The Scottish Government

Bid number (for EG use)

Lead bidder

West Lothian Council

Brief description of the aims of the project

The project partners are West Lothian Council, Lothian & Borders Police, the Scottish Court Service and the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service ( COPFS). The organisations have a requirement to seek alternative accommodation in the near future and the project provides an integrated solution through collocation of services.

The objective of the project is to provide an efficient and flexible workspace for the delivery of efficient, effective public services at the point of greatest need of users taking advantage of major working partnership opportunities.

The project will achieve this by:

• Breaking down sectoral barriers to provide joined up services
• Reducing transactional and operating costs and increasing operating flexibility through new working practices and shared procedures and systems.

Clear description of what the EGF money would be used to buy

The EGF money would be used to help fund a partner shared flexible workspace providing a more efficient and effective delivery of public services in the 21 ^st century. Funding would contribute to breaking sector barriers to provide joined up services and reduce operating costs whilst increasing flexibility through new working practices and a shared location.

Partners to the project likely to commit resources

West Lothian Council, Lothian & Borders Police, the Scottish Court Service, and Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service.

Names of other organisations with whom the project has been discussed (to assist the introductions process)

The project has also been discussed with Lothian Health Board and the local children's panel administration.

Evidence that suggested approach has been deployed successfully elsewhere

A similar project (the Warwickshire Justice Agencies project) has been undertaken in England, involving various partners including the Police and Courts. The project has been a success and has gained national recognition in achieving more efficient and effective services through closer working within a shared location. There have been numerous performance and resource benefits including:

• Improved facilities for victims and witnesses, and suspects and offenders
• Elimination of inefficient working processes through shared location
• Increased efficiency of communications and IT systems
• Cost savings achieved through joined up working and reduced accommodation costs.

In relation to the Warwickshire project actual benefits surpassed expectation, with added benefits evolving post-collocation as a direct product of initial integration.

The West Lothian project will replicate the achievements of the successful Warwickshire model, but will extend the scope of integration to include council services.

Are there any restrictions to enlargement of the project ( i.e. number of partners)

It is not anticipated that any additional partners will be involved in the initial project, however there is substantial scope to extend integration in the medium term to other agencies operating within West Lothian.

The initiative has the potential to provide a model for service provision throughout Scotland.

Benefits projected from the project

Benefits will accrue in relation to transactional reform, increases in productive time, rationalisation of support functions and internal efficiencies. Some of the major benefits will include:

1. Police Witness Time - currently an average of eight West Lothian Police Officers attend court in Linlithgow and Livingston as witnesses each day - each spending 4 hours there. The proposed shared workspace will allow officers to remain on police administrative duties in the shared premises until called to give evidence so allowing for a more effective and efficient use of Police Officer time.
2. Custody Arrangements - currently there are multiple movements in secure vehicles between police stations and courts. A shared workspace will result in the replacement of the three existing custody suites, at the police station at Livingston, the District Court/Sheriff Court annexe at Livingston and the Sheriff Courthouse at Linlithgow, by a single, multi-purpose custody facility, so minimising the need for prisoner transfers. Custody officers provided by private contractors will manage prisoner movements therefore releasing police officers for other duties.
3. Shared Production Storage - there are currently complex procedural arrangements in place regarding transfer of productions between the police, the Procurator Fiscal and the courts. Under a shared workspace a single police-managed production store would be established. This would have the benefits of reducing administration and transportation costs.
4. Criminal Justice Unit - the current difficulties in co-ordination of the citation system would be reduced through a shared workspace. This would allow the collocation of legal document servers and case management unit with the Procurator Fiscal, which would help to ensure all relevant parties attend court at the right time. Similar improvements could be made in relation to warrant arrangements.
5. Community Partnerships - A shared location would lead to more effective joint working between partners in areas such as community safety, road safety, licensing and child protection.
6. Social Work Criminal Justice Team - accommodation constraints at the existing Sheriff Courthouse prevent the co-location of the SWCJT, leading to inefficiencies and delay in the throughput of court business. This would be overcome with the creation of the shared workspace.
7. Support Service Efficiencies- this would be achieved through savings generated by the shared location. These relate to costs associated with facilities management etc.

As with the Warwickshire project, it is likely that substantial additional benefits will accrue following collocation and the commencement of joint working, including the potential to further develop integrated services for victims of crime, witnesses and members of the public who need support on legal matters.

Estimated financial projections

Total

2004/5

2005/6

2006/7

2007/8

Overall project cost

£43.8 m

Capital Expenditure will be incurred in the period to September 2008.

Estimated projected benefits

£750,000

0

0

0

Financial benefits will accrue from 2008/09 onward

Including productive time, these are currently estimated at up to £750,000.

Is a pilot required - see guidance notes

No.

Additionally: why is EG funding required

Efficient Government Funding is required to assist in establishing an innovative partner shared workspace that will provide more efficient and effective public services for the 21 ^st century. The funding will help to ensure delivery of a project that will result in a sustainably more efficient public sector through genuine joint working from a shared location.

Both cash releasing and time releasing efficiencies will be generated as a result of the project.

The proposed project is of national significance and although all partners are committed to the delivery of the project there are understandably funding issues to be resolved in undertaking the project. Monies from the Efficient Government Fund would reduce the capital resources required for the project, this being an issue which is currently causing some concern for the Court Service.

Does this project complementary in anyway to other EG work

The project is clearly linked to transactional, support service & productive time, and internal efficiency themes. There is also potential for some procurement efficiency to be incorporated into the project.

Is stage 2 development funding requested?

Stage 2 development funding would be used to complete a full business case.