Welsh Expertise

 

We have worked with a number of local authorities and public sector organisations in Wales as part of their transformation programmes and have extensive knowledge of the improvement agenda in Wales; including the "One Wales" vision of a dynamic economy, better health, high quality lifestyles and sustainable communities in a diverse and bilingual Wales.

 

 

Our knowledge of performance management across the public sector and our recent experience of Wales' Performance Measurement Framework gives us a unique insight into the issues being faced by local authorities in Wales.

 

The Beecham Review of Local Service Delivery has identified five key action areas:

1. Putting citizens first

Public service organisations must be more ambitious about involving citizens and engaging them in the design, delivery and improvement of public services.  Services must be designed to meet the needs of all citizens and there must be core principles and standards for customer service, and clear and transparent access to redress.

2. Working together to deliver

Local Service Boards (LSBs) were first created in 2007-08 and they grew from the existing community strategy partnerships but they will focus on action and joint delivery as well as joint planning.  In a small number of local areas to begin with, work commenced to develop Local Service Agreements between the LSBs and the Welsh Assembly Government. 

This aligns perfectly with our work on Local Area Agreements

3. World class workforce

We must engage the workforce in public service improvement and harness the energy and enthusiasm that is available in abundance to deliver excellent services.  We must develop and equip our workforce with the skills to do their jobs - and to lead - effectively. 

4. Better value for the Welsh pound

The good start which has been made on the efficiency agenda will be sustained - with still faster progress made on developing shared services and improvements in procurement which will release resources to frontline services.

5. Driving the change: government, resources and performance

Implementing the agenda will mean significant change for the Welsh Assembly Government.  Building on their Spatial Plan roles, Ministers will take on a geographical area responsibility for overseeing the Assembly Government's engagement with Local Service Boards alongside their established service portfolios. 

We must be able to support them effectively in this role and a new, small unit called Performance Wales will be created to assist over this, and to take a lead over rolling out the programme of engagement with Local Service Boards.  To complement this a project on governance will help to overcome some of the barriers to effective joint working and delivery at a local level.

We have a local office in Cardiff