Tag: V4 Services

On the Value of Testimonials and Case Studies

“Blue Marble have been instrumental in driving the transformation programme forward and in supporting our journey to excellence. They have helped us to turn our strategic vision into operational reality providing programme management support with enthusiasm, clarity and an approach totally suited to our needs. I have no hesitation in recommending them to other public sector organisations.”

John Richards, Director of Children’s Services Peterborough City Council
Blue Marble

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“Peterborough city councillors met last night to discuss a thirty three point action plan designed to rescue their ailing Children’s Services department. Last week a report from OFSTED said the Department was performing poorly. It follows another critical report in September which led to the resignation of the Department’s Director John Richards.”

Peterborough Children’s Services – A Long Way to Go.

08:23 Tuesday 15th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
Continue reading “On the Value of Testimonials and Case Studies”

Peterborough Children’s Services in Crisis: Consultants Named

07:07 Friday 25th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Peterborough City Council’s Children’s Services has a new Director, looking after the department. It was confirmed yesterday a super-consultant is to be brought in to try and improve it, which  was criticised by Ofsted in September. Now one city councillor is questioning how truly successful consultants have been when tackling the same job in the past. Let’s speak to Cllr Mike Fletcher. Morning Mike.
MIKE FLETCHER: Good morning Paul. ..
PAUL STAINTON: Now how many consultants have had a go at Children’s Services in say the last three or four years? How many different companies have had a go at sorting it out. Continue reading “Peterborough Children’s Services in Crisis: Consultants Named”

Peterborough Children’s Services – A Long Way to Go

Peterborough city councillors met last night to discuss a thirty three point action plan designed to rescue their ailing Children’s Services department. Last week a report from OFSTED said the Department was performing poorly. It follows another critical report in September which led to the resignation of the Department’s Director John Richards. .. We can now talk to Adrian Loades. He’s the new Director of Children’s Services at the city council.

08:23 Tuesday 15th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Peterborough city councillors met last night to discuss a thirty three point action plan designed to rescue their ailing Children’s Services department. Last week a report from OFSTED said the Department was performing poorly. It follows another critical report in September which led to the resignation of the Department’s Director John Richards. .. We can now talk to Adrian Loades. He’s the new Director of Children’s Services at the city council. Morning.
ADRIAN LOADES: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Wouldn’t want your job.
ADRIAN LOADES: Thank you. Well clearly it’s a busy time, and you’ll be aware that I am currently on secondment from Cambridgeshire, working in Peterborough. So I’m coming to the end of that assignment in the next fortnight.
PAUL STAINTON: What a mess you’ve got to sort out Adrian, eh? Continue reading “Peterborough Children’s Services – A Long Way to Go”

Transformation with V4 Services and Verto in Peterborough

Many will remember that the subject of consultants has been rumbling on here, ever since Cllr Mike Fletcher asked some difficult questions back in January 2010 and later. If this means nothing to you, and you’d like to find out more, here is as good a place as any to start.

If you’d rather have a quick summary, here it is. Peterborough City Council have spent many millions per year on consultants, in order to achieve claimed savings of many more millions. Others dispute the benefits. What follows is one person’s interpretation of the situation.
Continue reading “Transformation with V4 Services and Verto in Peterborough”

Use of Consultants – Council Statement

08:35 Friday 25th March 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: Yesterday we brought you the outcome of the inquiry into whether Peterborough City Council is spending too much money on consultants. The three-man panel made 31 recommendations to the Scrutiny Committee, and called for the process of hiring consultants to be made more transparent. PCC couldn’t put someone up to talk to us, because the report will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting in June, but they did send a statement.

VO: “Peterborough City Council has some of the best controls in the country for managing and monitoring its use of consultants. We are already implementing many of the recommendations in the report as part of our drive for greater transparency, and ensuring we are always providing the best value for money for our taxpayers. Over the past 4 years we’ve been able to take £68 million out of our budget because of this work. We’d like to thank the consultants who’ve worked for us in the past, and those who continue to work for us, for sharing their expertise with our staff to enable us to improve the skills and knowledge we have within our own workforce.”

ANDY GALL: And in today’s Evening Telegraph you can get Council Leader Marco Cereste’s thoughts and comments on the report.

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Interesting Times

Council Calendar:
7pm 16th March 2011: Sustainable Growth Scrutiny Committee
7pm 23rd March 2011 Sustainable Growth Scrutiny Committee – EXTRAORDINARY.

Report on consultants delayed.
THE results of a study into Peterborough City Council’s spending on consultancy have been delayed until next month.
An independent task group of councillors has been reviewing the amount spent on consultants since it was set up in March. (2010)
The group had planned to present its findings at the Sustainable Growth Scrutiny committee last night but this has been put back because the review has been expanded as “other lines of enquiry have been identified”.
Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Thu Feb 03 2011

The Peterborough City Council Consultant Spending Report Saga

An extraordinary series of delays are leading some to conclude that Peterborough City Council is stalling on delivery of its report into the massive amount of money it has been paying to a group of consultants.
Continue reading “The Peterborough City Council Consultant Spending Report Saga”

Peterborough Childrens’ Services Poor

John Richards came on the radio this morning to explain why OFSTED gave Peterborough City Council a “poor” rating for its Childrens Services.

Here are the extracts from the OFSTED report that relate to the failings:
Continue reading “Peterborough Childrens’ Services Poor”