9930: SOUTH LANARKSHIRE: BEST VALUE INITIATIVE FOR LOCAL PLANNING
This 1999 nomination by South Lanarkshire Council is for its development and implementation of Best Value for Local Planning Services. · It embodies the Service's commitment to quality and continuous improvement of service delivery and operation. · It promotes the development of innovation in delivering local planning services to the public, local communities and direct service users. · It provides a comprehensive framework for developing initiatives to make improvements to the way the Service goes about its business. · It establishes the standards of service delivery and operation expected. · It can provide a model for other Planning Authorities in developing their own Best Value programmes. In November, 1998 the Local Planning Service of South Lanarkshire Council recognised the need to explicitly and formally respond to the Government's Best Value initiative. This was in response to a number of influences: · Bottom-up initiatives that had been promoted since local government re-organisation (e.g. local planning stakeholder groups and the Local Planning Service Charter). · The Directorate's clear objective to promote continued management and service improvement. · A Ministerial speech given by Calum MacDonald, MP to the RTPI in Scotland's 1998 annual conference promoting Best Value initiatives in local planning. · The close working relationship developed with the Scottish Office Development Department in undertaking a pathfinder project for Best Value in Local Planning Services. The Service was anxious to initiate a project that identified where service delivery worked and where it could be improved. The Service wanted to challenge the way services were currently delivered. The added value of local planning was to be demonstrated through the project and its implementation. It was perceived as important that the Service would deliver its full potential. This was to be new culture of continuous change - a process and not a product. This was focused through the preparation of a Best Value Review of the Local Planning Service published in April 1999. This Review's purpose was to: · 
Assess the Service within the context of Best Value. · Highlight innovation and best practice in service delivery. · Plan for continuous improvement of service delivery and operation. This set the context for the Review and allowed the Local Planning Service to be considered in terms of: · Profiling the Service to examine its functions and management objectives. · Exploring operational arrangements to consider service planning, structures and systems. · Exploring measurement and monitoring of service outputs with particular regard to quality. · Investigating means of evaluating the product and the influence of customer views. · Identifying actions to improve the Service on a continuous basis, with particular emphasis on performance standards, benchmarking and best practice. · Exploring options for alternative means of delivering services. Action Programme The Review has identified an action programme of continuous improvement. This identifies 17 improvements to the Service. The Local Planning Standards and Procedures Group (LPSPG), made up of lead officers for development plan production, has been charged with the day-to-day responsibility of implementing the action programme. Managing such radical change requires the application of high quality management skills by the LPSPG. This has allowed the introduction of a number of actions to date. These include. · The establishment of a benchmarking club with Moray, East Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Councils. · Customer care training for all staff · Development of consistent land use policy across South Lanarkshire, where this is appropriate. · The preparation of Local Planning Practice Notes (LPPNs) on general plan preparation plan monitoring, PLI guidance and project management. In addition, further LPPNs are programmed on land supply monitoring and minority access to local plans. · A review of the total activity costing system in order to generate meaningful management information. · Introduction of personal development plans for each employee. · A Member training initiative. Future actions that are being developed include: · The preparation of a Public Performance Report. This requires the development of meaningful Service performance indicators. · A review of local plan preparation and production. · A review of Structure Plan development, implementation and monitoring, in partnership with the 7 other authorities of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Structure Plan Joint Committee. · A local plan proposal neighbour notification pilot project in East Kilbride, Rutherglen/Cambuslang and Clydesdale. This aims to bring proposals to community's attention so their representations can be considered at PLIs. · Undertaking a customer care survey. The Local Planning Service also makes a valuable contribution to wider Best Value initiatives including communication action planning and frontline service market research. Delivering Service Improvement South Lanarkshire Council's Best Value initiative of the Local Planning Service aims to introduce and reinforce a positive culture and ethos within the Service that · seeks continuous improvement. Service improvement is not a one-off activity; it is constant and challenging. · is performance orientated. Service delivery and operation is monitored and reviewed through the application of performance management. · offers value for money. The Service has established a total activity costing system to assess efficiency and effectiveness. · is output focused with the product of work clearly established. · is consistent. -standards of performance and management are achieved across the Service and its area offices; good operational procedures and practices are set. · values staff. As a people-focused Service the staff are developed and valued · is able to learn and adapt. The experience of others can prove to bring benefits to improving the Service. The key to successfully introducing continuous improvement that delivers the above is through the establishment of managerial commitment. This is a commitment that flows through the Service that has instilled a Best Value approach in all staff. In pursuing commitment staff have become aware of what is required of them at a general level and in respect of their day-to-day work in delivering the Service.
The judges called for a presentation on this nomination. As with the Perth and Kinross nomination, they were keen to see how costs and value had been appraised, and they looked closely at the process and the outcomes of the exercise. The judges were impressed by the South Lanarkshire approach, by the monitoring arrangements, and above all by the action plan for continued improvement. While they appreciate that Best Value appraisal for development planning has far to go, the judges recommend the work by South Lanarkshire for 1999 Commendation in this category.