DOCSLIB.ORG

A Vision for Local Government in Leicestershire: Strategic Business Case October 2019 Future Leicestershire

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Vision for Local Government in Leicestershire: Strategic Business Case October 2019 Future Leicestershire DRAFT A Vision for Local Government in Leicestershire: Strategic Business Case October 2019 Future Leicestershire Foreword by the Leader of the Council The long-term financial situation facing councils is bleak. A one-year cash injection is welcome but with service demands and national funding reductions ramping up, it’s clear we must consider change. Across Leicestershire, local government is facing millions of pounds of savings, meaning we simply can’t go on paying for old fashioned bureaucracy and duplication. Simply put, the financial position of local government in Leicestershire is unsustainable. The time is right to explore the possible solutions to save money and protect residents from Council Tax rises. This must be about services for residents, not structures. This strategic business case demonstrates that a single unitary council would deliver £30 million savings per year, meaning we can put local government in Leicestershire onto a sustainable footing and protect vital front-line services. Residents want easy access to joined-up, effective services and the ability to shape decisions that affect their communities. Ambitious town and parish councils want greater responsibility to support their communities and to represent their views on decisions that affect them. Integrating and simplifying local government services would reduce confusion over who does what and improve services. Creating area committees and devolving services would empower communities, with local councillors responsible and accountable for all their decisions - speeding up work to join up health, social care and housing services would improve support for vulnerable and older people. Leicestershire is changing - with new homes, growing demand for social care and a rising population making planning for the future crucial. Having unity of purpose and a single strategic direction would mean we can establish a strong voice for Leicestershire with the Government, investors and partners to help secure funding, drive growth, create jobs, develop skills and build the right infrastructure. For too long Leicestershire and the East Midlands has lost out to other regions when it comes to government support. A new council, fit for the 21st century, delivers on all these fronts. A single unitary council for Leicestershire would make a real difference... For Residents • Simplify and join up local government services - reducing confusion over who does what. • Clear and simple access to all services - by phone, online, local area committees. • Save at least £30m every year to benefit Council Tax payers - by reducing senior management and back office costs, more efficient use of buildings, fewer councillors and fewer elections. • Local area committees - shaping local services and giving communities a stronger voice. • Easier access to information and a greater influence over decision-making through area committees and empowered town and parish councils. 3 For Businesses • Build a stronger local and regional voice for Leicestershire - with the Government, investors and partners including the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership. • Strategic collaboration on issues such as use of business rates and skills. • Single accountability for council services - such as planning, licensing, inspections, trading standards and business advice. • Cut red tape, drive growth and boost jobs. • Better infrastructure to help improve productivity. For Parish and Town Councils • Creation of more town councils - where areas want them. • Devolution of responsibilities where requested and where a business case is agreed. • Simpler single access for advice on unitary council services. • Membership of area committees - strengthening their role in representing the views of their communities. For Partners • One council with boundaries covering the same areas (where possible). • One set of strategic outcomes, unity of purpose from local government. • Consistent service delivery. • Speed up work to join up health, social care and housing services - improving support for vulnerable and older people. For Central Government • One powerful voice for Leicestershire covering local priorities, funding and strategy. • Simplify planning for the future - by shaping growth locations, building new roads, schools and infrastructure required to support much-needed new homes and businesses. • Improved local delivery of Government priorities. • Value for money service delivery. Nick Rushton CC Leader of Leicestershire County Council 4 Executive Summary Leicestershire’s rural backdrop and bustling market towns and villages make it a great place to live and work and are a draw for tourism and recreation. It enjoys a central location in the UK with excellent transport links by road, rail and air. Through supporting jobs, growth and infrastructure, boosting communities and keeping people healthy and safe, local government transforms lives. A growing population, rising demand for services and funding pressures pose current and future challenges. This strategic business case makes the case for change to the structure of local government in Leicestershire. It sets out a modern, 21st century structure and describes the benefits and savings that change would deliver. This strategic business case is part of an iterative exercise and further analysis and planning will be undertaken as the programme of change develops. Vision To modernise the structure of local government for Leicestershire and: simplify delivery and improve services; strengthen