Council’s ‘vision’ for the future

A smaller size council, more people in work, places people want to live and better services are amongst the things the Council hopes Rochdale will have in the future.

Rochdale Council Cabinet has given the go ahead for consultation to begin regarding rebuilding the council for 2014/15.

Cabinet councillors were informed that the council needs to be reshaped so it can “achieve the further efficiency savings required over the next three years as a result of reduction in funding to the council and optimise citizen outcomes in difficult times.”

The council has already approved cuts of £62million, but further cuts of £82million by 2014-15 are needed.

A report presented to the Cabinet says that the Council has “substantially less money in a context where we want to promote success across the borough and need to protect vulnerable people.”

The Council’s vision for the future is to be a council which “promotes success and prosperity with citizens and partners whilst protecting vulnerable people.”

The Council’s priorities will be prosperity, people and place.

They hope to see more people in work, more successful businesses, confident people, better health and well being, people safe guarded from harm, people having higher skills, better quality public buildings, accessible countryside and places where people want to live.

The proposed corporate principles for the Council for 2014-15 include offering quality universal services, targeting work to achieve the best outcomes for the money available, offer value for money and being ‘radical’.

In terms of the size of the Council, this is likely to mean there is a need for fewer people but with higher skills, who are better paid and better looked after, reducing the levels of assets, making better use of ICT and commissioning from other organisations.

The Council says it will also only use specialist and professional staff when appropriate, it will integrate services as long as it means value for money and a better customer experience is provided.

To ensure the above is met the Council proposes that each Service Director manages a budget approved by councillors, which will be reported on monthly.

The hope is that by agreeing that approach the projected budget gap for 2014 is reduced to £64million.

The council report concluded: “We have tested a range of scenarios for 2014/15 and assessed risks and impacts against all scenarios, including whether we are meeting our legal obligations.

“These have been developed using the principles set out above. The key issue is that if we don’t find funding for promoting success and independence, the number of people requiring acute services will continue growing, and so the percentage of council spend on critical (acute) services will continue to grow and grow.”

Consultation will now be carried out with the public, staff and other stakeholders on the proposed vision, direction, model and themes.

The suggestions will return to the Cabinet in September.