FORUM: Value-for-money can avoid cuts

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Published: 10 March, 2011
by DON WILLIAMS

Unlike Labour, with its controversial budget, Camden Conservatives would have no cuts to essential front-line services in 2011/12

On Monday February 28 the Labour majority on Camden Council pushed through a budget that will mean real cuts in mental health provision, discretionary funding for services to the elderly, reductions in early-year services, reduced sports provision and curtailed funding to the voluntary sector. 

And they have begun the process to make cuts to libraries and other services in 2012/13.

While accepting that savings have to be made, due to Gordon Brown’s poor financial legacy, the Conservative opposition in Camden have put forward proposals to retain front-line services in 2011/12, chiefly by identifying efficiency savings in Town Hall. 

Unlike Labour, Camden Conservatives would have no cuts to essential front-line services in 2011/12.

As background information, total government support funding in 2011/12 (approximately £387.6million) will be almost the same as 2009/10 (£392.2million) – a good year for government funding. However, Town Hall’s total employment bill is up substantially (approximately £10million) – comparing 09/10 with 11/12. 

Thus, as part of our identification of £3.4million in further savings and new revenues, we proposed further efficiency savings of £2.87million. These savings would reverse Labour’s cuts of £2.86million in key front-line services. 

For example, the deletion of eight union posts, paid by Camden taxpayers, would be sufficient to save Belsize Library or Regent’s Park Library from closure, or save the Mornington Sports Centre from closure or help to keep an early-years nursery open – like Acol or Caversham. 

Reduction in senior management compensation and savings arising from speeding up a review of terms and conditions across Camden staff would be sufficient to restore funding:

• to day centres for the elderly like Netherwood;

• to luncheon clubs;

• to resource centres;

• to mental health services; and 

• to the voluntary sector.

Additionally, we believe that Camden would gain significant new revenue from developing advertising and sponsorship on its website, in our quarterly newspaper, in large public buildings and on street signs in our tourist areas, for example, Camden Lock. 

Online media firms have expressed interest in securing appropriate advertising for our website and commercialising much of the material in our little known Camden Library Archive. 

Going online in a similar way to www.ancestry.co.uk will give access to many more many residents, researchers and marketeers who would willingly purchase photographs of Camden Market in 1910 or St Pancras in 1897 or anything else they need. 

Corporate sponsorship of Camden’s assets is another good source of recurring income. 

HP has been a keen sponsor of Tottenham Hotspurs for years. Wouldn’t it even more appropriate for HP, IBM, Apple or another computer firm to be the sponsor of computers and computer rooms in Camden’s libraries? 

Many firms have expressed an interest in advertising in Camden Market, our large libraries and major public building. 

All of us are used to seeing advertising in tube stations and on buses. 

It would not be a great shock to see discrete advertising as we enter the leisure centres, community centres, large libraries or main markets. 

Having a reputable multimedia firm manage, on a commission basis, our advertising and sponsorship on websites, public buildings and public spaces would bring private sector expertise and efficiencies into council operations. 

Managed properly, as advised by sector experts, this could generate modest revenues at first but rising to as much as £2million per annum in a few years.

We also showed that by sharing back-office costs and introducing volunteers, we could remodel library services, achieve cost savings and maintain high service levels. 

We would use this value-for-money approach across all of Camden’s services.

For the future, we proposed that Camden take a closer look at its ICT provision, central and support services, delivery directorates and the cost of delivering services to the public with a view to outsourcing and/or sharing costs with leading boroughs.

Together, these activities would protect services and reduce the need to raise future taxes. 

Therefore, Camden Conservatives say that there is no need to cut front-line service provision in the vital areas of mental health, discretionary services for the elderly, early-years provision, sports provision and funding of the voluntary sector.

• Camden councillor Don Williams is Conservative spokesman for finance