Agenda item

            The Committee approved the Departmental Plans for the Finance and Resources, Property and Projects and Chief Executive’s Department.  A copy of the key achievements for 2010/11 and the key actions and performance indicators for 2011/12 as detailed in the Plans for each of the Departments is set out hereunder:

 

Finance and Resources

 

“6.0        Key achievements 2010-11 

 

6.1       Better Leadership

     

            Key achievements

 

· An additional £2.8m financing has been secured for the Capital Programme.

· A capacity building plan for elected Members, senior managers, managers and officers was developed.

· A Member Development Steering Group was established to ensure the development and implementation of the Member Development Strategy.

· Training sessions were delivered to Members on the role of the Council and elected Members, strategic planning, performance management, finance and rate setting.

 

6.2 Better care for Belfast’s environment

 

            Key achievements

 

· Servers numbers have been reduced which has already led to a reduction in energy costs of £20000 in ISB.

· A print management strategy has been developed with targets to reduce the number of printers and the volume of colour printing.

            · Colour printing has been reduced from 67% to 33%.

 

6.3       Better opportunities for success across the city

 

            Key achievements

 

We have continued to work with Land and Property Service to implement the Memorandum of Understanding.  A suite of performance measures has been developed and a performance reporting framework put in place including benchmarking arrangements.

 

6.4       Better services - listening and delivering

 

            Key achievements

 

· 27 online forms have been added to the website to help improve access to our services for our customers.  These include;

 

- A range of forms for Belfast Castle and Malone House

- Applications for various licences (e.g. Entertainment, Street Trading)

                    - Bin ordering Form

                    - Online burials records search

· Timeframe for creditor payments has improved from 28 days in April 2010 to an average of 22 days during 2010/11.

 

6.5       Better value for money - an organisation fit to lead and serve

           

            Key achievements

 

            - Corporate Human Resource Management

 

·         A new attendance policy has been implemented with compliance reports reviewed on an ongoing basis by HR and the Council departments. The Council is on track to meet its sickness absence target.

·         The corporate approach to personal development planning was agreed with roll-out planned from April 2011.

·         The corporate IIP mock assessment was undertaken in October 2010 and a number of next steps were agreed around developing a People Improvement Framework and Plan. It is intended that the Council will work towards seeking corporate accreditation by April 2012.

·         Monitoring and reporting on staff numbers, overtime and agency costs have taken place throughout the year.  A new reporting framework is currently being developed with implementation planned from quarter one 2011/12.

·         All outstanding single status issues have been completed including:

·         Basic Grade Split Scale 2/3 removal, review of essential car users, a revised local arrangement for Tramp and Travel. 

 

            - Corporate Financial Planning

 

·         Cash savings of £2.9m have been identified and captured for 2011/12 against an original target of £1.7m.

·         The council agreed a 2.95% district rate increase despite the late notification from LPS of a £3.5m claw back in 2010/11 and a £2.5m fall in the EPP for 2011/12.

·         A review of internal trading was completed resulting in new governance arrangements for a number of key services including Facilities Management and ISB.

·         A new suite of budget reports have been developed and are reported quarterly to all Committees.  The reports include year to date and forecast information on the revenue budget, and up to date figures on the capital programme, reserves, debtors and creditors.

 

 

·         Financial training for Members was carried out.

·         Improvements were made to help further integrate  financial and corporate planning with draft revenue estimates presented to Strategic Policy and Resources Committee together with a summary of the priority actions from the Corporate and Departmental Plans for 2011/12.

 

      - Corporate Information Management

 

·         New IT governance arrangements have been put in place with a centralised ICT budget created.  A first draft of the Information asset register has also been created to be made accessible by end of March 2011.

·         Council telephony services have been improved and rationalised with the implementation of single bills for all major telephony suppliers.

·         Implementation of mobile technology. Parks inspectors are using mobile devices to carry out risk assessments on a daily.

·         Increased use of geo-spatial (GIS) information. H&ES are playing a key role in an Inter Agency project (Buchanan project) building up GIS information to provide analysis on hotspot areas of anti-social behaviour around the city. 

·         A VFM review of ISB services has been undertaken.

 

      - Corporate Policy, Planning & Performance

 

·         The cascade of our performance management process, known as the VCM, was successfully completed for the 2010-11 period with the development of 20 service or departmental level plans, with actions and indicators, all aligned to the delivery of the corporate objectives.

