Projects

Project
Oxford Section 42 Review

Client
Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council

Happold Consulting are working with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council to review the current division of highways maintenance activities under Section 42 arrangements. Oxford City Council’s in-house engineering team maintain all the non-principal roads within Oxford City, with Oxfordshire County Council being responsible for all other highways maintenance across the county. 

The review has involved a series of interviews with key members of staff to understand the issues they currently face and the advantages and disadvantages of potential changes to the delivery model. Cost and performance data was analysed in order to validate the effectiveness and value for money of current arrangements.

Throughout the review we have focused on the key issues facing both authorities – driving efficiency, maximising capability and capacity, and providing a flexible and responsive service to the residents of Oxfordshire.

Having determined the key drivers for change, we developed a set of assessment criteria for a number of potential delivery options. The final stage of the review is a collaborative workshop with representatives from both authorities to achieve consensus on the best option to present to the Council’s members. 

Project
Transfer of Undertakings (Protection and Employment) Regulations (TUPE) from Borough to County

Client
Dorset County Council

Happold Consulting have been working with Dorset County Council since May 2009 project managing a TUPE transfer on their behalf. The project involves the creation of a ‘Transitional Action Plan’, covering all activities and milestones for the transfer of staff. This included consultation; council, member and union approval; management information transfer; service transfer and the maintenance of customer service throughout this period.

The main focus of the success of this project has been the engagement of internal stakeholders, specifically, affected staff and their managers. In order to ensure as trouble free a transfer as possible, a comprehensive communications plan was created which ensured regular and timely updates for all employees as decisions were made. In addition, regular face to face sessions were held to ensure that each individual had opportunities to discuss their options and to ensure all staff continued their employment in the new service delivery model.

We also ensured the TUPE employment regulations were adhered to, and that plans were prepared not only for the transfer of staff (to include pay, pension, contracts etc) but also the information they held as part of their role.   

Finally, we worked with the customer facing team to ensure that public service was seamless during the changeover, that calls were directed to the right area and staff were trained to receive service specific requests for information.

Services
Business Improvement
Change Management
Procurement Support