Improvement Service Chief Executive Sarah Gadsden picks out her highlights from the last 12 months as 2022 comes to an end.
The publication of our annual report always presents an opportunity to reflect on the last 12 months at the Improvement Service – and 2022 has certainly been another difficult year for Local Government and the wider public sector. Just as local authorities were starting to get their heads around recovery from Covid-19, the cost of living crisis arrived on the scene, creating new and often unexpected challenges for councils and their citizens.
The Improvement Service has also had to respond to these challenges, using our experience and knowledge to create innovative solutions which support the work of local authorities and help them to improve the wide range of public services they and others provide.
Our annual report details all the achievements of the Improvement Service during 2022, and it is well worth reading in its entirety to get a full picture of the varied programmes and projects we now offer. However, I have picked out a few of my key highlights from the last 12 months, which I feel reflect the valuable contribution the Improvement Service has made to Local Government this year.
JANUARY After months of work behind the scenes with the National Entitlement Card Programme Office, local authorities and partners, the Young Person’s Free Bus Travel Scheme went live in January 2022. Providing free bus travel to everyone in Scotland under the age of 22, the Improvement Service has an integral role in the delivery of this Scottish Government policy. 55% of the 550,000 card holders applied for the Young Person’s Free Bus Travel Scheme online, either through our getyournec.scot or parentsportal.scot digital platforms. The Improvement Service has continued to work closely with councils and stakeholders to promote the scheme, and to ensure as many young people as possible are benefitting from this money-saving initiative. The Scheme has been a real team effort, and free travel will be life-changing for many young people while also encouraging more environmentally-friendly travel behaviours.
FEBRUARY The Improvement Service’s Street Gazetteer project was nominated in February for the istandUK Award, as part of the annual inetwork Innovation Awards. Over the last three years, the Improvement Service has worked alongside all 32 Scottish local authorities, the Office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, Transport Scotland and Network Rail to create a national Street Gazetteer that is a vital tool for many. While the team didn’t win the award, it is nevertheless an impressive achievement to be recognised for their work.
MARCH March saw the publication of our annual Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) National Benchmarking Overview. The LBGF provides extensive evidence and data on trends in Scottish local government and supports evidence-based comparisons between councils, providing an essential tool for policy makers and the public alike. The 2022 report was looking at data from 2020/21 during the height of the pandemic. The data showed that the impact of Covid-19 on our communities was being borne unequally, with growing levels of poverty, financial hardship and inequalities. As the cost of living crisis continues to hit families hard, it is highly likely that these trends will continue into the next LGBF report, due for publication in March 2023.
APRIL The Scottish Dog Control Notice Database was launched in April, thanks to the hard work behind the scenes of our Digital Public Services (DPS) team. The DPS team first developed a successful proof of concept in 2021 before enhancing and improving the capacity of the Scottish Dog Control Database to create the current format. The database, which was developed in response to demand and support from local authorities, brings together Dog Control Notices from across Scotland into a centralised online database that is accessible by councils and Police Scotland. The Scottish Dog Control Database is going to make a real difference to community safety, and the DPS team should be proud of their contribution.
MAY May saw the launch of a new Improvement Service project, supporting the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). We are supporting public bodies to prepare for the incorporation of the UNCRC, helping them to understand the duties that the legislation brings on them and how they are best placed to meet these. The UNCRC is an international treaty that sets out the rights of children aged from 0 to 18 years old including the right to an identity, to education and to play. In March 2021, new legislation called the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill received cross-party support, and though the UK Supreme Court reviewed the Bill and decided that some parts of the legislation are not fully compatible with the powers of the Scottish Government, work is ongoing to revise some parts of the Bill.
JUNE In June, the Improvement Service signed up to become a Disability Confident Committed employer. Disability Confident encourages employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. The Improvement Service has identified Equality and Diversity as one of our shared Values, and the Equality and Diversity working group are always on the lookout for opportunities for us to demonstrate our Values in action. By being Disability Confident, the IS joins organisations throughout the UK, including Scottish local authorities, helping to positively change attitudes, behaviours and cultures.
JULY A new cohort of councillors were elected in the Local Government elections of 2022, including many new faces. The Improvement Service worked with all 32 councils to produce induction materials for councillors, and our Elected Members Development team has been busy producing briefings and organising webinars on key issues of importance to newly-elected councillors. In July, the Improvement Service and the National Communications Group, a network of local authority communications staff, published #FollowMe2 – a social media guide for elected members.
AUGUST The Shaping Places for Wellbeing initiative, a partnership between the Improvement Service and Public Health Scotland (PHS) continued to expand in 2022, with Rutherglen becoming the sixth town supported by the scheme in August. The programme has some lofty ambitions; to improve Scotland’s wellbeing and reduce inequalities by changing our approaches to the places where we live, work and play and delivering preventative interventions that reduce Scotland’s significant health inequalities. During a cost of living crisis, and as councils continue to wrestle with the implications of Covid-19 recovery, work of this nature is more important than ever.
SEPTEMBER In September I led a breakout session at the Solace Scotland conference with Gerard McCormack, Head of Transformation, Performance and Improvement at the IS, on the future of Scottish local authorities. This is an issue which has sparked much discussion since the days of the Christie Commission in 2011, and indeed before that, and working with seven local authority chief executives, the Improvement Service produced a report covering the current issues entitled Delivering a future for Scottish local authorities: the challenges they face, the questions that need asking and a model for the future. The session and the report have been well-received, and we will continue to use our experience and knowledge to help drive this agenda forward as councils look to transition to a model of service delivery that is fit for purpose in the 21st century.
OCTOBER I have already mentioned the Improvement Service Values, a set of ideals that describe what is important to us about how we work. One of our Values addresses Wellbeing and Growth; an approach to work which cares about the wellbeing of our staff, through respectful, supportive and kind behaviour and which encourages flexibility and a healthy work-life balance. The Improvement Service has two Mental Health First Aiders, who are available to help staff with issues or signpost them to services which can provide more expert help, but all our staff are expected to demonstrate this Value in the way they work. World Mental Health Day may be recognised on 10 October every year, but the wellbeing of staff - and the people we work with and for - should always be at the forefront of our minds.
NOVEMBER The Improvement Service’s myaccount platform, a simple and secure single sign-on service for online public services in Scotland, reached a significant milestone in November with its 2 millionth account. Launched in May 2014 by the Improvement Service and its technology partner Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), mygovscot myaccount is now used by an astonishing 36% of the Scottish population. All 32 local authorities now use myaccount for at least one of their online services, and the achievement was even recognised in the Scottish Parliament thanks to a motion from Stephanie Callaghan MSP which received cross-party support. This has been a fantastic achievement for the Improvement Service, and I am sure we will see the number of accounts continue to increase as councils and other public services embrace the digital opportunities that myaccount offers.
DECEMBER We are only a few days into December, but the publication of our annual report is already a highlight! I found it really inspiring to look back at the achievements of the Improvement Service this year, and it has also given me food for thought when it comes to the issues we are likely to face in 2023 and how we can help Local Government to address these challenges. Before we get down to the hard work ahead, however, I hope that you all have a relaxing festive break and would like to wish all Improvement Service staff and stakeholders a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!