Post on 17-Mar-2020
Building Standards Service
Balanced Scorecard
2017-2018
Key Contact
Aaron Kerr – Building Standards Team Leader
1
Shetland Islands Council
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction and Balanced Scorecard Statement page 2
2. Building Standards Verification Service Information page 7
3. Strategic Objectives page 10
4. Key Performance Outcomes page 12
(Professional Expertise and Technical Processes,
Customer Experience and Operational and Financial Efficiency)
5. Performance Data page 23
6. Service Improvements and Partnership Working page 24
Version Date. Details of Change/s
1.0 April 2017 2017/18 Balanced Scorecard Q1
1.1 October 2017 2017/18 Balanced Scorecard Q2
1.2 January 2017/18 Balanced Scorecard Q2
2
Shetland Islands Council
1. Introduction
Welcome to the most northerly building
standards service in Scotland. Shetland Islands Council strives to provide a first
class service to everyone in Shetland, irrespective of background or whether you are
resident or just visiting.
The Council is accountable for the services it provides and this document, our
balanced scorecard, sets out what we do and how we work. The Service constantly
looks for ways in which we can improve our core business of delivering a first class
assessment (verification) service to everyone involved in the construction industry,
whether they are a construction professional or simply a user of the built
environment in Shetland.
Balanced Scorecard Statement
This balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management tool that is used in
business organisations to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the
organisation, improve internal and external communication, and monitor
performance against strategic goals.
Building Standards verifiers in Scotland are required to use the balanced scorecard
as a means to manage, monitor, review, and develop strategies for their business
with a focus on the core perspectives of Professional Expertise and Technical
Processes/ Quality Customer Experience/ and Operational and Financial
Efficiency.
Cross-cutting themes of public interest and continuous improvement are also
applied.
“The pre-submission discussion we find is very useful and a good help when
preparing warrant applications. I feel this service needs to be kept available from
your team if possible.”
“Pre-application discussions and advice are very helpful and allows designs to be progressed to warrant application stage with more confidence.” Quotes taken from responses to our SurveyMonkey® Customer Questionnaire
“The most useful Council meeting I’ve ever attended”
Feedback given after a Focus Group Meeting
3
Shetland Islands Council
Location and Environment
Shetland sits approximately equidistant from Aberdeen, the Faroe Islands and
Norway. Shetland Islands Building Standards Team provides a verification service to
an island community of approximately 23,240 people. This figure represents a 3.2%
increase from the previous year’s figure and the population is spread over 15
inhabited islands, with approximately 7,500 people residing in Lerwick town
situated on the ‘mainland’.
Shetland encompasses an area of 1468 km2 (567 sq miles) and a unique coastline
which is almost 2702km (1679 miles) long. No part is further than 5km from the sea.
The capital, Lerwick, is the largest settlement with the remainder of the population
dispersed throughout the rural areas. Much of the countryside is given over to peat
land with small settlements found at intervals along the main roads. Despite Council
support in the past for an ‘area focus’ in order to maintain rural communities many
services, including the Council’s new North Ness headquarters, are centred in
Lerwick. This is the main settlement in Shetland and is the main port of entry for
ship-borne tourism, commercial fishing and oil related enterprises.
The importance of the geology of Shetland, some 3 billion years in the making, was
acknowledged in the granting of Geopark status in 2010.
Discovery of oil rich geological strata in the 1970s led to the establishment of a vast
oil related industry which continues to provide steady employment and relative
financial security for the community. Further development of the gas fields around
Shetland has resulted in major investment in the form of a new gas sweetening plant
at Sullom Voe and related infrastructure, some of which has been warrantable.
4
Shetland Islands Council
Shetland Islands Council Area
5
Shetland Islands Council
Employment
The main employers are Shetland
Islands Council (in its various
guises), NHS Shetland, Lerwick Port
Authority, Highlands and Islands
Airport Authority, Bonded
Warehousemen, Transport and
Logistics companies, Shipwrights,
Engineering and Marine Fabricators,
Wholesalers and Retailers, the
Farming, Fishing and Aquaculture
Industry, and Tourism. 99% of the
employable population within
Shetland are in employment. Lerwick Harbour ©AJarden
Our Services to Others
The S.I.C. Building Standards Service delivers a comprehensive and responsive
verification service for both Domestic and Non-Domestic construction activity to all of
the above sectors and to the general public. This includes assessment of
applications for building warrant, enforcement of the building regulations, inspection
of, and dealing with, dangerous structures. Additionally the Service provides support
to the Licensing Board and licenses Cinemas, and Hypnotist’s performances.