·         Performance reports have been developed for all services and departments to support regular performance management and monitoring of key tasks and indicators.

·         Training on the performance management system has been rolled out across the Council.

 

      - Corporate Governance and Risk

 

·          Quarterly risk reporting has been enhanced and Directors now complete signed assurance statements on a quarterly basis. These are incorporated into a quarterly risk report which is reported to COMT, the Assurance Board and Audit Panel.

·          Fraud and Governance Awareness training in 2010/11 has been delivered to a range of services involving approximately 250 officers.

 

·           A new process for monitoring audit recommendations was  implemented during 2010/11 with the first report being issued to the Audit Panel in September 2010

·           Business Continuity Management policy reviewed and updated and all critical services’ plans and strategies were updated. Pandemic plans currently being updated by services.

·           Each Council property was assigned a desk top rating by the H&S Unit (high, medium or low) based on occupancy numbers and activities carried out within them. The inspection/audit of high risk/ medium risk properties will be completed in 2010/11.

 

7.0 Key actions for 2011-12

 

7.1       Better services - listening and delivering

 

            Key Actions

 

·         Expand range of e-enabled customer services including on line booking for leisure facilities and purchase of dog licenses and on line live streaming of council meetings

·         Commence the implementation of the Customer Focus Strategy including improving customer access and  handling of customer information

·         Develop and implement the corporate efficiency programme (including the contribution from the Finance and Resources Department) for 2012/13

·         Develop and implement a value for money and performance framework including:

            -  VfM performance indicators for all services

-  Review and revise the Council’s approach to     

   business transformation and service delivery.

·         Assist in the implementation of the following VFM Reviews

                        - Building Maintenance

                        - Fleet Management

                        - Procurement

 

7.2       Better value for money - an organisation fit to lead and serve

           

            Key Actions

 

            Corporate Financial Planning

 

·         Develop and implement a resourcing strategy

·         Enhance the rates base through tackling issues such as vacant office accommodation and business premises

 

·         Manage and report on relevant PIs to ensure the implementation of Belfast Land and Property Services Memorandum of Understanding

·         Establish a programme of work around the development of financial management information including improving the financial reporting process

·         Develop a medium term financial plan including a Capital Financing Strategy and Treasury Management Strategy in line with the implementation of a Finance Bill

·         Implement a financial improvement programme in relation to debtors, creditors, payroll and treasury management

 

Corporate Information Management

 

·         Improve information management and governance including creating a catalogue of information held in electronic form

·         Deploy Windows 7 and Office 2007 across the council

 

            Corporate Policy, Planning & Performance

 

·         Implement the Performance Management infrastructure including:

 - Reporting and analysis of key corporate performance information and;

 - Supporting departments in monitoring and reporting departmental performance information

 

            Corporate Governance and Risk

 

·         Implement a Council wide Health and Safety Assurance  Framework including following up recommendations from inspections and expanding the reporting framework for staff and councillors

·         Chief Officers to complete and sign off quarterly assurance statements to support quarterly reporting on the management of key risks to COMT, Assurance Board and Audit Panel.

 

8.0       Key performance indicators 2011-12

 

The Department has developed the following set indicators for collection, monitoring and reporting through the 2011-12 financial year. These indicators will be monitored frequently at departmental level and will be included in the departmental reports to committee.

 

8.1       Better services - listening and delivering

 

	Annual Target
Actual variance between actual efficiencies versus target for 2011/12	0
Number of transactional based activities which are e-enabled	TBA
Average time taken to resolve operational calls reported to the ISB Service Desk	2.25 Days
Customer Satisfaction with Service Desk response	90%

 

8.2       Better value for money - an organisation fit to lead and serve

 

            Corporate Human Resources

 

	Annual Target
Average number of working days per employee lost due to absence       (measured against agreed targets)	7.44
Variance between actual direct employee costs and budget	0
Variance between actual Staff Number and agreed establishment	0

 

            Corporate Financial Planning

 

	Annual Target
% Variance between net expenditure and budget	+ 1 / -3%
% Variance between planned net expenditure and forecasted net expenditure	+ 1 / -3%
% Variance between planned capital expenditure and planned forecasted expenditure for the current year	+ 1 / -3%
% Variation between forecast outturn at period 6 and actual outturn at period 12	+ 1 / -1%
% Debt less than 90 days old	65%
% Creditors paid within 30 days	75%

