Inform Newsletter Spring Summer 2015

Fermanagh andOmaghDistrict Council has been established as one of the newcouncils under the Reformof Local Government Programme, which has reduced the number of councils from26 to 11. Local government reformaims tomodernise local government andmake it stronger andmore effective. The new, larger councils will deliver additional services and have new responsibilities and powers, whichwill allowus to bemore creative in service delivery andmore flexible and responsive to the needs of the local community. LastMay, 40 councillors were elected in the local government elections to the newFermanagh andOmagh District Council. Since the elections, we have been operating in ‘Shadow’ mode, preparing to take up full operational responsibility on 01April. These preparations have included designing new organisational and service delivery structures, appointing senior staff, as well as approving business and financial plans for the newCouncil. Striking the rate for 2015/2016was a key part of our preparations to ensure that wemade financial provision to deliver services and continue to develop the infrastructure of the district. We have also prepared our Corporate Plan for 2015 – 2019, setting out the priorities of the newFermanagh andOmaghDistrict Council and the actions whichwill help us deliver on our vision for the district as ‘a place of choice –where people, communities and businesses prosper’. I have been privileged to preside over the Shadow Council during this preparatory period. The next Annual Meeting of Fermanagh andOmagh District Council will be held on 23March and the Chairman elected thenwill become the First Citizen and civic leader of the newCouncil for the 2015/16 year, taking up position on 01April. This newsletter provides youwith an overviewof and key facts about the newdistrict, highlighting ourmain facilities, and letting you knowhow to contact us. The new0300 303 1777 number will make it easier to contact the Council in relation to its services andwe are developing a newwebsite, www.fermanaghomagh.com , which, I hope, will encouragemany of you to transact your business with the Council online. Please contact us with your comments and views.Wewelcome your feedback and I hope that together, wewill work towards building a vibrant, prosperous and quality new district over the comingmonths and years. Fermanagh andOmaghDistrict Council will be established on 01April when the two former councils, Fermanagh District Council andOmaghDistrict Council, will cease to exist. This is themost significant reformof local government in over 40 years, since the two legacy councils were formed in 1973. The newdistrict is the largest, geographically, of the 11 newcouncil areas, covering approximately 20% of the landmass of Northern Ireland. However, it has the smallest population of any of the councils, with a population of 114,365 people. The estimated budget for the first financial year of Fermanagh andOmaghDistrict Council is £29 million (excluding financing and capital costs). This will be used to deliver services, administer the additional functions whichwill be devolved to us fromCentral Government, support our local communities and continue to develop the facilities and infrastructure of the district. In addition to the responsibilities that will transfer fromcentral to local government inApril 2015, urban regeneration and community development powers will transfer inApril 2016.We look forward toworkingwith other statutory agencies, the community and voluntary and business sectors to agree and implement the newCommunity Plan that will aim to enhance the social, economic and environmental wellbeing and sustainable development of the district. These additional powers and responsibilities, together with our unique geography, will present their own challenges. The Council is confident, however, that byworking together in partnership with the other sectors and the communitywe can overcome these challenges and create a district whichwill be a thriving, vibrant, healthy and prosperous place inwhich to live andwork. The Council is committed to ensuring that its services are accessible to all, and to championing the needs of rural areas and communities. To support this, services will continue to be provided at both current office locations inOmagh and Enniskillen as far as possible. Over the next fewyears, wewill continue to invest in our ICT infrastructure to support the development of new and convenient ways of accessing services for those customers whowish to avail of these. Themonthly Council andCommitteeMeetings will alternate between theGrange inOmagh and the Townhall in Enniskillen and senior officers will work across both locations as required. After an initial ‘settling in’ period, the Council will embark on a transformational change phase when detailed service reviews will be carried out and proposals for improvement and efficiency measures will flow from this.What will not change is the determination of the newCouncil to uphold its commitment to continuous improvement and the delivery of high quality services right across the newdistrict. Welcome to this newsletterwhich introduces the newFermanagh&Omagh District Council Corporate Plan Following a lengthy public consultation process, the Council has agreed its Corporate Plan for the 2015-2019 term. This document sets out a clear statement of our vision, mission, strategic aims and key commitments for the next four years which take account of the wider role and responsibilities of the newCouncil and is focused on delivering and improvingQuality of Life; Quality Places andQuality Services. Our inaugural Corporate Plan has been designed to be versatile, particularly as we have embarked on developing our first Community Plan for the newdistrict. When agreed, the Community Planwill be our primary, overarching and long-termstrategic plan and the Corporate Planwill evolve to take account of the emerging priorities identified through our community planning process. Our newCouncil will face significant challenges over the next four years due to a range of issues including changing demographics, increasing demands on services, financial pressures and the slow recovery from the economic recession. We are, nevertheless, committed tomaximising the opportunities presented to us through Local Government Reformand to ensuring that we support the regeneration of urban and rural communities and areas right across our district through continued economic and community development and support. You can viewour Corporate Plan at www.fermanaghomagh.com or we can arrange to provide a copy if you contact us at 0300 303 1777 . Our Vision Fermanagh&Omagh, the place of choice –where people, communities and businesses prosper. Our Vision for the new Fermanagh&Omagh district is to establish a cohesive area, building on our strengths tomake it: • Aplacewhere people choose to live • Aplacewhere businesses choose to invest • Aplacewhere visitors choose to spend time Our district will be recognised for its unique and beautiful natural environment; for its quality facilities and services; for the talents, skills and creativity of its people; and as a placewhere quality of life is promoted and valued. OurMission (Core Purpose) Leading and serving our community, workingwith others to promote quality of life, quality places and quality services for all. 01 02 Presiding Councillor’sWelcome Chief Executive’sWelcome 0300 303 1777 For information or to contact any of the council services use the newcouncil number listed above followus Formore news and events in the district you can followus on social media ourmission Leading & serving our community, workingwith others to promote quality of life, quality places and quality services for all BrendanHegarty Chief Executive Cllr ThomasO’Reilly Presiding Councillor How the Council procures goods and services Fermanagh andOmaghDistrict Council will procure a varied range of supplies, services andworks to efficientlymeet the needs of the Council area. The Council will ensure that the procurement process is clear, open, fair and transparent, that there is consistency in approach and that overall value formoney is achieved while including economic, environmental and social valuewithin the procurement process. The Council will aim tomaximise wellbeing, social cohesion, inclusion, equal opportunities and sustainabilitywithin the district through its procurement process. Therewill also be a focus on continuous improvement in terms of quality, effectiveness and efficiency. To ensure value for money is achieved, procurement will be carried out in a competitivemanner by either a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Tender, depending on the level of expenditure, in linewith the Council’s procurement limits, details of whichwill bemade available on the Council’s website. For expenditurewhich is estimated to exceed £30,000 the Council will seek Tenders. Thesewill be publicly advertised and available for download from the Tenders section of the CouncilWebsite. For expenditure, which is estimated to cost below£30,000, the Council will seek Requests for Quotation (RFQs). Thesemay be sought by a variety of methods, dependent on the anticipated value of the purchase. Any business or social enterprise interested in participating in Request for Quotation (RFQ) exercises should apply to be included on the Council’s RFQSupplier Database, by downloading the supplier registration form from the council’s website and registering their company details on esourcingni using the following link http://e-sourcingnibravosolutions.co.uk/. This portal is used by a number of Northern IrelandCouncils alongwith Central Government Departments. If you require any further details on any aspect of submitting Tenders or Quotations please email: tenders@fermanaghomagh.com