1 THE ISSUE

1.1 As an organisation, Bath and North East Somerset Council is committed to being a forward looking authority which is genuinely open and responsive to the needs and aspirations of individuals and communities. It aims to work in democratic partnership with other organisations and agencies to deliver high quality, cost effective services aimed at improving the quality of life for the residents of Bath and North East Somerset as well as ensuring that equality of opportunity underpins all the Council's activities.

1.2 The Corporate Plan identifies the priorities of the organisation, and the HR Strategy aims to support the delivery of these priorities through a framework that will:

(1) Provide a workforce that is empowered in its work, customer focused, loyal to the organisation, flexible, motivated, innovative and with a readiness to embrace change within a performance culture.

(2) Ensure that the Council continues to be regarded a good employer and meet service delivery needs

(3) Make employer's expectation of employees and vice versa clear

(4) Ensure compliance with legislation and operate within the statutory framework

(5) Work within National Conditions and encourages staff representation

(6) Contributes to the development of a diverse workforce to deliver the Council objectives

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 The Council Executive is asked to

(1) Endorse the findings of the project report

(2) Approve the Improvement Action Plan

(3) Agree that regular update reports on progress are received by the Executive Member for Resources on a quarterly basis.

3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 Resource implications have been identified where currently known. . These mostly relate to the staffing resources required to carry out project work associated with individual actions points. Some of the identified activities within the 5 year Improvement Plan may require additional staff resource or re-prioritisation of work and/or associated costs of implementation which will not be known until more detailed project planning has been completed. These will be the subject of separate reporting if they cannot be met from existing resources.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 In 2002, the Council underwent a Corporate Performance Assessment (CPA) that resulted in the Council being identified as a "good" Council. As a Council we set high challenging aspirations and the Council now aims to build on this performance in order to meet the challenges of the future.

4.2 As part of the development of the Community Strategy, the Local Strategic Partnership has examined in depth a range of change drivers identified as having potential impact over the next 20 years. The factors most relevant to a developing HR strategy have been identified as: future trends in Public Services, public expectations, technology and socio - demographics. These drivers and their impacts should be seen in the overall context of an ongoing trend towards achieving public outcomes through joint agency working.

4.3 In addition our customers are increasingly sophisticated, and they expect the service they get from us to be the same as they get from the private sector, the likes of banks and shops. Customers do not distinguish between different service areas of the Council; they just want their needs to be met quickly and easily. They want accurate and timely information. They wish to be able to access us at times that suit them

4.4 The Council recognises that it can only achieve its corporate vision if its employees are committed to making that vision a reality and to delivering services in the way that the community wants. The HR Strategy sets out how the Council will work with its employees to develop and build on that commitment.

4.5 The Strategy makes clear the kind of employer that Bath & North East Somerset wants to be. It shows how it will ensure that the right people are in the right place at the right time to deliver the Council's objectives and priorities. It also recognises what must be done to ensure that all staff are motivated and engaged to give their best in delivering services on behalf of the Council.

5 RATIONALE

5.1 In order to inform the recommendations, the options were prioritised by stakeholders according their impact on the following three criteria:

_ effective service delivery,

_ the Council's status as an `employer of choice'

_ improving staff engagement.

6 OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED

6.1 Through consultation with relevant stakeholders a comprehensive list of options was drawn up to address the issues identified. Options that did not fit the above criteria were rejected.

7 CONSULTATION

7.1 The project was informed by existing material and information including:

7.2 The following additional project specific consultation has been carried out: