Listening to local people is the key to better public services in Shropshire

At Shropshire Council’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 15 February, councillors will make major decisions on a deep-seated rethink of how the council sees its main role and purpose in the future.

As a result, big changes are likely, in the way the council provides services and facilities for local people. This proposed transformation over the next few years will be designed to give local people greater choice over how services are provided, while cutting costs, and reducing the burden of council tax.

In the light of Government funding cuts for public services, the council has already identified £40 million of spending reductions for this year. These have come from cutting duplication, bureaucracy, and management costs, without affecting essential frontline services.

But, further efficiency savings of this kind will now be harder to find in future, as the council faces the need to cut its spending by an extra £36 million over the next
few years.

This means that future savings must come from a fundamental redesign of council services. This will include how public services are joined together to create better economy of scale, which provider is commissioned to deliver them, and how and where frontline services are offered.

The proposed new approach will give local people a greater say in these matters, as well as the ability to challenge the council where they don’t feel that services are providing real value-for-money. Community groups will also be able to bid to run services directly themselves or to take over community facilities such as libraries, playgrounds or local parks.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Keith Barrow, explained:

“We have asked local people what their priorities are for local public services, and have gained a real insight to what they value most. We are taking no risks with those activities, but intend to transform the council to work very differently in future.

“We will move our staff closer to the frontline in our market towns, to make them vibrant local hubs of service delivery. Local people will then be able to get a wide range of services from a single building, which is close to where they live and open for longer hours. This will make life easier for them.

“We will also do more to draw on the skills of local voluntary and community organisations, as well as those of local businesses. Over time, they will take on more of the things the council used to do, sometimes working with us as a joint venture. This will increase the scope to be innovative and try new ideas, which will reduce future costs. The main role of the council is as a strategic commissioner, identifying local needs and agreeing outcomes for local people, rather than delivering all services directly ourselves. Increasingly, we will not be concerned which sector our service providers come from, as we seek only the best solution to meet local needs.

“We have already made significant steps to transform Shropshire Council, such as a comprehensive review of our management costs; reducing the allowances that councillors receive; and proposals to change the terms and conditions of the people we employ to become a flexible, responsive workforce. But let me be clear, this is just the start. We are looking into the way all public services are delivered in Shropshire and who is best to deliver them, assessing what will help local people prosper within more resilient and self-sufficient communities.

“Now is the time for fundamental change, time to make that shift, time to focus on empowering our towns and villages to help shape the future of Shropshire. I cannot understate the size of the journey we have in front of us, nor the hurdles that we will encounter along the way, but by careful planning, close working with our partners, and adopting new, innovative ways of working, I am sure that together we can continue to provide good quality services that improve significantly the quality of life for Shropshire people.”

Framework for Savings Proposals           2012/13            2013/14
                                                                                  £’000                  £,000
Management Review and Changes to                  3,964                   4,100
Terms and Conditions
Service redesign and recommissioning:
– People                                                                    7,043                 10,277
– Places                                                                        600                     400
Procurement                                                           1,000                  1,000
Shared services                                                          500                  1,500
Reduced Prudential Borrowing                             1,150                  2,600
Income through interest rate                                  367                       854
  increase
Reducing premises operating costs                             0                  2,000
Trading income                                                          982                   1,021
Contract renegotiation                                             500                      500
Carbon savings                                                          496                       822
Total                                                                   16,602                25,074