Performance Improvement Duty
Performance improvement under the Local Government Act 2014
Part 12 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 provides the framework to support continuous improvement for all councils. The council is required to gather information to assess improvements in services and to issue an annual assessment of performance against self-imposed and statutory indicators set by Government Departments. The Act also places a responsibility on the council to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the exercise of its functions. This is known as our ‘Duty to Improve’ and is set out within our annual Improvement Plan. The Act states that council must publish an annual Self-Assessment Report by 30 September each year and include:
1. An assessment of its performance during a financial year:
- In discharging its duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement:
- In meeting its improvement objectives which are applicable to that year; and
- By reference to the statutory performance indicators and self-imposed indicators which are applicable to that year.
2. An assessment of its performance in exercising its functions during a financial year as compared with:
- Its performance in previous financial years; and
- So far as reasonably practicable, the performance during that and previous financial years of other councils.
What is improvement?
In accordance with the Act and accompanying guidance, for us “improvement” is about continuously improving over time - enhancing the sustainable quality of life and environment for ratepayers and communities rather than limited to gains in service output or efficiencies.
Belfast City Council is committed to continuously ensuring that our improvement objectives are relevant, putting in place the best arrangements for effectively understanding local needs and priorities, making best use of resources and capacity to deliver, and understanding and demonstrating the impact and improvements for citizens.
The council must align their improvement objectives to bring about improvement in at least one of the specified aspects of improvement as defined in section 86 of the Act:
- Strategic effectiveness
- Service quality
- Service availability
- Fairness
- Sustainability
- Efficiency
- Innovation
Arrangements to secure continuous improvement
Council’s improvement framework
The council has well-established, robust, and comprehensive arrangements in place to ensure continuous improvement, summarised in figure 1. The council’s improvement framework sets out the various components of how the council works, bringing together the specific priorities, ambitions, and outcomes for Belfast. It links the overarching strategic outcomes, ambitions and priorities of key strategies and plans to the annual individual works plans of our employees, making clear the contribution that individuals make towards achieving city and strategic outcomes. It provides a mechanism to establish and implement an integrated way of communicating and delivering objectives throughout council so that all plans, frameworks, and processes are clear and ‘joined up’, known as the ‘golden thread’. Our improvement framework is kept under review to support our ‘Duty to improve’.
Figure 1: Council’s improvement framework.
Measuring performance and improvement
The council continues to enhance, implement, and embed arrangements to secure continuous improvement, in the exercise of our functions, through the following:
Figure 2: Performance and improvement arrangements
Audit governance and risk
Our performance is audited externally by the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) and proposals for improvement implemented (see Appendix 1). Performance is also monitored by the council’s Corporate Management Team (CMT), Audit Assurance Board and Audit and Risk Panel as well as being considered by our own internal audit service, committee, and the full council.
An annual council audit plan is agreed and actions arising to improve our internal control environment are monitored through the Audit and Risk Panel.
Risks that could impact on the delivery of our objectives are monitored and managed through the Council Risk Management Strategy. Risks are monitored at a strategic, operational and project level and we act as necessary to amend ways of working and ensure continued service delivery.
Continuous improvement
We have a dedicated continuous improvement team who lead and support improvement projects and programmes as well as wider organisational change and service re-design.
Policy, planning and performance
Corporate policies and programmes are developed across the organisation in response to emerging priorities. These are monitored and reported through cross-departmental groups, management teams and boards, and regularly to the relevant committee.
Progress against our key strategies and plans is monitored through regular reports to CMT and to relevant committees. Our performance is assessed and evaluated in the form of published documents such as the Annual Accounts, Annual Audit Letter, Annual Performance Assessment and Annual Statement of Governance.
We are in the process of reviewing and refreshing our Corporate Planning and Performance Management Framework to enhance our continuous improvement journey.
Stakeholder communication, consultation, and engagement
The council is committed to using multiple communication channels and engaging with our stakeholders, to seek views on our key plans and priorities and keep them informed about our services and initiatives.
Monitoring, reporting and governance arrangements
The council’s monitoring and reporting structures have been designed to ensure proper oversight and accountability arrangements are in place, and to provide our management teams and Elected Members with assurances that our governance arrangements are robust. This helps to ensure transparency, accountability and drive continuous improvement. The council’s governance framework is based on a committee structure with full council and eight standing committees. The full council, which consists of all 60 elected representatives, is the overarching decision-making body, overseeing the work of the council. In addition to the committee structure a range of working groups, forums and boards have also been established to ensure the effective monitoring and reporting of performance and drive continuous improvement. A new planning and performance management framework is currently being developed which will refresh the current arrangements, provide a co-ordinated focus and a robust framework to enhance our continuous improvement journey.
| Reports to | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Delivery boards | Quarterly |
| Community Planning Partnership | Bi-annually |
| Strategy, Policy and Resources (SP&R) Committee and full council | As appropriate |
| Department for Communities (DfC) | Every two years |
| Reports to | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Corporate Management Team (CMT) | As appropriate |
| SP&R committee | Annually |
| Full council | Annually |
| Reports to | Frequency |
|---|---|
| CMT | Annually |
| Relevant committee | Bi-annually and annually |
| Full council | Bi-annually and annually |
| Reports to | Frequency |
|---|---|
| CMT | Quarterly (except quarter 1) |
| Audit and Assurance Board and Audit and Risk Panel | Quarterly |
| SP&R committee | Quarterly |
| Full council | Quarterly |
| DfC | Bi-annually |
| Reports to | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Corporate, departmental and service management teams | As appropriate |
| Working groups and boards | As appropriate |
| Relevant committee | As appropriate |
| Full council | As appropriate |
| Reports to | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Departmental and service management teams | As appropriate |
| Working groups and boards | As appropriate |
