Priority Area: 1. Services we are proud of

1.A. Ensure West Berkshire Council offers good customer service to our residents and businesses

1.1. Good quality public services for all (compared to similar local authorities in England)

• 1.1.1. Support all our customers through ongoing delivery of our service plans

1.2. Continually improving customer experience and enable digital access to services for the residents that want and can access them

1.3. Increase the reach of Council communications to residents and explore new channels to better engage

1.4. Ask other councils to review our policies and processes (a peer review) in 2024 to highlight our strengths and show where we need to improve

1.5. Strong budgetary control, use of resources and initiatives to maximise financial efficiency

• 1.5.1. Always aiming for investments that save money / generate revenue and provide a benefit to our community. For example saving money and the environment by investing in solar panels
• 1.5.2. Considering the social, environmental and ethical impact of West Berkshire Council investment

1.6. Maintain cleanliness of our streets and other public spaces

1.B. Transform the way the Council works to deliver operational excellence

1.7. The Council continues to deliver our statutory services to our residents and businesses in the face of economic uncertainty and increasing demand, by transforming the ways of working (and Council infrastructure) to achieve operational excellence. By the end of 2023, we will agree a plan to transform the following six priority areas:  

• Business support review- bring together and simplify administrative functions into a central support unit
• Strategic asset and locality service delivery model review - rationalisation of corporate buildings and co-location of Council Services
• Place Service Improvement Plan- improve efficiency and customer service in the Council's Planning Service
• Corporate review of recruitment- considering ways to improve our recruitment processes whilst reducing agency costs
• Review of Care Home provision- development of in-depth business case for the future role of the Council in local residential care provision
• Review of Home to School Transport- review of the service delivery model for home to school transport to identify efficiencies

1.8. Implement the Transformation Plan starting in 2024

1.9. Renew the Vision for West Berkshire, starting in 2025

1.C. Treat our residents with respect, be transparent in our decision making and accountable for our actions

1.10. Residents more engaged through more transparent decision-making processes about the services that impact them  

• 1.10.1. Ensure an Opposition Party Councillor chairs the Council's scrutiny committee and change the Council constitution / standing orders to make  this a requirement in future
• 1.10.2. Reduce the amount of information being considered in private by West Berkshire Council, including opening advisory groups to public scrutiny

1.11. Residents are more aware of the Council's services and how well we are performing  

• 1.11.1. Make clear, measurable commitments and regularly review and publish our progress against them
• 1.11.2. Keep residents informed of changes in their local area by re-introducing neighbour notification letters for planning applications in 2024

1.12. Our residents and partners feel they are treated with respect

• 1.12.1. Listen carefully to questions from members of the public during our meetings, allow reasonable follow-up questions and provide written   answers within five working days
• 1.12.2. Ensure the Council provides at least an initial response to at least 80% of motions and petitions within a maximum of four months, and seek   to reduce this response time further
• 1.12.3. Carry out a full review of West Berkshire's Community Infrastructure Levy process (2024)

1.D. Make West Berkshire Council an employer of choice

1.13. West Berkshire Council is an employer of choice

• 1.13.1. Increase staff engagement to above average for the public sector and carry out employee attitude surveys (2024 and then 2026)
  Take improvement actions following the results of each survey, benchmark, and increase the proportion of staff who would recommend West Berkshire as a great place to work
• 1.13.2. Deliver an effective apprentice and work experience programme to offer opportunities to residents and to help develop our own talent pipeline
• 1.13.3. Staff turnover reduced to < 13.5% by 2027
• 1.13.4. Develop an Employee Value Proposition, to ensure we are as competitive and attractive as possible (2024)
• 1.13.5. Carry out a review of how we recognise staff performance and make changes accordingly (2024)
• 1.13.6. Switch agency staff to become permanent employees of the council
• 1.13.7. Simplify the application process for jobs at West Berkshire Council

The Priority 1 visual strategy

To view the Priority 1 strategy in full, please download our accessible PDF file.

West Berkshire Council Strategy - Priority 1 [205KB]

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