accountability; cut bureaucracy; reduce duplication and save money for investment in front-line services, people and outcomes; save money for the taxpayer. Case for Change The principal driver for change is the challenging long-term financial position facing the County Council and the ongoing impact that this has on its ability to deliver front-line services. Without major change, the position is unsustainable. Low funding for Leicestershire is a significant problem, making further savings difficult and making cuts in services or additional charges more likely. Demographic pressures, such as the continued growth in the number of elderly people and adults and children with increasingly complex needs, compound this situation. If no changes are made to the structure of local government in Leicestershire, residents can expect to see a further tightening of eligibility criteria for care and support services and cuts to valued services such as household waste sites, trading standards and road maintenance. Introducing a unitary model of local government in Leicestershire would achieve significant savings on a recurrent basis through avoiding duplication, reducing management and back-office costs and the number of head offices and offices in the County. This streamlined approach would mean money spent on administration can be directed at front-line services and enable demographic pressures to be met without having an adverse effect on other local government services or Council Tax payers. 5 Residents would benefit from a simplified structure of local government. The current structure causes fragmentation in service delivery with multiple organisations being responsible for different parts of the same service. This leads to frustration and confusion for members of the public. A single unitary council for Leicestershire would significantly improvestrategic decision-making. A single Cabinet with unity of purpose, setting a single strategic direction for Leicestershire, would provide the necessary certainty, stability and democratic accountability to give investors and the government confidence in Leicestershire’s ability to deliver. Leicestershire would have a stronger negotiating position, both regionally and nationally, and would drive forward delivery of its strategic priorities. A new approach to local government in Leicestershire provides an opportunity to reassess how a council can be meaningful to the lives of local residents by building stronger relationships with communities and the local voluntary sector and focusing on what is best for them. This would include devolving decision-making to a local level, both through the development of area committees and by strengthening the role of parish and town councils. A single unitary council for Leicestershire would be better for businesses as it would be able to work in partnership with the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership to set a long-term economic direction, supporting businesses to thrive and delivering the housing, skills and infrastructure that form the basis for the county’s future prosperity. A change to the structure of local government in Leicestershire would simplify working with partners, reducing duplication of effort and ensuring that the messages coming from local government are clear and consistent. In turn, this would make it easier to deliver better outcomes for services delivered with other organisations. Blueprint for the New Council Service Delivery The single unitary council for Leicestershire would have a fully integrated customer service approach which would involve a single point of access for all residents, underpinned by a common source of data. A service delivery model where services are managed centrally but delivered locally would address concerns that a countywide unitary council would be too remote. Economies of scale would be achieved through changes to management and back-office staff, with all services sharing the same strategic direction and consistent policies. It
Load more

Recommended publications
  • LOCAL GOVERNMENT Reform in KĀPITI – What Do You Think? 1
    LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM IN KĀPITI – WHAT DO YOU THINK? 1 LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM IN KĀPITI – WhaT DO YOU THINK? kapiticoast.govt.nz/reform 2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM IN KĀPITI – WHAT DO YOU THINK? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM AS MANY RESIDENTS AS POSSIBLE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM IN KĀPITI – WHAT DO YOU THINK? 3 Introduction This discussion document has been released by the Kāpiti Coast District Council to help find out how residents want their district to be governed in the future. This document seeks to stimulate discussion and identify whether you want changes to how local government operates in Kāpiti and what you broadly want that change to look like. There are many ways that local government is affected in one way or another by the could be structured in the wider area. However services provided by local government, we in order to have a reasonably focussed debate have described the four options at a fairly high we have identified four options that represent level, without too much detail. We have also different degrees of change. Option 1 contains 2 consciously decided not to express either a sub-options. There is the opportunity for you to preferred option or any views on the advantages discuss other options if you choose. and disadvantages of each option – we are asking the public to do that for us at this stage. Our four options range from keeping the current councils in place but making formal It is not our role to tell other parts of the region arrangements to share services across councils how they should be governed.
