News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 26 February 2014

Some news about ourselves to start with this week…

We are pleased to announce that Terry Huggins, former shared CEO of two local authorities and the 2011/12 president of SOLACE, has joined us to work on the Collaborative Leadership Programme and Shared Services Skills Programme.

Terry has uniquely been simultaneously the Chief Executive of two local authorities in different counties, without a shared boundary. He took South Holland District Council from a CPA rating of “satisfactory” to “excellent”.

Terry was an active member of the LGA cohort of Shared Chief Executives and is familiar with the differences and challenges of shared models. Terry will be leading on areas of Collaborative Leadership modelling and Shared Service Reviews.

We are also pleased to announce that SSA is collaborating with Chas Bradfield, Managing Director of Bradfield Solutions Ltd, on the development of our Collaborative Leadership and Shared Service Programme focusing on the Hampshire, M4 corridor and West of England areas.

Chas has a background as a public sector board level executive within local government where he worked as a Director and Deputy Chief Executive. He has led multi-million pound regeneration schemes, set up town centre management companies, and been instrumental in the development of business improvement districts.

Chas is also an Associate Lecturer with the Open University delivering the Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Leadership, the Mary Seacole Programme, part of the NHS Leadership Academy leadership development programme.

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Collaborative Leadership

Carol Kinsey Goman, a US private sector guru in Collaborative Leadership, set out in Forbes Magazine, last week, eight key tips for Collaborative Leadership in the private sector. They are really no different from the many challenges in the public sector over here and worth reading. (You will need to skip past a Forbes advert to get to the article, but it is worth it…)

8 Tips For Collaborative Leadership

Today’s corporation exists in an increasingly complex and ever-shifting ocean of change. As a result, leaders need to rely more than ever on the intelligence and resourcefulness of their staff. Read more >>>

The eight tips are addressed throughout the SSA Collaborative Leadership Programme developed with University of Derby Corporate.

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Local Government

Last week I suggested that you add this to the growing list of unitary discussions…

Report calls for six councils to be merged in Warwickshire

Plans to scrap six councils in Warwickshire and create a single unitary authority are to be debated in the county. Read more >>>

However, it is feels like there is a lack of collaborative leadership going on in Warwickshire as this article indicates that some people feel this is being done to them, rather than being done with them…

Warwick District Council refuses to join unitary status debate

Warwick District Council will not take part in any debate over proposals to scrap six councils in Warwickshire and create a single unitary authority. Read more >>>

Newton’s 3^rd Law of Collaborative Leadership: If you get people grumpy about exploring a collaboration at outset, it’s much harder to get them involved later.

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Outsourcing

Capita have been picking up some good contracts recently and will be pleased with this one…

Capita chosen to deliver £325m shared network for Scotland's public sector

Nine-year deal to deliver the Scottish wide area network (SWAN). Outsourcing group Capita has been chosen to deliver a £325 million shared network project for the public sector in Scotland. Read more >>>

But maybe not so pleased  with Birmingham Council who want to cut the amount they pay Capita including an “…initiative is to ensure that the variable IT costs of the council fall as the number of staff is reduced through redundancies”. Do they mean it hasn’t been reduced whilst all those redundancies have been made over the last three years?....

Birmingham council reviews Capita outsourcing contract to find £20m savings

Birmingham City Council (BCC) is carrying out a review of its contract with outsourcing partner Capita to identify a further £20 million in savings. Read more >>>

 

When I read the news below, I went back through most of last year’s newsletters to see reports of who has been buying shared services from other councils. Couldn’t spot one, so I wonder if Essex CC have done their research around the phrase “…and use extra capacity to offer shared services to other public organisations in the UK.”…

 

Essex County Council Agrees Seven Year, £16.6m IT Deal With Fujitsu

Fujitsu has agreed a £16.6 million deal with the Essex County Council to overhaul its IT infrastructure, allowing it to be more cost effective and use extra capacity to offer shared services to other public organisations in the UK. Read more >>>

The market is full of organisations who want to sell, but the ones who want to buy are rare.