Efficiency, Efficiency, Efficiency

Posted By: William Hobhouse
Date Posted: 14/10/2007

One thing is clear from the Government’s funding settlement for Local Government: This Council, and every other Council in the country, will be expected to achieve 3% efficiency improvements year on year.

Some Councils, in their response to this message, will rush to criticise the Labour Government for their parsimonious settlement. I will not be one of them. This country is tightening its belt, and local Councils will have to play their part.

Here in Rochdale Borough, the Liberal Democrats have a very clear financial policy – a Low Tax, Best Value Council.

Low Council Tax: last year we gave our residents the lowest Council Tax increase for 10 years. This year we hope to repeat that.

Best Value means providing the same or better services for less money. There are lots of words for it, efficiency, value for money, performance management…. Let me give one example. Sickness absence in the Council’s workforce is running at an average of 12 days per year per employee. That’s an average of 2½ weeks per employee, not including holidays. And that average includes the thousands of employees who barely take a day off sick in the year.

I’ve always wondered how you actually run a Council service if you’re not sure whether some of your staff will turn up.

Government has sent a clear message on efficiency. This Liberal Democrat Council is fully signed up to deliver that.