Delivering improvement at a time of remorselessly changing circumstances is the hardest challenge for any senior management team to make. But for Derby City Council, the challenge was to drive through an ambitious innovation programme on a shifting platform of political instability driven by minority political administrations. In each of the previous four years Derby had experienced four different leaders and four administrations, with four political manifestos to implement. Long-term planning and decision-making had been hampered by an annual election cycle with polls held in three out of every four years. Despite these governance obstacles, Derby has seen innovation as the route to improved service delivery. To date 70% of savings have been transformational efficiencies, and only 30% achieved through reducing or axing services.
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