Transformation Strategy 2022 - 2027

Foreword

Chief Executive

Welcome to Carmarthenshire County Council’s Transformation Strategy which will cover the period 2022-27. 

This is the first time that the Council that has produced a Transformation Strategy, and it is intended that this will provide the strategic framework to drive a programme of significant change and transformation across the organisation over the next 5 years.

This will provide an opportunity to build on the success achieved by the TIC Programme over the past 10 years, and to widen the scope and impact of the programme to enable it to support the delivery of other key Council priorities.

There is no doubt that the experience of the last two years and dealing with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, has been one of the most challenging periods ever faced by this Council. As we emerge from the crisis, we are faced with another set of challenges, but also significant opportunities to transform the way that we work and deliver our services.

The experience of responding to the pandemic has increased expectations about the use of technology moving forward, and it will play a significant role in modernising and transforming the way that we work in the future. This is an opportunity to fundamentally review ‘why’ and ‘how’ we deliver our processes and services.

The role of staff will be key to delivering this transformation, as they are often best placed to understand what areas that we need to change and improve. We know that the response of staff in sustaining service delivery in the face of the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic was both creative and dynamic. Carrying this ethos forward is a keystone of this Strategy, and I would encourage our staff to take every opportunity to participate in what is an exciting programme of transformation over the next 5 years.

Leader

I am very pleased to be able to introduce the Council’s new Transformation Strategy. The implementation of this Strategy will play a vital role in supporting the delivery of the aims and objectives set out in our new Corporate Strategy, which will cover the period 2022-2027.

Although the last 2 years has brought unprecedented challenges for this Council, it could be argued that the last decade has been a period of constant challenge for local government. The UK Government’s decision to significantly reduce public expenditure as a response to the financial crisis of 2008 resulted in severe budget challenges for local government which lasted for a period of almost 10 years. 

The fact that we were able to continue to deliver high quality services during a period when service demands was also increasing, is testament to the innovation and creativity shown by Council staff in identifying ways to deliver services in more efficient ways.

The Council’s TIC Programme has played a significant role in this by helping to encourage the cultural and behavioural changes and supporting a change in thinking about ‘what we do’ and ‘how we do it’. As elected members, we are always pleased to hear how the TIC team is working with colleagues to find better ways of working, often resulting in improvements to the cost and quality of services.

The next few years are likely to be as equally, if not more challenging, as external cost increases are likely to place extra strain on financial budgets. We are also likely to continue to see significant increases in demand for services such as social care in this post-Covid period, together with increases in customer expectations also heightened during the pandemic. This programme of change will allow the Council to look to the future with confidence and continue to deliver our ambitions and priorities for the benefit of our residents of our county.