The Service works closely with other Council departments such as Development
Management, Housing, Roads, Legal, and Finance. We also liaise with the Fire and
Rescue Service, the Occupational Therapy Department of NHS Shetland, and with
Disability Shetland to foster consensus for the benefit of all.
Anyone considering building in Shetland will be able to avail of the full range of
construction related skill sets. Shetlanders are renowned for their self-sufficient
qualities and the local architectural/ construction/ engineering industries serve the
community proud in the areas of commercial and domestic design and construction.
6
Shetland Islands Council
Development Services Directorate Organisational Chart
The present structure is the result of a general Organisational and Management
Review that took place in 2011-2012. The reporting structure is such that technical
and business support staff report directly to the Building Standards Team Leader.
Changes were made in 2012 to provide a uniform process of assessment. This
involved removal of the area-officer based approach previously undertaken. This
approach matches that used within Development Management and is intended to
promote equality and consistency concerning the technical assessment of all
applications.
Through the implementation of Single Status the Council has introduced minimum
academic standards for our Business Support Officers with training provided, where
required, to permit achievement of an SVQ3 level qualification in business
administration.
Our Building Standards Surveyors are all members of at least 1 relevant professional
body. The ARB, CABE, and CIOB are represented within the team and provide a
broad range of experience and qualification within the Service.
Chief Executive
Director of Development Services
Executive Manager-Planning Service
Development Plans & Heritage Team Leader
Development Management Team Leader
Building Standards Team Leader
Building Standards Surveyor x 4
Business Support Officer x3 (P/T)
(shared with Dev Mgt)
Receptionist-Planning Service
Marine Planning
Manager
Housing
Economic Development
Community Planning & Development
Transport Planning
7
Shetland Islands Council
2. Building Standards Verification Service Information
Public Interest Statement
The purpose of the building standards system is to protect the public interest. The
system sets out the essential standards that are required to be met when building
work or building conversion takes place in order to meet building regulations.
The building standards system checks that proposed building work meets the
standards; inspections are limited to the minimum necessary to ensure that
legislation is not avoided. The control of work is not down to the system but is a
matter for contracts and arrangements in place between a builder and client.
Verifiers, appointed by Scottish Ministers, are responsible for the independent
checking of applications for building warrants to construct or demolish buildings, to
provide services, fittings or equipment in buildings, or for conversions.
Building Standards sits within the Development Services Directorate and is an
integral part of the Planning Service based at the Council’s North Ness Headquarters
(currently at Train Shetland, Gremista). Our co-
location with the remainder of the Planning Service
assists clients and staff alike through convenient
transfer of information between the complimentary
services of Planning and Building Standards.
Our verification work broadly concerns warrant
assessment and inspection, and the assessment of
defective and dangerous buildings:
Verification consists of the receipt and processing of applications and fees for
building warrant or the assessment of late completion certificates. Initial
assessments of defective of dangerous buildings may be included here.
Engagement (with users of the service) to promote the relevant aspects of the
building standards system. This includes pre-application consultation work,
responding to requests for clarification of guidance documents and consideration of
alternative solutions. Good working relationships are fostered through Developer
Workshops and the local focus group. Clear communications help everyone to
understand what the priorities are and where their respective responsibilities lie,
whether they are an owner, a developer or builder, or a member of the Service.
Inspections of completed work or work in progress may be supplemented by other
evidence. However, the service available is not intended to mirror that of a clerk of
works, nor should it be seen as the line of first resort where an owner fails to
maintain their property.
8
Shetland Islands Council
Enforcement is almost always the last resort when all other avenues of education
and persuasion have been exhausted. Examples of areas where the Council may
exercise such powers include where building works have been carried out without
the required warrant or where works have not been carried out in line with a building
warrant. Once the available evidence has been reviewed and, where appropriate,
legal advice has been sought, consideration will be given to the issue of the formal
paperwork.
Where owners do not or cannot carry out the necessary works the Council may carry
out the necessary works and seek repayment of all reasonable expenses or seek a
charge upon the property, recoverable from any future disposal of the property.
Recent LABSS survey shows that there is little appetite for becoming involved with
defective buildings.
