From our local County Councillor
January meetings at the County Council started with a meeting of the Highways
Policy Review Group. The group has nearly concluded our report on a number of
ways in which highways policy could be made more flexible and deliver
costeffective solutions to local issues by working more closely with parishes.
The findings of the group will now go through the democratic processes at
County. There has also been a number of member seminars and other meetings to
flesh out more details on spending plans at the County Council over the next 5
years. It is intended that there will be no increase in the County
Council's s element of Council Tax in the next financial year, and probably
no increase for a further four years. The Integrated Plan covering the next
five years aims to save £50.4 million in 2011/12 and £160.6 million
over the life of the plan. The proposals were considered by the Cabinet and,
are the Council's answer to the most difficult financial situation in its
history. They are defined by a new set of Council priorities, -supporting and
protecting vulnerable people when they need it most, helping people to live
independent and healthy lives in their communities, and developing the local
economy for the benefit of all. The savings proposals cover all aspects of the
Council's business.
In Children's Services a fundamental shift from universal to targeted services is proposed, which over the next four years would save £1 million from youth services, £761,000 from home to school transport and £600,000 from children's centres. Direct support to some children and young people will end, saving £1 million from disability services, £527,000 from specialist teaching, £315,000 from budgets for educating looked after children and £301,000 from the Cambridgeshire Racial Equality and Diversity Service. The Council aims to save £950,000 from children's social care, £240,000 from the early year service, and £3 million from mainstream and special educational needs school transport.
In Libraries, Learning and Culture, the Council will save £282,000 through operational efficiencies, income generation and new ways of working, £108,000 from redesigning the mobile library service, and £100,000 from introducing more self service and using volunteers in libraries. Working in partnership with other councils to provide support services and creating a Trust to run libraries will save a further £294,000. In social care, promoting prevention and localism will save £2.9 million, adopting reablement approach a further £4.75 million, and decreasing the cost of high cost and complex placements will save £1.3 million.
In Environment Services, a proposed restructuring of Trading Standards will save £641,000 over four years, reducing spending on environment and climate change £492,000, a proposed restructuring waste services will save £159,000 and a proposed reduction in senior management will save £100,000. Further efficiencies from the highways services contract will save £2.4 million, and restructuring Highways and Access £1.1 million. In public transport, phasing out subsidised bus services will save £2.7 million but there will be an extra £1 million invested in supporting community transport schemes over the next five years as well as a summit on how to make public transport more locally focussed and value for money. There will also be a £1.4 million saving in revenue funded highways maintenance but an extra £3.85 million investment in this area from capital funds. In Corporate Directorates, over a four-year period, reducing properties and maximizing office space in retained buildings will save over £1 million, reducing the contact centre opening hours and standards and moving more services being accessed and delivered online £426,000, reducing IT functions and delivering services in different ways will save £989,000 and reducing communications and marketing activity will save up to £550,000.