    [Show full text]
  • Brief-To-Advise-Frome-Town-Council-In-The-Run-Up-To-And-Establishment-Of-Unitary-Authority.Pdf
    Unitary Adviser Brief Frame Town Council Brief to advise Frame Town Council in the run up to and establishment of unitary authority(ies) in Somerset 1. Scope Frame Town Council is recognised locally, nationally and internationally as a forward thinking and innovative Council. We are renowned for exploring how to expand the remit of town councils. Somerset is about to embark on local government reorganisation. The county council and the district councils will be replaced with one or two unitary councils in April 2023. FTC sees this as an opportunity to change the way local government in Somerset works towards a more community led approach where decisions are made at the appropriate level and with the appropriate engagement. Influencing how the new unitary is established and developed is a key project for the Council. We want to appoint an experienced advisor or small consultancy to work with FTC Cllrs and staff and other relevant organisations in and beyond Fro me. This work is likely to last at least until September or October 2021 and we anticipate 2 to 3 working days per week. We will be interested in someone who understands local government, has worked at a senior level in relevant organisations, who understands large scale change programmes and ideally also has recent experience of local government reorganisation. The ability to build excellent working relationships at all levels of local government and business will be essential. With other Somerset based parish sector organisations, FTC commissioned a report (here) last year which explores the possibilities of reorganisation. Its seven recommendations have been accepted by both proposals presented to the Government: One Somerset (here) promoted by the County Council, and Stronger Somerset (here) promoted by the four district Councils.
    [Show full text]
  • Local Government Collaboration in Surrey
    WAVERLEY BOROUGH COUNCIL COUNCIL 23 FEBRUARY 2021 Title: Local Government Collaboration in Surrey Portfolio Holder: Cllr J Ward, Leader Senior Officer: T Horwood, Chief Executive Key decision: No Access: Public 1. Purpose and summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to update the Council on progress on local government collaboration since the Council and Executive discussions of 22 July and 8 September 2020 respectively, and to allow Council to debate opportunities for future collaboration among local authorities in the light of the KPMG report, and this report. 2. Recommendation The Executive has: 1. Noted the KPMG report on future opportunities for local government in Surrey; 2. Endorsed the development of an initial options appraisal for collaboration with Guildford Borough Council; and 3. Allocated the remaining £15,000 budget previously approved for “a unitary council proposal” to “exploring collaboration opportunities with other councils”. The Executive recommend to the Council that it debate opportunities for future collaboration among local authorities in the light of the KPMG report and this report. 3. Reason for the recommendation 3.1 This report updates councillors and the public on the progress made in the discussions on local government reorganisation and collaboration in Surrey. 3.2 At Executive meetings in 2020, £30,000 was allocated “to support preparatory work for a unitary council proposal”. It is now recommended to allocate the remaining £15,000 to support the development of proposals for council collaboration, to be reported back to the Executive in due course. 4. Background context 4.1 A detailed update was provided to the Executive at its meeting on 8 September 2020,1 and is summarised as follows.
