EHJ August 2005, pages 24-25

The Hampton review calls for more joint working between councils. Vickie Gracie Langrick and Heather Bruce show how Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire are ahead of the game

Earlier this year Philip Hampton threw down the gauntlet to councils. In one of the largest studies of regulatory services ever undertaken, the former chair of Sainsbury's challenged local authorities to radically change the way they work. Business is suffering from too much regulation and overlap, he claims, too much time is spent form filling, not enough advice is on offer and when things go wrong penalties are inconsistent, often too small and ineffective.

In short, the report questions the way that local government interacts with business and challenges local and central government to be more joined up in their approach. In response the government intends, through the Local Authority Better Regulatory Group (Labreg), to ensure regulatory services such as environmental health better prioritise their activity with greater consistency between councils.

While environmental health has not been singled out for specific consideration by a new agency in the same way that a Consumer and Trading Standards Agency has been proposed for trading standards, the profession needs to consider how it can take on board the lessons emerging from the work following Hampton, especially in the area of joint working.

Some authorities have already taken steps to work more closely by creating opportunities for joint working and by doing so have reaped the benefits of a more consistent coordinated approach. Two such schemes are the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire environmental health co-ordinator and the trading standards regional co-ordination scheme.

HERTFORDSHIRE AND BEDFORDSHIRE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COORDINATOR

In June 2002, heads of council environmental health services in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire took the innovative step of pooling financial resources to appoint a regional coordinator. The post holder was tasked with exploring where economies and efficiencies could be gained and to see how better cooperation between authorities could be best achieved. In line with Hampton's recommendation the project's aim was greater consistency of standards, policies and procedures across the two counties.

By agreeing a constitution between departments, the coordinator's first step was to improve communication while encouraging better work planning and accountability. Everyone also had to agree to prioritise. The strengthened groups could then coordinate their own work programmes, whether contaminated land, food sampling or air quality, with the coordinator acting as an extra resource to project manage when timescales falter or when staff changes cause problems.

The potential for cross boundary working is not new. Work already takes place with mystery shopper type exercises and joint pest and animal control contracts. New areas being explored include noise nuisance work and sharing officer expertise in unusual enforcement situations (see info box).

A recent review of the coordinator role has revealed that the increasing pace of change within local government and calls for greater consistency and partnership working employing a coordinator is now seen as essential to providing a modern environmental health service."Spreading the cost of employing a coordinator has really helped us turn good intentions for joint working into reality," said Nick Long, Chair of Herts & Beds Heads of Service Group and head of environmental health at Welwyn Hatfield Council. "Despite the pressures on budgets we feel that finding the money each year helps us deliver real outcomes across the region".

TRADING STANDARDS REGIONAL COORDINATORS

The regional trading standards coordinators, originally pump primed with money from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and now jointly funded between DTI and local authorities, have been in existence across the UK for just over four years and in some areas for longer than this. They have been praised for their contribution to the development of trading standards nationally and regionally. They have been tasked with looking strategically at the needs of their region and with supporting the heads of service in local authorities. Most are employed by a lead authority within their government region and are subject to the direction of the collective chief officers. However, two coordinators are currently planning to set themselves up as consultancies and will be employed by the regions in this capacity.

The diversity of the regions they represent is reflected in the diversity of the work the coordinators undertake, but their common purpose is to assist their authorities to work collaboratively and share best practice. They are also required to make the best use of available resources and help meet the government's modernisation agenda.

In most regions the coordinator produces the annual plan. These define goals for joint working through sub groups and may include the development of joint sampling and project plans. Other common tasks include developing common polices and procedures, coordinating responses to consultations or other proposals and arranging training.

Jonathan Rees, formerly director of the DTI consumer and competition policy directorate said the original DTI funding of the coordinators is "one of the best small amounts of money the DTI has ever spent".

WHAT ROLE FOR COORDINATORS POST HAMPTON?

A recent review of the Herts and Beds coordinator role has revealed that the increasing pace of change within local government and calls for greater consistency and partnership working mean that employing a coordinator is now seen as essential to providing a modern environmental health service. "Spreading the cost of employing a coordinator has really helped us turn good intentions for joint working into reality," said Nick Long, Chair of Herts & Beds Heads of Service Group and head of environmental health at Welwyn Hatfield Council. "Despite the pressures on budgets we feel that finding the money each year helps us deliver real outcomes across the region".

Vickie Gracie Langrick is policy officer for Lacors and Heather Bruce is communications officer for Lacors.