Public Sector TRI*M – Helping to Deliver Best Value

Conclusions

In the provision of local services, local authorities are in the unenviable position of being required to allocate scarce public resources in an efficient and effective way across a wide range of competing services. Local authorities also need to fulfil their commitment to continuous improvement in public services and the delivery of Best Value, while keeping public expenditure within reasonable limits.

The results shown above demonstrate how the Council can prioritise resources in the short and medium term. We have suggested concentrating efforts of the areas that appear to be most important for customers (with high Stated Importance and high Real Relevance) but which the Council is not excelling at the moment. We have also suggested secondary emphasis to be placed on ‘Hidden Opportunities’.

Of course, local authorities always need to counterbalance their own strategic and policy objectives alongside public opinion. It may be that political imperatives mean that resources need to be directed towards some ‘Hygienics’ or ‘Potentials?/Savers?’ areas. These may be key policy areas, such as traffic calming in residential areas, improving communication with customers and tackling crime and fear of crime.

This paper shows how the TRI*M Analysis can also be used to inform the budgeting priorities local authorities must make, allowing them to spend their available resources in areas that would appear to be of most concern to local residents and impact most on their views of the Council’s performance. Using TRI*M as a service prioritisation tool can, therefore, directly contribute to the goals of continuous improvement and the delivery of Best Value services.