Office 2007 PowerPoint template - Home - Kent County Council · Suggestions were given for ways KCC could generate income. Examples are shown below: Try to get more money from central

Budget Consultation 9 October to 28 November 2014

KCC-led Consultation Activities

Analysis of:

Short Survey - 3 quick questions

Stakeholder Engagement Sessions

Analysis of Short Survey

1979 responses from 9.10.14 up to 5pm on 28.11.14

25%

44%

23%

8%

Question 1: Council Tax

a) I don’t want an increase in council tax and the council should make more savings to balance the budget.

b) I’d accept a minimal increase of 1.99% (1.99% would increase band C charge by £19 a year –the maximum increase allowed without a referendum).

c) I’d accept a rise between 2% to 5% rise in order to protect more services from the reductions in funding (this would require a referendum and each 1% would increase band C charge by £9.50 a year).

d) I’d accept an increase in excess of 5% to provide greater protection for council services.

Q: To preserve the most valued services (especially those we aren’t required to provide by law) we are planning to raise additional income through council tax (note this would not entirely remove the need for savings as this would require a 19% increase in council tax). What would you prefer?

26%

34%

26%

9%

5%

Question 2: Savings over the next three years

a) Find more efficient ways to deliver the same level of service ata lower cost e.g. by buying in more services from the private andvoluntary sectors, sharing services with other public agencies, etc.

b) Transform services so they are delivered in a different way withthe same or better outcomes at reduced cost e.g. rely more ondigital services rather than telephone or face to face contact,support social care clients so they can avoid residential car

c) Remove or stop services which are least valued by Kentresidents as identified through evidence-based research.

d) Restrict access to services to only the most needy

e) None of the above

Q: What approaches should we adopt to making these savings?

9%

8%

43%

19%

12%

9%

Question 3: balance of savings for 2015/16

a) Increase council tax by a further 1.5% (in addition to the 1.99% already mentioned). Note – this would require a formal and binding referendum which could cost in the region of £1.5m.

b) Use money held in the council’s reserves. Note – our level of reserves is low compared with other similar councils.

c) Raise additional income from other sources e.g.charges for services, tackling council tax avoidance, etc.

d) Deliver more savings from the areas identified inquestion 2.

e) Introduce a pay / price freeze for KCC staff / suppliers.

f) Other (please specify)

Q: We have yet to identify around £7.5m of the savings estimated to be needed to balance the 2015/16 budget. What approach do you think the council should take to close this gap?

If a respondent selected ‘Other’ as their answer to Question 3, they were able to specify their views:

Q3: We have yet to identify around £7.5m of the savings estimated to be needed to balance the 2015/16 budget. What approach do you think the council should take to close this gap?

Themes arising

Number of comments

Percentage of total comments %

Pay / staffing levels / expenses

79 29.5

Addressing inefficiencies

73 27

General comment or complaint

49 18.5

Remove / reduce / change some services

27 10

Charging / raising income

22 8

Out of county placements / immigration

9 3.5

Share services with other local authorities

5 2

Cut staff pensions

4 1.5

9% of total responses were for ‘Other’

173 people specified their

views for ‘Other’ These comments were

categorised into recurring themes. Where comments referred to more than one point, the comment was broken down accordingly and split into the relevant category


Reduce your senior managers. Kent has too many

A pay freeze for all those staff above a

certain level of income

Top level staff to take a 1-2% pay

cut

Pay / staffing levels / expenses: 79 comments

Several comments suggested the need to review or reduce staff levels and/or pay of higher paid staff

Protecting lower paid staff

KCC is currently going through a restructure, I think this is finally the

opportunity to do it properly

General comments

Reduce staff salaries across all staff by 1%

Don’t freeze wages for the lowest paid

in KCC

You cannot continually freeze wages for staff, they need to live, but perhaps

some staff on higher wages need to take a freeze

Cut jobs at the top not the bottom


Look at your property portfolio

again and transform it

Ensure you are getting the very best deals from suppliers

Utilise online and digital

services more efficiently

Addressing inefficiencies: 73 comments

There were a wide range of suggestions for how to address inefficiencies such as reviewing the use of / relationships with consultants, contractors and suppliers, as well as reviewing the property portfolio and effective

use of buildings. Below are a few examples:

