The LGR Transition Programme

The diagram below outlines the structure of the Local Government Review (LGR) transition programme.

         Please click on image to see the full size diagram

 

The implementation executive had overall responsibility for the transition arrangements until the elections in May 2008. It consisted of the Executive, Secretary to the Executive and the two opposition leaders from Northumberland County Council together with the six District Council leaders and was dissolved after the elections. The Council Executive is now accountable for all transition decisions.

The programme management board is made up of members of Northumberland County Council’s management board and the District Council chief executives. It will guide the transition process and advise the implementation executive.

The programme management team coordinates the activities of the working groups and reports to the programme management board.

The role of the scrutiny group is to critically challenge the decisions made or actions taken by the Implementation Executive, so as to ensure the interests of all affected parties are taken into account, and make sure there is a clear strategic direction for the reorganisation.

A joint consultative forum has been introduced which is concerned with union engagement. The forum consists of elected members from the implementation executive and trade union stewards. This is the top level forum for consultation on strategic and policy matters.

The programme management office (PMO) exists to support the teams outlined above throughout the whole process of creating a new council for Northumberland.

Governance and communications is made up of the governance team and the communications team. The governance team supports parts of the programme including the implementation executive and the programme management board, and tracks and advises on government guidance and wider developments in LGR. The communications team is responsible for informing staff, stakeholders and the wider public about what is happening in the transition process.

The baselining team is collecting of all the data needed to plan the delivery of the new council. This team is working with the service cluster groups (see below) to help gather, collate and manage the information, which will then be used by the other teams.

The design authority is responsible for producing a blueprint design, which outlines the structure of the new council, how decisions will be made and how services will be delivered.

HR transition will deliver the HR related projects identified in the Transition Plan and the HR related issues identified in the Blueprint Design.  The key objective of this team is ensure that the right employees are in the right place at the right time and posses the right skills to carry out their jobs on day one.

Day 1 transition is responsible for ensuring that the new authority operates effectively from day one; its main priority is to make sure that there is no detriment to any council services in Northumberland.

The change and culture group is identifying how best to support staff through the transition process and developing change leadership. It is also taking the lead developing the new authority’s culture and identity.
Various high priority activities have been identified as needing early work or development in order to ensure a smooth transition. These projects are called accelerators.

A number of service cluster groups are supporting these teams. The cluster groups are looking at the services all seven councils currently provide.

ICON is the independent commission of Northumberland, an independent group set up to oversee the implementation of the transition. You can find out more about ICON here.