 

      Corporate Information Management

 

	Annual Target
% Time key systems are available uptime	99%

 

      Corporate Policy, Planning & Performance

 

	Annual Target
% PIs with valid data collected and reported upon	85%
% PIs on target	TBA *

 

      (*Target to be confirmed at year end)

 

      Corporate Governance and Risk

 

	Annual Target
% Agreed audit recommendations implemented	80%
% AGRS plan completed annually	70%
Reduce the number of workplace accidents	Reduce by 5%
Reduce the number of RIDDOR accidents	Reduce by 5%
% Agreed Health and Safety recommendations implemented	80%
% Health and Safety plan completed annually	70%
% Critical service business continuity plans tested annually	100%

 

9.0             Financial Information

 

	Net Expenditure 2010/11	Net Estimated Expenditure 2011/12
Human Resources *	2,061,612	--
Finance, Performance Management & Efficiency	2,786,965	2,712,478
ISB	5,181,365	5,040,714

 

	Net Expenditure 2010/11	Net Estimated Expenditure 2011/12
Audit Governance and Risk Services and Health and Safety	1,094,069	1,130,113
Project & Corporate Systems	348,639	294,899
Pensions	1,900,000	1,900,000
Directorate	426,585	289,261
Total	13,799,235	11,367,436

 

* Please note that the Human Resources function moves from the Finance & Resources Department to the Chief Executive’s Department in July 2011, resulting in a drop in the departmental net expenditure.

 

10.0        Monitoring and review arrangements

 

The Council has introduced an integrated performance management system that enables regular, up to date reporting to be undertaken at corporate, departmental and service levels.

 

Key performance indicators (PIs) have been identified for all services within the Finance and Resources Department and are contained in sections 7.0 and 8.0 of this document.  These actions and PIs will be reviewed by the Departmental Management Team along with progress on key tasks every quarter and a full update on progress will be reported to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee twice yearly.

 

A number of these PIs and projects have been identified as corporately significant and are contained in the Corporate Plan.  They will be reported on a quarterly basis to COMT to ensure ongoing management of the key priorities.

 

Notes:

 

The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee oversees the decisions taken at the other five committees.  These decisions are then ratified at full council each month.

 

Chief Officers Management Team (COMT) meets on a weekly basis.  The Director of Finance and Resources attends COMT to report on the work of the department in key areas such as budget monitoring and rate setting.  The Finance and Resources Department underpins the work of the Council and provides a challenge for the organisation on key financial issues.

 

The Department Management Team (DMT) meets on a monthly basis to discuss work planning, performance, key projects, staffing issues, and workload.”

 

Property and Projects Department

 

“7.0     Key Achievements 2010/2011

 

7.1       City Leadership

 

            Key achievements

 

            City Investment Strategy

 

·         Represented the Council in it’s commitment of £16million under the City Investment Fund (CIF), profiled up until 2012-2013, towards four iconic projects including the Connswater Community Greenway, Titanic Signature Project; The MAC; and the Lyric Theatre.

·         Represented the Council in helping to leverage in excess of £160million investment into the city

·         Initiated discussions with central government departments, the Strategic Investment Board and Derry City Council to explore both the potential scope to establish a City Investment Framework and alternative forms of funding models for capital investment in the  City.

·         Project managed £5,511,352 worth of capital spend across the Council

·         100% Capital projects undertaken using Programme, Portfolio & Project Management methodologies, an OGC standard methodology for managing projects

 

Local Government Modernisation

 

·         Established necessary governance, accountability and project management arrangements to oversee; manage and monitor the effective implementation of the RPA process within the Council

·         Secured £114k annual budget for 2010/ 11 (RPA transitional funding) from the DoE

 

·         Co-ordinated the completion and submission of corporate responses to five RPA related draft legislative proposals

·         Secured formal Council representation (both Member and officer) on and inputted into the work of established external RPA governance and implementation structures.

 

7.2       Better Care for Belfast’s Environment

 

            Key achievements

 

·         Delivery of Green Procurement Training across the Council, promoting environmentally sustainable purchasing

·         Completion of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) registration process and the identification of a planned programme of energy work to reduce energy usage and CO2 emission across the council.

