A GUIDE TO OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY OF COUNTY COUNCIL FUNCTIONS IN LEICESTERSHIRE

APPENDIX ‘B’ CHECKLIST FOR CONSIDERING/CHALLENGING THE CONTENTS OF SERVICE PLANS

Purpose of Department/Section/Unit

Does the plan clearly set out the purpose of the Department/Unit?

Is it clear why the Department and County Council should be involved in these activities?

Objectives

Are the objectives of the Department/Unit clear - what is the Department trying to achieve?

Are the objectives 'joined-up' with those of other Departments/agencies?

Are the objectives consistent with the medium term corporate strategy corporate objectives, major policies/strategies and the best value performance plan?

Has the service or objectives been recently reviewed – if not should they be? If they have been does the Plan tackle the issues raised by the review

Outline of Current Service

Does the plan include a clear picture of current service delivery arrangements?

Service Environment

Does the plan highlight the factors likely to affect the service over the medium term (next and following two years)?

Does the plan highlight demand/need for services?

Have changes in the market for suppliers of goods and services been taken into account? Is the service taking adequate steps to monitor and take advantage of alternative sources of supply where these offer better value?

Consultation

What arrangements has the service made to consult its stakeholders on future objectives, priorities and performance? Are these consultation arrangements effective?

What are the views of key stakeholders?

What level of complaints/comments have been received about the service and how have these been responded to?

Service Performance

Does the service have a range of performance indicators and standards in place to measure performance against objectives?

Did the service meet last year's BVPP commitments/targets?

Is the service progressing the commitments in the Medium Term Corporate Strategy?

Has the performance of the service improved during the last year and have any efficiencies been achieved?

Does the plan include a comparison of performance against that of other authorities/organisations?

How does the performance of the service compare on best value and other performance indicators? How does the cost compare?

Has the service set targets for next year and beyond that are SMART (specific, measurable, agreed, realistic and time-bound) and aim to get the authority in to the top quartile of authorities?

Service Strategy/Action Plan

Does the plan include a clear strategy/action plan that takes account of changes in the service environment?

Have the views of stakeholders been taken into account in the service's strategy?

Does the strategy set out how the service aims to get into the top quartile of authorities or meet the targets for improvement that have been set?

Does it include measurable milestones and do these appear realistic?

Financial Plan/Budget

Is the strategy adequately resourced in terms of money, staff and does it fit in with the relevant Departments ICT plan?

Is it consistent with any medium term financial strategy of the Council?

Are the resource implications of changes in the service environment being planned for?

Implementation/Monitoring

Have arrangements been made to communicate the contents of the plan and expectations to staff, and other affected departments/agencies?

What arrangements are in place to monitor progress toward objectives and against service standards?

How and where will implementation be reported?