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Welcome to Corporate Services

The Corporate Services Directorate is set up to meet the management and information needs of the County. Our aim is to provide top-quality customer focussed services to the public, to elected Councillors and to the staff whose work we support.

Patrick Birch - Director of Corporate Services

Corporate Services currently employs around 465 staff in total a ross a diverse range of disciplines. Corporate Services Performance Plan 08-09 Directorate Leadership Team (LT) Units and Teams within Corporate Services The net budget for 2008-09 is £34.542 million A proposed £50m joint library and history centre project, in partnership with University of Worcester, will be the first of its kind in the UK.

The directorate is currently managing the Council's accommodation project, including the relocation of staff, more efficient use of space and encouraging flexible working. A training and development strategy for Councillors is in place and is being rolled out.

Major property initiatives on the agenda include the Bromsgrove schools PFI, the Wyre Forest Review of Education and the proposed joint library. Two new customer service centres have been opened, Upton-upton-Severn and Tenbury Wells. October 1st saw the creation of a new Legal and Democratic Services division as a result of a merger following the Council's restructuring. Our website is rated in the top 60 of 528 council websites in the UK and our Web Services team has developed an online access portal for the Worcestershire Hub.

Stephen Clee - Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Services

Corporate Services Performance Plan

Click on the link below to access our Performance Plan.  This highlights the achievements of the directorate for the previous financial year and sets out our key objectives for the current year, as well as listing the consultation exercises we have and are planning to undertake.

Corporate Services Performance Plan 2008-09

Units and Teams within Corporate Services

Corporate Services provides customer focused services across a wide and diverse range of disciplines. These services affect the daily lives of many who live, work and study in Worcestershire.

Our Directorate:

Manages the Council’s £1.5 billion property estate to ensure that property adds value to front-line service delivery by providing the right property at the right time in the right condition in the right place. This is being achieved by the introduction of Directorate service asset strategies that will provide better connectivity between service directorates, future plans and aspirations and the property requirements to underpin that service

• Drives organisational development, workforce planning and effective people management practices for the Council and provides a wide range of human resource services
  
• Enables the democratic process by supporting County Councillors, managing the Council’s political processes, and organising elections
  
• Provides facilities management of County Hall and other key buildings
  
• Develops and supports the Council’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and provides design and print services
  
• Provides Legal Services to the Council
  
• Runs the Council’s Consumer Relations Unit, including the management of complaints procedures·
  
• Leads the Council’s work on E-Government and improving access to our services via the Worcestershire Hub·
  
• Ensures the Council meets Best Value and legislative requirements by providing professional advice, guidance and support to all Directorates on the procurement of goods, works and services· Provides Project Management resources and expertise and leadership on significant Capital Projects to enable the Council to deliver a wide range of change management programmes·
  
• Takes the lead on the development and delivery of the Council’s major Capital projects, including PFI and other specialist funded programmes
  
• Takes the lead on the identification and implementation of Shared Service opportunities with partner organisations· Provides access to loans for college courses for Herefordshire and Worcestershire students.