What is Best Value?
The Local Government Act 1989 requires Council to review all sections of its operations to ensure that the services provided to the community represent ‘Best Value’, that is, transparency of service delivery and decision making. Services are reviewed using the following principles:
- Responsiveness to community needs.
- Accessibility by intended service recipients.
- Continuous improvement.
- Regular consultation with the community.
- Performance standards.
- Regular reporting on outcomes of Best Value.
All Council activities were allocated to one of ten service groups and these were progressively reviewed over 2000 – 2005, with the process being completed in June 2005, six months ahead of schedule. Best Value Reports were generated as part of this process.
Service Group |
Details |
|
Transport Services |
Sealed Roads (includes program 2795, Roads to Recovery), Unsealed Roads, Footpaths and Bicycle Paths, Aerodromes, Road Furniture, Line Marking and Car parks. |
|
Family and Children Services |
Family Day Care, Maternal and Child Health, Pre-schools, Out of School Hours Care, Mobile Vacation Care, Children’s Services Resource Development Officer and Youth. |
|
Economic Prosperity |
Business Facilitation Services, Tourism Services, Caravan Parks, Stock Selling Complex, Industrial Estates and Pioneer Settlement Businesses. |
|
Community Well-being |
Public Health, Food Safety and Communicable Disease Control, Building Control, Statutory Planning, Arbovirus Disease Control, Emergency Management Services, Animal and Stock Control, Regulatory Services, Parking Controls and School Crossing Supervision. |
|
Aged and Disability Services |
Home and Community Care, Respite Care, Personal Care, Home and Property Maintenance, Senior Citizen Centres, Meals on Wheels, Aged Accommodation, Personal Care Packages, Planned Social Activities. |
|
Waste Management |
Collection of Household Waste (garbage and recyclables), Collection of street and park litter bins, Operation of regional recycling facility, waste reduction education and operation of Landfill sites. |
|
Community Amenity |
Drainage, Environmental Services, Urban Streetscapes, Street Beautification, Public Conveniences & Rest Centres, Public Lighting, Street Cleaning. |
|
Recreation, Culture & Leisure Services |
Parks and Gardens, Recreation Reserves and Other Sporting Facilities, Aquatic Facilities, Indoor Sports Facilities, Art Gallery, Arts (performing) – Cultural Promotion, Regional Library, Pioneer Settlement Museum, Lake Boga Community Centre, Manangatang Community Centre, Nyah Community Centre, Robinvale Community Centre, Swan Hill Town Hall, Halls and Other Public Facilities. |
|
Leadership & Governance |
Council, Corporate Management, Community Facilitation Unit (incorporating Grants and Contributions), Strategic Planning. |
|
Organisational Support |
Maintenance of Council Owned Buildings, Engineering Services (design and management of projects), Special Charge Schemes (works undertaken at cost to adjoining property owners), Municipal Offices (management and maintenance of), Robinvale Resource Centre, Acquisition & Disposal of Council Properties (as determined by Council), Financial Services (incorporating Financing Activities), Information Technology Services (computers and systems), Information Management (Records), Customer Services & Revenue Control, Commercial Services & Risk Management, Asset Management (infrastructure assets), Depots, Human Resource Management, Plant & Fleet Management. |
Best Value requires that quality and cost standards be developed for each service. The standards are designed to aid the community in determining whether a service is effective (quality) and efficient (cost). Quality and Cost standards and targets have been prepared for each service, and are reported against annually, the results of which are available in the‘Best Value Quality and Cost Standards’ report.
As part of reporting to the community, Council developed a series of brochures for each of the service groups reviewed. The Best Value Commission 2004 Annual Report commended Council for our innovation in developing the brochures as a method of reporting to the community and increasing the community's understanding of Best Value. The brochures allow the reader to gain an overview of services, quality and cost standards and measures, key issues and outcomes, as well as the staff organisational structure, photographs and contact details of key staff.
Future of Best Value
In consultation with all Victorian Councils, guidelines are currently being developed by the State Government (Department for Victorian Communities) on the next phase of Best Value. The focus will be on how to integrate continuous improvement processes throughout the organisation.
Benchmarking
Involved in setting quality and cost standards is a consideration of ‘best on offer in public and private sectors’, or benchmarking. To facilitate the benchmarking process in a cost effective manner, eleven Victorian councils with similar characteristics, dubbed the ‘Super 11’, was formed. It was agreed to benchmark services common to each of the participating Councils. The following topics have been benchmarked:
- Risk Management
- Leisure Services
- Customer Service
- Statutory Planning
- Finance
- Waste Management
- Fleet & Plant
- Home and Community Care (HACC)
- Local Laws
- Parks & Gardens
- Local Roads
- Community Consultation
- Governance
- Environmental Management
Swan Hill Rural City Council led the process for parks and gardens. Information was shared on a wide range of issues, including equipment used, staff skills, policies, and recognition of risk management issues. Increasingly the group focused on the driving issues and what their Council may need to do to position themselves to meet both legal and community expectations.
Much of the information shared at all of the benchmarking groups is of a confidential nature, so documentation is unable to be provided.
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