 

7.3       Better Services

 

Key achievements

 

·         Completion of a comprehensive programme of on-site condition surveys (assessing the maintenance requirements of Council properties) with the development of a comprehensive, prioritised planned maintenance schedule of work for all BCC sites

·         Completion of relocation programme which involved 30 relocation exercises which affected approximately 1,200 staff

·         The Making A Difference Awards was finalist in the Chartered Institute of Public Relations PRIDE awards in the Best Event Category

·         Re-certification of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 in Procurement  and Fleet Management Units

·         Re-certification of ISO 18000 in Fleet Management Unit

·         Full implementation of Gate Review process on all capital expenditure projects.

·         Setting up of Strategic Projects Oversight Board (SPOB) with clear governance roles and responsibilities for project teams.

 

7.4       Better Value for Money – An Organisation Fit to Lead and Serve

 

Human Resources

 

·         Implemented the Investors In People Framework

 

·         Personal Development Plans for the majority of Property and Projects staff

·         Implemented a local agreement with trade unions in respect of hours, shifts and overtime for cleaning staff in public conveniences

 

Finance

 

·         Rental Income of £5,128,571 from the Councils estate (for example Balmoral and Duncrue Industrial Estate) which accounts for approximately 4.1% of the rates income of Belfast City Council. This income represents a 5.4% increase from the preceding year 2009/10

·         E-Auction (a ‘reverse’ auction where sellers bid to provide goods or services and the price drops as sellers compete to meet the buyers requirements)  for Employment Agency Service Framework with saving of £64,000

·         Additional Savings of £83,895 for Stationery Framework participants – supplying of stationery to the Council.

·         Introduction of E-Tendering, an online tendering  process.

·         Internal procurement review of tenders for catering supplies, window cleaning etc

·         Managed the annual revaluation of 359 Council assets (valued at £570m) for capital accounting purposes.

·         Net profit of £1.6 million from the sale of electricity at  North Foreshore site

·         Capital Receipts of £3.675 million from the sale of surplus Council land

 

Information Management

 

·         Computerised project management system (P2 Net) implemented and developed to include GIS information.

·         Developed a secure document management environment   for Facilities Management.

 

Assets

 

·         Rationalisation of temporary city centre office accommodation leases.

·         Reduction in occupational costs for Adelaide Exchange and Lanyon Place by renegotiating lease agreements.

·         Review of assets progressed to take forward disposal, redevelopment or re-use options for a number of Council land & property assets. Planning appraisals, site contamination reports & title reports obtained in respect of a number of assets.

 

·         Disposals completed in respect of lands at Beechmount,   Glen Road, Antrim Road, Crescent Open Space, Strathearn, Barnett’s Demesne, Duncrue (adjacent to M2). Total capital receipt of £3.675m which will go towards reinvestment in the city (as outlined above).

·         Marketing of sites at Clara Street, Primrose Street & Seapark Drive.

·         Disposal of site at Templemore agreed to Habitat for   Humanity.

·         Ongoing negotiations in respect of lands at Loughside; Glen Road & Colin Glen.

·         Ongoing lease management of circa 170 leases. Total income of approximately £5.13M per annum (as outlined above).

·         Land acquisition of 50 sites for Connswater Community Greenway (CCG). Project on target for completion of all 50 sites.

·         Collaborative working with external partners in respect of a number of projects including Glen 10, CCG, Beechmount, Strathearn etc.

·         Phase 1 of the Asset Management Strategy completed.

·         Review undertaken of all miscellaneous leased assets & leased property database put in place.

·         New form of lease agreed for industrial estates with a view  to sustaining longer term rental growth.

·         New long term lease agreed in respect of land within Balmoral Industrial Estate.

·         Ongoing management of the corporate landbank & the Council’s investment properties at Balmoral, Duncrue and the Gasworks.

·         Ongoing maintenance and updating of the Councils land & property ownership records.

·         Implemented access control measures for Ormeau Avenue car park.

 

8.0       Key actions for 2011/12

 

8.1       Better Leadership

 

A key role for the Property & Projects Department will be to help to establish the Council’s place shaping role through better use of the city’s assets.  The Department will also seek to ensure that the Council is prepared to respond to and take advantage of the out workings of the RPA.

 

            Key actions

 

·         Lead on the corporate development of a comprehensive future city investment plan.

·         Implement the City Investment Framework.

