Hertfordshire County Council

Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) Strategic Review

24th-26th June 2014 www.local.gov.uk

The Peer Challenge Team Carmel McKeogh (Deputy Chief Executive, Blackpool

Council) Cllr Mac McGuire (Deputy Leader, Cambridgeshire County

Council)   David Beaver (Commercial Manager, Highways,

Transportation and Waste, Kent County Council) Becca Singh (Local Government Support, Local

Government Association)

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The peer challenge process• It is part of the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme

(HMEP) offer to support sector-led improvement

• Invited in as supportive and critical friends

• Non-attributable information collection

• People have been open and honest

• Very grateful for support – in particular from Sarah Baldwin

• Our feedback based on the triangulation of what we have read, heard and seen a range of views.

• A snap shot from a short concentrated time on site

• Providing you with strengths and areas for consideration, rather than telling you what to do

• Action planning Friday 1st August

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Structure of feedback

Key themes in the HMEP Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Guidance Document:

1.Context

2.Planning

3.Enablers

4.Delivery

Context: Strengths1. There is an ambitious brave service strategy2. Political engagement:

- excellent relationship between members and highways- members recognise the importance of highways- HLB fulfils the Localism agenda very well

3. Stakeholder engagement: - great deal of effort to communicate with stakeholders that goes beyond other local authorities.

Context: Areas for consideration1. Stakeholder engagement:

- Customers appear confused about how work is delivered and where to get information. - Manage their expectations.- Use effective communications to minimise staff contact

2. Political engagement: - Communication with districts / boroughs could be improved

Planning & Performance: Strengths

1. Range of suppliers aids resilience

2. Whole Client Service

3. HLB effectively used

4. Permit scheme extended to all HCC contractors will help to reduce congestion

Planning & Performance: Areas for consideration

1. Use effective communications and channel shift to minimise staff contact

2. Consider use of draft invoicing for HCC permitted works

Enablers: Strengths1. Leadership:

- role of members- Whole Client Service (notable practice)- Trust and openness- supportive culture

2. Communication- high level plans- proactive- open and transparent

3. Risk Management- managing members’ involvement- governance

4. Performance Monitoring:- commitment to improvement- knowledge of the problems.

Enablers – areas for consideration1. Leadership:

- Relationship with Contractor- Managing member satisfaction- staff morale

2. Communication- Improved communications leading to increased demand- Direct communication with customer

3. Risk Management- Contractor relationship

4. Performance Monitoring:- In the round- trend data- system issues

Delivery: Strengths

1. There is a strong will to succeed across all partner groups

2. Design and Build: professional focus on determining the right model.

3. Critical Success Factors understood and accepted across and up and down the organisation and Highways Service

Delivery: Areas for consideration1. Strategic vision and plans should be matched

by tactical actions.

2. Perception is that contractor is still mobilising after 20 months

3. Systems need to support HST and is a key dependency to deliver against the strategy of CSFs

4. Are resources in the right place to deliver the CSFs?

HCC priorities for Strategic Review:Six Critical Success FactorsStrengths

•CSF 3: WCS•CSF 3: KPIs•CSF 3 strategic comms

•CSF 4: Relationships•CSF 4: leadership•CSF4: Clarity of vision

Areas for consideration

•CSF 3: Risk Management•CSF 3: KPIs•CSF 3: operational comms

•CSF 4: Gold Service or Bronze Service•CSF 4: arrangements with contractor•CSF 4: lack of clarity of who is delivering and responsible for the service

HCC priorities for Strategic Review:Six Critical Success FactorsStrengths

•CSF 5: Brave and ambitious customer service strategy•CSF 5: Reaching out to customers by many means

•CSF 6: Recognition that problems exist.•CSF 6: Talented people within service to develop systems

Areas for consideration

•CSF 5: impact of new communications methods•CSF 5: quantify demand and consider possibilities

•CSF 6: Systems not compatible yet•CSF 6: Systems issues should feature in improvement plan

HCC priorities for Strategic Review:External focus on commsStrengths

•Open and transparent•Many opportunities for public to engage•Genuine desire to involve key stakeholders in change

Areas for consideration

•Creating demand that HCC can’t meet•Creating opportunities for stakeholders to criticise HCC•Creating unrealistic expectations

HCC priorities for Strategic Review:Delivery – covered above

Headline messages• Strong ambitious customer focused

organisation• Strong political and managerial leadership• Talented staff• Desire for continuous improvement• Improvement action plan to resolve HST

systems issues• Focus on the future• Manage expectations

Contact details

Becca Singh

Local Government Support

Local Government Association

Tel: 07920 061193

Email: becca.singh@local.gov.uk

www.local.gov.uk