To deliver our vision, we will work with our teams, members and stakeholders to:
- provide value for money services to maximise every pound of spend, in line with our enterprising council approach, including commercial income opportunities
- identify new ways to attract, develop and empower our team, providing learning and development to boost skills and job satisfaction
- be innovative and embrace best practice ways of working to improve performance and the way we do things
- maximise the opportunities of our road network for all users and boost economic benefits in a sustainable way
- work with local communities to develop highway solutions in partnership with the people that use them, helping to drive up satisfaction
- seek out opportunities to work with partners to deliver contracts swiftly, on budget and to the high standards we expect
- investigate new ways of thinking to deliver clean air and net zero carbon benefits, in the way we select materials and minimising waste by recycling.
Our transformation reflects the Council Plan 3 key areas:
- to think Vision Derbyshire first, by collaborating with partners in new and powerful ways, maximising existing resources to collectively address complex challenges and shape future services to deliver better outcomes for local people and places.
- to be an enterprising council by transforming the organisation, working as one council, ensuring we are prepared for the future and able to respond to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead
- to nurture thriving communities by supporting greater collaboration with and across our communities to bring about change, ensuring people and places thrive
A new way of delivering highway services
We are working to deliver a mixed economy model way of working where we combine in-house services provision with a range of functions and top up services commissioned through external partners based upon an assessment of the best value for money provider for each function or service.
We aim to have the new way of working for highways services operational by 1 April 2024.
We will need to look at the way we currently work - our structures, teams and job roles - as well as the systems and processes that support the delivery of our services.
Budgets and spend across the service will need to be comprehensively examined and reviewed to ensure we deliver value for money.
Providing colleagues with learning and development opportunities will be essential to equip staff with the skills to perform new roles within the service. This will be supported by the publication of manuals and training aids to deliver the new ways of working across the new service areas.
Our approach relies on the introduction of new ICT systems to help us be more responsive and smarter in the way we work to help improve job satisfaction.
As an example, the Granicus customer relationship system will help us to respond to customer enquiries more effectively, reducing complaints.
Budget monitoring will be more accurate using the forthcoming SAP Hana system, reducing frustrations for staff.
A new project delivery system will help to provide everyone with an accurate snapshot of how our highways schemes are progressing and timescales.
And by looking carefully at how we use our depots and offices as part of the property services review, we will streamline how we work and save money to reinvest in our road network.