    [Show full text]
  • IPPR | Empowering Counties: Unlocking County Devolution Deals ABOUT the AUTHORS
    REPORT EMPOWERING COUNTIES UNLOCKING COUNTY DEVOLUTION DEALS Ed Cox and Jack Hunter November 2015 © IPPR 2015 Institute for Public Policy Research ABOUT IPPR IPPR, the Institute for Public Policy Research, is the UK’s leading progressive thinktank. We are an independent charitable organisation with more than 40 staff members, paid interns and visiting fellows. Our main office is in London, with IPPR North, IPPR’s dedicated thinktank for the North of England, operating out of offices in Newcastle and Manchester. The purpose of our work is to conduct and publish the results of research into and promote public education in the economic, social and political sciences, and in science and technology, including the effect of moral, social, political and scientific factors on public policy and on the living standards of all sections of the community. IPPR 4th Floor 14 Buckingham Street London WC2N 6DF T: +44 (0)20 7470 6100 E: [email protected] www.ippr.org Registered charity no. 800065 This paper was first published in November 2015. © 2015 The contents and opinions in this paper are the authors ’ only. POSITIVE IDEAS for CHANGE CONTENTS Summary ............................................................................................................3 1. Devolution unleashed .....................................................................................9 2. Why devolve to counties? ............................................................................11 2.1 Counties and their economic opportunities ...................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Local Government Reorganisation in Nottinghamshire?: Report of Public
    Opinion Research Services | Dorset CCG – Improving Dorset’s Healthcare Consultation 2016/17: Report of Findings May 2017 Loc al Government Reorganisation in Nottinghamshire? Final Report Report of Public and Stakeholder Engagement Opinion Research Services December 2018 Opinion Research Services | The Strand • Swansea • SA1 1AF | 01792 535300 | www.ors.org.uk | [email protected] Opinion Research Services | Nottinghamshire Reorganisation Report – December 2018 Local Government Reorganisation in Nottinghamshire? Report of Public and Stakeholder Engagement December 2018 Opinion Research Services (ORS) The Strand Swansea SA1 1AF 01792 535300 | www.ors.org.uk | [email protected] As with all our studies, findings from this report are subject to Opinion Research Services’ Standard Terms and Conditions of Contract. Any press release or publication of the findings of this report requires the advance approval of ORS. Such approval will only be refused on the grounds of inaccuracy or misrepresentation This study was conducted in accordance with ISO 20252:2012 and ISO 9001:2008. © Copyright December 2018 2 Opinion Research Services | Nottinghamshire Reorganisation Report – December 2018 Table of Contents The ORS Project Team .................................................................................... 5 1. Introduction and Summary ........................................................................ 6 Background ........................................................................................................................... 6 The
    [Show full text]
  • A BORDERLAND and the LOCAL AUTHORITY by Ewa Ganowicz
    POLISH POLITICAL SCIENCE YEARBOOK VOL XLIII 2014 PL ISSN 0208-7375 A BORDERLAND AND THE LOCAL AUTHORITY by Ewa Ganowicz, Bożena Wroniszewska In the era of globalization, unifi cation and the disappearance of borders, paradoxically, increasingly important is their determination, stressing the diversity, regionalization eff orts to achieve autonomy. Th is is evident in the ongoing scientifi c discussion at the junction of many areas where there is the issue of the border is quite clearly marked. Th ese considerations place them in the context of politics, and therefore power, but located locally. Th is authority, its scope, instruments are determined by the nature of the border, which is analyzed in relation to the center. Th us, they are seen as places where all processes are either specifi c or autonomous in relation to those occurring in the centers, or (as they are parts of a greater whole) underlying causes of phenomena are searched beyond their borders1. In literature, the frontier is treated not as the periphery, located far away from the border territories, but diff erent in many ways, integral components of an organization, equipped with a certain degree of independence regarding the implementation of their own needs. 1 T. Zarycki, Peryferie czy pogranicza? Krytyczne spojrzenie na posługiwanie się pojęciem ‘pogranicza’, [in:] B. Jałowiecki, S. Kapralski (eds.) Peryferie i pogranicza: O potrzebie różnorodności, Warszawa 2011, p. 33 – 34. A Borderland and the Local Authority 85 Authority over the borderland, domination over its territory, has always been the subject of action of external forces, but the same border aimed (and this process continues) to a certain independence, articulating their own interests.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Rethinking the Changing Structures of Rural Local Government