Shetland by numbers:
1 Global Geopark 19 hours of midsummer daylight 138 sandy beaches 567 square miles of islands
639 miles of good roads 1679 amazing miles of coastline 6,000 years of history
6,080 archaeological sites 23,240 people 54,000 gannets 200,000 puffins
9
Shetland Islands Council
Shetland Islands Planning Service Organisational Chart
Executive Manager –Planning Service
Iain McDiarmid
Building Standards Team Leader
Aaron Kerr
Surveyor
Eilidh Eunson
Surveyor
Magnus Laurenson
Surveyor
Martyn Robertson
Surveyor
Alan Goudie
Receptionist
Jill Garriock
Business Support Officers (P/T)
Fiona Sutherland
Lucy Arthur
Julie Rosie
Monitoring & Liaison Officer
(Frozen- under review)
Coastal Zone Manager
(Vacant)
Marine Planning Officers x2
Roads Officer
Coastal Defences and Flood Risk Engineer
Colin Smith
Development Management Team Leader
John Holden
Planning Officers (DM) x 6 and Business Support Officers x2
Enforcement Officers
Norman Sineath
Development Plans and Heritage Team Leader
Suzanne Shearer
Planning Officers (DP&H) and KIMO Officer with relevant Clerical Officers
Mapping Services and first level ICT support
John Carolan/Lucy Wheeler
10
Shetland Islands Council
3. Strategic Objectives
Meeting the Corporate Plan
Shetland Islands Council’s Corporate Plan for 2016-2020 has been refreshed. Of the
Top 5 priorities Building Standards can relate with:
Completion & occupation of the new Anderson High School & Halls of
Residence
Increasing the supply of affordable housing
Supporting more older people across Shetland to remain as independent as
possible
All directorates remain under pressure to remove reliance on the Council’s financial
reserves and work within their means. The cost of providing services continues to
rise, in part due to the demands of an ageing and increasingly more vulnerable
population and as a result of reduced Government funding. Building Standards will
continue to support the improvements and changes made within the built
environment in accordance with the Council’s priorities. For more information please
refer to the refreshed Corporate Plan on the Council’s website at
www.shetland.gov.uk.
The over-arching goal/vision of the Service
The goal of the Service is to provide value to the construction process within
Shetland through timely verification and intervention in relation to the duties ascribed
by the Scottish Ministers.
Departmental priorities for 2017-2018
Continue to develop processes for the eBuilding Standards system
Working within pre-agreed budget and strict financial restraints
Helping the Council to meet the demands of a balanced budget
Maintaining full complement of Building Surveyor staff to meet Service demands
Emphasising the importance of timely notification and inspections of work stages
Working to the Directorate and Corporate Plans
Integrating new business support staff processes and continuous improvement of
back-office systems
Meeting career development and training obligations (ERDS)
11
Shetland Islands Council
Meal Beach, Hamnavoe ©AJarden
The Key strategic objectives for the coming year (aligned with the continuous
improvement plan)
> The successful implementation of eBuilding Standards
> Reducing the Council’s demand on reserves
> Finding innovative ways of delivering the service with an ever decreasing
budget
> Meeting all financial directions given by the Executive Director and Executive
Manager
> Improving our understanding of the Uniform/ Enterprise back-office systems
> Considering how we do business with others and they do business with us
> Meeting National reporting requirements
> Finding the best way to provide warrant and inspection services
> Maintaining morale within the Service
The team continually works together to find ways in which we can minimise the time
taken to process and provide warrant assessments and carry out inspections of
work.
Areas under continuous review include validation procedures/ availability of
information/ task management using the Enterprise system/ and weekly updates on
performance and progress. A wholesale review of internal policies and publicly
available information is also ongoing as part of the continuous improvement
requirement (KPO9). Team meetings are held bi-weekly and records of agenda and
actions arising are kept.
12
Shetland Islands Council
4. Key Performance Outcomes – (Professional Expertise and Technical
Processes, Customer Experience and Operational and Financial Efficiency)
Professional Expertise and Technical Processes
Protocols for dealing with work
A full suite of protocols exists which deals with how the Service works internally to
assess warrant applications and completion certificates. The aspects of internal and
external consultation are also covered.
Whilst these protocols have been audited previously by the BSD and the Council it is
recognised that demands change with time and new national risk management
controls have emerged with regard to reasonable inquiry. Work is ongoing to ensure
that the protocols reflect nationally agreed parameters and local expectations.
