Issue - meetings

Report CEO1027

The Sub-Committee received a report updating Members on work being undertaken to secure further financial savings.  Five corporate workstreams had been developed to drive forward this work:

• Baseline Review ‘What’ Services we Deliver
• ‘How’ we deliver services
• Sustainable Income Opportunities/Economic Growth
• Significant Financial Variables
• Organisational Implications.

In considering the five corporate workstreams, the Chairman highlighted the need to ensure that the Improvement and Efficiency Sub-Committee continued to be involved in providing scrutiny and challenge to the outcomes of the corporate workstreams.  The London Borough of Bexley was also undertaking a baseline review of its services and developing options for future service delivery, and there was potential to develop further shared services across the two Boroughs as part of this review.  This review would also seek to identify the level at which statutory duties should be delivered which could generate additional savings in service delivery.

A Member highlighted the importance of recognising the Local Authority’s role in commissioning services.  The Local Authority already commissioned a number of services and there was scope to consider alternate delivery models for services that were currently provided by the Local Authority where appropriate.

Another Member noted the key role of technology in delivering a range of services and underlined the need to consider how new and existing technology could be applied to services to generate further efficiencies.  One of the recommendations of the New Technology Working Group had been to introduce the use of open source software where appropriate, and the Director of Resources confirmed that the use of open source software would be considered as part of the baseline review.  The Director of Resources would review the implementation of this recommendation with the Chairman of the New Technology Working Group and the Head of ICT prior to the next meeting of Improvement and Efficiency Sub-Committee.  Councillor Nicholas Bennett JP outlined recent work undertaken to increase the proportion of school admission applications submitted online which had the potential to both improve the customer offer and generate significant savings for the Local Authority, and suggested that the use of new and existing technology be included as a corporate workstream. 

A Member highlighted the need to ensure those who worked and lived in the Borough were not disadvantaged in accessing services if they were not able to use a computer.  There was potential to use libraries as multi-agency hubs delivering a range of services.  It was also important to ensure services were delivered in an appropriate way to the most vulnerable residents.

RESOLVED that Members’ comments and progress made to date on work to secure further financial savings be noted.