The bi-weekly newsletter from the North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership
Issue 4, May 30 2008
In This Issue Carry on Collaborating CUPID - live and kissing Sub-regions in the money Partners' proposals accepted Councils train to gain savings	WELCOME to NWIEP NOW!, the bi-weekly newsletter from the North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership.  We want to hear good news stories and lessons learned from councils in the region that relate to improvement and efficiency or partnerships/collaborations.  Anyone with news to be included in NWIEP NOW!  should contact us.

Carry On Collaborating

MEMBERS are taking up the invitation from the NWIEP to Carry on Collaborating.

The first of the sub-regional roadshows that will put people in the picture about collaborating in their region is being held at the Rheged Centre in Penrith on June 20.

The dates and venues for the other three Carry on Collaborating roadshows are:
Merseyside - June 27 at World of Glass, St Helens, Merseyside.
Lancashire - July  11 at Preston North End Football Club, Deepdale, Preston.
Cheshire - July 18 at Mere Golf and Country Club, Mere, Knutsford.

Members will be invited to Carry On Up The Jungle by conservationist and motivational speaker Steve Morris who will reveal how the public sector can learn from the animal kingdom.

There'll be the opportunity to Carry on Spying - we'll lift the lid on new ways of thinking around collaboration. There'll even be an opportunity to Carry On Loving  - we'll explain how the new database - CUPID - will boost collaboration across councils and across the region.

To register a place on the roadshows contact Emily Turner on 0161 342 3982.

CUPID - live and kissing

THE NWIEP's collaborative dating database - CUPID - is now live.

Information about collaborative projects being undertaken in Cumbria, Merseyside and Lancashire has now been entered onto the database and the NWIEP has now written out to one named person in each authority asking them to ensure that their authorities' projects are uploaded.

Once fully populated, CUPID will be an important resource for existing and new collaborative projects in the region. More importantly, it will be a tool for prompting further collaborations.
For further information, contact Emily Turner on 0161 342 3982 or Emily.turner@tameside.gov.uk

Sub-regions in the money

THE funding for the sub-region's improvement and efficiency programmes has been approved by the NWIEP Management Board.

The £4.2 million was agreed at the inaugural Board meeting on May 20.

Each of the sub-regions made a submission for a total of 60 per cent of the NWIEP's funding allocation and they had consulted extensively to ensure their submissions fully reflected the improvement and efficiency ambitions of their local authorities and partner agencies.

The funding was approved by the Board subject to the sub-regions providing a detailed break-down of costs for each project and agreeing clear milestones for delivery of results.

The NWIEP's core team will now develop a suitable performance monitoring framework against which each of the projects can be measured.

In addition, the team will also work with the sub-regions to identify any gaps between the current funding allocation and the priorities stated in the NWIEP strategy.

Partners' proposals accepted

THE NWIEP's partner agencies for efficiency and improvement have had their funding approved for the next 12 months.

There are around 10 improvement and efficiency partners who will each now receive a specific allocation from the NWIEP to support the delivery of projects focused on the NWIEP's priority areas which include transformation and the citizen, climate change, member development and community empowerment.

Again, the funding is subject to agreement on appropriate performance monitoring.

A full list of the NWIEP's improvement and efficiency partners - and their proposed programme delivery - is on the NWIEP's web site home page. www.nwiep.org.uk

Councils train to gain savings

FOUR more councils have signalled their intent to take up the free business process improvement training being offered by the NWIEP.

Barrow, Cumbria, Rochdale and St Helens plan to put 58 members of staff through the training. That adds up to annual savings of more than £382K; the free training offers an NVQ Level 2 and saves, on average, £6,600 per annum, per participant.

Training lasts 12 to 16 weeks and takes place at the officers' own place of work.

Said Rosemary Ramirez, NWIEP Transformation Programme director: "Staff completing the training get a recognised qualification NVQ 2, a more efficient way of working and, perhaps most importantly, the opportunity for them to transfer their training to other departments, thereby multiplying the savings."

A total of 230 people in the region have now undergone training under the programme.
Councils can still apply for training places simply by contacting rosemary.ramirez@tameside.gov.uk

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