The Enterprise management information system (MIS) is used to co-ordinate
consistent workloads across all Surveyors. The same system is used to handle
inspection requests in order to maximise time and minimise costs. Enquiries are
dealt face to face during duty officer hours or by making contact with the caller as
soon as possible thereafter.
Variety of work
We engage in the assessment of a wide variety of building types; recent examples
include airport terminal refurbishment and renewals, the creation of the Sumburgh
Head visitor centre, accommodation for the TOTAL gas sweetening plant at Sullom
Voe, and the new Anderson High School at Lerwick.
Given that Shetland is a small community all of these projects are very much in the
public eye.
Working together
We continue to work closely with our development management colleagues to
provide free advice to applicants through our pre-application consultation service.
Access is presently available Monday to Thursday from 9.00 until 10.30, with other
times available by appointment. Amongst the positive benefits of our new office are
the ease of arranging face to face meetings at short notice and the abundance of
interview/meeting rooms which makes for a better customer experience.
Whilst there is no obligation to provide a building standards pre-application
consultation many users report that the service is worthwhile and it is hoped that,
whilst not a statutory service, it can be retained.
13
Shetland Islands Council
Performance management systems
Performance managements systems include the Service Plan, Balanced Scorecard,
Building Standards Service Improvement Plan, time monitoring, internal (self) and
external (consortia) peer review, and periodic management overview.
Training and development/ CPD
Training and development needs are established through individual employee review
sessions, and as the situation requires; such as with the introduction of new or
revised software and processes. The Council requires that training needs be
assessed regularly in conjunction with the needs of the individual and the Service.
Training plans and budgets are now centralised within the HR Service.
Our business support officers are fully qualified in accordance with the single status
review and hold, as a minimum, an SVQ3 qualification in business administration.
Close links are maintained with the BSD, LABSS, and external suppliers through
direct attendance by staff at LABSS AGM and general meetings, local developers’
workshops and via online CPD events hosted by professional bodies such as RICS,
CIOB, CABE, RIAS, and product manufacturers.
Electronic communications such as video conferencing, webcasts, and email play a
significant part in keeping up to date with industry and political developments. Video
conferencing and Webinar facilities are available within the Council infrastructure
and, when appropriate, help to reduce travel costs.
Continuing Professional Development is maintained through attendance, sometimes
in the evening, at related events run by CIOB, RICS, and CABE. We continue to
explore ways of developing further CPD events through partnership working with
those companies who provide sales and training support to the construction industry
and suppliers within Shetland.
Some major sites in Shetland, notably those dealing with the petrochemical industry,
require visitors to demonstrate competency in site safety. We maintain professional
links with the HSE and each surveyor is qualified through the Construction Skills
Certification Scheme and carries appropriate accreditation.
14
Shetland Islands Council
Benchmarking/shared services/partnership working
The Highlands and Islands Consortium (for the
Council areas shown in red) provides opportunity for
benchmarking, discussion and peer review. It is most
likely that, given the increasing cost of travel, such
liaison will continue mainly through electronic
methods such as email and web/telephone
conferencing.
Shetland Islands Council continues to look for better
ways of working through partnering and
consolidation. Imaginative collaboration, such as that
demonstrated by the Building Efficiencies
programme, has sought to find efficiencies through
sharing of resources between the Council and NHS
Shetland. We will continue to look at how other
services and resources may be shared.
Joint working is a hallmark of the Planning Service in Shetland where easy
communication exists between the various teams; most often between the building
standards and development management teams for aspects such as flooding risks.
Partnership working with our customers already exists with good working
relationships fostered between Building Standards and the remainder of the Council,
including Housing and Capital Projects. In such cases it is important to bear in mind
that the Service has a responsibility to act impartially; a point which is sometimes not
fully appreciated by other Council services who only see building standards as
another Council department rather than as an impartial Verifier.
The developers’ workshops and focus group have provided the ideal platform over
the past 4 years for changes to be discussed with our stakeholders and to promote
the message that the building standards are there to be met, not merely strived for.
Overall the standard of application which we receive now is of a better standard than
previously seen and suggestions offered at developers meetings appear to be
adopted
Commitment to work together on technical issues
We remain committed to working together, with all parties, to ensure consistency in
our assessments and predictability of outcome for the applicant. Shetland Islands
Council is a signatory to the Scottish Type Approvals System (STAS), administered
by LABSS, which seeks to eliminate un-necessary replication and assessment of
designs already warranted by other Scottish Local Authorities.