    ORE Open Research Exeter TITLE Rethinking the changing structures of rural local government - state power, rural politics and local political strategies? AUTHORS Pemberton, S; Goodwin, Mark JOURNAL Journal of Rural Studies DEPOSITED IN ORE 18 November 2013 This version available at http://hdl.handle.net/10871/13967 COPYRIGHT AND REUSE Open Research Exeter makes this work available in accordance with publisher policies. A NOTE ON VERSIONS The version presented here may differ from the published version. If citing, you are advised to consult the published version for pagination, volume/issue and date of publication Rethinking the changing structures of rural local government - state power, rural politics and local political strategies? Abstract: There is a notable absence in contemporary rural studies - of both a theoretical and empirical nature - concerning the changing nature of rural local government. Despite the scale and significance of successive rounds of local government reorganisation in the UK, very little has been written on this topic from a rural perspective. Instead research on local political change has tended to concentrate on local governance and local partnerships – on the extra-governmental aspects of the governance system – rather than on local government itself. In contrast, this paper draws upon strategic relational state theory to explore the changing structures and institutions of rural local government, and analyse how these can be related to the changing state strategies of those groups which are politically powerful in rural areas. In this respect, the paper draws on current and previous rounds of local government reorganisation to illustrate how new objects of governance, new state strategies and new hegemonic projects are emerging as a consequence of such restructuring processes.
    [Show full text]
  • Proposition for Local Government Reorganisation in Lancashire
    Proposition for Local Government Reorganisation in Lancashire September 2020 Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 2 1 Case for change and our proposal .......................................................................................................... 6 2 Driving economic recovery and levelling up ................................................................................... 14 3 Innovative delivery in health and social care ................................................................................. 21 4 Better community services ..................................................................................................................... 24 5 Principles of working ................................................................................................................................ 28 6 Next steps and how to take this forward .......................................................................................... 31 Appendix 1 – Economic snapshot .................................................................................................................. 33 1 Executive Summary 2 Executive Summary Current context and the emerging proposal Lancashire is a £30.8bn polycentric economy with 1.5m residents, 732,000 jobs and 53,000 businesses. The county has significant strengths in advanced manufacturing and engineering with innovation assets and major companies. But
    [Show full text]
  • Local Government in England: Structures
    BRIEFING PAPER Number 07104, 1 December 2017 Local government in By Mark Sandford England: structures Inside: 1. Local government structures 2. Functions of local government 3. Elections to local government 4. Boundary changes and restructuring 5. Local government finance 6. Structures: history www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | [email protected] | @commonslibrary Number 07104, 1 December 2017 2 Contents Summary 3 1. Local government structures 4 1.1 Local authorities in England 4 1.2 Fire and rescue authorities / Police and Crime Commissioners 4 1.3 Other authorities 5 2. Functions of local government 6 3. Elections to local government 7 3.1 Electoral systems and wards 7 3.2 Elections by halves and thirds 7 3.3 The franchise 8 3.4 Turnout 8 4. Boundary changes and restructuring 9 4.1 Becoming a unitary authority 9 4.2 Consent for structural change 9 4.3 District council mergers 10 4.4 Proposals for structural change 10 5. Local government finance 13 5.1 Sources of finance 13 Council tax 13 Business rates 13 Central government grants 13 Local fees and charges 13 5.2 The Local Government Finance Settlement 14 Funding included 14 Annual practice 14 6. Structures: history 16 6.1 Pre-1972 16 6.2 The 1972-74 reforms 16 6.3 Structural changes since 1972 17 Table: changes to local government structure in England since 1972 17 Appendix: functions of local authorities in England 18 Cover page image copyright: The Council Chamber by Tim Ellis. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 / image cropped.
