Internal shake-up will “transform Cheshire”

THE MOST radical internal shake-up of local government ever attempted by an English authority is about to be triggered by Cheshire County Council.

'Transforming Cheshire' - sweeping plans for change aimed at creating a model council for the 21st Century - will be considered by a special meeting of the executive on September 20.

The restructuring and re-organisation proposals will affect all Cheshire's 24,000-plus full and part-time employees, from chief executive to trainee.

The council insists that the efficiency savings likely to be produced are essential to help combat a funding shortfall estimated at £50m-plus over the next four years.

Further financial pressures also come from falling birth rates and thousands of empty school desks, and a projected 50,000 increase in the elderly population by 2020.

Leader, Paul Findlow, said: "This is a truly massive undertaking but the scale of the response is dictated by the size of the challenges facing us.

"Demands for our services are rapidly increasing and escalating costs are overtaking available resources at an alarming rate. Doing nothing was not an option.

"Every part of our organisation will go under the microscope to see whether we can change the way we work, to increase efficiency, release resources and improve services to the public."

Transformation of the 117-year-old council is supported by all three political parties and the executive will consider more than 100 different service action plans.

Labour Group leader, Derek Bateman, said: "Cheshire County Council has a fine tradition of providing good quality services to its public, but we have to change the way we operate if we are to have any hope of maintaining that tradition.

"We are leading the way with an organisational revolution and I believe that many other local authorities facing the same severe population and funding pressures will have no alternative but to follow.

"Make no mistake about it, there are some very difficult decisions ahead. But these are decisions that have to be taken if we are to end up leaner, more responsive and efficient."

Liberal Democrat leader, Sue Proctor, added: "The county council provides 80 per cent of the services received by every community in Cheshire. Its costs are spiralling and the funding gap is becoming ever-wider.

"We have to take action now for the future well-being of 680,000 people. There is no way we can simply continue to cut budgets or increase council tax. Other solutions have to be found to what is a national funding dilemma.

"We also want to create new working environments for our staff and better ways of working to complement their dedication and commitment to providing the best services for the people of Cheshire."