EAST DEVON District Council continues to meet the requirements of the Investors in People (IiP) Standard and has had its 2006 accreditation renewed this month (February).

EAST DEVON District Council continues to meet the requirements of the Investors in People (IiP) Standard and has had its 2006 accreditation renewed this month (February).

The award recognises organisations that inform, train and motivate their employees to improve performance and customer service.

The 2009 assessor, Julie Luscombe commented: "EDDC have once again successfully met the Investor in People Standard. As their assessor, I was particularly impressed with the development opportunities for managers and the support for teams and individuals. Leadership is strong and the Council always look to continuously improve all their service areas whilst investing in their staff".

Excellent

She added: "New processes undertaken in several areas of the Council have really brought teams together and have given additional opportunities to provide an excellent level of service for the customer".

The assessor noted that some practices and procedures have changed, but many strengths noted at the assessment in 2005 are still evident:

* Service Planning Days continue to work well and ensure that everyone feels they have the opportunity to put forward thoughts and ideas

* The Core Management Development Programme has been well structured

* The Staff Awareness Seminars continue to work well

* There still is a good consultation process, not only through Service Planning days, but also through day-to-day activity

* The 'back-to-the floor days' and the high visibility of the Chief Executive still serve to give staff confidence and to feel that the Directors understand and appreciate their work roles

* The Induction process and Welcome Days for new employees in particular continue to be effective.

Additional strengths include: The Experienced Managers' Development Programme (EMDP) is highly valued; staff Performance Excellence Reviews (PERs) and competencies are good; team-members have regular one-to-one meetings with their managers; the introduction of Systems Thinking has gone well and is liked and understood; the planned development programme for Councillors is excellent.

There were some really good examples of actions where the Council had linked with other organisations to meet a priority e.g. StreetScene linking with Bicton College to design new gardens. They considered that this would save money and some workload for staff and save the council tax payer money.

Councillor Andrew Moulding, EDDC's Portfolio Holder Resources, responsible for staffing, said: "The Council is delighted that its efforts have been recognised and is proud to have received this external endorsement of its good practice".