Review of Roads and Infrastructure Services - Update
Argyll and Bute Council · 19 December 2024
Back to Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee — 19 December 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL ECONOMIC, DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE 19TH DECEMBER 2024 REVIEW OF ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES - UPDATE 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide Members of the Economic, Development and Infrastructure Committee with an update on progress and next steps in relation to the Roads and Infrastructure Service Review (RIS Review). 1.2 In providing this update reference is made to information contained in the previous report to this Committee in relation to the RIS Review dated 20th June 2024 and to the actions taken in the intervening period. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that Members of the Economy, Development and Infrastructure Committee: a) note the content of this report. b) agree to receive a further report on progress of the RIS Review in March 2025.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL ECONOMIC, DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE 19TH DECEMBER 2024 REVIEW OF ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES - UPDATE 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 This report provides and update to Members of this Committee on progress of the Roads and Infrastructure Service Review (RIS Review). 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 It is recommended that Members of the Economic, Development and Infrastructure Committee: a) note the content of this report. b) agree to receive a further report on progress of the RIS Review in March 2025. 4.0 DETAIL 4.1 At the June 2024 meeting of this Committee Members received a report entitled “Review of Roads and Infrastructure Services”. That report set out the background to the RIS Review, provided the 10 key recommendations from Stage 1 of the review process and through an accompanying appendix provided a full schedule of all recommendations from Stage 1. The appendix also provided an initial RAG rating for each of the recommendations with the purpose of assessing the deliverability of the Stage 1 recommendations in the context of Argyll and Bute Council. 4.2 The consultants, “PeopleToo”, appointed to lead the initial part of the RIS Review adopted a 4-stage approach with Stage 1 having been focussed on data gathering to understand the existing performance level of the services and to
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challenge the ‘As Is’ service delivery arrangements to develop new thinking and opportunities in the form of a series of recommendations. 4.3 Stage 1 of this process sought to draw upon available benchmarking data through the Local Government Benchmarking Family Group (LGBF) (Scotland) and on other benchmarking information from relevant Council areas across the wider U.K. In any use of benchmarking information it is important to also consider any unique local context and to apply this to the overall conclusions reached. Stage 2 of the review process is intended to provide this local contextual assessment and in so doing to finalise a set of key improvement objectives and actions to be taken forward. In providing a RAG rating for each of the Stage-1 recommendations in June of this year Officers started the Stage-2 assessment process. 4.4 The report of June 2024 to this Committee noted that in order to balance the need to progress the next stages of the RIS Review with continuing to deliver a high volume of services on a day-to-day basis additional external support would be required. A recommendation to make available up to £150,000 as a Spend- to-Save investment to fund the costs of external support to progress the future stages of the RIS Review was approved. With the required funding being provided through the Strathclyde Pension Fund Gain Earmarking set aside for Spend-to-Save or Transformation. 4.5 Approval of the requested funding has enabled the procurement of the external support needed to progress the subsequent stages of the RIS Review with an experienced consultant having commenced at the beginning of November. The appointed consultant brings with him significant local government experience as both a senior officer and as a consultant and has recently completed a similar role at a Council in the same LGBF Family Group as Argyll and Bute (Family Group 1 for Environmental, Culture & Leisure, Economic Development, Corporate, Property and Tackling Climate Change). 4.6 The activities required to progress with the future stages of the RIS Review are progressing and are being overseen by the RIS Review Project Board Chaired by Executive Director Kirsty Flanagan with Vice Chair Executive Director Douglas Hendry. The RIS Review Project Board meets on a fortnightly basis to monitor progress and provide executive leadership to the review and change process. An outline review of the Stage-1 recommendations has been completed and in the coming weeks Stage-2 of the review process will be concluded and a set of priority improvement actions developed for implementation. The intention is to deliver change in a phased and prioritised manner with changes offering strategic benefit and the greatest opportunity for improvement / increased efficiency being progressed as the highest priority. 4.7 A further report will come to the March 2025 meeting of this Committee providing a further update on progress. In the meanwhile further opportunities for engagement with Members on this important service review will be developed.
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5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 This report provides an update on the implementation of Stage 2 of the RIS Review process. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy – Policy implications exist within a number of the Stage 1 recommendations. These are currently being reviewed as part of the Stage 2 due diligence and if required will be subject to a further report to this Committee. 6.2 Financial – There are a number of recommendations from Stage 1 that could result in savings for the Council or equally require financial input and these are being further tested during Stage 2. 6.3 Legal – Legal aspects are being reviewed as part of the current Stage 2 due diligence. 6.4 HR - HR implications are currently being further reviewed as part of the Stage 2 due diligence. 6.5 Fairer Scotland Duty: 6.5.1 Equalities – Are being considered as part of the Stage 2 due diligence. 6.5.2 Socio-economic Duty – Are being considered as part of the Stage 2 due diligence. 6.5.3 Islands – Are being considered as part of the Stage 2 due diligence. 6.6 Climate Change – Is being considered as part of the Stage 2 due diligence. 6.7 Risk – There will be risks with some of the recommendations, these are being reviewed as part of the Stage 2 due diligence. 6.8 Customer Service – There are a number of recommendations from the Stage 1 finding findings that will improve customer service in respect of the delivery of the Roads and infrastructure Service, these are currently being reviewed for progress as part of the Stage 2 due diligence. 6.9 Rights of the Child (UNCRC) – None arising directly from this report. Kirsty Flanagan, Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Councillor John Armour, Policy Lead for Roads, Transport and Amenity Services December 2024