Birmingham...challenges, we need to ensure that they continue to be as aligned as possible to ensure we deliver on our promises to the people of Birmingham. Birmingham City Council

Birmingham City CouncilBusiness Plan 2011+ Summary

Birmingham

A message from the Leader...

Birmingham is a successful, vibrant, growingcity that celebrates its cultural diversity. A cityof culture, sport, enterprise, business andopportunity. A great place to live, learn, workand visit: A global city with a local heart.

This year we have had to set a budget forBirmingham in very difficult circumstances – aswe know that the council must, broadly, reduceits expenditure by over £300 million over the next three to four years, as our contribution to reducing the national deficit.

We have had to be bold and imaginative when itcomes to service delivery; reviewing income andexpenditure and finding new and more cost-effective ways of working. Our priority remainsprotecting critical outcomes for the people whorely on us, and providing quality services at aprice that’s fair.

As part of this year’s budget, we haveacknowledged that these are difficult financialtimes for everyone. Birmingham already has thelowest level of council tax of any major city, andour average 1.9% increase over the last five yearsis the lowest of any metropolitan authority.

This year to ease the tax burden on householdsand support those on low and fixed incomes –the council’s element of council tax in 2011/12will stay at the same level as in the previousyear*.

Despite a contraction in budgets we are stillspending over £3.5 billion on public services –and will be continuing with the major projects to help transform our city. The Library ofBirmingham is on track and on budget – due forcompletion in 2013; and the major New StreetStation project is going from strength to strengthand will be finished by 2015. Through projectslike these, we will work hard to ensure privatesector growth is nurtured, and jobs created for Birmingham.

Whilst these are challenging times, therefore, Iam confident Birmingham has a bright future.

Councillor Mike Whitby, Leader of the Council

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* Some council tax bands have changed by 1p due to roundings

A message from the Deputy Leader...

Our ambitions remain the same: to ensure thatthe people of Birmingham enjoy a high qualityof life in a culturally diverse, vibrant andcreative city.

We will continue to foster expertise and skills toensure that Birmingham residents can competeand succeed economically in challenging times,while remaining safe and healthy in cleanneighbourhoods.

In 2010 our strengthened planning process gaveus the opportunity to review our priorities. Thisrefocused and tightened our commitment todeliver against our ambitions, while protectingvulnerable people, helping people into work andimproving education and skills. The city alreadyhas a formidable track record in developmentsand interventions, but in light of increasedchallenges, we need to ensure that they continueto be as aligned as possible to ensure we deliveron our promises to the people of Birmingham.

Birmingham City Council is always trying to findthe most cost-effective way to deliver servicesand we are already five years into our ten yearBusiness Transformation programme which iscreating huge benefits and is contributingsignificantly to the savings we have to make.

Birmingham is one of the safest of the large citiesin the UK and continues to lead the way as agreen, sustainable city. Adopting and integratingtechnology will enable the city to meet itschallenging targets. With our partners, we willcontinue to protect vulnerable people within thecity, reduce violent crime, reduce antisocialbehaviour, reduce litter and graffiti and increaserecycling. We want to ensure that Birminghamcontinues to be a vibrant city for our residentsand visitors.

Councillor Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of the Council

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BUDGET FOR BIRMINGHAM 2011/12

Background – The economic challenge The government believes that to provide economic stability and growth for the nation, it is essential that the £150 billion annual national additionalborrowing must be reduced. Local authorities are being asked to contribute to this national effort and so on average council grants will reduce by 28% in real terms over four years and a large chunk of these savings need to bemade in the next year.

So that we can meet this challenge Birmingham has to make estimated savings of over £300 million– this means saving £300,000 every working day over four years. As part of the review thegovernment also prioritised spending in some areas such as the NHS and schools. As a result thereis now less funding available for other local government services.

Meeting the challenge – priorities and principlesThe Business Plan 2011+ sets out the high-level medium-term corporate plan for Birmingham CityCouncil. It incorporates our key priorities and the budget, and the resources and workforce plansthat support them. The detailed implementation plans, to achieve the key priorities, are captured in the directorate business plans.

This document gives a summary of the Business Plan. The full plan is available at www.birmingham.gov.uk/councilplan

Our priorities Delivering savings of this scale requires a clear strategic approach which prioritises the mostimportant outcomes for Birmingham people.

Our ultimate aim for all Birmingham residents is for them to “Enjoy a High Quality of Life” by:

• Succeeding economically• Staying safe in clean, green neighbourhoods• Being healthy

The Business Plan for 2011+ further refines these aims into three top priorities. These are:

• A clean, safe city• Protecting vulnerable people• Helping people into work and improving education and skills

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The way we intend to deliver our outcomes and priorities are based on seven principles set out bycouncil leader Cllr Mike Whitby in 2010.

These are as follows:

1. Transforming our efficiencyMuch good practice has been developed and tested through the Business Transformationprogramme. Its focus was on improving services whilst at the same time realising efficiency savings.The focus now needs to be on reducing cost whilst protecting priority outcomes. The approach tochange developed through Business Transformation will help us to do this.