·         Develop the North Foreshore.

·         Represent Belfast City Council‘s interest in the project delivery of the Connswater Community Greenway.

·         Deliver the agreed capital projects during 2011-12 in line with BCC project management standards and policies.

·         Prioritise proposed new capital projects for consideration by SP&R

·         Review the use and management of the City Hall.

·         Deliver collaborative opportunities which maximises value for money through participation in the Local Government led ‘Improvement, Collaboration and Efficiency’ (ICE) programme.

·         Develop and deliver area based pilots which integrates proposed new transferring functions to local government at a local level.

 

8.2       Better Environment

 

The Project Management, Estates and Facilities Management sections within the Department will help to protect the city’s natural and built heritage by promoting environmentally friendly design, sustainable site usage and the preservation of old buildings.

 

            Key actions

 

·         Develop a policy position on contaminated land within Belfast.

·         Develop a 3D model of Belfast in conjunction with the University of Ulster

·         Conduct energy audits of selected council properties and secure funding for related energy projects.

·         Provide project and contract management for Environmental Improvement Scheme / Street Scape.

 

8.3       Better Value for Money – An Organisation Fit to Lead and Serve

 

Human Resources

 

Undertake reviews of Business Support, Procurement Unit and the Property Maintenance Unit.

 

Finance

 

·         Efficiency Saving

-          Develop Strategic Plan for Procurement Spend and  Efficiency.

-          Progress potential for income stream to the Council via utilisation of the Council’s land and buildings for advertising.

-          VFM review of the Council’s Fleet Provision.

·         Manage the capital programme in line with the capital financing strategy.

·         Carry out effective capital programme forecasting and costing.

·         Provide advice and support to departments in developing business cases, economic appraisals and whole life costings.

·         Continue to manage the Council’s property investment portfolio to ensure rental income maximised (£5.25M for 2011/2012).

 

Planning and Performance

 

·         Undertake the actions contained within the portfolio management framework, which will provide the structure, governance, functions and services required for ensuring consistent delivery of programmes and projects across the Council, including:

 

                  - Support SP& R in managing the project portfolio through dashboard reporting.

               - Link the project portfolio framework with the performance management process.

               - Undertake a training needs analysis of chief officers, senior managers, project sponsors and project managers.

              -    Programme and project awareness and training.

               - Provide guidance and support to enable the effective delivery of Council Projects.

 

Assets

 

·         Develop a long term strategy for the Council to ensure cost effective and adequate accommodation provision.

·         Develop a security strategy across the Council.

·         Implementation of planned maintenance approach for all Council facilities to:

·         Compile schedule of planned maintenance activity and deliver on time

 

- Agree and implement criteria for prioritising reactive repairs.

·         Implement the recommendations in the asset management strategy including:

 - Undertake a property challenge review on an ongoing basis.

            -  Develop a corporate asset disposal strategy.

- Agree and implement an integrated corporate asset management database system.

- Develop and implement a suite of corporate asset performance indicators.

- Develop a framework which provides clarity on the roles and responsibilities in respect of leased and corporately held assets

·         Progress the Assets Realisation Programme:

- Options Reports for all Phase 1 Assets; (based on the completed Planning Assessments, Contamination, and Title reports) will be developed to look at options for disposal or redevelopment and scheduled to be presented to SP&R Committee.

- Proactively manage the Council’s investment portfolio at the Gasworks, Balmoral and Duncrue Estates to include property and lease management, rent reviews, lease variations and policy issues.

            - Proactively manage all miscellaneous leased assets.

- Provide property related advice to all client departments including acquisition, leasing, development, property management, strategic or policy related advice in respect of the holding, management, acquisition, disposal or redevelopment of the Councils land and property portfolio.

 

Information Technology

 

·         Agree and implement an integrated corporate asset management database system.

·         Further development of the P2 net project management system including GIS (geographical information) and Sap (financial systems) and reporting capabilities.

 

9.0       Key performance indicators 2011/ 2012

 

The Department has developed the following set of indicators for collection, monitoring and reporting (via the performance management system) throughout the 2011/ 12 financial year.  These indicators will be monitored frequently at departmental level and will be reported throughout the year to SP&R. 

