Following CPA re-categorisation in 2007, Bolsover became an excellent authority that is improving strongly.
The first assessment of Bolsover District Council under CPA, in 2004, found that while the authority was implementing a wide range of important initiatives, projects, improvements and reviews, there were also a number of serious weaknesses that came about because the council's emphasis on practical delivery ran ahead of its ability to put in place fully effective support systems. Capacity and performance management in delivering the council's priorities both received poor scores.
This first CPA assessment coincided with the appointment of a new chief executive and a new council leader, who were both keen to address the issues raised. They saw the CPA themes as providing the right focus and a framework they could follow to achieve the necessary changes and to help embed a culture of continually improving performance in service delivery. Actions taken included:
- the appointment of a number of new senior officers to address capacity and performance management issues and ensure services were more customer-focused
- the CPA framework being used as the basis for planning improvement which led to production of the authority's first improvement plan, which later became the corporate plan
- the introduction of performance management systems
- improving skills and capacity being addressed with the establishment of a CPA development fund to deliver one-off improvements that were then embedded in the management process
- relevant technological improvements.
The authority also used a range of resources and tools to help it improve. It reviewed best value and CPA reports on the Audit Commission website to learn what other excellent councils were doing differently and to find acknowledged good practice in relation to specific topics, for example customer access and focus reports, in the belief that ‘if it is working well somewhere else, use it'. It also used the CPA access to services key lines of enquiry to help develop a strategy on customer service and access, the Knowing your Communities toolkit, customer access reports and the library of local performance indicators (PIs) and year-end PI reports.
The improvements achieved can largely be attributed to the positive relationship and close cooperation between officers and members and the help and support received from the local strategic partnership. Guidance was also sought from the authority's external performance auditor, who commented on plans and reviewed changes.
In 2007 the authority applied for CPA re-categorisation and was assessed as an excellent authority that was improving strongly. Outcomes that stemmed from the improvement process included:
- improving the citizens' panel, developing equality focus groups and an annual fairness for all event
- developing community forums with the county council, police, primary care trust and voluntary partners
- closer contact and a better understanding of migrant issues in the area following secondment of a Polish speaker from the local Citizens Advice Bureau to improve communication
- a successful bid for £350,000 from the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for an initiative on transformational government and customer service
- the chief executive and council leader acting as peer reviewers for CPA reviews in other local authorities and valuing the experience and insight this gave them. As a direct result of this the leader established a youth council in the district which mirrors the authority's elected member structure
- achievement of level 3 of the Equality Standard for Local Government and award of the Investors in People Standard and the government's Charter Mark Standard for the council's contact centre service.
The council's chief executive noted that 'CPA was the thread that joined everything together. It provided the focus for improvements within the council and was the catalyst for developing the council's first corporate plan with links into the sustainable community strategy.'