The Scottish Government

Bid number (for EG use)

Lead bidder

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Bill Howat
Chief Executive
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Sandwick Road
Stornoway
HS1 2BW
bhowat@cne-siar.gov.uk

Brief description of the aims of the project

1. Investigate the potential ways in which public sector organisations in the Western Isles can collaborate and share support services to improve the efficiency and quality of delivery of public services.
2. Improve the governance arrangements for these services to ensure better local representation, accountability and focus.

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

1. Fixed-term staff costs to assess, project manage and report on potential collaborative proposals, and to manage implementation.
2. ICT assets to support above work
3. Accommodation costs to support above work.

It should be noted that preference will be given to procuring services and supplies locally to ensure that the maximum benefit of the project is felt in the Western Isles and to support community sustainability. This in no way runs counter to our other legal obligations.

Partners to the project likely to commit resources

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

NHS Western Isles

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

Lews Castle College

Northern Constabulary

Western Isles Enterprise

(Potential partners all of whom have not yet been formally approached could include SERAD, Coastguard, Customs & Excise, Jobcentre+, SEPA, Fisheries Protection Agency, SNH, Sheriff Clerk, Visit Scotland, Voluntary Action Lewis, Children's Panel, H&I Fire Brigade, Scottish Ambulance Service)

Evidence that suggested approach has been deployed successfully elsewhere

1. The first phase of the project will assess any other similar projects in the UK and elsewhere and establish whether other similar integration activities (for example, between English County and District Councils) have been successful.

2. The second phase of the project will assess existing limited co-operation activities within the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar area and evaluate whether they can be successfully upscaled.

Are there any restrictions to potential for enlargement of the project ( i.e. technology, number of partners etc)

The only restrictions in this specific case arise from the geography of the Western Isles. The common principles of this project can be upscaled to any size of local authority/Health Board joint venture and used as a template for other support service partnerships.

Benefits projected from the project

1. Financial Efficiency - Ensuring the collaboration of support services across the local public sector will enable economies of scale and permit the islands to 'punch above their weight' as a single working entity.

2. Time Efficiency - Providing local expertise across the public sector will encourage public sector workers to collaborate and share expertise and this will lead to savings in time taken to complete major projects.

3. Impact upon local economy - the positive effects of pan-public sector efficiency will provide an example of co-operation which can be replicated across the local business community.

4. More efficient business processes - the activity required to compare and make compatible shared business processes will provide an end to end audit. The new arrangements will ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness.

5. Providing locally sustainable career paths - the local public sector suffers from very high 'start-up' costs to recruit and retain skilled workers to the islands where local skills are not available. The project will encourage cross-sector working and ensure that skilled staff look to local public sector alternatives when seeking promotion, thus preventing a wasteful outflow of talent which has then to be expensively re-imported.

Benefits projected in 20008/9 are expected to be recurring thereafter.

Estimated financial projections

Total

2005/6

2006/7

2007/8

2008/9

Overall project cost

£270,000

£300,000

£230,000

Estimated projected benefits

-

£200,000

£300,000

£400,000

Is a pilot required ? - see guidance notes

Yes.

This proposal will require an initial scoping and feasibility stage to ensure that all partners' technical questions can be resolved within the ambit of the project.

However, the project can then go on to full implementation without further reference to the EGF provided all the initial questions posed in the pilot have been satisfactorily answered. There is scope for other partners to join the project at this second stage.

Additionally: why is EG funding required?

All partner agencies are committed to the success of this project but due to funding constraints and additional externally-imposed requirements, none have sufficient time and resources free at present.

This project will provide the dedicated time and resources to ensure that the exercise is properly planned, properly consulted upon and properly implemented. Without the E.G. funding this project cannot succeed other than in the most superficial way. Experimental joint working elsewhere in the islands has only been successful when all relevant professionals have been fully involved and consulted. If funding is provided, then a template can be created which can be used to further and sustain the initiative to other areas of work or to other agencies.

Is this project complementary in any way to other EG work?

This project fully supports the aims of the E.G. philosophy and will deliver more efficient spend to the public purse. However, it is unique because of the particular demands and requirements of this remote island group. Alternative ventures with mainland consortia have been considered and rejected as the effect of time and distance eroded any other gains which might have been made.

Is Stage 2 Development Funding requested?

Yes.

The implementation phase of the project constitutes Stage 2 Development funding. Further details is given in support of this bid in the course of the text which follows.