Issue - meetings

(Finance Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-046-2016/17).

(1)        That a District Development Fund allocation in the sum of £100,000 for 2017/18 be agreed to support work to integrate and increase efficiency in the delivery of public services.

The Finance Portfolio Holder presented a report on external partnerships and delivering better taxpayer value for money.

The Portfolio Holder reminded the Cabinet that delivering increased value for money was a core principle of the Council. Many public services overlapped in their responsibilities to deliver services that residents of the District relied on. New ways of working that reduced duplication, and combined and enhanced joint working amongst the many bodies that served local need, was increasingly identified as offering the best opportunity for service efficiency and improvement to mitigate increased pressure on taxpayer funded services. Public bodies such as Essex County Council, the West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group and other key partners were studying how a new approach for delivery could be secured in delivering a better, more efficient, joined up service to residents. The requested allocation of £100,000 from the District Development Fund for 2017/18 would enable Epping Forest District Council to respond effectively and potentially invest in the future in new initiatives and opportunities for joint working.

Cllr Philip highlighted that previous examples of collaborative working had not produced the desired value for money for the Council; however, the Portfolio Holder assured the Cabinet that the Council would reap benefits from the proposed investment.

Decision:

(1)        That a District Development Fund allocation in the sum of £100,000 for 2017/18 be agreed to support work to integrate and increase efficiency in the delivery of public services.

Reasons for Decision:

To help support innovation in joined up services within and across organisational and geographic boundaries which would support more efficient and effective service delivery and value for money.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To continue to pursue an efficiency programme through the Council focusing solely on its own internal mechanisms and approaches; however, the Council would not then be considering its service delivery as part of a wider mosaic of taxpayer funded services.