Lessons learned from Lewisham's Corporate Strategy 2022-2026

Lewisham Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee has reviewed the delivery of its Corporate Strategy 2022-2026, identifying key lessons learned that will inform the development of the next strategy. The committee acknowledged significant achievements despite facing considerable external headwinds.

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis, the council's ability to deliver its strategy was significantly impacted by sustained financial pressures on local government and unbelievable inflation, which has affected both our residents, obviously, deeply, but also our ability to deliver services within the funding envelope that we were expecting to deliver them. Furthermore, 14 years of conservative austerity and the deep impact that that made on the structural funding for the local authority was cited as a major challenge. ¹

Despite these challenges, the council reported successes across its seven priority areas. Notable achievements included the establishment of 55 permanent School Streets, the retrofitting of 1,409 homes with energy efficiency improvements, and the creation of 235 apprenticeships with a 90% retention rate. Lewisham Works supported 1,833 residents into employment, and the council launched the Discover Lewisham campaign to promote independent businesses. In housing, 15,050 selective licence applications were received, and a new Local Plan with robust affordable housing policies was adopted. For Children and Young People, eight Family Hubs are now operating, and over £6 million has been invested in extending Free School Meals into school holidays. The Safer Communities agenda saw significant upgrades to CCTV infrastructure and the promotion of the Have a Word campaign. Under Open Lewisham, over 120 refugee households have been resettled, and the Safe Surgeries programme has been maintained. The Health and Wellbeing strategy for 2025-2030 was approved, with ten Be Well Mental Health Hubs now active.

However, the review also highlighted challenges in the strategy's design and delivery. Officers noted that the strategy's focus on specific we will statements limited flexibility and the ability to adapt to new ways of working that achieved the same core outcomes. Systemic challenges with IT infrastructure and data collection were also identified, leading to residents having to repeat information across different interactions. Procurement of large IT applications proved difficult, particularly in Adult Social Care, Children's Social Care, and Housing. Resourcing has been an ongoing challenge, with increased service demand and reduced budgets limiting time for innovative thinking. The rise in resident-submitted enquiries, likely due to AI technology, has also added to the pressure on officer time. The council's resourcing challenge has been compounded by a significant increase in the number of complaints, FOIs and SARs submitted by residents, likely driven by the increase in public use of AI technology. These technologies have made the submission of enquiries to the Council significantly easier, but due to the complexity of many enquiries they cannot routinely be responded to through a similar use of AI technology. ²

To address these issues, the committee discussed lessons learned for the development of the next Corporate Strategy for 2026-2030. A key theme was the need for a more agile and flexible strategy that empowers innovation, resilience, and adaptation. The distinction between strategy and policy, and the importance of measuring outcomes rather than just outputs, were emphasized.

Several recommendations were put forward for the new Corporate Strategy, detailed in the Public reports pack:

• Outcome-Focused Design: The strategy should be designed around clear outcomes and actions, with a focus on strategic objectives and flexible delivery commitments. Separating the high-level corporate strategy from detailed deliverables would allow the strategy to remain stable while delivery evolves. The council plans to ensure that this 'outcome-focused design' leads to measurable improvements for residents by measuring impact that's both a government move but also I think that is the way that good councils are going, you know, what difference do we make not just what did we do or what against what we're measuring. ³
• Meaningful Engagement: The development process should include early and substantial engagement with residents, partners, and the voluntary, community, and faith (VCF) sector. The principle of co-creation and empowering residents to advocate for their own needs and services was seen as crucial for improving outcomes. ⁴
• Enabling Conditions: Systems, data quality, resourcing, and partnerships should be treated as core enabling conditions for strategy delivery. The strategy should reflect how these will be addressed.
• Geographic Focus: A greater emphasis on geographic focus and place-based involvement, engaging ward councillors and local stakeholders, was suggested to ensure growth is distributed more evenly across the borough.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: The importance of cross-departmental working and a one council approach was highlighted.
• Co-creation and Co-production: The principle of co-creation and empowering residents to advocate for their own needs and services was seen as crucial for improving outcomes.

The council aims to balance the need for a more agile and flexible strategy with the requirement for clear, measurable outcomes and accountability by adopting this Outcome-Focused Design. This involves focusing on outcomes rather than specific activities to support a more adaptive approach, enabling services to respond effectively to changing demand and circumstances and maybe finding different ways of delivering to the same outcome. The strategy will also separate the high-level corporate strategy from detailed deliverables would allow the strategy to remain stable while delivery evolves. ⁵

The committee also noted the ongoing work on the No Wrong Front Door programme, aiming to make the council more accessible. The programme is focused on empowering staff to create accessible routes for residents and has set targets which it was using as indicators. The overriding principle was 'Digital by Design', which would enable the Council to act more intelligently and maintain a single view of the resident. The programme is expected to conclude and move into business as usual by 2027. ⁶ The Proud to Care campaign has significantly improved conditions for adult social care workers. The importance of culture, arts, and sports in community cohesion and well-being was also raised.