Best
Value
In 1999 the Government placed a new duty
of "Best Value" on all County, District and Unitary Councils
as well as 41 of the largest Town and Parish Councils in England.
Hatfield Town Council is one of those Councils and we have just
published our latest Best Value Performance Plan.
You
can obtain a full copy of the plan from the Town Council Offices
but you can also read it at Birchwood Leisure Centre, Hatfield Library,
Jim McDonald Centre,
Hatfield Swim Centre
and the Galleria.
What
is Best Value?
The Government expects
the Council to demonstrate continuous improvement in the way in
which it exercises its functions, looking at a combination of economy,
efficiency and effectiveness.
This is why we are looking closely at each of our services to see:
- What services we should provide
- How they should be delivered
- Where we can improve them
- How we compare with other councils
- How we can provide better value for money
- A brief description of the Council
The Town Council Serves
the people of Hatfield which has a population of approximately 30,800.
There are 15 elected Councillors who each serve for a term of 4
years, the next elections being in May 2011 and employs 30 full-time
equivalent staff.
Best
Value Performance Plan 2005
Best
Value Performance Plan 2006
Best
Value Performance Plan 2007
The
Council's main purpose and objectives
The Council considers
its unique purpose to be to offer a range of very local services
that meet the need of our communities, many of which would not otherwise
be provided.
More specifically we will
offer our residents.
A
main sports and leisure centre offering a wide range of
indoor and outdoor sporting options, as well as a holiday
playscheme, all at competitive prices meeting local needs.
Other venues,
situated within the heart of our communities, two of which
are highly valued village based centres, providing local people
and local groups with a choice of easily accessible activities,
including outdoor and indoor sports, playgroups, play areas,
and hosting a variety of local clubs requiring meeting and
other social event space.
A Festival
Week in June, as a focus for the Hatfield community.
Well maintained
and well occupied allotment spaces.
Well maintained
community parks and open spaces.
In addition to these specific
services, we seek to promote the broader interests of the community.
The Council will achieve these objectives by
Consulting
the community generally and service users specifically on
services provided, and by demonstrably responding to findings.
Engaging the
Community on the big issues facing Hatfield and playing a
key advocacy role on their behalf.
Working in
partnership with a wide range of local organisations to ensure
an improving standard of services to meet the needs of residents
and others. Our relationship with the University of Hertfordshire
, and other public bodies are critical to that success.
Town
Council Services
The Council provides a
wide range of Leisure and Community Services throughout Hatfield.
A summary of the costs have been sent out with the Council Tax bills.
The Performance Plan gives
a description of each service together with its objectives, achievements,
targets, costs and performance. The measurement of performance
is through “performance indicators” which we use to
look at our own progress year by year.
In addition we try and compare our performance with other similar
councils on certain services.
Targets
and Progress
How
we met the set targets for 2006/2007.
- To reduce
levels of certified sickness to 7 days and uncertified sickness
to 2.5 days.
Certified sickness was reduced to 4.35 days and a comparison may
be drawn with
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council's figure
for the same period which is 8.50 days.
Uncertified
sickness was reduced from 4.50 days in 2005/06 to 4.35 days this
year but
continues
to be a service target as there is a need to reduce this figure
further.
- Increase
number of staff training days.
Staff assessments were completed throughout the year and
from this the staff training days
figure has increased to 0.74% from
0.42% the previous year as staff are trained when there
is a genuine need for training.
- Review
timing and extent of events/community activities, particularly
at Christmas.
For 2006, additional events included the option for children to
write to Father Christmas via
the Council Offices, Father Christmas
visits to the nursery schools in Hatfield, the Council
having a tombola and its own stall
on Christmas Festival Day, Tree Planting in November, and
the launch of the Best Kept Plot
Competition for the Allotments in 2007.
- Investigate improving links to the website.
This was not done but instead we concentrated on improving
the website by adding a new
page for Grants, updating the Council
Meetings page to include agendas and minutes for all
the main Committees, and regularly
updating the News & Events page with Council events.
The increase in the number of visits
to the website reflects these improvements.
- Include the availability of the Grants Scheme via the
website.
A new page has been included on the webiste for Grants
where the application form and
policy conditions can be downloaded.
- Establish an Allotment Holders' Association.
