Agenda item

ORDERED that Executive:

 

1.    APPROVES the proposed changes to the structure of transformation themes as outlined below.

2.    APPROVES the realignment of transformation themes with the Council Plan 2024-27.

3.    APPROVES the recruitment of a Head of Transformation.

4.    APPROVES the establishment of Continuous Improvement Team.

 

 

AGREED that the Executive:

 

1. NOTES that the transformation of Council services remained critical to achieving service improvements from a lower cost base to stabilise the Council’s financial position and achieve financial sustainability over the medium to long term.

The Mayor submitted a report for Executive’s consideration.

 

The purpose of the report was to set out the proposed direction of travel in relation to the Council’s Recover, Reset, Deliver transformation programme.

 

Middlesbrough Council’s transformation programme was agreed in the report submitted to Council on 27 March 2024 entitled, “Approach to Transformation of Middlesbrough Council”. The report set out the proposed direction of travel in relation to the Council’s Recover, Reset, Deliver transformation programme.

 

Though improved, the Council’s financial position remained challenging. It was still true that the Council must change the way it delivered services and engaged with the community, to reduce costs, maintain return on investment and improve outcomes for residents.

 

Having progressed the initial transformation themes for approximately one year, the report, while remaining true to the initial report submitted to Council, highlighted proposed changes to the transformation themes to reflect the Council’s current needs; priorities and requirement to harmonise more effectively with the Council Plan 2024-27.

 

In the report of 27 March 2024 titled Approach to Transformation of Middlesbrough

Council, the organisation’s structure for our initial phase of transformation was

established and this identified the key thematic areas for transformation which included:

 

·         Adults

·         Children’s

·         Property

·         Customer

 

A programme Board, led by a member of the Leadership team was established for each of the thematic areas and a portfolio of transformation projects was initiated. The thematic programme boards worked alongside the Programme Management Office and fed into the Corporate Transformation Board, chaired by the Chief Executive, to co-ordinate progress across the Council.

 

At the outset of the transformation programme, the acuity of the Council’s financial challenge compelled the Council to minimise financial risk in all activities; in practice this meant there were limitations on the Council’s ability to take the managed risks that accompanied the fundamental transformation of service delivery.

 

The Council’s current portfolio contained over sixty initiatives, many of which were important continuous improvement activities or savings rather than fundamental transformation. This distinction mattered because true transformation changed how the Council operated at a fundamental level - redesigning services around residents' needs, adopting new ways of working, and shifting from reactive to preventative approaches with a clear focus on the delivery of outcomes for our community. It also meant continuous improvement enhanced existing services and processes - making them more efficient, responsive, and cost-effective within our current ways of working.

 

In line with discussions with both the Middlesbrough Independent Improvement Advisory Board (MIIAB), which had been stood down, and the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge team, there was a recognised need for an additional “Transformation Lead” role working to the Director of Finance and Transformation. It was anticipated this role would identify the inter-dependencies and opportunities across the transformation themes to act effectively as a “design authority”, ensuring all elements of the transformation programme remained connected and consistent with the Council’s aims and plans. It was proposed, therefore, that this role would be put in place for an initial two-year period using Flexible Use of Capital Resource (FUoCR) funding.

 

It was therefore proposed that the Council’s reset Transformation Portfolio would focus on four key programmes that directly supported delivery of the vision articulated in the Council Plan 2023-27 - making Middlesbrough a thriving, healthier, safer, and more ambitious place.

 

OPTIONS

 

In principle the transformation portfolio could have remained as initially established.  However, the nature of the projects with Adult Social Care and Children’s Social Care were predominantly in the nature of incremental service improvements in line with their respective improvement plans. This was no less important than transformation but was qualitatively different from the narrative and communication plan that would be developed to support the reset transformation themes.

 

ORDERED that Executive:

 

1.    APPROVES the proposed changes to the structure of transformation themes as outlined below.

2.    APPROVES the realignment of transformation themes with the Council Plan 2024-27.

3.    APPROVES the recruitment of a Head of Transformation.

4.    APPROVES the establishment of Continuous Improvement Team.

 

 

AGREED that the Executive:

 

1. NOTES that the transformation of Council services remained critical to achieving service improvements from a lower cost base to stabilise the Council’s financial position and achieve financial sustainability over the medium to long term.

 

REASONS

 

The previous year had been one of building necessary foundations for Middlesbrough Council. It faced significant challenges head-on, making difficult but necessary decisions to secure its financial future. The lifting of the Government's Best Value Notice marked a significant milestone in that journey - not just as a technical achievement, but as recognition of the hard work and dedication shown by everyone across the organisation. Middlesbrough Council stood at a pivotal moment in its history; the decisions it made and the actions it took over the next three years would shape the town's future for generations to come. The Council had a unique opportunity to transform Middlesbrough into a place where everyone could thrive, and the Council needed to ensure absolute focus on delivery of the Council Plan.