Local Councils BriefingLeicestershire’s Future: Consultation Results

November 2013

Nicole RickardPolicy and Partnerships Team Leadernicole.rickard@leics.gov.uk

Current Position

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• Over the last three years we’ve saved £64m • Government funding consultation over the summer – local

government seems to be low priority• National deficit until at least 2018• Over the next five years, including this one, LCC needs to

save £110m• Difficult to forecast income given economic uncertainty• Huge risks and uncertainty…implications of Dilnot report on

ASC funding system, health and social care integration etc.• Firm proposals for 2014-15/2015-16, outline proposals for

next 2 years• Cross-party Transformation Board established• Specific proposals in development and to be agreed at

February Cabinet

Methodology and Responses

• Stakeholder consultation event

• Stakeholder feedback survey – 48 responses• Survey for residents

- Online – 2,134 responses- Special edition of Leicestershire Matters – 3,575 responses

• Three resident focus groups - 73 residents

- Charnwood/Melton- NWL/Hinckley & Bosworth-Blaby/Oadby/ Harborough-Plus a Staff Survey (results available on-line, 1391 responses)

Total responses = 7,147 3

Residents

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£31.5m

Midpoint

+50%

Q1 & Q2 - Residents

6Base = 5,650

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69%

Q5 Council Tax

What annual Council Tax increase would you be prepared to pay over the next few years?

19%

Top 10 codes (accounting for 47% of all comments)

1. Fewer councillors (510) 2. Join up services/unitary authority (338)

3. Reduce transport subsidies (302)

4. Reduce street-lighting and grass cutting (300)

5. Less bureaucracy/inefficiency/waste (282)

6. Protect vulnerable people (274)

7. Reduce number and salary of LCC employees (231)

8. Reduce number and salary of managers (207)

9. Wiser procurement/don’t privatise (206)

10. Issues with survey/concept/questions (186)

In descending order:

Residents – ‘Any other comments’

Base = 6,000 points of view

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Stakeholders

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Q1 & 2 - Stakeholders

Stakeholder – comments

Most important outcomes for service users

Universal outcomesHealth and wellbeing, maintaining highways, culture and heritage, education and learning

Targeted outcomesProtecting vulnerable people from harm, reduced isolation, independence, choice, positive transitions into adulthood

What doesn’t work well

BureaucracyRed tape, too many meetings, top-heavy, over bureaucratic, too much paperwork, inefficiencies

How can we work differently

Joint working and pooling resourcesCombine tourist offices and libraries, community hubs, share HR & payroll, more effective procurement processes

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Stakeholder – comments (continued…)

How can we help local people help their communities

Support volunteersProfessional support, not replacing staff, funding and training, difficult to recruit volunteers, fear of liability

Promote responsibilityEncouraging community spirit, teaching responsibility, offering opportunities to young people

Reducing demand for services

Cannot reduce demandIf there is need there then demand cannot be reduced

Early Intervention and prevention Teaching responsibility, working with communities, floating support

Introducing charging / Raising eligibility criteriaIncrease prices, how commercial businesses manage peaks

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Residents’ Workshops

14We have a distorted view of our population…

…and about the range and complexity of Leicestershire County Council’s services

Current budget: £717m gross, £356m net

Just one is six thought it was over £10m

Almost half thought it was no more than £1m

So ... why bother to consult with the public?

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1. Prioritising Services

Resident Focus Groups – Headline resultsPost discussion

-63

-55

-49

-47

-43

-32

-22

-18

-16

-15

-15

-10

-7

5

14

21

24

25

28

36

40

-80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60

MuseumsLibraries

Street lightingGrass cutting

Bus passes for older or disabled peopleTrading standards

Youth services and working with young people to prevent (re-)offending

Support to voluntary organisations and businessesTransport to schools and social care

Country parks Grants to help communities and community groups

Public bus servicesLocal tips/household recycling sites

Children’s centres and early years’ childcare

Services for people with physical disabilitiesSupporting older people to live independently in the community

Residential and nursing homes for older peopleAdults with learning difficulties /mental health problems

Winter road grittingChildren’s social care services and child protection

Maintaining roads and pavements

Most willing to contemplate cuts

Opinions more balanced

Least willing to contemplate cuts

Budget decrease Budget increase

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2. How and why residents change their minds – and where residents are most cautious

Residents change their mind in the light of more information

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3. Attitudes to council tax/the Council generally

Understanding of vocational qualifications – general public

Q: When LCC sets the level of council tax next year, which of the following would you prefer it to aim for?

Keep council tax unchanged for a smaller reduction in services

Lower council tax and reduce services

Increase council tax to maintain more public services

Post-Discussion most participants wanted an increase in council tax

7%

Post-discussion4%

No response

Participants now feel differently about the Council…

Changing views at start and end of discussionFeel informed

about Council services

Feel that Council exceeds their expectations

Feel informed about how Council makes spending

decisions

Satisfied with

Council

Before

BeforeBefore

Before

After

After

After After

Dissatisfied with CouncilNot informed about

Council spending

Council falls below expectations

Not informed about Council services

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Service Delivery: Underlying themes

Services are more important than who provides them

Geographical boundaries not important

Bring services, providers and buildings together

Scope for community or trust-based services

Potentially greater role for individuals

Remove barriers

But clear caveats apply to each of these

Illustrating the communications challenge currently facing councils

‘It was very helpful – perhaps yearly this same talk and info should be given through the media e.g. radio etc, not just [as it usually is] in boring graph form.’

‘We have had the benefit tonight of understanding the issues. The challenge is getting that out to everyone. The way it was presented to us has made me think completely differently. Before tonight I would say: “Stuff the Council”. But I don’t feel that way now. You have got to get the information out there.’

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