The Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report outlined the Government’s objective of reducing its £178 billion debt in half over the next fours. A study just published by the Local Government Association and Solace suggests that, councils will have to cut their spending by over 10% or £11 billion a year.
The scale of this reduction means that the challenge Local Government now faces is not how to trim budgets here and there, it is about radically rethinking which services should be provided, by whom and how they should be paid for. In short, some fundamental questions need to be asked about the nature of the contract between the local authority and the residents it serves.
The objective of this important conference is to address these issues in a highly practical way by drawing on case studies given by eight of local authorities around the country that are already well advanced in redesigning their strategy and delivery models, and then extrapolating lessons from their experiences that might help others. These will include presentations on the Total Place pilot project.
This event brings together a speaker panel of exceptional quality, including senior speakers from eight local authorities, other experts from the public sector, private sector consultants and academics. We are delighted that John Carleton, the recently appointed Chief Executive of Local Partnerships, has agreed to give a keynote address.
Keynote Address
John Carleton, Chief Executive, Local Partnerships
Chairman
Lis Astall, Director, UK Government, Accenture
Local Authority Speakers
Councillor Colin Barrow, Leader, Westminster City Council
Becky Hellard, Director of Corporate Services, Bradford Council
Councillor Martin Hill, Leader, Lincolnshire County Council
Stephen Hughes, Chief Executive, Birmingham City Council
Kate Priestley, Chair, The Leadership Centre for Local Government
Peter Simpson, Chief Executive, Richmondshire and Hambleton Councils
Councillor Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader, Birmingham City Council
Speaker from, Essex County Council
Other Expert Speakers
Stuart Cotton, DECATS Programme Lead, Accenture
Steve Freer, CEO, CIPFA
Richard Haynes, Director, Deloitte Consulting
Amanda Lewis, Partner, Denton Wilde Sapte LLP
Paul O'Brien, Chief Executive, Association of Public Service Excellence
Dr Martin Read, Non Executive Director of Invensys, Aegis Group and Lloyds of London and former Chief Executive of Logica
James Rolfe, Director of Finance and Corporate Resources, Enfield Council
Tom Shakespeare, Director of Policy and Research, Localis
08:50 Coffee and registration
09:25 Chairman's opening remarks
Lis Astall, Director, UK Local Government, Accenture
09:30 Survival strategies for local authorities in a budget-constrained environment
Steve Freer, CEO, CIPFA
09:50 Local authority efficiency under a Conservative government
Tom Shakespeare, Director of Policy and Research, Localis
10:10 Keynote address: Local Partnerships' role in delivering cost-effective service delivery in Local Government
John Carleton, Chief Executive, Local Partnerships
10:30 Morning coffee
PANEL ON THE POTENTIAL OF THE TOTAL PLACE CONCEPT
10:50 The challenge of achieving joined-up government both between and within central and local government
Richard Haynes, Director, Deloitte Consulting
11:10 Initial conclusions from the pilot projects
Kate Priestley, Chair, The Leadership Centre for Local Government
11:30 Panel discussion on the broader implications of the Total Place pilot projects
Speaker from Essex County Council
Richard Haynes, Director, Deloitte Consulting
Becky Hellard, Director of Corporate Services, Bradford Council
Kate Priestley, Chair, The Leadership Centre for Local Government
Councillor Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader, Birmingham City Council
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Grasping the scale of the medium to long-term challenge facing local government
Paul O'Brien, Chief Executive, Association of Public Service Excellence
PANEL ON REALISING COST SAVINGS THROUGH ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE AND RESTRUCTURING OF SERVICE DELIVERY
13:50 Case study I: Richmondshire and Hambleton Councils
Peter Simpson, Chief Executive, Richmondshire and Hambleton Councils
14:05 Case study II: Enfield Council
Amanda Lewis, Partner, Denton Wilde Sapte LLP
James Rolfe, Director of Finance and Corporate Resources, Enfield Council
14:20 Case study III: Westminster City Council
Councillor Colin Barrow, Leader, Westminster City Council
14:35 Case study IV: Bradford Council
Becky Hellard, Director of Corporate Services, Bradford Council
14:50 Case study V: Newcastle City Council
Paul Woods, Director of Finance and Resources, Newcastle City Council
15:05 Panel discussion on the scale of savings available through major strategic change
Councillor Colin Barrow, Leader, Westminster City Council
Stuart Cotton, DECATS Programme Lead, Accenture
Becky Hellard, Director of Corporate Services, Bradford Council
Amanda Lewis, Partner, Denton Wilde Sapte LLP
Peter Simpson, Chief Executive, Richmond and Hambleton Councils
Paul Woods, Director of Finance and Resources, Newcastle City Council
16:05 Afternoon tea
PANEL ON THE EFFICIENCIES AVAILABLE IN BACK OFFICE OPERATIONS AND IT
16:20 Case study I: Lincolnshire County Council
Councillor Martin Hill, Leader, Lincolnshire County Council
16:35 Case study II: Birmingham City Council
Stephen Hughes, Chief Executive,
Birmingham City Council
16:50 Panel discussion on breaking down silos and the benefits of standardisation
Councillor Martin Hill, Leader, Lincolnshire County Council
Stephen Hughes, Chief Executive, Birmingham City Council
Dr Martin Read, Non Executive Director of Invensys, Aegis Group and Lloyds of London and Former Chief Executive of Logica
17:30 Chairman's concluding remarks and close of conference