Local Authority Transformational Models

Whole-council approaches to transformation

Author: Dominic Leigh   |   14/07/2016

With local government funding becoming heavily squeezed in recent years, local authorities have attempted to utilise a range of methods in order to achieve better value for money. Across the sector, councils have adopted a number of different approaches to service transformation in order to make service delivery more efficient.

This report, conducted by Localis on behalf of the Local Government Association, considers the various models of local authority service transformation. A brief analysis of the key features of each model, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, is provided alongside a number of case studies.

The six models of local authority transformation focused upon include:

• The commissioning model whereby councils adopt a ‘strategic commissioning’ approach to local service delivery
• The cooperative approach to service delivery which prioritises cooperative values such as social partnership, democratic engagement, fairness and maximising social value to create more robust, resilient and resourceful communities
• The entrepreneurial model which uses skills and approaches derived from the private sector in order to save money and generate new income streams to drive financial sustainability
• The enabling model of service delivery that seeks to plan and oversee the provision of services by a variety of providers
• The sharing approach whereby councils seek to share their services with other councils and public bodies, the third sector and the private sector or a mix of partners to design and deliver services together in the most efficient way possible
• The holistic and person-centred approach to council transformation whereby councils work to join-up services by ensuring that residents can access a wide range of services without having to contact multiple council departments

While all these transformational models are distinct, each share a number of characteristics with emphases placed on efficiency savings, demand management, a focus on residents’ priorities, building community resilience, promoting collaboration and driving economic growth.

The report stresses that to successfully adopt any, or any part, of these models, councils need to ensure strong political and executive leadership¸ workforce development, staff engagement, effective change communication, an evolving role for members and an acceptance that change will take time.

The report does not attempt to make the case that one model is superior to the others, as different models work well for different types of council facing different situations. Neither does it suggest that adopting a council-wide model is appropriate for all councils. Instead the report seeks to help people make up their own minds about whether adopting a whole-council model or aspects of one or more approaches is best for their area.

Research for this report was informed by interviews with a number of senior politicians and officials at councils that have adopted these models, as well as desk-based research.

For more information on this publication, please contact jack.airey@localis.org.uk.