An initial meeting was held in November 2006 and a follow
up meeting in April 2007 involved
a steering group being set up for
the Association. Initial feedback has been obtained from the
allotment holders and the majority
are in favour of an Association at the site.
- Complete all Risk Assessments.
Completed in March 2007.
- Develop a mid/long term strategy (2-5 year plan) for
improvements to Birchwood Leisure Centre.
As this strategy is Member led it has not yet been developed
due to the elections taking
place.
- Increase Gold Card Membership of Beeches Health Suite.
Achieved as there are currently 64 active Gold Card members
compared to 24 the previous
year.
- Increase off-peak usage of all facilities at Birchwood
Leisure Centre with block bookings.
This is slightly increased but due to one-off casual bookings
rather than block bookings.
- Investigate the booking of events over Bank Holiday
weekends at Birchwood Leisure Centre.
From Christmas 2006 it was decided to close Birchwood on
Bank Holidays to save money so
this target has not been met.
- Carry out refurbishment work to Roe Hill Hall Bar.
Completed.
- Work with Hertfordshire County Council to establish
a base for adults with learning disabilities at Roe Hill Hall
and to seek to use any funds generated to help provide an all-weather
sports area.
The construction of the building, Briars Pavilion, was
completed.
- Increase Saturday afternoon football usage at Lemsford
Hall.
Maximum capacity of two bookings has been secured for next
season.
- Carry out improvements to the kitchen at Newgate Street
Village Hall.
Awaiting final details on kitchen requirements from the
Newgate Street Village Hall
Committee.
- Increase percentage of potential hirings at Oxlease
House.
Figures have been held with a slight increase in most areas.
We
have set the following Targets for 2007/2008.
-
To reduce uncertified sickness.
-
To increase Councillors' attendance at meetings following
the May 2007 elections.
-
To ensure that new office accommodation is available for occupation
before the lease
on Kennelwood expires in September 2008.
- Develop
relationships further with Asda, the Galleria and the Town Centre
Manager at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council for support in community
events and festival activities.
-
Investigate organising more community events throughout
the year rather
than just those for Christmas and Festival Week in June.
-
Investigate including internal photographs or virtual tours
of all venues available
for hire to increase hirings.
-
Investigate improving links to the website.
- Continue
with the formation of the Allotment Holders' Association.
- Ensure the recently introduced
Best Kept Plot Competition remains an annual
occurrence.
- Reduce waiting times at
the allotments by positive management of unkempt plots.
- Re-open the Indoor Play
Area at Birchwood Leisure Centre following the closure by
the existing tenants.
- Develop a mid/long
term strategy (2-5 year plan) for improvements to Birchwood
Leisure Centre.
- Investigate use of the
all weather area at Roe Hill.
- Carry out the improvements to the kitchen at
Newgate Street Village Hall.
- Upgrade the electricity supply at Newgate Street
Village Hall.
- Increase publicity of Oxlease House through
the website to increase hirings.
- Take on ownership and management of the new
Howe Dell Community Hall in autumn 2007.
Service
Reviews
Last year the Council committed
itself to completing the following reviews in 2006/2007:
- Community Parks and Open Spaces
Completed
15th January 2007
- Procurement practices of the Town Council
Due to be completed July 2007
- The central administration of the Town Council Due
to be completed July 2007
It also considered the content
of future Reviews and agreed that no reviews will be set at the
present time due to the status of the Best Value regime in the next
12 months.
Full copies of the Reviews
can be seen at the Council Offices or downloaded from the links
below.
Community
Parks and Open Spaces Service Review
Consultation
The Council is committed
to consulting widely on its performance using:
user and resident surveys,
Community News, the web site, liaison with voluntary groups, and
the Best Value Panel to understand how people view the way in which
Hatfield Town Council provides its services. All users of
our facilities have been surveyed for their views, enabling the
Council to make changes to these services where necessary.
In November 2006 a Survey
of 1000 households (1 in 20) of the electorate took place. 175 forms
were returned. This represented an overall return rate of 22%. The
analysis of the results will be used to complete the Review Programme.
It is the Council's intention to repeat this survey on a two yearly
basis.
If you would like to help
us further with your views and comments pleas let us know.
Hatfield Town Council,
Freepost ANG9379, Hatfield, AL10 0BR
Telephone: 01707 262023 Email: enquiries@hatfield-herts.gov.uk
|