Transformation

Local Partnerships transformation work supports local government as they consider how to make their services fit for the future.

There are huge opportunities for the sector to make the most of new technologies, but customer expectations of services are high, and demand is increasing.

We add value by acting as a critical friend to authorities considering how to deliver their transformation, bringing a strong understanding of how to manage and measure transformation. Among other activity, our experts can support the definition of objectives and measures, develop business cases and undertake process mapping and service design.
The changing context of local government means that transformation is the new normal, we can support you to deliver effective change.

Local Partnerships is working closely with the LGA to deliver Transformation. Councils are undertaking transformation to fundamentally change their systems, processes, and skills to achieve measurable improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, and resident satisfaction.

The Transformation programme offers councils tools, resources, and support at every stage of their transformation activity, whatever service they are looking to transform.

With the new LGA Transformation programme, we are bolstering capacity and capability in local government by offering councils:

• support and expertise to lead transformation projects

data-driven tools to improve efficiency and support continuous improvement.

View the Key Themes from our Transformation Review

Transformation Challenge Review

Key themes in transformation

Delivery

• Well informed decision making around transformation programmes has highlighted the importance of robust business cases including holistic impact assessments.
• There needs to be a shift in focus towards benefits realisation, emphasising the value of change rather than just end outcomes.
• Quality and use of data was a weakness. Improving data literacy skills and leveraging datasets was highlighted. Data around expenditure/income including transaction costs was a particular issue.
• Alignment on procurement was common, but three councils noted alignment did not give full assurance that procurement was fully optimised.

Strategic

• All councils recognised transformation requires a strong communications plan clearly conveying what, why, how and when.
• Concerns existed that transformation was not prioritised as a strategic activity or was inconsistently delivered.
• Need to revisit and refine transformation vision and develop a clear narrative understood by residents, members and staff.
• Importance of defining the scope of transformation in context of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) was shared by all councils affected by it.

Specific Councils

• Three councils needed greater engagement with residents to build trust and inclusivity.
• Two councils said transformation needed a clear resource plan identifying gaps in capacity or skills.
• Two councils highlighted the need for a commercial strategy and capability to deliver on transformational opportunities.
• Two councils noted transformation must become part of the day job, managed through day-to-day planning and performance tools.

71% of councils prioritised increasing data literacy skills to support more informed decision-making.

43% of councils identified the need for improved capacity and capability planning.

71% focused on developing a more robust communications strategy including a narrative and comms channels.

43% concentrated on strengthening transformation inception by refining business cases.

Click on the image to see a breakdown of the Transformation Challenge Review.

Take a look at some of our related Resources for transformation

Delivery Capability Status

Are you working on transformation and complex change?
Does your organisation know its capability to deliver major change?
Use Local Partnerships’ Delivery Capability Status (DCS) Toolkit to evaluate your delivery capability quickly and simply.The DCS toolkit is a free self-assessment that will evaluate your organisation’s capability to execute major change. Local Partnerships will work with you to identify how your organisation can improve its delivery capability. This free self-assessment will provide an overview of where your organisation stands

Business Process Mapping

Ministry of Housing,
Communities &
Local Government and Local Partnerships have worked together to bring you a new toolkit for procurement teams.
The toolkit is free and available for all councils to use.

A commercial approach to achieve savings

Councils face tough challenges as they seek to reduce costs, continue (and even increase) service delivery and look for ways to unlock new income streams.

Delivering waste efficiencies across the UK

A series of reports from Local Partnerships, “Delivering waste efficiencies” seek to provide examples to enable others to benefit from authority experiences and best practise, and thereby to consider how the learnings could be applied to their own authority and support them in making their own savings.