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Transition and Change

Transition and Change. Julie Gill, Director of Resources Cheshire West and Chester. Transition and Change. Background – LGR in Cheshire 2009 Transition Planning – ‘the mechanics’ Cultural impact Politics! Organisational Stability Charting a Course. Background – LGR in Cheshire 2009.

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Transition and Change

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  1. Transition and Change Julie Gill, Director of Resources Cheshire West and Chester

  2. Transition and Change • Background – LGR in Cheshire 2009 • Transition Planning – ‘the mechanics’ • Cultural impact • Politics! • Organisational Stability • Charting a Course

  3. Background – LGR in Cheshire 2009 • Decision for LGR taken with short notice • Only 10 months to vesting day • Not the most ‘implementable’ option chosen from the business plans submitted • Elections in 2008 • Shadow authority mode from May 2008

  4. Background – LGR in Cheshire 2009 • LGR created 2 new Authorities – Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East – from 7 (one county, 6 districts) • Most LGR authorities in 2009 were on the basis of the districts and counties being merged to form one single authority • Cheshire was different because 2 authorities formed – county split in half, each new council formed from ‘half’ of county, plus 3 districts

  5. Background – LGR in Cheshire 2009 • Democracy of new organisation important • Member working groups established post election 2008 • New Chief Executive appointed July 2008 • Management Team appointed October 2008 • Vesting Day April 1st 2009

  6. Transition Planning – ‘the mechanics’ • Member training and development • Negotiations between 2 councils on county assets and liabilities, income and cost allocations • Public engagement • Area working/local communities • Organisational design and structure • Transition costs

  7. Transition Planning – ‘the mechanics’ • TUPE implications • Redundancies – 1100 posts saved via LGR process • Contractual obligations – eg 5 contracts for grass cutting! • Ongoing large scale projects eg PFI schemes

  8. Transition Planning – ‘the mechanics’ • Risk management key • Staff allocation did not tie up with budgets staff split 52%:48% but income splits 48%:52% • Assets and services not an even geographic split, compensatory arrangements required

  9. Transition Planning – ‘the mechanics’ • Disaggregate County Council Budget (Negotiated Local Agreement) • Formula Grant • Specific Grants • Balance Sheet • Capital Programme • Notional Review Budget Disaggregation • Outstanding items

  10. Transition Planning – ‘the mechanics’ • Re-design Core Systems • Revenues/Benefits (Merge 3 into 1) • Disaggregation of Service Systems (including Financial interfaces) • CRM systems • IT programmes split

  11. Cultural Impact • Effects of disaggregation on former County staff • Effects of ‘sizing up’ on members – majority of CWAC members ex-district • Effects of two very different councils being constructed in tandem • Effects of those staff who did not transfer to new authorities

  12. Cultural lmpact • Area Working – links into communities not automatic • Two tier abolition does not automatically provide a unitary approach … • … it takes more than a governance change

  13. Politics! • CWAC elections gave strong majority • Clear focus on outcomes, clear leadership • Savings of £35m in first year, improved performance delivery • BUT – not the case for all LGR authorities • Political environment key to delivery

  14. Politics! • Changes in political make up can be destabilising … • Impact of political change can undo lots of good work… • E.g Stoke on Trent changes from Elected Mayor/Council Manager model

  15. Organisational Stability • Political changes on a regular basis likely to destabilise … • Regular changes in chief officers likely to destabilise (e.g. ACPO fixed term contracts) … • PA’s traditionally provide the ‘longevity glue’ for policing … • … important to provide the stability for staff in policing to ‘keep the wheels on’.

  16. Charting a Course • Risk assessed project plan to bridge the transition covering practical steps to ‘new world’. • Regular communication with staff • Deliver as much certainty for as many people as possible as soon as possible! • Relationship building – tripartite approach vital

  17. Charting a Course • ACPO position needs clear definition • Political ‘capacity building’ will be key – even if reliant on one person! • Clear guidelines/certainty needed asap • Leadership essential through the process

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