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You are here: Home > Council and democracy > About the Council > Corporate Plan projects > Value for Money > Value for Money

Value for Money

This section contains information about how the Council is improving the quality and availability of services while still getting value for money.

The future is more uncertain than ever. There is increasing pressure from Central Government to absorb regulatory responsibilities, and to achieve targets such as the Gershon Efficiency Savings of 2.5% per annum.

In addition, the Government has also set targets for the achievement of enhanced electronic service delivery. In order to achieve these outcomes and to continue to deliver affordable, quality local services, we need to ensure that the people, organisation and processes of the Council are fit for purpose and agile enough to cope with the changes that are taking place within our working environment.

We have embarked upon a wide-ranging programme of change that is designed to improve both the quality and availability of services, as well as enhancing value for money. The programme has 4 key dimensions, with the interests of residents placed at the very top.

1. Learning and Developing
   We will ensure that our culture, people and structures are focussed on our corporate objectives and that we learn from what we do and from others and we will continue to develop as an organisation.
2. Optimising our Finances
   We will review and improve our use of assets and improve the value for money of our services.
3. Improving our Performance
   We will improve our processes, reduce duplication and costs. We will provide options for Councillors around allocating resources. We will
   work in partnership and pursue shared services in order to deliver our priorities.
4. Driven by the Customer
   We will engage with local people through our Community Liaison process, as well as increasing the range of issues that we consult upon, and demonstrate that we are acting on the information that we receive.

Progress so far

Over the last two years we have made a positive contribution to this quality of life theme with:

• Improved access to services through the development of our Helpline, as well as improving the range of information and services available through our Helpshops.
• Redeveloped our website to provide information about local amenities through our “Where I live” page, and making Planning information available online.

• Introduced a new financial management system that has streamlined processes and delivered real savings and which will facilitate e-procurement.

The Priorities

The following are the main priorities under Value for Money:

• Keep our share of Council tax increases to a minimum.
• Ensure that the Council’s services are driven by the customer.
• Ensure that the Council’s finances are optimised.
• Ensure that the Council continuously strives to improve performance of its services and provides value for money.

• Ensure that those employed within the Council continuously look to learn and develop their skills in order to deliver efficient and effective services.