    [Show full text]
  • BUILDING COMMUNITIES Parish and Town Councils in Unitary Northamptonshire
    Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils BUILDING COMMUNITIES Parish and Town Councils in Unitary Northamptonshire 1 | Page Foreword by the Chairman of the National Association of Local Councils “Never doubt” said Margaret Mead, the US academic, “that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” This rings so true when I think about how England’s 10,000 councils and 100,000 councillors are building stronger communities. And when I think of their potential to do so much more. Our unique place-based role – local government bodies yet grassroots community organisations – is rapidly changing. We are doing more and increasingly innovating, from health and wellbeing to transport, housing to local economy, community assets to cohesion. And we’re a growing sector with more and more councils being set up across the country in urban areas, new super districts and unitary authorities. That’s why I’m confident parish and town councils are well placed to help government, principal authorities and communities tackle the challenges the country faces. A new way of delivering public services, empowering and strengthening local communities. I am very pleased as the Chairman of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) to commend this document and wish you all the best in achieving the ambitions set out. Its central tenets: relationships, partnerships, trust, and investment in capacity building are key to fulfilling the sector’s potential: in Northamptonshire and across the country. NALC will watch with interest how you get on and share the lessons with others across England - to ignite and unleash the power of our communities to change not just themselves but the world too.
    [Show full text]
  • Geographical Identifiers in Understanding Society Version 1 Birgitta Rabe Institute for Social and Economic Research University of Essex
    Understanding Society Working Paper Series No. 2011 – 01 March 2011 Updated November 2011 Geographical identifiers in Understanding Society Version 1 Birgitta Rabe Institute for Social and Economic Research University of Essex Geographical identifiers in Understanding Society Version 1 Birgitta Rabe Non-Technical Summary Understanding Society opens a range of new opportunities for local area research. These arise because geographical identifiers are being made available at different geographical levels which enable researchers to merge a wealth of data on area characteristics to individual’s responses. Many of these are freely available for download from the internet. This paper provides a brief introduction to UK geography, gives an overview of the geo-codes available for use with Understanding Society and provides documentation of the available variables. Geographical identifiers in Understanding Society Version 1 Birgitta Rabe Abstract A range of geographical identifiers are being made available for Understanding Society which allow researchers to merge external data at different geographical levels to individual’s responses. Examples of geographical identifiers at higher level include country and Government Office Region; at medium level Local Authority Districts and Travel to Work Areas; at lower level Lower Layer Super Output Areas. This paper provides a brief introduction to UK geography, gives an overview of the geo-codes available for use with Understanding Society and provides documentation of the variables. Keywords: Geographical identifiers; Data linkage; Understanding Society JEL Classifications: C81, Y20 Contact: [email protected] Acknowledgements: The work reported in this paper is part of the Understanding Society programme, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
    [Show full text]
  • Council Size Submission by Durham County Council
    APPENDIX 1 DURHAM UNITARY AUTHORITY ELECTORAL REVIEW STAGE 1 - COUNCIL SIZE SUBMISSION BY DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL Background to the Review 1. In December 2007 the Government accepted the County Council's Proposal for a future unitary local government structure for County Durham. The County Durham (Structural Change) Order 2008 implements that proposal with effect from 1 April, 2009 by providing that, as from that date, the County Council will be the sole principal authority for County Durham. 2. In the Proposal, the Council’s initial suggestion was that an authority of between 90 and 110 councillors representing electoral divisions in the region of 4,000 electors would be in order . 3. The Council acknowledged that the Electoral Commission would need to determine an appropriate level of future representation in the County. However, in the expectation that the Commission might not be in a position to undertake such a review before the new unitary authority was established, it was suggested that the new council could operate on the basis of two councillors per existing County electoral division. This would provide a phased transition based on a geography which electors had generally become familiar with since the last major reorganisation in 1974. 4. On 17 January 2008 the Electoral Commission formally directed the Boundary Committee for England to undertake an electoral review of the proposed new unitary authority for County Durham. The Boundary Committee for England formally announced the start of the Durham Unitary Authority Electoral Review on 15 July 2008. 5. Stage 1 of the Review invites submissions of views on what might be the most appropriate number of councillors for the Unitary Authority.
    [Show full text]