Access to Service Reviews

A Customer Access Strategy should set out the Council’s aspirations for the way in which it wants to relate to its customers in the future. One of CDW’s strengths lies in bringing together a team with public and private sector experience to act as Critical Friends within the review process. This page describes work in two unitary authorities, but the same way of working is being successfully deployed in two-tier environments as well.

Westminster City Council

Initial Brief

To study access issues in the City Council and the Westminster community

CDW Services

Community study across the whole of the council (including meetings with key officers and elected members, workshop sessions with community leaders and on-site surveys in one stop shops and in other access points)
Benchmarking study of One Stop Shops, comparing them against other early trendsetters
Evaluation of community centres to assess their suitability for service-delivery in partnership with the council.

Key findings

At the time the council was too centred, physically, on City Hall and had not given sufficient responsibility to its one stop shops. It was possible to demonstrate weaknesses in the approach to customers. Detailed examination showed how the one stop concept in the council could be greatly strengthened.

Outcomes

The initial report and results of follow-up work were accepted and many of the recommended actions were adopted. CDW’s recommendation for a new appointment was adopted. The appointment was specified against CDW recommendations. The person appointed has subsequently had an extremely successful career with the council and now holds a senior management post.

City of Birmingham Council

Initial Brief

To benchmark Neighbourhood Offices against other councils' One Stop Shops and provide support for service improvement

CDW Services

Benchmarking study and assessment of findings with Heads of Service and Head of ICT
Research for Best Value Review on Access to Service
Development seminar for Scrutiny Team

Key findings

The City was one of the early adopters of Neighbourhood Offices. There was concern that the offices were not fully appreciated within the council and were not properly integrated into service delivery.

Neighbourhood offices were found to play a significant role in service delivery but to be hampered by completely outdated work systems including, at the time, almost total reliance on paper-based processes. Individual services were found to be procuring key infrastructure systems, such as document imaging, that did not integrate. Physical working conditions were, in some instances, contributing to stress and poor customer actions.

Across the Council, so-called junior staff who were in day to day contact with customers were not being consulted as part of shaping improved service planning. They were frustrated that their considerable expertise was not being taken into account. They were worried that their managers (outsourcing contractors) were not giving the council a good deal in terms of improvement planning. The community leaders had rather similar feelings.

Outcomes

The scrutiny seminar was one of the actions that contributed to developing the thinking that underpins new approaches to service delivery in the city. The Access to Service report was widely approved at officer level and passed to Senior Management Team.