CSR07 has finally been revealed and CLG has also published the Value for Money in Local Government paper and the 198 new Performance Indicators for Local Government.
From an efficiency and service transformation perspective, the headlines are:
Local government is tasked with a new efficiency programme to realise savings of £4.9bn across 2008-11 as part of a wider £30bn (3%) pan public sector efficiency drive. The Value for Money in Local Government 2008-11 paper released simultaneously by the CLG explains how this is derived:
£150 million will be provided to support the achievement of this Efficiency Delivery Plan. A new Improvement and Efficiency Strategy is being published later this year which will set out how wider improvement and efficiency resources can be best utilised. With the RSG top slice and funds to continue the capacity building programme the total figure available to deliver the national improvement and efficiency programme comes to £380 million, according to the LGA.
The 2007 CSR grows funding for local government by 1 per cent per year in real terms over the next three years.
Government has said that it would like Council Tax increases to be under 5%, although the LGA has already disputed the feasibility of this given pressures on council finances, particularly with regards adult social care and the children’s agenda.
Local authorities will be allowed to levy a business tax which they can then strategically improve economic development through the regional development agencies.
Provision has been made in Department for Transport budgets of over £200 million a year from 2008-09 to support delivery of a national scheme for concessionary bus fares through local government.
More than £5 billion of grants will be mainstreamed over the CSR, removing ringfencing and other controls.
There will be 198 performance indicators for local authorities, down from 1,200.
For all of government, a new Performance Management Framework will replace the old Public Sector Agreements. This consists of 30 key PSA’s plus a Service Transformation Agreement (STA) that lies across all 30 PSAs. The STA strongly reflects the 2005 Varney report and places strong emphasis on:
- A 50% reduction in the amount of ‘avoidable’ customer contact
- A much stronger emphasis on ‘self service’ and citizen centric services
- A rationalisation of government websites, resolving towards directgov and businesslink
- Requiring all publicly funded contact centres to undergo formal published accreditation
- Improving management of information and identity across the Government’s delivery systems
Of significance to CIOs and Heads of ICT, is the “commitment to reduce by 30 per cent by 2010 the total amount of data that central departments and agencies request from the frontline”[1]
In addition, the government has made a commitment to more radical cross-government reform. This aims to be be the foundation of personalised services by focusing on the “totality of the relationship with the customer”.
[1] CSR07, Chapter 3, Transforming Public Services