15
Shetland Islands Council
Succession planning
The failure to provide a balanced budget by 2015 and the continuing drawdown from
reserves will mean further cuts in services. Our operations will have to be tailored to
whatever reduction in budget is decided by senior management for 2017-18.
Quality Customer Experience
Customer communication strategies
We communicate with our customers by letter, email, by phone, or directly face to
face depending on the situation and circumstances. The Council provides alternative
methods of communication for any person who requires information in an accessible
format suitable to their own needs.
A recent customer questionnaire established that the majority of our customers
prefer face to face contact. The remaining options in order of priority are: by email,
by letter, by online portal (under consideration), and by using social media (under
consideration).
Charters (local/national)
The Building Standards customer charter is published online and is also available to
read at the reception area at our office. The wording, carefully chosen with the
assistance of the Council’s Plain English advisor, gives an overview of what we do,
our key performance targets, the obligations upon the applicant, and a request for
feedback on our operations. The National Charter template is described as being
complementary to the Local Charter.
Shetland Islands Council continues to provide a modern and accessible service
using both the local and national charter parameters.
Engagement
Our developers’ meetings serve as a platform to advise stakeholders, predominantly
professionals, of forthcoming changes and to promote discussion on pertinent
matters. The Service continues to be proactive in the press with pertinent information
being communicated through articles and press releases. Building Standards is
represented at the Education Service’s career guidance evening and will take a
stand at the bi-annual Shetland Ideal Home Show in September 2015 to encourage
an interest in the building standards amongst potential home owners.
We work within the Highlands and Islands consortium to assist in the transfer of
information and opinions and to meet our peer review obligations.
16
Shetland Islands Council
Accessibility of Service
We provide an open and transparent service and are happy to receive suggestions
from our customers as to how we might improve the existing level of accessibility.
Duty Officers are available on every morning from Monday to Thursday and also by
appointment.
Escape Route
Customers who care to complain about the level of service provided have recourse
to the Council’s own complaints procedure, or in the event of refusal to issue a
warrant the Sherriff Court. This remains a viable alternative to the ‘escape route’
process which is embodied in KPO 3. Nevertheless, as part of the Highlands and
Islands consortium and a signatory to the verification appointment Shetland Islands
Council, as verifier, acknowledges the opportunity which the published KPOs offer
and the option of customer agreements, available through the KPO3 mechanism, is
made apparent to applicants.
Dispute Resolution Process
If you disagree with an interpretation of the Building Standards that the Building
Standards Authority is adopting in the consideration of a building warrant that you
have submitted or will require to submit you may request an interpretation through
Local Authority Building Standards Scotland. The Dispute Resolution Process deals
with disputes relating to technical and procedural processes. This does not remove a
local authorities’ formal comments and complaints processes.
Recognised external accreditations
Following Audit Scotland’s positive report Shetland Islands Council continues to
review Service expenditure. In the meantime we continue to look for ways to improve
the customer experience by working smarter to provide a first class service to our
customers. Shetland is a close-knit island community which hitherto has been
provided with, and demands, a high level of service delivery; following 3 years of
financial prudence and pruning there appears to be an acceptance within the wider
community that the cost of service provision has to be sustainable.
17
Shetland Islands Council
Operational and Financial Efficiency
Team Structures (e.g. Area Splits/ Specialist Teams)
The assessment of a building warrant requires the Council to have proficient
administrative and technical capabilities and the team comprises skills in each
discipline.
Administration and Business Support
The administrative process for the Planning Service as a whole was subjected to
rigorous scrutiny in 2010-2011 as part of the implementation of the IDOX UNI-form
back office system. This highlighted certain pressure points on the administrative
aspects within Development Management and steps were taken to reinforce
business support by sharing officers between planning and building standards.
Senior management recognise that the business support element for the Planning
Service is a specialised function which should be kept within the Planning Service,
and exempted from the corporate rationalisation of administration.
Initial receipt and acceptance of any warrant application is the responsibility of the
business support officers who inspect the application to ensure that the application is
complete and the necessary fee has been paid. Once registered on the UNI-form
system the application is passed to the lead building standards surveyor, and the file
scheduled for technical assessment by an appropriate surveyor.
