This week, Wokingham Borough Council has launched its new blueprint – a key document for staff which sets out the council’s ambitious transformation programme.

Planning for the council’s transformation programme began two years ago when current changes to funding and policy by central government were just speculation. Wokingham Borough Council has taken to heart the need to forge a different relationship with the community; demand for services is growing, people expect to be able to choose tailored services and this is happening within a shrinking fiscal envelope. The council realised it couldn’t carry on doing things the same old way.

The blueprint outlines what the council will look like in 2013 and beyond and the means by which the borough’s needs will be met. The focus will shift from the traditional way of delivering council services to one where each community’s needs will be identified and services delivered specifically to meet those needs.

The blueprint also looks at the vehicles for delivering those services and whether there are others who could do it better – such as the private sector, a shared service with another council or public sector partner, or by setting up a wholly council owned private company. Some progress has already been made in this area with the recent launch of Optalis, the council’s adult social care provider company and Shared Legal Solutions, a joint legal service between Wokingham Borough Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

Wokingham Borough Council’s chief executive Susan Law said: "More than two years ago we launched our transformation programme to respond to the challenges facing the public sector. We want to be a council that is responsive to the needs of its residents and one which delivers services that really make a difference in the borough. That is why our blueprint is so important in providing our staff with a roadmap of how we will change and evolve in the coming years."

Although the blueprint has been designed specifically for staff, an executive summary is available for borough residents, council partners and any other interested parties to view.