Ministerial Taskforce for Local Economic Forums (HIE Area) - general comments and specific points on the Shetland Action Plan

Update Paper No. 3

20th November 2001

Forum Action Plans

Purpose

1.  To enable the Taskforces to form an initial view on each Forum action plan.

Key Points

2.  The key points to note are:

• most Forums have submitted detailed plans which contain a range of actions aimed at better co-ordination and improving services;
• a number of common themes are emerging from the action plans including:
• plans to design a single point of access to information about business support services;
• actions to streamline and improve communications between partners 
• actions to streamline and simplify access to information about services;
• some common branding of services.
• most plans conclude there is little overlap and duplication in services or in service providers, rather there is confusion about services and how and where to access them;
• no action plans provide indicative figures at this stage of potential savings to be reinvested in services; 
• timescales and milestones for action could be clearer in a number of plans.

Detail

3.  Each Forum has submitted an action plan as requested by October 2001. The Forum guidelines suggested the action plans should include: outline plans to rationalise partnerships;  a framework for streamlining delivery of services and removing overlap, improving effectiveness and releasing resources for new services; targets for co-ordinating services; a clear statement of the respective roles and responsibilities of agencies; and an assessment of action plan alignment with the community planning process.

4.  The Central Support Team have assessed each plan for evidence of the above. This has been complemented by input from an external adviser and there have been appropriate management checks to ensure consistency of assessment. The outcome is presented in this paper. An overview is provided of each plan followed by a set of recommendations for the Taskforce to consider. The Taskforce is invited to consider and comment on the recommendations.

ELLD:ENT1
Nov 01
 
Shetland Forum

The Taskforce commended the Shetland for a sound and detailed action plan with some potentially promising proposals to reduce overlap and duplication. The plan was particularly clear on mapping of agencies and some robust ideas about gaps in service provision. The Taskforce noted that forum has not yet sought views of local businesses on gaps in provision, but welcomes that feedback will be encouraged as part of the ongoing work in disseminating the outcome of the mapping exercise. The Taskforce also noted that the plan suggests clear actions will result in each of the areas outlined (e.g. reviewing financial assistance schemes to consider streamlining) and indicates potential savings will emerge in early 2002. The Taskforce invited the Forum to update it on progress at that time.

In particular the Forum is invited to:

• consider potential actions to address the identified gaps in service delivery and to  improve standards of services ;
• consider further partnership mapping and consider the scope for reducing overlap and duplication; 
• quantify potential savings arising from the potential for eradicating identified duplication when this become available;
• update on the outcome of Shetland Island Council review of business support services.

The Taskforce will seek an update from the Forum on these issues and on progress on the action plan for its meeting in February 2002.