Transformation and Change Strategy 2022/23-2027/28

Transformation and Change Strategy 2022/23-2027/28 (document version)

Since it came into being in 1996, Perth and Kinross Council has been required to change and respond to the needs of our local communities and the many social, economic, environmental, and other challenges we have faced. As we continue our recovery from the Covid pandemic, see the impact of ongoing conflict in Ukraine, work to address our climate emergency and face significant financial challenges to us as an organisation and people across our communities, the need to evolve and change is more pressing than ever. 

As a Council we are committed to delivering the best possible services that we can within the resources at our disposal to serve the people and communities of Perth and Kinross. In doing this we recognise that our focus requires us to continually consider the services which make the biggest difference to those in greatest need. 

Covid has added to the significant and increasingly complex challenges we face. The equalities gap and opportunities for those in need has only widened. Our local economy is still in recovery, and we are continuing to see the emerging long-term implications for people's physical and mental health and wellbeing, and we are already seeing increasing demands on us as a Council and other public and community partners. 

At the same time, the pandemic also proved that there is a different way of working alongside our communities and partners. Through our Perth & Kinross Offer, we are committed to strengthening the place of communities at the heart of all that we do. 

Like all councils, we are facing these and other challenges against a backdrop of the most challenging financial circumstances local government has ever experienced. Rising costs also impact on what we need to pay out, and with a reducing income we are left with a significant budget deficit. It is impossible to continue doing the same things we have done in the past and we must rethink how we work with, and within, our communities as well as with all our partners to achieve the best outcomes for the people of Perth and Kinross. 

We are committed to re-balancing the relationship we have in designing and delivering services, with the people who ultimately use them, and draw on the strengths, assets and local understanding that residents can bring to help everyone in their area, to live life well. 

Although the challenges we face are substantial, we have significant experience in delivering transformation and improvement projects and we know from previous experience that a focussed programme of transformational change can make a real impact on the way that we operate. The success of our future transformation and change programme will be built on our biggest asset, our staff team. They show an unwavering commitment to serving the public and when required have stepped up and faced challenges and changes whilst continuing to deliver. 

This strategy sets out the next chapter of transformation for us as a Council and the communities we serve. It begins the process of detailing how over the next five years, we will deliver an ambitious programme of transformation and change across the organisation. These changes will impact on our communities, our teams and how they deliver as we seek to respond to changing demands and resourcing levels. 

With our continued focus on public service, a focus on those in greatest need and the support of our teams, partners and communities we will continue to ensure that the people of Perth and Kinross are at the heart of all that we do and we evolve to face the challenges ahead. 

Councillor Grant Laing, Council Leader

The need for transformation and change is not new nor unique to Perth and Kinross, we have been doing it since we were established in 1996. Today all public and private sector services and organisations are facing many traditional but also significant new challenges and rethinking how they will operate in the future to address these challenges and meet new and emerging demands. 

In its Covid-19 Recovery Strategy - for a fairer future, the Scottish Government sets out its vision for recovery and the actions it will take to address systemic inequalities made worse by Covid-19, make progress towards a wellbeing economy, and accelerate inclusive person-centred public services. The strategy highlights the need to re-build public services and sets out how it will work differently with partners to deliver change. The Government has also recently published its latest Spending Review setting out the financial challenges facing public services, and these are more fully explored for this Council in our new Financial Strategy. Our Transformation and Change strategy sits within our wider strategic planning framework. It will sit alongside other Council strategies in supporting us in delivering our corporate objectives and outcomes. These strategies have been, or will be, reviewed in the current year and set the strategic direction and ambitions for our organisation over the next five years. 

• The revised Corporate Plan 2022/23 to 2027/28 will set our vision and corporate objectives, aligned with our values, it will seek to address, or mitigate, the impact of the many challenges our organisation and our communities are facing. These objectives will be underpinned by themes including reducing poverty and inequality; improving life chances and choices for all; improving people's wellbeing; supporting sustainable communities and ensuring people are connected. 
• The Local Outcome Improvement Plan (PDF, 1 MB) - will focus on the targeted actions that the Community Planning Partnership will take in the coming years to focus on inequalities within our communities and how we will work collaboratively to address these. 
• The Perth and Kinross Offer Framework - details the actions that we will take over the next 5 years to strengthen how we work within our teams and alongside partners and communities to put those we serve at the heart of shaping, delivering and managing services within their local areas. 
• The Financial Strategy - details the financial challenges we face, the extent of the structural deficit and measures we must take now and over the next 5 years to identify savings, reduce our budgets and support the Council's long-term financial sustainability. 

