ABOUT US...

The Council's performance has since the introduction of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment been at the 'Good' level both in terms of its corporate assessment and its service assessment. Its service assessment has consistently been at the margin between Good and Excellent.

Herefordshire Council has encouraged a pattern of innovation that has been consistently commented upon through the inspection process. We have delivered and resourced a great deal of activity including, Modernising ahead of the Local Government Act 2000, Engaging in the joint health agenda prior to the formation of the Strategic Health Authorities, and the implementation of an innovative 'Rethinking Construction' contract.

The Council has a committed workforce who contributes significantly to its success. It is one of a minority of Councils to have addressed the issue of job evaluation and single status. Since its inception the Council has continually committed significant resources to the development of its workforce.

Within its Corporate Plan the Council has set out a bold and ambitious agenda to help ensure an even better Herefordshire. I look forward to receiving your completed application to join what is an outstanding Council with an equally outstanding workforce.

Herefordshire is the most sparsely populated of all the unitary authorities. Only one County authority is more sparsely populated than Herefordshire. In terms of geographic area, it is the second largest of all the unitary authorities (only the East Riding of Yorkshire is larger in area but is more densely populated) and when compared with the English Counties in terms of geographic area it is roughly similar to the average size of English Counties. Its population is, however, significantly below the average for English Counties and closer to the average for English unitaries.

As was evidenced in the "capping" appeal last year, the Council is relatively poorly resourced in comparison with other English unitaries. Despite the additional service costs, generated by the wide geographic area across which services have to be provided to a dispersed and sparsely populated area regardless of the measure used to assess the overall level of resources available in the County, the County in resource terms is around 40th out of the 45 unitary authorities in England .

A recent reorganisation of the senior management structures of the Council to meet a number of key objectives has led to the formation of five Directorates. Namely,

1. Children’s services
2. Corporate and Customer Services (The work of the Resources Directorate could be combined with this group of services but the disadvantage of such combination are examined in the outline of the proposals below).
3. Adult and Community Services
4. Environment Services
5. Resources

Corporate and Customer Services is the Directorate which would be intended to provide the major corporate capacity described in the paragraphs above as requiring strengthening. Its major focus would be on providing a corporate drive alongside the Chief Executive.

Key areas are in relation to:

• Customer Services - this is seen as much wider than rewriting Info. There is a need to adopt an authority-wide approach to customers breaking down traditional patterns of individual contact. Registration of BDM would sensibly sit here, as potentially would Revenues and Benefits. There is a need to separate out front and back office services by, for example, the development of Info by Phone
• Policy formulation - a strengthened and centralised Policy Unit. Whilst the staff don't physically have to be located centrally, we do need to get a better base for learning across the organisation. Much more capacity could be created in the Policy Unit by enhancing the balance of skills and experience. The present approach of recruiting Directorate by Directorate leaves a lot of capacity at single level. It needs to develop the capacity to drive major policy change.
• Management Framework - there is a need to look to how to provide a consistent management framework across Performance Management, Risk Management, Business Continuity and the links that latter subject might have to Emergency Planning.
• Legal and Committee Services
• ICT and Information Services
• Members Services
• Communications (PR)
• The Shared Services Agenda - this links back to the Policy Unit
• Service Improvement Programme - It will be important, however, to maintain the link with the approach to procurement and the Gershon Efficiencies Review.
• Herefordshire Partnership and Herefordshire Plan