Gloucestershire County Council

1. Gloucestershire County Council Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) Strategic Review 12-14 September 2016 www.local.gov.uk

2. This peer challenge feedback • The process and themes • The peer team • Feedback in key questions format • Strengths • Areas for consideration • Your reflections and questions • Next steps

3. The peer challenge process • It is part of the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) offer to support sector-led improvement • Not an inspection – invited in as “critical friends” • Non attributable information collection • People have been open and honest • Very grateful for all the support we have had…and in particular from Nicola Deakins, Harriet Osburn, Pushpa Pateland Jo Savell. • Our feedback is based on the triangulation of a range of views from various sources (i.e. hat we have read, heard and seen). These have come from across the political spectrum, council staff and other stakeholders. www.local.gov.uk

4. The Strategic Review process Pre-onsite • Agreeing scope • Document and data analysis Onsite • A range of meetings • Collation of information and triangulation • Feedback presentation www.local.gov.uk

5. HMEP Strategic Review-Core Components • Context and priority setting: This looks at assessing how the council’s delivery takes into account national and local transport policy, corporate vision, stakeholder expectations, legal and financial constraints • Planning and performance: This covers the council’s strategy, performance, data and information, and lifecycle planning and works programmes • Enablers: This component focusses on leadership, risk management, asset management, and performance monitoring • Delivery: This considers programme and service delivery and procurement  The team were asked to focus the HMEP Strategic Review for Gloucestershire in a number of areas:

6. Gloucestershire Council Focus areas (1) You wanted the team’s views on: • Your highways contract with AMEY and the relationships between staff and management teams. • Gloucestershire’s current operating model for the service. • The capability and capacity of the current contract arrangements to deliver highway services. • Your approach to innovation and your understanding further opportunities for continuous improvement (whilst recognising cost reductions, efficiencies and invest to save initiatives GCC has gone through.

7. Gloucestershire Council Focus areas And for us to… • Recognise and validate improvements and notable best practice, whilst also signposting relevant best practice from other authorities. Where appropriate a view of how the service compares with other authorities in terms of performance and delivery for customers. • Assess the effectiveness of the service in communicating its vision to staff, contractors, elected members and the public (with particular focus on what the service should be doing to manage expectations). • Investigate and provide an external view on the relationships between elected members, highways commissioning staff and AMEY staff noting successes but also pointing the service towards practical ideas for improvement and finally • Provide comment and views on joint working and the potential for further devolution in Gloucestershire.

8. Addressing Gloucestershire Council’s Focus areas We have addressed these at the end of these slides under 3 summarising headlines of: • Contract • Devolution/Joint working • Communication

9. The Peer Challenge Team • Lead PeerTrevor Pugh(Surrey County Council) • Member PeerCllr. Nick Chard (Kent County Council) • Senior Officer PeerMark Smith (Reading Borough Council) • Senior Officer PeerPeter Clay (Cumbria County Council) • Senior Officer PeerKevin Jones (Local Partnerships) • Review ManagerErnest Opuni (Local Government Support Team, Local Government Association) www.local.gov.uk

10. Context and Priority Setting - Strengths • Strong link between service planning and corporate policy – golden thread. • Very successful in securing Local Growth Fund and DfT incentivised funds (e.g. Challenge Fund, Pothole Fund). • You have recognised the need for more localism. • Policies, procedures, goals and aspirations are documented and agreed. • A clear TAMP has attempted to set service expectations amongst your various stakeholders • There is a recognition that the core Highways Service needs to operate within financial constraints

11. Context and priority setting – Areas for consideration • While there is a well-defined corporate vision, a clear vision for the Highways Service itself is still to be fully articulated and embedded. • Asset Management is well documented however there is more to do to ensure that an Asset Management approach influences all work on the ground. • The expectations of Members and the community need to align to available resources. • Customer Focus and Communications are identified widely as areas that needs significant attention/improvement. This may be a symptom of other more fundamental issues.

12. Planning and Performance - Strengths • Good track record of major scheme delivery • 3 year rolling programme of works is good practice. • Reduction of backlog of carriageway maintenance • Successful implementation of Street Lighting LED contract is innovative and leading to overall efficiency savings • The localism schemes are supported by stakeholders. • Well-developing data collection systems (e.g. Gully, Carriageway, Structures, Street light etc.)