Reduce waste within the workplace, home

and community

Review capacity and think about utilising

expertise/resources within existing services/agencies and how you could cross-

share


Why are you not fighting the

government to give the correct amount of

grant

For the time being do not pursue a number of capital

projects, such as the building of new and

replacement schools

General comment or complaint: 49 comments

Several respondents made general comments about their thoughts and feeling relating to the Budget and other issues. Examples are shown below:

Make Discovery Park useful and move KCC

into it and sell the buildings in Maidstone

Participants shared their views on what they thought should change regarding the services that KCC delivers. Examples are shown below:

Remove / reduce / change some services: 27 comments

Eliminate or reduce ‘nice to have’ services (those not required by

law)

Reduce number of libraries and reduce number of free buss passes for school

children travelling to school

Consider only the statutory services, and in addition to this delivering to those in greatest need e.g. wealthy older people

do not need free bus travel. Why can’t this be means tested?


You could charge to use some library

services for example or introduce a small

annual fee

How much money could KCC raise by selling assets or working existing assets

harder?

Charging / raising income: 22 comments

Suggestions were given for ways KCC could generate income. Examples are shown below:

Try to get more money from central government

There was some concern expressed over funding for those placed in Kent from out of county, or as a result of immigration. Examples are shown below:

Out of county placements / immigration: 9 comments

Do not allow people to come into this country

and claim benefits

Lobby government re Kent’s need for

additional funding for asylum seeking services

The council should realise that we are constantly housing

people from out of Kent and then having to pay benefits and

services for them


You could charge to use some library

services for example or introduce a small

annual fee

How much money could KCC raise by selling assets or working existing assets

harder?

Charging / raising income: 22 comments

Suggestions were given for ways KCC could generate income. Examples are shown below:

Try to get more money from central government

There was some concern expressed over funding for those placed in Kent from out of county, or as a result of immigration. Examples are shown below:

Out of county placements / immigration: 9 comments

Do not allow people to come into this country

and claim benetits

Lobby government re Kent’s need for

additional funding for asylum seeking services

The council should realise that we are constantly housing

people from out of Kent and then having to pay benefits and

services for them

Stakeholder Engagement As part of the programme of activities for this consultation, KCC sought to specifically engage certain stakeholder groups in the process:

Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS)

Kent Youth County Council KCC staff

Businesses

Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) • A consultation workshop was held for the VCS. 36 people attended from a range of VCS organisations

across Kent • Event format:

• An informative presentation to provide some background, context and detail on the challenges relating to the Budget

• Six group discussions facilitated by KCC staff from the Consultation and Engagement team • Plenary session

• The event was chaired by Councillor Eric Hotson. The panel included: • Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement • Head of Financial Strategy • Head of Strategic Commissioning for Community Services

• As well as giving participants the opportunity to raise queries, concerns and ideas, the discussion sessions covered a range of specific topics including:

• The plenary session invited representatives from each group to raise the main points from their

discussion and ask any questions to the panel

VCS

KCC buying in services; thoughts

on quality and efficiency

How the VCS can support whole-

council Transformation

Achieving better outcomes for

spending

How the VCS can continue to support reducing demand for

public services

Summary of main points raised

• Participants seemed keen for the VCS to be

involved in the Transformation programme. As well as helping to shape services, the VCS can offer valuable expertise and knowledge to support the process and inform service design so that it truly reflects service-user needs

• Recommendation for KCC to consider co-

production of services. It should tap into existing skill sets within the VCS

• Communication between KCC and the VCS could

be improved • N.B. Participants were encouraged to register with

Kent CAN and the business portal as these are ways that KCC is currently engaging with the VCS

