www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Shared Service Centre
Shared Service Team for Wiltshire County Council
Background
As part of the planned replacement of finance, HR, procurement, payroll and performance management systems, Wiltshire County Council have been reviewing the best way to deliver business support services in the future.
Many Local Authorities have found that whilst there are benefits in replacing these core business functions with a single integrated system the full benefits of doing so can only be achieved by reviewing the support services that the system underpins. As a result, they have chosen to create new co-located Shared Service Teams responsible for the delivery of core business support functions.
The decision to create a Shared Service Team within the Department of Resources in 2008 was approved by Cabinet on 25 September. This will see the combining and co-locating of staff mainly from the finance, HR, payroll and procurement teams in order to deliver greatly improved transactional and business support services to our customers.
Benefits
- centralise and co-locate services like finance, HR, payroll management, invoicing, ordering common goods and services and a range of other transactional services
- an integrated centre of expertise for business support, increasing overall performance and quality for customers
- freeing up operational staff in departments to focus on providing advice, performance and planning support to service managers, based on information provided by the Shared Service Team
- significant financial savings for the authority, at a time of considerable financial pressure
Areas of Responsibility
Although the majority of processes are triggered by a requirement in a service department, i.e. ordering goods or services, recruiting a member of staff, raising invoices, etc. the Shared Service Team would undertake all of the routine transactions associated with these processes.
Adoption of this approach would free up the operational staff in departments to focus on providing strategic advice, performance and planning support to service managers, based on information provided by the Shared Service Team.
Other authorities who have introduced a Shared Service Team include Waltham Forest, Surrey, Glasgow, Barnsley and Oxfordshire, whilst Gloucestershire is currently in the implementation phase. In one local authority spendings of £6m have achieved a gross saving of £4m per year and a net annual saving of £2.5m per year. One of the greatest benefits within other authorities is the gain to council tax payers with greatly improved customer services and better value for money.
Location
Geographical location of the Shared Service Team is a key consideration. There are significant advantages to co-locating all Shared Service Team staff, rather than having one or more functions separate as today. HR and payroll would certainly need to be co-located because within SAP* payroll is a function of HR. Finance is similarly linked to procurement. SAP* processes are so integrated that general efficiency will be improved by having all Shared Service Team staff working in the same office. (SAP is the name of the company supplying the software.)
We would like the Shared Service Team to be a modern and well equipped facility, making it an attractive place for people to work. It will be necessary to find premises that either meet these criteria or that can be adapted.
Timescales
Detailed work to define the scope and the location will take place over the next 6 months. Staff and unions will be consulted throughout about the processes involved in establishing the centre and selecting staff. In relation to One Council, the introduction of the new systems will provide the foundation for the transformation of business support across the new authority.
Questions
Answers to some questions that you may want to ask have been prepared. However if you require any further information please contact the project team ausing the contact details at the foot of this page.
Why are we doing it?
Evidence shows it is a better way to deliver business support services in the future, improving service quality and reducing our costs, whilst also creating a support team that can effectively deal with peaks in demand.
When will it happen?
Following a detailed planning and preparation phase the core Shared Service Team would go-live late 2008 with further phases rolling-out over the next three years.
Will the Shared Service Team mean job losses?
We will need less people to carry out the functions than we currently have, but we will work hard with staff to identify redeployment opportunities and minimise any losses.
Are you going to consult staff?
Discussions with staff and unions have already started, but both staff and unions will be consulted throughout the implementation process.
What opportunities will it provide?
By creating a large, multi-functional team opportunities for career development will be significantly increased. Staff will be able to extend their skills and experience whilst working in a modern, performance driven environment.
Where will the Shared Service Team be located?
No decision has been taken at this stage in relation to location but we will keep you informed every step of the way.
Has this happened because of One Council?
Partly, although without One Council for Wiltshire we would have had to do this anyway.
I don’t work in support services, will it affect me?
The Shared Service Team would initially provide support to the whole council for finance, HR/payroll, procurement and reporting, so if part of your current job includes tasks that relate to these core business functions, you would be affected. The extent will depend on how much of your job is taken up by these tasks.
All other staff will be indirectly affected in that they will deal with a single team for all of their finance, HR/payroll, procurement and reporting needs.
How will it be decided who gets what jobs?
We want to provide opportunities for staff from across all of the five organisations. To achieve this we will develop and consult on the development of an equitable process over the next six months or so.
Where and when can I find out more?
You can contact the project team at Wiltshire County Council using contact details below.
Contact Details
By Post
BMP Programme Office
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
By Email
Specific queries on the Shared Service Team
sharedserviceteam@wiltshire.gov.uk
By Telephone
01225 713105
