Local government faces a period of unprecedented organisational upheaval. The ‘unitary' changes, the focus on delivering greater ‘cashable' efficiencies, stringent financial targets, shared services, and concentration on improvement in customer services, all form a backdrop against which new council administrations must deliver their manifestos. Three words of advice come to mind here – vision, consensus, and outcome Begin with a clear vision of what you want to do, and it must be a vision which transcends the lifetime of a single administration. Far too often, as politicians, we concentrate on short-term, four-year periods, and in doing so, miss the bigger picture. Be realistic about the number of projects you really manage at any one time, and the true timescales involved. People would rather see a project successfully delivered over a longer period than one promising quick redress that fails. The tasks we have set ourselves in Havering, as an example, during the first 10 months of this new administration, are to deliver initially on a reduced number of key priorities which extend, in some cases, over a period of 20 years. Next, build consensus within the organisation around that clear vision. Everyone needs to understand what needs to be achieved, how it will be done, how long it will take, and what the real benefits are. It is the job of the leader to develop relationships so that both administration and opposition councillors can work together for the benefit of their various communities. This means that any difficult decisions are taken in partnership with the other political groups, without the usual political rhetoric getting in the way. It is equally important to work in partnership, not just with the politicians and chief executive, but the senior management team that will be overseeing delivery of projects on a day-to-day basis. One of the best decisions we have ever taken at Havering was to set in motion a series of capacity-building events which brought the cabinet and senior management team together. Nor can you forget your other key partner – your staff. The ones who actually deliver improvement on the frontline. It's therefore vital to have a strong and comprehensive internal communication strategy in place. Havering's success over the last four years, as evidenced by our recent leap to a three-star CPA rating is, I believe, in part due to the innovative work we undertook in this area. Finally, the vision and strategy agreed between the politicians and the executive must be made real – it's vital that key outcomes are agreed for every single project and the deliverables monitored. Otherwise it becomes impossible to provide proper governance and reporting, both internally and to the electorate. This focus needs to be target-based, so success can be measured by the take-up of the community and the effects on the council and other key partners. An example of this approach in Havering can be seen in the success of the libraries programme or streetcare-improvement agenda. We have also had the lowest council tax increase in London, four years in a row. So, if you follow these steps, will it work? Well, it did for us. During the last Havering administration, we delivered 98% of our manifesto pledges. This gives our community the confidence that we, the politicians they have elected, will carry out the pledges described in our successful manifesto. The public need to know we don't give empty promises and that we can point to the projects which have already been achieved. And a recent public survey shows we are getting it right – 66% of Havering residents are satisfied with their area as a place to live, not least because of the improvements to the communities and environment we have delivered. n Michael White is leader of Havering LBC