Building Standards Surveyors
Technical officers are assigned powers to assess, and approve warrant applications
and to carry out appropriate inspections to ensure that construction work meets the
building standards. Each officer possesses membership of at least one professional
body; all but 1 at full corporate level.
Revised procedures ensure that each officer’s workload can be managed and
monitored, with appropriate adjustments taking into account capacity and aspects
such as annual leave and other approved absences. For large scale and
complicated projects the technical officers work collaboratively under the guidance of
the Team Leader; this ensures that officers can experience unique projects beyond
the routine.
Periodic assessment of files and joint inspection with officers provides sufficient
management review at this time.
Officers are reviewed annually to establish what went well, where improvements
might be made and what training needs need to be met. In actuality the smallness of
the team and the close working which exists means that problem areas are identified
18
Shetland Islands Council
and minimised. In-team discussion on applications under assessment is encouraged
and aids consensus and the adoption of a unified position.
Specialist areas
Collectively the team holds considerable experience in construction matters;
qualifications held include the fields of Architecture and Building Surveying. Qualified
support for evaluation of sound testing results is available in-house via the
Environmental Health Service.
Appropriate checks are conducted on chosen engineered solutions, where the SER
option has not been taken, using in-house Council resources, with costs invoiced as
a recharge against the warrant income.
Training has been undertaken to provide in-house expertise for the purposes of
checking submitted energy calculations such as SAP.
The existing technical officers have a wide range of experience in the construction
industry. Collectively the team boasts over 100 years combined service in the
legislative field of building control/building standards.
Employee Review and Development reports are completed annually in line with
Council policy to ensure that training needs are established and planned for. The
training requirements and related costs are then planned corporately.
Time recording systems
The Council operates a Flexible Working Hours system and leave is managed
electronically. Cover is arranged to ensure that a response can be provided to any
enquiry within corporate timescales, such as a reply within 5 days. Review of the
Council’s services places emphasis on meeting our statutory obligations. Back-office
administration is monitored using the Enterprise system.
Financial monitoring/governance
Financial reporting is conducted through the Council’s INTEGRA system. Financial
Accountancy provides scheduled monthly updates. Service costs and income can be
directly compared against current and past records. The Building Standards Team
Leader is named as a budgetary responsible officer, with ultimate budget
responsibility resting with the Executive Manager-Planning Service.
19
Shetland Islands Council
IT systems
An intensive review of the administration systems used within the Planning Service
in 2010 resulted in the adoption of the IDOX UNIFORM back-office administration
system.
This system is presently under review as part of the readiness work involved with the
adoption of the new e-planning and e-building standards portal later this year.
The team works aims to maintain consistency of operation and ICT support is
obtained from the Council’s own IT Service, the IDOX helpdesk, and the IDOX User
Group.
The Service now uses the IDOX Enterprise system for monitoring of workloads by
the entire team, with individual tasks assigned or agreed at weekly meetings.
Data Handling
Since the introduction of the Uniform database system data handling procedures
have been continually reviewed to provide solutions which meet both internal and
external demands.
In answer to customer demand the service continues to offer submissions on a 50%
paper plans and 50% electronic plans basis. The applicant benefits from reduced
print costs and time spent by staff in scanning files is reduced. This work will help
inform the development of the emerging E-Building Standards process.
Workflow processes
Our IDOX Enterprise system provides real-time updates and prompts for both
warrant applications and inspections. This is updated daily by the Business Support
team and assessing Surveyors. Monitoring of workloads is by peer review with an
over-watch by the Team Leader to ensure equity and drive a consistent approach to
warrant assessments and related activities.
Financial Systems
Comments in 2010/2011 from internal audit regarding the raising of invoices for
internal applications were noted and procedural changes made to ensure that
income is not delayed. With the exception of warrant applications eligible for 100%
discount all building warrant applications are required to be accompanied by the
required fee. Internal applications are now accompanied by the requisite journal.
The administration team process these applications in accordance with agreed
protocols, which includes carrying out an initial check to ensure that the appropriate
fee has been paid. Amendments to warrants are treated in a similar way.
20
Shetland Islands Council
Payment may be made by cheque/cash/ credit or debit card and by journal (for
internal Council applications).
The Planning Service works closely with the Finance Department and financial
records are accessed through the INTEGRA financial system.
Records are retained on the Uniform system for subsequent reporting to the Scottish
Government. Our performance monitoring and reporting is now carried out
electronically through the ScotXed portal.
