Agenda item

Chief Executive Paul Matthews introduced the report and answered the members’ questions:

Should the vision for For Purpose, On Purpose be more outward-looking and focused on residents rather than on the Council itself?

This is a valid and constructive challenge. The vision of what the Council ultimately wants to achieve should be determined politically by elected members rather than by officers. The For Purpose, On Purpose framework is not intended to replace or redefine the Council's political vision or the Community and Corporate Plan. Instead, it is intended to describe the type of organisation that the Council needs to become in order to achieve the ambitions set by elected members.

The framework is designed to continue breaking down barriers between the Council and residents and to create a more open, permeable organisation that works alongside communities rather than acting in a distant or top-down manner. It is intended to encourage a stronger relationship between the Council and residents, with greater participation, collaboration and shared responsibility. The suggestion that the vision should be expressed in more resident-focused terms was not rejected. Paul Matthews indicated that such language was entirely consistent with the purpose of the framework, whose overall aim is to create an organisation that is increasingly connected to, aligned with and trusted by the communities it serves.

Is For Purpose, On Purpose based on high ideals without enough practical detail for residents?

The programme is deliberately ambitious because the Council should continually seek to improve and become the best version of itself. The framework is intended to drive purposeful change rather than function as a slogan. It will help the Council decide which activities matter most, concentrate resources on those priorities and stop or reduce work that contributes less to the desired outcomes.

What will the programme contain in practical terms?

The framework will guide changes across council services and influence how limited resources are prioritised. It will require clear choices about what the Council will do, what it will do less of and what it will stop doing. Activities arising from the programme are expected to feed into later budget considerations, including the budget for 2027/28, with potentially greater contributions in subsequent years.

How much will For Purpose, On Purpose cost to implement?

The cost is not zero, but no additional organisational growth has been requested to establish the programme. Existing resources have been reorganised to create dedicated programme leadership and a core programme team of approximately five or six key individuals. Their costs have been absorbed by changing existing arrangements rather than adding new expenditure. The wider cost is more difficult to quantify because colleagues across the organisation will need to devote time to understanding and embedding the framework. That time has an opportunity cost because it cannot simultaneously be spent on other work. This investment is considered necessary to create sufficient organisational alignment and bring the framework to life.

Is the programme expected to generate savings, service improvements or both?

It is expected to support both financial discipline and service improvement. The programme cannot simply add costs. It must help the Council use its declining resource base more effectively, redesign services and improve its ability to deliver political priorities. Success will require the Council to operate within its approved budget while becoming more resourceful and continuing to improve outcomes.

What practical benefits will residents receive?

Residents should experience a Council that works more closely with communities, makes better use of local skills and capabilities, and directs resources towards the priorities that matter most. The programme is intended to encourage greater resident participation, strengthen trust and help communities contribute directly to improving the county. Benefits should also emerge through redesigned services, earlier intervention, stronger partnerships and more deliberate prioritisation. The overall aim is to improve Monmouthshire as a county, rather than concentrating only on the Council as an organisation.

How will success be measured?

Success will be assessed through a combination of detailed operational indicators and broader measures. At the highest level, the Council must continue to operate within the annual budget approved by Council. This is particularly important because its low level of reserves provides limited protection against financial mistakes. Other indicators will include whether key performance measures improve, whether residents increasingly trust the Council, whether more residents contribute their skills and capabilities, and whether the organisation continues to change deliberately for the better. The programme will be continually evaluated to determine whether it is shifting these measures.

How will the programme build residents’ trust?

Trust must be earned by repeatedly keeping promises, being open to different views and demonstrating that those views have influenced decisions. The Council must convince more residents that it is working with them and is on their side. This will require financial discipline, greater community participation and careful consideration of how decisions, including financial decisions, affect the relationship between residents and the Council.

How will the programme respond to the Council’s difficult financial position?

The Council’s ambitions and priorities should determine how it spends its available money rather than allowing the budget alone to define the organisation. Where sufficient resources are unavailable, the Council must become more resourceful, work differently or draw on the capabilities of partners and communities. The framework will reintroduce a stronger focus on opportunity cost. The Council will need to select a limited number of priorities in which it wants to excel and consciously reduce or discontinue other activity. Every chosen priority must therefore be accompanied by clarity about what will be forgone to deliver it.

How will project management be improved through this programme?

The Council is reviewing the quality of programme and project management through its benefit realisation work. The aim is to identify weaknesses, strengthen practice and achieve greater consistency across the organisation. While some projects are managed to a very high standard, performance is not always consistent, and the programme is intended to raise expectations and improve the overall quality of project delivery.

How will the Council avoid taking on too many projects and overextending its capacity?

A key objective of the programme is to improve organisational discipline around prioritisation. The Council has recognised that it can sometimes be too busy and take on more work than it has the capacity to deliver effectively. The organisation needs to become better at saying no to lower-priority activities and be prepared to defer work where taking on additional projects would reduce overall standards or displace higher-value priorities.

How will residents and stakeholders be involved more effectively in projects?

Engagement is an area where improvement is needed. Successful projects depend on listening to local communities and involving people early in the development of ideas, rather than consulting once plans have largely been finalised. There is scope to strengthen how officers engage with communities and use local knowledge to shape proposals from the outset.

How will ward members be involved in project development and decision-making?

Many officers do not fully understand the value that ward members can bring to project development. Councillors have unique knowledge of their wards, community networks and local opinion which officers cannot easily replicate. There is significant room for improvement in involving ward members earlier and more consistently, so they can help shape ideas before projects are formally developed. The best outcomes are achieved when officers and councillors work closely together. There are examples of excellent practice across the Council, but the quality of engagement is inconsistent. The programme aims to strengthen these relationships and create a culture where officers routinely work with elected members, drawing on their local knowledge to improve decision-making and reduce the likelihood of avoidable disputes later in projects.

Will project management be scrutinised further?

Yes, Infrastructure project management is scheduled to be considered by the committee on 24^th November, providing a future opportunity to examine the Council's approach to project delivery in more detail and identify areas for improvement.

How will local residents know the programme exists, and how can they influence its priorities?

The programme itself will not create new priorities. Instead, it is designed to support the delivery of priorities already agreed through the Council's Community and Corporate Plan. Residents are expected to influence priorities through the normal democratic process, while the programme aims to improve how the Council works, including encouraging officers and elected members to engage more actively with communities, listen to residents' views, and involve them in conversations about local issues. Success would be reflected in more residents feeling that the Council is listening and creating opportunities for their input.

What mechanisms will there be for Town & Community Councils to be involved?

Town and Community Councils are seen as vital partners in the programme. The Chief Executive highlighted the important role they already play in supporting communities and suggested there is potential for greater involvement in the future through increased localisation of decision-making and possible transfers of powers. However, no specific framework or mechanism has yet been developed, and it was suggested that this would be a matter for the next Council to consider.

How will taxpayers know if investment has delivered value for money?

Value for money will be assessed through existing Council financial governance arrangements, including regular budget monitoring and quarterly financial reporting. Any expenditure associated with the programme will be reported transparently and subject to scrutiny by elected members through Scrutiny, Cabinet and Council processes. The longer-term test of value will be whether the programme helps the Council use resources more effectively, improve outcomes against agreed priorities, and increase community participation, although some of the measures needed to demonstrate these wider impacts are still being developed.

Chair’s Summary:

Thank you to the Chief Executive for the report and his responses today. The questions have demonstrated that we are very interested indeed in this framework and very positively disposed towards the idea that you're preparing the groundwork for the future. We will be interested in asking more questions, but also supporting the work of the whole organisation as we move forward with it.