Simon Walsh – Financial Services Manager
Slowly but surely, I am making connections with our Associate base who support Service Planning and Financial Services.
If we’re yet to connect I encourage you to reach out as suits for an introductory discussion.
Victoria appears to be victim to financial professional supply shortages and as we head into the current period of budget finalisation it is apparent by the nature of support requests we are receiving.
This is not exclusive to Victoria, with similar labour shortages evidenced across the Eastern Seaboard of Australia.
If you wish to pursue further placement opportunities, I encourage you to reach out to myself or Malcolm McKenzie to update your details and discuss your availability.
Our recent release of financial ratios was met with increased interest on recent year distributions with a high uptake of CEOs requesting this data.
NEWLY INTRODUCED As part of extending to our associates benefit of association, a council specific ratios data pack will be made available to Associates ahead of Victorian placements so that you may provide immediate insights upon commencement.
Service Planning & Review Frameworks
The sector nationally is grappling with the fundamental challenges of making purposeful Service Planning integrate and effective within the complexity of Council service portfolio & shifting custodians of governance.
CT Management Group has for over 5 years been working with Councils in the emerging space of Service Planning and has led 30+ Service Planning engagements.
This has been meaningful and timely work given:
Victoria: Section 106 – LGA 2020 – Service Performance principles mandate the following:
- A Council must plan and deliver services to the municipal community in accordance with the service performance principles.
- The following are the service performance principles –
- Services should be provided in an equitable manner and be responsive to the diverse needs of the municipal community.
- Services should be accessible to the members of the municipal community for whom the services are intended.
- Quality and costs standards for services set by the Council should provide good value to the municipal community.
- A Council should seek to continuously improve service delivery to the municipal community in response to performance monitoring.
- Service delivery must include a fair and effective process for considering and responding to complaints about service provision.
New South Wales: All NSW councils and joint organisations are required to have an audit risk and improvement committee and mooted amendments foreshadowed for 2023 have the effect of establishing a degree of accountability of the committee and the General Manager for having ability to attest annually as to effective performance monitoring, service review processes and continuous improvement frameworks. A systematic approach will be required to deliver such outcomes.
Over the past 6 months, CT Management has re-visited the extensive learnings, tools and processes taken in these all-unique Service Planning inception efforts to develop a new product.
The Service Planning Platform to be launched in Autumn 2023 is the culmination of an external facilitation tool being enhanced for client use and encompasses:
- Establishing a database of annually updated and evolving Service Profiles that provide varying audiences suitable whole-of-council visibility.
- Enabling Service Demand driven Service Profile 10-year forecasts which can be aggregated and via CT Management LTFP product provide long term financial scenarios.
- A weighted-score Service Assessment process to allow Service Review prioritisation to fulfil and systemise Councils requirements (including legislated) for continuous improvement.
I look forward to a hosting an Associate launch session to introduce those interest in our Service Planning Consulting approach and our exciting new product.