Improvement Service

Shared services is considered to be a key enabler of public service reform, enabling organisations to gain economies of scale and skills. However, shared services can mean different things to different people. It is more than just centralisation or consolidation of similar activities into one location, and it is not just about back office functions. The Improvement Service is supporting councils in pursuing opportunities for improving services to customers and realising efficiencies through simplifying, standardising and sharing within councils, between councils and with other partners.

IS activity in this area

The Improvement Service works with the Local Government National Shared Services Board, councils and other partners on developing shared services strategy and delivering specific collaborative projects.

Our current areas of work are:

• Developing strategy - working with the COSLA Shared Services Board to shape a vision, framework and advocacy plan for shared services to influence and define the direction of travel for the next three to five years.

• Pensions pathfinder - identifying opportunities to improve the management of local government pension schemes across Scotland.

• Public Information Notices (PINs) portal - creating a single online source of local information regarding services such as road works, property developments and all other types of approved and proposed projects in a clear and easy to use format.

• Customer First - continued delivery of the Customer First programme ensuring customer-focused, easier-to-access, better integrated local services.

• Improving Together - capturing and sharing the knowledge gained from the shared services diagnostic and design projects to inform future projects and assist the wider public sector undertaking similar initiatives.

• Diagnostic Pathway - an innovative approach for engaging organisations in identifying opportunities for improving services through simplifying, standardising and sharing.

• Shared workforce planning - developing a national workforce planning capacity that allows Scottish councils to collectively plan and deliver the level, type and quality of workforce they need for the future.

• Revenues and benefits - investigating the feasibility of collaboration around administration, billing and collection of Council Tax and Non Domestic Rates and the administration of Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit.

An update on these projects was published in June 2009.

For information on any aspect of our shared services work, contact Paul Dowie, Director of Shared Services, on 01506 775561.

Past shared services projects

There are a number of shared services that have already been developed. These include:

• the local government national recruitment portal, www.myjobscotland.gov.uk,
• Scotland Excel, the local government procurement centre of expertise.
• Diagnostic Pathway
• Clyde Valley Learning and Development
• Orkney Joint Working
• Western Isles Integrated Service Delivery

Summaries of all these projects are in our Simplify, Standardise and Share leaflet. You can also find more information on all the shared services projects, past and present, in our library.

Something missing from this page? If you know of any useful websites or resources that we haven't mentioned, let us know at listen@improvementservice.org.uk