Hampshire Councils

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Planning Officers Group (HIPOG) comprises the Chief Planning Officers from each of the 14 county, unitary and district councils. HIPOG wanted to explore ways in which the 14 local planning authorities could work more "collaboratively" in town planning, an area in which there are significant recruitment and retention challenges.

Working individually and collectively with the 14 local planning authorities, Amtec developed a robust business model to facilitate the sharing of valuable internal resource and the joint procurement of external support. The collaborative working study followed five key steps: scoping, baseline review, options appraisal, development of recommended model and final reporting. The final report and business case detailed the recommended business model and included a costed roadmap. The business case demonstrated that the greater the engagement across organisations, the more benefits were possible. The critical success factor implicit throughout the assignment was the need to gain consensus to a new collaborative business model. Amtec engaged all participating authorities at every step of the project. An inclusive approach meant that a model was developed that was practical, sensitive to the requirements of each authority and yet robust. Early wins and longer-term goals were set and, crucially, a consensus was achieved.

A clear momentum was established across the region to put in place pilot arrangements that would test the model at the levels recommended and reap the anticipated benefits. The approach is a potential model, not only for other planning groups, but also for other service areas as authorities continue to explore opportunities for improved customer services and greater efficiencies.