 

Leadership

 

	Annual Target
Amount of money leveraged through the City Investment Strategy	10:1
% Capital Programme Spend against forecasted spend	83%

 

      Environment

 

	Annual Target
Number of BCC Vehicles emissions tested	480
Total tonnage of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Council premises	17550

 

      Economy

 

	Annual Target
Number of City Hall tours	1490
Number of City Hall tours visitors	61650

 

      Better Services

	Annual Target
Average telephone switchboard response time	10 seconds

 

      Human Resources

	Annual Target
% LDPs completed	90%
Average number of working days per employee lost due to absence (managed against agreed targets)	9.08
Variance between actual direct employee costs and budget	0
Variance between actual Staff Number and agreed establishment	0

 

      Finance

	Annual Target
Procurement process compliance and contracts let in accordance with Standing Orders and legal requirements	100%
% Savings from selected corporate contract – Stationery	10%

 

Finance

	Annual Target
Top 20 suppliers by spend value who have contracts and tendering process completed.	19
% Variance between net expenditure and budget	+1 / -3%
% Variance between planned net expenditure and forecasted net expenditure	+1 / -3%
% Variation between forecast outturn at period 6 and actual outturn at period 12	+1 / -1%

 

      Policy, Planning and Performance

	Annual Target
Individual projects on time	80%
Individual projects on budget	80%
% Committed projects progressing in line with project milestones	80%
% gates performed in line with project milestones	80%

 

      Assets

	Annual Target
Rental income	£5,248,137
Fleet management unit GVC pass rate	95%

 

10.0          Financial Information

 

	Net Expenditure 2010/2011	Net Estimated Expenditure 2011/2012
PPD Directorate	653,605.51	657,592.04
Estates, PMU, Procurement, NFS	-3,185,603.99	-3,451,854.92
Facilities Management	14,820,523.36	15,153,100.00
Total	12,288,524.88	12,358,837.12

 

11.0           Monitoring and review arrangements

 

The Council has introduced an integrated performance management system that enables regular, up to date reporting to be undertaken at corporate, departmental and service level.

 

Key performance indicators have been identified for all services within the Property and Projects Department and are contained within section 8 of this plan.

 

A number of PIs and tasks have been identified as corporately significant and are contained in the corporate plan.  They will be reported on a quarterly basis to COMT to ensure ongoing management of the key priorities.”

 

Chief Executive’s Department

 

“7.0     Key Achievements 2010/2011

 

7.1       City Leadership

 

            Key achievements

 

§         Successfully delivered a number of good relations events throughout the city

§         Oversaw the delivery of Phase 1 of Peace III, consisting of £6.3m

§         Distributed 57 small grants under Phase 1 of Peace III (totalling almost £1 million)

§         Continued to support the Migrants Forum

§         Secured funding for and commenced a community planning pilot

§         Established a cross party working group on community planning

§         Prepared bids for Phase 2 of Peace III

§         Supported and taken a lead on the RPA process, both in the Council and across the local government sector, and taken a leading role in the local government sector’s Improvement, Collaboration & Efficiency (ICE) Programme

§         Revised the Good Relations Plan

§         Provided key legal support for the Connswater Community Greenway project

§         Provided strategic advice and assistance to Arc 21 in respect of Organic Waste Treatment and Residual Waste Treatment contracts

§         Put in place funding agreements to facilitate the development of the Lyric and MAC

§         Advised on issues relating to the proposed local government and planning reform

§         Conducted approximately 1000 prosecutions in a diverse range of issues affecting health and the environment

§         Registered 4,367 births, 1,335 marriages and conducted 67 civil partnerships

 

7.2       Better Value for Money – An Organisation Fit to Lead and Serve

 

Human Resource Management

 

§         Absence reduced to 10.3 days in 2010/11.  This means that we surpassed our two year target in one year.

§         Voluntary Redundancy (VR) exercises resulted in:

      -           53 staff released on VR

      -           total cost of VR £4.7M

      -           Year on year savings of nearly £2M

-           Supernumerary situation resolved after 10 years

§         People in post down by 80 this year. Control mechanisms in place re vacancy control; reporting mechanisms continuously improving re employee spend.

§         Out of the 36 young people placed in Belfast City Council as part of the Young Persons Employment initiative (YPEI) 17 (almost 50%) have found employment. 

