21st Century Services Programme

The Programme aims to ensure that local authority services are designed around the needs of the citizen and delivered in a responsive, timely and efficient manner.

Download the 21st Century Services Programme Factsheet

More Customer-Orientated Delivery

The Programme will address one of the key aims of both the National and Regional Improvement & Efficiency Strategies - the need for more customer orientated delivery in the provision of local government services. It's widely recognised that stronger customer focus will in turn foster innovation and a drive for service transformation.

Better Services for all

The Service Transformation Agreement (STA) sets the national agenda for a step change in delivery method across the public sector. The Agreement aims to change public services to meet the needs of people and businesses, rather than the needs of government and by doing so reduce the frustration and stress of accessing them. The result will be services that are better for the customer, better for front line staff and better for the taxpayer.

Building on North East success

Here in the North East there has already been significant investment in service transformation. Here are just a few examples of what has been achieved so far:

• Citizens can contact every local authority through a number of channels - face to face, phone, paper mail, web, and in some services text messaging, digital TV and video link.
• Self service is becoming increasingly available in services such as council tax, parking and other payments.
• Through a wider choice of access channels 24-7 contact is increasingly becoming a reality, allowing service users to get information and access services at a time which suits them.

A New Approach to Delivery

The Programme aims to deliver the RIEP's response to the challenge of the STA. It presents a unique opportunity to:

• Build on and better exploit the investments already made in service transformation
• Make real improvements to the experience of citizens coming to us for help and support
• Gain a deeper understanding of performance around measures of service transformation
• Share contrasting innovative methods in a low risk environment
• Inspire us all to take a corporate approach to customer excellence
  

The Programme will directly deliver benefits to every local authority and Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) in terms of:

• Re-usable resources for every authority and FRS
• Consistent measurement tools coupled with ways of sharing them with our peers
• Service transformation delivery proposals for the longer term, including ways of working together, underpinned by good practice and proven business cases

Programme Contacts

Programme Manager: Andrew De'Ath
Telephone: 07770 537 953
Email: Andrew.Death@northeastcouncils.gov.uk

Local Authority Sponsor/Programme Board Chair:
Ada Burns, Chief Executive, Darlington Borough Council