the key issues and questions and is a useful starting point for our discussions on the day.
For further information please click here.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT EVENT 02.11.2006 - 1.00PM - 4.30PM
There is an exciting opportunity to ensure that local government perspectives feature in two plans being developed in respect of local government service development. The Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Centre of Excellence (Y&H RCE) is leading on the development of a delivery plan for corporate and transactional services (C&TS) in local government. The Department for Communities and Local Government is making recommendations to local government in respect of Shared Services, this will take the form of a sector plan for shared services which could have a profound impact on the agenda for local government in delivering shared services.
The delivery plan for C&TS and the sector plan for shared services are considered imperative by DCLG in identifying where the 'big wins' are in terms of efficiencies and service improvements and how these 'big wins' can be realised by local authorities. The two plans will contain a vision for the future based on evidence of what constitutes best practice and what is achievable.
The North West Centre of Excellence is running a workshop to take place on Thursday 2nd November 2006 1.00pm - 4.30pm at Skills North West , St Helens.
This workshop will provide a key input from the perspective of local government into the work DCLG and Y&H CE is carrying out as well as giving DCLG the opportunity to test out in a live setting some of the assumptions that have been developed as part of research into C&TS and Shared services.
We hope that the event will be attended by local government Chief Executives, Council Leaders and change agents and will ensure that the views of local government are reflected in the eventual planning.
Since the event is of high priority for the local government community, your support would be greatly appreciated. Please ensure your authority is represented. For further information or to book places please contact Beverley Brooks at the NWCE.
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