§         Of the 19 placements provided for the Public Employment Partnership programme (PEP), 7 found employment (36.8%)

§         Learning and Development Policy agreed with Trade Unions (including the learning agreement and a corporate approach to personal development planning) 

§         Ongoing development activity - 211 employees have attended Step up to Learn (Literacy and numeracy) and 292 employees have attended Frontline Development Programme. Ongoing mandatory training like Equal Opportunities etc.

§         Reviewed the management development programme

§         Implemented a departmental restructure

§         Council achieved gold status in the Opportunity Now benchmark

 

            Elected member development

§         4 Women’s Leaders Programmes (32 officers and 9 elected members )

§         Joint member / officer steering group

§         Participation in NI Elected Member Development Charter project

§         Currently revising the member induction programme for implementation following the elections

 

Policy, Planning & Performance

 

§         Undertook a review of markets policy

§         Updated the disability action plan and held conference on disability

§         Provided policy and project delivery support to Strategic Policy & Resources Committee, Chief Officers Management Team, Chief Executive’s Department and Property & Projects Department

§         Co-ordinated and facilitated the development of service, departmental and corporate plans across the organisation.

§         Reviewed and improved the planning process of the Council, coordinating with the estimating and rate setting process

§         Responded to a number of policy and legislation consultations in relation to local government reform, planning reform, and others.

 

            Assurance, Governance & Risk

 

§         Prepared for the May 2011 elections

§         Successfully regained Lexcel and ISO accreditation for Legal Services

§         Defending employment and liability claims worth a potential £3.2m for a total outlay of £600,000, giving an approximate saving of almost £2.6m

§         Providing advice on procurement matters and other   issues of risk, and framing decision making in a legal context

§         Provided legal services in house, enabling the Council to make significant savings compared to using external solicitors for these services

 

            Communication and Engagement

 

§         Brought a number of advertising campaigns in-house, delivering approximately £550,000 worth of advertising for £300,000

§         Undertook 80% of graphic design work in-house

§         Developed the Councils website that is now attracting 2 million unique visitors per year

§         Improved our website content to be placed in the top 1/3^rd of local government websites in the independent SOCITM ranking

§         Commenced the use of Twitter and Facebook as new channels for communicating to stakeholders

§         Piloted video messaging to front line staff

 

§         Carried out public, Councillor and employee consultations

§         Issued over 500 press releases and dealt with over 500 media enquiries

§         Issued approximately 130,000 copies of City Matters, five times a year to every household in Belfast.

 

8.0       Key actions for 2011/2012

 

8.1       City Leadership

 

§         Within the Council’s remit, prepare for and undertake the May 2011 elections

§         Implementation of Phase 2 of the Peace III programme

§         Develop and deliver area based pilots which integrates proposed transferring functions (e.g. planning and regeneration) at the local level

§         Complete community planning pilot and develop a community planning model

§         Implement the Good Relations Plan

§         To support the civic dignitaries through the organisation and delivery of a programme of initiatives, events and engagements during their term of office

§         Support the Memorabilia Working Group

§         Support the Centenary Working Group

§         Develop an external relations strategy

 

8.2       Better Services

 

§         Expand range of e-enabled customer services including on line booking for leisure facilities and purchase of dog licenses

§         Commence live web streaming of Council meetings

§         Achieve efficiencies of £220,000 as set out in the efficiency programme for 2011/ 2012

 

8.3       Better Value for Money – An Organisation Fit to Lead and Serve

 

            Human Resources

 

§         Develop and implement the HR capacity building and organisation redesign aspects of the council’s emerging organisational development strategy 

§         Implement a corporate framework for the effective management of employee costs associated with absence rates, agency workers, overtime and staff numbers

 

§         Develop and implement an elected member development programme, including an induction programme and    improved personal development planning processes

§         Develop and implement a leadership development programme for senior and middle managers

§         Continue to implement the chief officer/head of service and senior manager individual performance management and personal development planning scheme

§         Implement a revised industrial relations framework to ensure effective consultation, negotiation and partnership working with the Council’s trade unions

§         Organise the annual staff recognition scheme - the Making A Difference (MAD) Awards - scheduled for November 2011 - and review the staff suggestion scheme.