13. Planning and Performance – Areas for consideration • Work with your various contractors to develop longer term planning of work. A clear line of sight will improve effectiveness and efficiency • Work with members to ensure a common understanding of the needs of a long term programme (e.g. flexibility) • How well are you and your contractors adding value to the service from the use of your data? • Ensure that you are measuring the things that matter most and reporting them appropriately.

14. Enablers - Strengths • The Position Statement showed strong self-awareness and understanding of the key issues and context. • There is a high level of engagement and interest in improving the Highways Service by Members, contractors and staff. • The Highways Advisory Group has supported improvement. • The council has embraced innovative funding schemes (e.g. Community Match, Community Top-up, Highways Local) to deliver local community priorities • There is some innovation that has been developed through the contract (e.g. mobile batching plant, gully mapping) • Asset Management Working Group is established and provides a foundation to embed principles. • The co-location of AMEY and GCC staff promotes good working relationships

15. Enablers – Areas for consideration (1) • Consider future governance and scrutiny arrangements (including the respective roles of Highways Advisory Group and other scrutiny groups) • The future consideration of appropriate operating model(s) should reflect lessons learnt (e.g. required outcomes, options development and appraisal and a thorough evaluation of risk). • The interface between client and contractor may need to be re-defined (e.g. the roles of AHRs and LHMs, allocation and management of risk)

16. Enablers – Areas for consideration (2) 4. The legacy from contract mobilisation has resulted in a high level of scrutiny throughout the council which could divert resources away from improvement. 5. There is a broad consensus that the position of the current client/contractor interface is sub-optimal 6. There is some evidence that internal AMEY structures and commercial arrangements may be hampering effective delivery and innovation. 7. Districts have varying aspirations for closer collaborative working and there is an opportunity for GCC to innovate here

17. Delivery - Strengths • There has been some improvement on service performance and a feeling that further improvement is possible and can be achieved. • Regular customer satisfaction surveys undertaken • Major transport schemes delivered by AMEY on time and budget • Structural maintenance programme schemes prioritised and delivered • The Lengthsman scheme has successfully addressed a Member & community need

18. Delivery – areas for consideration • The levels of service are not yet clearly defined and easily understood. • No visible, agreed programme of all commissioned minor work. • No clear evidence of the service identifying and rationalising all of its key processes

19. Gloucestershire County Council Key Messages - (Contract) Current contract • Jointly produce an improvement plan with AMEY with clear time lines and milestones which actively engages operational staff with a focus on roles and business processes including the customer’s journey. Future options • Develop options for alternative future operating models linked to the vision for service. • Undertake a comprehensive options assessment and appraisal process which is transparent and inclusive

20. Gloucestershire County Council Key Messages - (Devolution/Joint working) • Open a new dialogue with Districts and Boroughs to explore potential opportunities for greater collaboration. • Build on the success of previous collaboration (e.g. Ubico, joint committees for economic growth and joint core strategy) • Review resource allocation balancing county-wide need with local need. This needs to consider: • Affordability and sustainability, • Qualitative and quantitative – cost vs. value, • Value for money • Meeting priorities now and future

21. Gloucestershire County Council areas of focus- Key Messages (Communication) • Communication and stakeholder focus • What is the vision for Highways that you want to communicate? • Customer pathway and customer experience • A clear concise guide to the service offer and a plan for how this is communicated across all Members and staff • Stakeholder engagement plan to better understand differing needs, expectations and opportunities. • A review of where the lead for communications and customer engagement should be.

22. Your reflections & questions?

23. Next steps • We will give you time to reflect on the messages from today and give some thought to how you wish to take this forward • A follow-up Action Planning Day has been agreed for 15 December 2016. This will allow you take turn some of these reflections into action. • You determine the shape and outcomes you want for the day and the team has made itself available to support this as you see fit. • We will stay in touch with you between now and the Action Planning to agree the input you would find most valuable from the team.

24. Contact details Ernest Opuni Local Government Support Team Local Government Association Tel: 07920 061193 Email: ernest.opuni@local.gov.uk www.local.gov.uk