Our history evidences our ability to change and evolve to meet the different needs of communities and the wider political, economic, social, environmental, and other changes we face, and this is as true today as ever. Change is necessary and right if we are to continue to work to best meet the needs of those we serve. 

Change can bring huge opportunities and energy to what we do as an organisation but at the same time can raise uncertainty for our teams and those who rely on our services.

• Respond to the changing environment and context within which we work.
• Changing expectations and commitments to meet social, economic, health and wellbeing needs, and climate change. 
• Embrace new and best practice.
• Provide opportunities for our people and services to improve.

But at its core, we change to deliver better for those we serve.

The overarching aim of the Transformation and Change programme is to support the delivery of services to the people of Perth and Kinross, particularly those in greatest need. 

The Transformation and Change programme will help us to continue to develop our organisation as one which: 

• Puts people first, focussing on getting it right for those who most need our help and support
• Has a values led culture with ambition, compassion and integrity at the core 
• Prioritises services which help prevent a crisis happening, rather than just reacting 
• Works together with our communities and partners to deliver the best services we can within the resources and budget we have available 
• Makes the most of the buildings and other assets we have, and disposes of those we no longer need 
• Supports our workforce to be the best, ensuring they are well-trained and empowered to work flexibly in and with our communities 
• Is a visible and valued part of our communities, recognisable and available where and when we're needed
• Makes full use of data and local knowledge to understand where and when we are most needed and makes use of technology to allow those who can self-serve to do so 

The programme will be developed and phased over five years, it will be iterative, will start with several initial workstreams and will be built and added to through over the period, through engagement with our teams, partners and communities. Work in year one will set the foundation for the successful delivery of the programme in future years and the programme will be consistently reviewed, updated and reported to Council. 

Significant work will be undertaken in year one to identify and progress key projects that will deliver the greatest impact in terms of efficiency within the Council, improved customer outcomes and financial savings. In the short term, we will focus on activity to reduce the budget shortfall and we will review our leadership structure to ensure that we have the professional skills and leadership capacity in place to lead services and transformation across the organisation. 

Integral to developing the programme will be improvements to internal efficiency through our demand management approach. In developing projects, we will target areas where we can achieve greater efficiency by consolidating and bringing together services, further reducing duplication and wastage. This is to ensure service reaches the right people at the right time and helps us deliver on our vision and objectives. 

We will review all transformation and change projects on an ongoing basis to make sure that they remain relevant and aligned with our corporate priorities and outcomes. Where they are not seen to deliver the anticipated benefits, they will be suspended, and lessons learned to inform further elements of the programme. 

Projects will be developed with a clear scope, intended benefits, and potential impacts and all of this will be measured against an assessment criterion to ensure projects meet the aims of the overall programme. Proposals meeting the assessment criteria will then proceed to business case development. This will provide greater assurance around the deliverability and success of outcomes. The purpose of these proposals is to provide an indication of the types and breadth of activities which may become part of our Transformation & Change programme. 

As this is a 5-year plan, a flexible and agile approach will be adopted to the programme and projects may be added, changed or removed if the original benefits and/or outcomes do not offer best value.

Money

The financial situation we face is significant and transformation alone will not address the structural deficit. Budget cuts and service reductions will be required. Some transformation will reduce overspends, mitigate costs, or allow money to be moved to new and emerging priorities. 

The delivery of the Council's Financial Strategy and the Transformation and Change Strategy operate in tandem to effectively address the structural deficit, deliver a balanced budget and ensure the delivery of best value public services. 

Workforce management

The Managing Workforce Change Strategy will enable us to have the right capacity and people in the right places working to deliver our corporate priorities, within the resources available to us. 

It will ensure that we have a sustainable approach to workforce development, and a flexible and agile workforce with the right skills, values, and attitudes to meet the needs of our communities now and into the future. We will encourage learning and development for the roles we will require in the future and to support people to move across the organisation to take on new or different roles.

Through a range of methods and mechanisms we will measure and assess the impact and outcomes of the transformation and change work on:

• People and communities 
• Our employees 
• Our organisation 
• Our finances 

Quality assurance, benefits realisation assessments, ongoing review and monitoring will be embedded at a project and programme level. Staff and customer feedback, performance information and budget monitoring arrangements will also enable us to measure our success. 

In addition, and where appropriate, achieved outcomes from the programme will be reported at an organisational level through the Council's Annual Performance Report with service specific updates being provided within individual service Annual Performance and Business Improvement Plans.