I came into politics because I wanted to make a difference, to help improve the lives of the people in my local community.

Twenty-six years on, the political landscape is a world away from the one I entered.  It now has the need to rebalance national debt and respond to demographic change.

It is, however, one that still invigorates and challenges politicians and officers alike to adapt positively and see opportunities in every threat.

I firmly believe that local politicians are elected to make a difference and I believe that you cannot do that by standing still.

In Staffordshire, we have already transformed how we work to become smarter and redesigned how we deliver services to respond to the pressures we face.

We knew however that we would need to do more, to be more radical, if we were to make an even bigger impact on residents' lives with less resources.

That is why, over the summer, we dedicated time to ask and answer the difficult questions which we believe will help unlock how we can transform further.

During August, we brought together the brightest brains from around the organisation to focus on eight ‘think pieces' on subjects as wide-ranging as what we mean by ‘personal responsibility'.

How do we encourage higher aspirations; what is the role of technology in improving outcomes and what makes a great community?

From this, we are now painting a detailed picture of what excellence would look like for Staffordshire people and the county in 2030.  We will then work out, with employees, residents and partners, what we need to do to get there.

We know we do not have all the answers, so we have taken the opportunity to work with others to develop our ideas.

In August, we hosted the Cabinet Office Commissioning Academy for more than 30 senior managers from government departments and local authorities and sought their input.

We have a good track record to build upon: we have already introduced and are embedding commissioning for outcomes rather than services and we have made bold decisions about how we deliver services which have seen the creation of a range of bespoke delivery models, including: