Transforming Service Delivery: Building a Robust Delivery Unit for Birmingham City Council

The 'Why'

Birmingham City Council needed a way to streamline service delivery and ensure long-term efficiencies across the council. 

Building on the proven methods used by the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, we helped Birmingham to establish the Chief Executive’s Delivery Unit (CEDU) as the central team supporting the Chief Executive, Board, Leader, and Cabinet in achieving the goal of improving delivery of core council services.

What we did 

• Recruited a tailored team We recruited an experienced team for the new CEDU drawing on expertise from both within and outside the council, including former public sector professionals. This ensured a deep understanding of the council's specific needs and fostered strong working relationships.

• Data and Analysis: We provided a tailored approach for using data and analysis to understand delivery challenges to better guide decision making.

• Developed a Robust Methodology: We collaborated with our newly formed team to create a comprehensive methodology and toolkit for deep-dive reviews. This allowed us to efficiently identify service delivery areas for improvement, alongside their impact on wider council efficiency.

• Deep-Dive Reviews: We conducted in-depth service reviews in the following areas:

  • Waste Collection - to help the waste service understand why missed collections were taking place and what actions needed to be taken to improve first-time collections and reduce complaints. 

  • Poverty - to better understand the impact of Covid-19 and subsequent government funding on communities, and what was needed to sustain the support provided during the pandemic. 

Outcomes

• Established Expertise: The CEDU is now an established team at the corporate centre of the City Council, with a substantive team in place to provide challenge and support to other services that need help to improve their delivery. 

• Improved Service Delivery: By implementing our recommendations, Birmingham achieved significant improvements in service delivery across several areas. 

• Streamlined Operations: The overall approach led to a more streamlined and efficient council operation, maximizing resource allocation and service impact.