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Best Value Performance Plan 2001

Best Value Reviews  

We review all our services over a five-year period and each subsequent five-year period. This allows us to demonstrate that we provide best value services in all areas of the County Council.

During the past year work was in progress on approximately forty best value reviews covering services ranging from IT provision (estimated annual spend £2.5m) to museum catering (estimated annual spend £13k).

Details of our five-year programme of reviews are contained in Appendix 1. This includes a table summarising the progress of the reviews undertaken during last year (the first year of the programme) and a list of the reviews we will undertake over the remaining four years of the programme. An action plan in respect of each completed review is set out in Appendix 2. Some of the action plans still require formal Council approval and have been marked as "draft."
The Best Value Inspectorate has now inspected the completed review of IT. As at 13 March 2001 the Inspectorate's report had not been published. Details will be included in next year's plan.

We concluded during the year that reviews relating to Schools reorganisation in Redditch (ES2/1), Education Development Plan (ES3/1) and Primary and Secondary schools funding (ES4/1) could not be regarded as full best value reviews and no action plan has been provided in respect of these reviews. The services to which they relate will be reviewed as part of our five year programme.  

Teams of officers appointed from within existing staff resources carry out all our reviews. A member of staff who has received specialist training in Best Value supports each team. These specialists, known as Best Value Champions, provide support and experience to the team leader and the review team.

In appropriate cases it may be necessary to buy in specialist skills, knowledge or information but where it is necessary to buy in specialist skills, the cost of these skills is met from the appropriate departmental budget.

Detailed reviews:  

• Challenge why and how a service is provided.  
• Compare performance against others who provide similar services as a means of identifying ways of improving.  
• Consult with you the public of Worcestershire, the people who use the services we provide, and the wider business community on the standards of service we provide and the targets we should set to improve those standards.  
• Test market competition as a means of securing efficient and effective services.  

We implement the recommendations from all reviews and set ourselves targets for the continuous improvement of the services we provide for you. All reviews are monitored by government inspectors to ensure that they are carried out rigorously.

Best Value Reviews determine the level at which and the way in which services are provided.

Future best value reviews  

The remaining years of the programme (as set out in Appendix 1) were recently updated to focus our efforts on a smaller number of larger reviews. We did this because:

our experience of the first year of the programme showed that it was difficult to manage and deliver a large number of reviews in a single year.  
we believe that larger reviews will allow us to demonstrate more closely that we are making a difference to the services we provide and the impact they have on the quality of life of people in Worcestershire

The priority order of these reviews has been determined by taking account of a range of factors including:  

• Performance data indicating the relative strengths and weaknesses of different areas of service.  
• Feedback from service users.  
• Departmental or corporate priorities  
• Management reviews started before Best Value became a legislative requirement.  
• Scope for innovative methods of service delivery.  
• Political priority.  
• The capacity to undertake a review.

The programme may change further if we get new information that points out the need for a review to be brought forward or delayed. In particular the Council in its role as local education authority is subject to inspection by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and any recommendations that arise from their reports will be included in the review programme. Similarly the Council will consider any other external inspections that highlight the need for reviews.