Cheshire East outlines strategy to resolve £100m budget gap
Pulling no punches, the local authority opened its transformation plan stating that it is facing its “most challenging set of circumstances” since its founding in 2009.
The newly published strategy, the report continues, is crucial to avoiding bankruptcy. It will help Cheshire East Council reduce spending by £100m over four years, with plans on how to reform the local authority’s programmes regarding its workplace, social care, place, citizen support, and special projects.
How did things get this bad? Cheshire East Council cited the projected growth in adult and children’s social care requirements as the main offender.
The strategy is not just a hacking of the budget, according to council Leader Cllr Nick Manion.
“It is not just about reduced spending,” Manion said. “It’s about making meaningful impact for those who need our services, while addressing the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, whilst living within our means.
“This will lead to changes in some areas and the council reducing, or even stopping, some services. We simply do not have the money to do everything, everywhere anymore.”
To help carry out the council’s transformation strategy, Cheshire East will be creating a Transformation Programme Management Office to oversee the reform programme.
As listed, the programme’s initiatives are expected to deliver between £59m and £91m in savings, income, or cost avoidance. The plan was crafted with the help of Inner Circle Consulting.
Changes to place strategies
Regarding the place aspect of the transformation programme, a rapid review of council assets is in order. The council will also explore selling advertising utilising its existing portfolio. Reviewing and updating its corporate landlord model is also on the to-do list.
Echoing Manion’s words that the plan is not just about cuts, the programme includes further investment in building specialist housing. This, the report states, should help reduce long-term demand and cost pressures.
The council’s current library system will also be reviewed and remodelled, with the local authority exploring adopting a trust model for libraries or community asset transfers.
A refresh of the council’s economic growth strategy is also in order.
Other place-categorised initiatives include utilising automatic number plate recognition to enforce traffic contraventions, changing waste collection and disposal methods, and finding a way to get net revenue for Tatton Park.
These place programmes are expected to deliver £56,000 in savings or income within the first year of implementation.
Reflecting on the plan, Manion said: “As leader of the council, I recognise that transformation on this scale represents a new and difficult challenge for us.
“The programme will deliver an ambitious and far-reaching portfolio of transformation programmes and projects that address a range of fundamental issues we face in responding to the changing needs and expectations of residents and communities,” he continued.
“I absolutely believe that the transformation plan represents a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the organisation and how we operate. We must listen to and reset the expectations between the council and our residents and modernise council services, at pace.”
A Council that has performed poorly in every facet for years and years. All coming home to roost now. Little sympathy – but bracing to face the consequences for years to come.
By The Planner
In the past, the Planning and Inward Investment departments at Cheshire East have not pulled together, are they going to start doing that now?
By Anonymous
“Cheshire East will be creating a Transformation Programme Management Office to oversee the reform programme” Here’s a novel suggestion. Joe about the Council Executive Officers and Councillors just do their jobs properly?
By Anonymous
The Transformation Plan is pretty standard “transformation” fare in Local Government.
Closing £100m gap is challenging – what is disappointing is that most readers of PNW who have engaged with Cheshire East Council have experienced one of the worst planning authorities in the north west.
I would suggest to Cllr Mannion that growing the Council’s tax base is one solution to closing any budget gap – central to that is getting their planning system to work speedily.
Putting aside the amount of refusals by Strategic Planning Board that were recommended for approval, the time taken to get to Committee after submission is horrific and if you happen to get an approval then the time taken to get a Planning Decision takes far too long. End to end more for any application of scale – more than 2 years. Getting things built and capturing the resulting property tax has to be at the heart of any recovery of the Council’s budget position.
By Anonymous
Perhaps ceasing to waste money on losing planning appeals where applications are put before committee with officer recommendation to approve – only to be refused by the planning committee resulting in an appeal would be a good start to saving money!!!
By David Sleath
For a start why on earth does a Cheshire east employee go round spraying white paint round pot holes in the road.
By the time they come to repair the hole the paint has worn away, and the workers don’t know which holes to fill.
By getting Rid of the paint sprayer this would make a savings of thousands .
Also why does EVERYONE on Cheshire east council have to have a vehicle
We I worked on the council in the 1970s the only mode of transport us paviors had was a wheel barrow.
By Peter Cornes
If you live in Cheshire East you will no doubt have witnessed years of incompetence. Now the working general public will once again ultimately pay the price for all of the above. Perhaps it would make more sense to first investigate the many issues within the council over the years and hold people responsible for their actions so that it’s not repeated all over again.
I would also gladly welcome an easy to access transparent system where the general public can all see a fully priced up bill of quants or similar for projects undertaken by the council. These already exist as part of the tender process so making these easy for us to all access to see exactly how much they’re spending on each part of a project would I’m sure increase public confidence in them.
By T
I would like to think money was not spent or wasted on high salaries
By Mick fournier
Wish they had not destroyed the income stream they had from Taxis that would fund the Licensing department on its own instead they make it impossible for most to continue.
Crazy rules
By Evans