Internal Communication Strategies
Opportunities to inform and listen to the staff are available through face to face
discussion/ staff meetings / management meetings and corporate news briefings.
The team works with other Council departments to help develop an understanding of
the building standards and to emphasise the exemplar role and responsibility that the
Council has regarding any in-house warrantable work.
Review of operations has become a constant team activity to promote consistency of
understanding and application in everything we do.
The bi-weekly planning team meeting is used to promote decisions made at the
Corporate and Directorate management team meetings which are relevant to the
Planning Service and how our work affects and is affected by other Services. The
meeting is also used to inform others on what the various parts of the Service are
doing, to advise on forthcoming events and changes, to advise on any training
opportunities, and to provide a sounding board for information intended to be passed
up the chain of command. Guests are invited on occasion to speak on areas of
interest. Reports on seminars and courses attended by others are included when
appropriate.
The meeting is usually chaired by the Executive Manager-Planning Service. Ample
opportunity is given for all staff to attend although the duty officers for each part of
the Service remain on-call.
Work is ongoing to provide fibre-optic broadband availability throughout Shetland to
stimulate business opportunities. Corporate information is available to our staff via
the intranet and supplemented by regular team and Service meetings.
23
Shetland Islands Council
5. Performance Data Summary of performance against Key Performance Outcomes & Targets.
KPO TARGETS
1.1 1.2 3.1 3.2 4.1
95% of first reports (for building warrants and amendments) issued within 20 days – all first reports (including BWs and amendments issued without a first report).
90% of building warrants and amendments issued within 10 days from receipt of all satisfactory information – all building warrants and amendments (not including BWs and amendments issued without a first report).
National customer charter is published prominently on the website and incorporates version control detailing reviews (reviewed at least quarterly).
95% of BSD requests for information on a BSD ‘Verifier Performance Reporting Service for Customers’ case responded to by verifier within 5 days.
Minimum overall average satisfaction rating of 7.5 out of 10
Performance 2017/18 Q2
76.47% 85.71% Published
prominently (with review)
No cases referred to BSD 'Reporting
Service' 7.4
Performance 2017/18 Q3
89.29% 89.58% Published
prominently (with review)
No cases referred to BSD 'Reporting
Service' 6.5
KPO TARGETS
5.1 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2
Local Authority
Building standards verification fee income to cover indicative verification service costs (staff costs plus 30%).
Details of eBuilding Standards are published prominently on the verifier’s website.
75% of each key building warrant related processes being done electronically (Plan checking; BWs and amendments (and plans) issue; Verification during construction; CC acceptance)
Annual performance report published prominently on website with version control (reviewed at least quarterly).
Annual performance report to include performance data in line with KPOs and associated targets (annually covering previous year e.g. April 2016 – March 2017).
Performance 2017/18 Q2
96.46% Published
prominently 2 of 4 done
Published prominently (with review)
Includes all performance
data
Performance 2017/18 Q3
46.03% Published
prominently 3 of 4 done
Published prominently (with review)
Includes all performance
data
24
Shetland Islands Council
6. Service Improvements and Partnership Working In the previous 12 months (2016/2017) we did:
Number Continuous Improvement action Status
1 Implement National eBuilding Standards System Complete
2 Review of operational procedures Complete
3 Improve performance against national targets Complete
In the next 12 months (2017/2018) we will do:
Number Continuous Improvement action Status
1 Ensure terms of the Verifiers Operating Framework met/implemented March 2018
2 Work to achieve targets set out in the National Performance Framework
March 2018
3 Address actions for improvement set out in Appointment of Verifiers March 2018
4 Continue and improve benchmarking leading to service improvements March 2018
In the previous 12 months (2016/2017) we worked with:
Highlands and Islands Consortium Group
Other Local Authorities via Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS)
Local Development Management Service
Local Agents and Developers through Developers Workshops.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Internal Structural Engineers
In the next 12 months (2017/2018) we will:
Engage with other local authorities and groups e.g. LABSS
Engage with local agents and developers through meetings and workshops
Engage with external stakeholder organisations and groups
Commit to work together on technical issues
25
Shetland Islands Council
Shetland Islands Council
Planning Service
Building Standards
Train Shetland Office
Gremista Ind Est.
Lerwick
ZE1 0PX
Telephone 01595 744293
Email: building.standards@shetland.gov.uk