Employee Conference 2016
2016 conference and feedback
Feedback from the 3 conferences shows a definite interest in protecting Services for Older People across Moray with 5 groups giving this a priority star. Other areas seen as priority to protect were Corporate Parenting, Physical and sensory disability services, Integrated Children’s Services & Children’s Wellbeing, Education, School Transport and Strategic Economic Development.
There was some general consensus around savings to be made across the Board, including:
Chief Executive’s dept - processes could be streamlined and services shared across Local Government’s Chief Executive Departments to reduce duplication, better use of community planning resources & the need to reduce staffing in that area, particularly at a Senior level.
Community Centres/Public Halls area also generated a lot of debate. Several suggested increasing charges, closing smaller Centres and Halls or those with a lower % use and/or passing small halls back to the Communities/a trust to run.
Criminal justice – consider community payback orders to get those involved to undertake tasks which would help Council ie litter picking, weeding etc.
Democratic Services – digitalisation of elections & registrar service and reducing amount of committees that some reports need to go to (poor use of officer time)
Schools – rationalise estate which will reduce cost on repairs and need for supply (children in bigger classes), more shared resources between Primary Schools, reduce active schools service, more use of technology in Secondary schools – skype tutorials and record these/link in with other schools/colleges.
School Catering - Reduction in cost as less kitchens to man, existing schools review/make smarter menu choices – some days soup/sandwiches, charge more for adult pupils and staff.
School transport – cut back to statutory minimum, charge for those outwith the statutory minimum, harmonise primary and secondary transport (especially rural areas)
Sports facilities – reduce grant to Moray leisure centre, increase fit life membership cost
ICT - rationalising and/or sharing ICT services, making better use of ICT (more flexibility to facilitate flexible working), stopping use of Microsoft and going open source and reviewing costly subscriptions that are likely not all used.
Fleet – better use of pool cars including hire/rental for staff at weekends, better usage of booking system (apply same 10 minute rule for meeting rooms) and better publicity of the MOT service available to staff.
Libraries – more use of digital services, combine libraries with school campus as have done with Milnes (sell off buildings and offer mobile library if any to close completely)
Minibuses/School Crossing Patrollers – reduce amount of School Crossing Patrollers - remove them from lunch time duties
Roads Maint – increase/recover costs from developers to contribute toward roads/lighting, share plan across local authorities, switch off every second street light
Older peoples services – protected service but possibility of increasing community/voluntary input and use of SDS
Waste Management – more education around recycling do’s and don’ts, less frequent bin pick up if those who need are provided with larger bins, collect more commercial waste (currently mostly done by private firms), hand public conveniences back to community
Other ideas included reduce commissioning to building contractors and recruit more in house staff for the work (spend to save), charging for all Council building carparks & public car parks as well as increase parking costs in Elgin, cost recovery of legal fees – groups to take on legal fees instead of Council paying, sell buildings with low usage, help to buy for people in Council accommodation in full time work to allow them to buy property, increased bandings of Council tax for properties with extensions/loft conversions etc, offer digital service for collection of Council tax, spend to save for learning disabilities – bring out of area services back to Moray and put more £ into existing resources, community involvement in maintenance of playgrounds/areas that need grass cutting etc, review money advice as overlaps with other providers, reduction in Community Care Management and Admin and reduction in Heads of Service in ED&SC with forthcoming retirement.
Feedback also showed an interest in various services being shared to save money including Community Care (Grampian/North of Scotland), HR/Payroll (also share training/expertise) and Integrated Children’s Services.
Efficiencies could be made in following areas – Children's Services, Continuing Support, ICT (better use of), Engineering Design (less use of consultants), OT, Homecare – better rota planning incur less mileage claims, Social Care – reduce duplication by intro of IJB.