YORK council chiefs are looking at radical changes to meet the challenges the city faces in the 21st century.

A top-level report, entitled Transforming York - Building On Success, has been written by City of York Council's chief executive David Atkinson and will be debated by senior councillors on Tuesday.

The report says a transformation process is needed for the council to meet the challenges it faces as York undergoes substantial change.

Mr Atkinson says in the report: "The aspiration of Transforming York - Building On Success is for the council to be an organisation that delivers excellent services which delight customers, has employees who are proud of the council and act as ambassadors for it, and is held in high regard by partners and stakeholders for its service delivery and local leadership."

The report identifies a number of major challenges York will face over the next 20 years, including the proposed York Central development, proposed university expansion, and the need for radical transport ideas to prevent gridlock.

Mr Atkinson said: "These challenges, the changing climate and the changing demands mean changing the way we, as a council, do things, or risk falling seriously short of our customers' expectations."

Senior council figures have visited and studied "excellent-rated" councils to see how they achieved their success, the report states.

The report says the council must have a shared vision based around a very small number of clear, key priorities, and must act as "one community, one organisation".

Efficiency and performance are set to be placed at the heart of the council's work, with tough performance monitoring, while managers are set to be given extra decision-making freedom.

Mr Atkinson has said at least four years will be needed before the changes became apparent.

He has asked councillors to suspend the Best Value programme for a year to allow staff with project management expertise to work on the Transforming York programme.

Best Value assesses everything the council does to see if the local taxpayer is getting the best possible deal.

Council leader Steve Galloway said: "This is the first of the significant changes we are rolling out on the council. This is the vehicle we will use to further the York Pride campaign until it covers the entire council."

The report will be debated by the council's executive at the Guildhall on Tuesday, from 2pm.

Updated: 10:21 Wednesday, June 11, 2003