St Helena : SHG Makes Progress with Strategic Planning
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 03.12.2010 (Article Archived on 17.12.2010)
The St Helena Government is into its second year of a new strategic planning process, which has replaced the previous exercise of completing departmental business plans.
SHG Makes Progress with Strategic Planning
The St Helena Government is into its second year of a new strategic planning process, which has replaced the previous exercise of completing departmental business plans.
The exercise is being led by Susan O’Bey, Strategic Planning Coordinator, who heads the newly developed Strategic Planning and Policy Unit in the Castle.
Susan has been reviewing the plans prepared by Departments, which set out what they will do from 1 April 2011 until 31 March 2012 to take St Helena forward. She said that she has been looking, in particular, at whether all of the key areas are being covered.
Legislative Council has already set out the key areas for departments to focus on, and the strategic plans must set out what departments will do to deliver. The budget is also being set against these areas, which means that whenever money is spent by departments, it will be done in support of the key areas.
The main areas being focused on are access to the island, education, infrastructure, private sector development, health, social security, policing and internal security, integrating the disabled into society, public sector modernisation and establishing a long term plan for the Island. These directly support the strategic objectives for the Island.
When developing their plans, departments have also been reviewing the services they provide with a view to becoming more effective.
All of this is being done to help St Helena achieve its vision of “a prosperous, peaceful and democratic society for all achieved through sustainable economic, environmental and social development leading to a healthy and eventually financially independent St Helena.”
“The strategic plans are important tools for Government Departments,” said Susan. “They guide departments on where resources need to be allocated and on key work that needs to be done; at the end of the day, all departments are working towards a common goal that is to achieve the vision for St Helena.”
Strategic plans will be ready for 1 April 2011 when current plans will expire.
As part of the process Susan has, and will continue to monitor departmental performance on a quarterly basis to ensure that progress is being made. Commenting, Susan said that generally, departments have made reasonable headway with implementing the existing plans. She added that performance reports are shared with Councillors and that an annual progress report will be published at the end of each financial year.
Public Relations/Information Office
Office of the Chief Secretary
1 December 2010
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