Appendix 3 Officers Lessons Learned Feedback
Argyll and Bute Council · 10 August 2023
Back to Policy and Resources Committee — 10 August 2023 and its agenda
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APPENDIX 3 – OFFICERS LESSONS LEARNED FEEDBACK A session took place with a range of officers online on 3rd November 2022 and was Chaired by the Executive Director. The four questions were as follows:- What do you think went well; What do you think could have gone better; What actions do you think we should take from this; and What do you think we should change for any future rounds of funding/bids. What do you think went well? Two bids were submitted with a potential investment of £50m for Argyll and Bute Aspects of public engagement Ability to achieve tight deadlines – especially when issues arose such as the Government portal was delayed Showcased the dedicated staff Knowledge and skillset of employees was crucial in developing works What do you think could have gone better? UK Government timeframe reduced capacity to develop bids as much as would have preferred More team working approach across different services No definitive resource to take forward large projects – officers required to continue “day job” Difficulty of procuring consultants/experts – consultants did not have the capacity to undertake the work required and this resulted in a lot of “hand holding” from officers Dedicated lead officer(s) identified from the outset What actions do you think we should take from this? Look at how we can better place ourselves to respond to future calls for funding of this nature i.e. undertake scoping and design work in advance Revisit list(s) of Council priorities on a regular basis to ensure there is a priority list of agreed projects to take forward – gain more transparency in involving a wider range of staff and ensure that there is political soundings on these at the outset – this would result in “shovel ready” projects Better promotion of the work undertaken and what the Council are trying to achieve for the area – showcase the work the Council are doing Clarify resources required at the outset of funding calls of this nature to ensure there is a project team approach from start to finish
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Better communication internally – perhaps “working group” should be set up for future rounds of funding Look at how we develop our staff alongside balanced workloads to get the best out of resource What do you think we should change for any future round of funding/bids? Look at a list of approved projects for any future rounds of funding which can be scoped and designed Secure buy in across the council at the beginning of development to ensure the necessary support is committed and available Councillor engagement to approve projects at the outset – this will ensure that projects being worked on are approved and reduced the time officers spend before approval Reduce the spread of projects across geographical areas – this provides more challenges and there should be a focus on what would be transformational for the area, towns and the people Step up political lobbying from Members is needed More community consultation – note that timeframes set by Government do not always permit time for a full public consultation – this will allow co-design working with communities direct