 

                        Policy & Planning

 

§         Participate in the local government led improvement programme and identify/ pursue potential collaborative opportunities for the Council which may improve service delivery and maximise value for money

§         Revise the Council’s Equality Scheme in line with the revised requirements from the Equality Commission

§         Support the corporate planning process for 2012 – 13 by:

- Providing strategic support to elected Members and Chief Officers

- Integrating local area working and community planning into the corporate planning process

§         Develop a debt management policy

§         Support the development of a Council resourcing strategy

§         Integrate financial and business planning

 

                        Communication

 

·         Improve internal communications to front line staff, including:

§         rolling out the 'Getting People Connected' project and installing display screens in the remaining council sites

§         Developing and piloting an e-zine (a newsletter sent by email) to be sent to casual and part-time colleagues to improve communications to this hard to reach group of employees

 

§         Widening the roll out of the video version of the team brief

§         Review advertising policy and approach to secure efficiencies

§         Prepare for upcoming events in 2012 and beyond – Titanic Centenary, Titanic Signature Project, London Olympics, Connswater Community Greenway

§         Finalise and implement the corporate consultation and engagement strategy

 

            Asset Management

 

§         Develop a property disposal policy

 

            Assurance, Governance & Risk

 

§         Support the Committee system and ensure that Councillors have the information available to enable effective decisions to be made

§         Effectively implement the Council’s new Scheme of Delegation and develop a Code of Governance

§         Develop and implement a new Council constitution

§         Review and update Council policy on Declaration and Register of Interests.

 

9.0       Key performance indicators 2011/2012

 

                        City Leadership

	Annual Target
Number of Council Departments delivering Good Relations Projects under Phase 2 of the Peace III programme	3
Reduction in the number of bonfire related incidents recorded against groups participating in the Council’s Bonfire Programme	10%
Number of new community groups availing of the Councils Good Relations Fund	10

 

                        Better Services

	Annual Target
Overall satisfaction with Council services	78%
Number of equality complaints	0
% complaints responded to within corporate target	100%

 

                        HR Management

	Annual Target
Average number of working days per employee lost due to absence   (measured against agreed targets)	8.28
Variance between actual direct employee costs and budget	0
Variance between actual Staff Number and agreed establishment	0
% Councillors with PDPs	65%
% Chief Officers, who receive (at least) annual feedback on their performance	100%
% Heads of Service and Senior Managers who receive (at least) annual       feedback on their performance	90%

 

            Finance

	Annual Target
% Variance between net expenditure and budget	+ 1 / -3%
% Variance between planned net expenditure and forecasted net expenditure	+ 1 / -3%
% Variation between forecast outturn at period 6 and actual outturn at period 12	+ 1 / -1%

 

      Corporate Policy, Planning & Performance

	Annual Target
% PIs with valid data collected and reported upon	85%
% PIs on target	TBA *

 

      Communication & Engagement

	Annual Target
Visits to Council website	1,000,000
% media releases used	80%
Number of followers of Council’s Twitter site	5,000
Number of fans of Council’s Facebook site	5,000

 

(*Target to be confirmed at year end)

 

10.0     Financial Information

 

For 2011/2012 department plans, the financial information focuses on the 2011/2012 estimates. 

 

The estimated net expenditure for the Department for 2011/2012 is £5,741,665 plus an additional £2,043,104 coming to the Chief Executive’s Department with the transfer of Human Resources to the department in July. A breakdown of the revenue estimates by the Department’s main services is provided in the table below, showing the expenditure for each section approved by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee as part of the annual budget setting process.

 

	Net Expenditure 2010/2011	Net Estimated Expenditure 2011/2012
Democratic Services	2,693,677	2,427,317
Corporate Communications	1,054,205	1,068,222
Business Support	257,815	837,765
Good Relations	457,078	408,208
Legal Services	793,745	530,431
Strategic Policy and Planning	484,640	469,722
Total	5,741,159	5,741,665

 

Human Resources *

2,043,104

 

Town Planning Committee

27,000

26,500

 

* Please note that the Human Resources function moves from the Finance & Resources Department to the Chief Executive’s Department in July 2011, resulting in an increase in the departmental net expenditure.

 

11.0     Monitoring and review arrangements

 

The Council has introduced an integrated performance management system that enables regular, up to date reporting to be undertaken at corporate, departmental and service level.

 

Key performance indicators have been identified for all services within the Chief Executive’s Department and are contained within section 8 of this plan.

 

A number of PIs and tasks have been identified as corporately significant and are contained in the corporate plan.  They will be reported on a quarterly basis to COMT to ensure ongoing management of the key priorities.”