In-depth analysis shows ‘hard hitting’ Government cuts are nearer 20%

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In 2010/11, the current year, the Government grant to the District Council was £17.3m. This will reduce to £13.9 (20% reduction) in 2011/12 and by a further £1.5m (12% reduction) in 2012/13.

Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Colin Davie, said the Government has failed to protect the communities it promised it would: “These cuts are deep and hard hitting and if it wasn’t for our prudent financial management and planning we’d be in a much worse position. The poor information released by the Government yesterday made the figures complex and almost impossible to interpret without clarification. We instantly knew the 8.9% cuts the Government announced were more and looking at the detail of the grant shows almost a 20% reduction next year. Times are going to be tough and we’re going to need to take some tough decisions. However, East Lindsey District Council remains committed to protecting the front line services local people rely on.

“The Council has been preparing for this for some time and has in place robust plans to meet this level of saving required.”

Example of projects to drive efficiency savings:

Area Based Working - £70,000 saving
Area Based Working has seen the Council’s Street Scene and Grounds Maintenance Teams merged to form multi-skilled teams. Each team will have a town and a cluster of villages to oversee. As well as making a saving through being more efficient, Teams will also have real ownership of their local patch and be encouraging to find solutions to local issues by working closely with local organisations and the community. Teams will be responsible for a range of local issues including litter picking, public toilets, grounds maintenance and emptying bins.

Compass Point Business Services - £19.357 million saving for ELDC over 10 years
East Lindsey District Council and South Holland District Council have formed a shared services company called Compass Point Business Services. The company, which is now up and running, provides both Councils with Customer Services, Finances, HR, ICT and Revenues and Benefits services. In making the saving the company is driving value of money by streamlining processes between both Councils in the five service areas and ensuring local people receive excellent value for money. The company will also offer its services to others in the public sector as a way of generating income.

Refuse Round Restructure - £100,000 saving
By looking closely at our refuse rounds and how the service operates we’ve been able to restructure it in a way that will deliver a £100,000 saving but also maintain the same level of service to local people. The changes will come into effect from January. Everyone will still receive the same number of waste collections, however, they may have a change of day or change of bin combination to present.