• KCC needs to focus on the outcomes it wants to achieve

• Specifications for tenders should therefore be less prescriptive about delivery details

VCS

Desire to be involved in Transformation Focus on outcomes

KCC commissioning should not be prescriptive but allow VCS to deliver the

required outcomes in the most efficient way


• Several participants referred to a slide in the presentation showing 3 circles: the size of each circle represented the money that is currently spent on services delivered by the private sector, in-house, and the VCS. The VCS circle was the smallest and it was felt that more funding should be allocated to the VCS to enable it to deliver more and be more effective

• It was suggested that it would be easier for the VCS to

deliver services if funding was granted for longer periods: 3 or 5 years as opposed to 1 year. This would help the VCS to improve its planning, delivery and effectiveness

• Some felt that it would be better if VCS organisations

didn’t have to compete with each other for funding

• Some small, local organisations may not be able to bid for large contracts as they may not have the capacity. There was concern that if larger, county-wide organisations or companies deliver services, specific local knowledge held by smaller organisations would be lost

• There was some concern that service specifications tend to focus on cost-effectiveness in their criteria. It was felt that an emphasis on keeping costs down could have a negative impact on the quality of service delivery. KCC should strike a balance between striving for cost-effectiveness whilst ensuring good quality. Consider value for money and social value

VCS

Funding for the VCS Local knowledge / local delivery

Cost versus quality


• Various ideas were put forward on how KCC could

increase the effectiveness of budgets and spending:

• Some participants raised concerns with information in the presentation on certain areas of spending such as school transport (including transport for SEND pupils). The concerns were around the cost and volume of journeys provided

VCS

Reducing spending Maximising the effectiveness of spending

An alternative suggestion would be to train some SEND

pupils in how to undertake their journeys to and from

school independently. The VCS could support this

Use the ring-fenced Public Health budget effectively for preventative

work

KCC to share resources/ideas with other local authorities (e.g. Medway/Essex)

VCS organisations

to share resources /

funding so they are not

competing

KCC could trade its services to other LA’s and the VCS (e.g.

payroll)


• There was a suggestion that KCC could create

appropriate forums/relationships with the VCS by their sector interest

• N.B. It was then highlighted to participants that

Social Enterprise Kent has been commissioned to help develop the VCS. The programme is called STAMP (Sustainability – Training – Advice – Mentoring – Partnerships)

• Recommendation – better communication between

KCC and VCS could be beneficial

• Invest in asset-based community development and local area co-ordination

VCS

Support for the VCS

What can KCC do to support the VCS and reduce red-tape and

bureaucracy?


• There was a general consensus that early intervention and prevention work was important and would help towards the

aims of ‘transformation’ • Certain examples included: • An emphasis was placed on the importance of working locally; it was suggested that KCC should support initiatives

which allow local communities to support their residents. Perhaps there should be a move towards “citizenship” as opposed to “client-hood”

VCS

Early intervention and prevention

Reducing demand for services

Mediation services to help repair relationships

of elderly people and their families – increase support from the family

and prevent need for expensive social care

Funding community projects that support

infrastructure and services e.g. transport schemes, befriending

services and community activities

More early intervention support for young

people to make them more independent and less reliant on services

at a later date

Businesses

• A consultation event was held for Kent businesses in the form of a ‘business breakfast’. 19 people attended from a range of businesses across Kent

• Event format:


• Plenary session

• The event was chaired by Jeff Miles. The panel included: • Leader of Kent County Council • Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement • Corporate Director of Finance and Procurement • Head of Financial Strategy

Businesses

Summary of main points arising from the Plenary

There was a consensus in the room that Council Tax should be raised by 1.99% A request was made for KCC to give support to businesses to help them access and secure a variety of funding opportunities

If there are more housing developments in this area, there should also be a push for more businesses to grow here

