Council considers further cuts
17 January 2012 by Paul Rhoades
In papers released today, it has become apparent that North Lincolnshire Council is planning to make further cuts in its spending, this time on Communications.
Already facing a reduction in spending over the next 4 years as a direct result from last year's emergency budget cuts, the communications function within the council is now being expected to reduce spending by a further £250,000 in the next 12 to 24 months.
Within the council there is a central communications function which is critical to informing the public and keeping them up to date on council news, publications, plans, consultations and proposed cabinet and council reports. In addition to this, there is either a job function, or allocated budget for direct communications between specific departments and their users in the following departments :
- Adult Social Services (total spend £58,057)
- Children & Young People (total spend £140,150)
- Corporate & Community (total spend £35,721)
- Finance Services (total spend £12,027)
- Infrastructure Services (total spend £191,336)
- N’hood & Environment (total spend £32,748)
- Regeneration & Planning (total spend £39,654)
The remainder of the £850,000 budget is allocated centrally within the council.
Again these department to service user direct communications are critical for users of the services, especially in areas such as Social Services and Children and Young people.
Over the last year there has been concern voiced by some residents regarding the openness and transparency of the council, especially in light of the reduced number of council meetings and other constitutional changes which were introduced last May. This proposed reduction may also be seen by some at another attempt to keep the public in the dark by removing vital communications services so necessary for transparent government.
within the report, the council have identified the following terms of reference by which their efficiency at communicating with the public will be measured:
- A well-informed public on what the council does;
- Council information being accessible, reliable, usable and immediate;
- The effective co-ordination and control of key council messages;
- Compliance with communications legislation and other regulations;
- The effective management of emergencies and crises;
- A quality brand and image for the council;
- A positive reputation for North Lincolnshire Council
- An informed and motivated workforce
What the report fails to clarify is how these performance indicators are measured, or what the results are currently, which begs the question how can the efficiency of the service then me measured again in the future and a realistic assessment made, especially as the criteria given would appear to be so subjective.
The report concludes "It is considered that an overall reduction of 30% is both achievable and sufficient to deliver the objectives of the review. This would yield a base budget saving of £256,177. Careful analysis will be needed to ensure that reductions in communications activity do not compromise the discharge of statutory or regulatory functions, the achievement of budgeted income targets, or the communication outcomes listed earlier in this report. "
With regards to staffing the report states "There are 11 members of staff in the centrally-based Communications service area. A benchmarking sample considered last year indicated that a central establishment of 11 is relatively small for a unitary council of this size."
Given this information it would be fair to conclude that this service is already run in an efficient way and that further downsizing would only impede its ability to deliver information to the public.
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