2. Preventing problems to avoid big costs later Focusing early on prevention rather than dealing with high cost symptoms can save on significantspending later on. We will continue to use enhanced customer knowledge and the best availableevidence of “what works” to help inform and develop new ways of working to prevent futureproblems.

3. Reducing dependency and enabling self-sufficiencyThe council is committed to “enabling and empowering” local people, families and communities. For example, we will be increasingly using technology to enable people to interact with the council and “self serve” where possible.

4. Collaborating effectively across service areas and public agenciesBetter collaboration will enable us to deliver more cost-effective services.

5. Personalising public servicesThe council is striving towards giving users increasing choice and control. Individual budgets in socialcare are already enabling individuals to design the support they need, often in very different ways tohow we ran things in the past. We are extending this approach to other areas as far as wereasonably can.

6. Maximising income streams Birmingham City Council is a large organisation with considerable assets. We intend to exploit thesesensibly.

7. Levering in funds from the private sectorWe will seek to lever in private sector funding through sophisticated partnerships and investigatinghow companies’ social responsibility objectives can be met in a way that contributes most forBirmingham people.

Our budgetHow budgets are put togetherRevenue expenditure involves spending on the day-to-day running costs of the council,for example: employees, premises, supplies and services.

Where the money comes from 2011/12 – Total £3,527m (£3,513m)(2010/11 figures in brackets)

Where the money is spent 2011/12 – Total £3,527m (£3,513m)(2010/11 figures in brackets)

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*Other Services includes: Central departments/budgets, Housing General Fund, Leisure, Sport & Culture, Local Services & Community Safety & Regulatory Committees.

*Other includes: Rents, Reimbursements & Contributions, & Use of Corporate Reserves.

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Our property and physical assetsProperty plays a significant part in the successful delivery of the council’sBusiness Plan. Along with the necessary staff and technology, the right type ofproperty, in the right place, is essential to deliver the council’s services. It is alsoan expensive resource, being the biggest cost after staffing. As such, it must bemanaged corporately alongside the other key resources, people, IT facilities andinfrastructure and finance.

Property strategy and decisions are now overseen by the Cabinet Committee for Property. Assetmanagement plans are now being more closely aligned with directorate business plans, balancedagainst contributions to the city council’s key objectives.

Our workforceWe are committed to supporting and developing our workforce through whatare unprecedented times for the public sector. By 2014/15 it is anticipated thatthe council will have a considerably reduced workforce.

Our aim is effectively to support our workforce through this period of resizing,with extensive Human Resources support, including priority access to councilvacancies and one-to-one support from a dedicated advisor.

It is a major role of HR to facilitate this fundamental realignment of staff across the organisation.Having an effective people management strategy is crucially important for 2011 and beyond.

In 2011 and beyond Human Resources is committed to:

Commissioning strategy and procurementCommissioning is a crucial strategic activity in a council that is determined to find the most cost-effective ways to achieve outcomes. It includes the processes of assessing needs, resources andcurrent services to develop a strategy to make best use of available resources to meet assessedneeds and desired outcomes.

The commissioning process will be developed to ensure that it is engaged with Birmingham people’sneeds and preferences. This is an important part of our contribution to a community-led approach.

At citywide level, this includes sophisticated market research and customer knowledge – bringingtogether intelligence across agencies, consulting and engaging with the public and businesses, andworking with potential providers to share the strategic direction and develop innovative approaches.

1. Increase standards2. Remove inefficiencies3. Make savings

4. Improve management skills5. Improve performance against targets

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At local level, we will enhance the ability of local people to engage with, influence and scrutiniseservices and actively contribute to delivery. We are piloting the use of neighbourhood budgets andneighbourhood management to develop a local commissioning process to achieve local priorityoutcomes.

ProcurementThe council has a ‘category management’ approach to procurement, which brings together expertisefrom across the council to identify the most appropriate and effective approach to deliver the council’soutcomes through sourcing and supply arrangements.

Proposed changes to servicesThe Spending Review sets out a change in the role of the government and thestate. Individuals and communities are being encouraged to help themselvesand each other and we’ve taken this on board by looking at ways that localpeople can become more self-sufficient.

Our proposals for the redesign of services represent a new way for the citycouncil to support the people of Birmingham.

Below are some of the key proposals across our services:

• Redesigning the way we deliver, manage and support museums, parks and community and play• Redesigning Fleet and Waste Management Services to drive down waste, increase recycling,

reduce landfill tax costs and help to keep the city clean and green• Providing even more opportunities for volunteers to support our community and major events• Remodelling youth services, education welfare services and family support services• Providing services that enable the majority of people to use their own resources and skills to care

for themselves• Providing a more joined up service with colleagues working in health • Prioritising developments which help grow Birmingham’s economy and global competitiveness• Creating flexible and multi-disciplinary teams to respond to the needs of developers and investors• Creating council linked companies to generate income • Modernising neighbourhood offices• Where efficiencies and cost-effectiveness can be improved, we will outsource work to the voluntary

and/or private sector

Full details of the Council Business Plan can be found at www.birmingham.gov.uk/councilplan

Documents

Birmingham...challenges, we need to ensure that they continue to be as aligned as possible to ensure we deliver on our promises to the people of Birmingham. Birmingham City Council