Businesses

Council Tax

Manston - opportunities

Support to access funding

Summary of main points arising from the Plenary

A business owner suggested KCC could link with businesses that can help achieve its aims and objectives. Example: businesses that provide diversionary activities for children (e.g. performing arts schools). The Leader suggested that there could be a link here with preventative services, so businesses could liaise with e.g. the ‘Troubled Families’ programme There was a view that sometimes there is to much ‘red tape’ and bureaucracy involved in procurement. Occasionally procurement is done rather late. These two issues can cause problems for businesses

There was a request for improved broadband access across Kent which would help to support businesses. Councillor Mark Dance explained the current programme to widen access to faster broadband: there will be approx 97% coverage across the county by the end of 2016

Businesses

Using the private sector to support KCC’s strategic aims

Wider access to faster broadband

Issues with procurement processes

Staff at Kent County Council

Representative sample: • Lake Market Research delivered a workshop involving a representative sample of KCC staff. The sample

was selected on the basis of directorate, salary, age and gender to ensure there was a mix of KCC’s workforce. This also enabled Lake to compare viewpoints between staff and residents by demographics

Additional opportunities for staff:

• In order to widen the opportunity for other staff to engage with the process, it was decided to run additional staff workshops in-house that were open to all staff to attend

The additional workshops:

• Two workshops were delivered (facilitated by KCC staff): one in Maidstone and one in Whitstable in order to reach out to staff working in other KCC locations. Two further workshops were planned in Ashford and Gravesend, but they were subsequently cancelled due to low attendance

• As participants of these extra workshops were not recruited as a sample, any comments and suggestions from the groups are therefore not representative of demographics and are instead general comments from staff

Workshop format:


• Group discussions facilitated by KCC staff from the Consultation team

KCC staff


Participants had several thoughts on areas where KCC could spend less: • Consultants involved in the Transformation

programme (existing KCC staff may already have the skills needed for this)

• Hire of external facilities. (Use KCC facilities first

and if this is not possible, support Kent businesses before nation-wide)

• Employing people through agencies • I.T. equipment (is all of it necessary?) • Freedom Pass (Young Person’s Travel Pass)

There were some other suggestions on how KCC could save more money: • Use more efficient processes and systems • Better procurement (e.g. for more cost-effective I.T.

equipment) • Review management structures • Stop/limit the placement of clients in Kent from

other counties • Improve monitoring of service-user eligibility. (Audit

clients – do they still have the same needs?) • Shut down buildings when not in use

KCC staff

Spending less Other money saving ideas


Staff had ideas for how KCC could generate income: • Open KCC car parks for public use (and charge) • Sell KCC’s e-learning courses to the public • Charge for the Turner Contemporary • Charge for enhanced services in some areas (e.g.

charge for longer book loans at libraries)

Staff at the sessions (and at a separate session for Finance staff) undertook a voting exercise giving their views on Council Tax and service priorities. This exercise was also undertaken by Kent residents at the resident workshops. Here are the key points: • Staff groups support higher Council Tax increases

than resident groups • Staff groups accord highest priority to protecting

adult and children’s social care (similar to resident groups)

• Staff groups accord lowest priority to protecting libraries (similar to residents)

• Staff groups support a range of savings approaches with emphasis on transformation and efficiency (similar to residents). Less support for charging for services than resident groups

KCC staff

Income generation Views on Council Tax and service priorities

Kent Youth County Council (KYCC) Kent Youth

County Council

• Representatives from the Finance department attended one of KYCC’s meetings during the consultation period

• A presentation was delivered to the young people to provide information on how KCC’s spends its

budget and the current financial pressures

• The presentation was followed by a Question and Answer session

• At the end of the session, participants were encouraged to take part in the online consultation activities to give their views

Documents

Office 2007 PowerPoint template - Home - Kent County Council · Suggestions were given for ways KCC could generate income. Examples are shown below: Try to get more money from central