Future Options report made public

Harborough District Council has published the final report of its Future Options Review. 

The report, which will be debated in full Council on Monday 31 October, says the council should focus first on improving the efficiency of services delivered in house before pursuing widespread outsourcing or service sharing arrangements.  This short term transformation will lay the groundwork for a longer term vision in which the council could share its senior management team with a partner authority.  

Councillor Mike Rook, Leader of the Council, said: “This review set out to protect the services people need by finding ways to make them better and more efficient.  The incremental approach it maps out leads towards a shared management team in the future.  But we can’t share our management team successfully until we are managing our services in the best way possible.  The end of this review signals the start of a major transformation programme that will change our council for the better.  I’m asking members to support this plan.”

Councillor Simon Galton, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said: “This staged approach allows us to capitalise on the benefits of a more efficient in house operation, which will strengthen our hand in future negotiations to share senior staff.  Evolutionary change gives us the best chance to involve people every step of the way in shaping the services they rely on.  I urge members to support the plan, which can help Harborough lead the way in future service and staff sharing arrangements.”

If they adopt the recommendations of the report, Members will kick start a full cost-benefit analysis exercise to establish a robust business case for a programme of in house transformation.  This will be based on accurate calculations of the savings to be achieved and the cost of delivery and a detailed assessment of the improvements that would result.

The transformation process would include:

• A co-ordinated process to draw out efficiencies across all services and all shared and outsourced arrangements.
• A review of each service or activity area
• A soft market test of the outsourcing opportunities, both as a single council, and in collaboration with other councils.
• A programme to engage the community in service design

If the cost benefit analysis exercise is approved, Members will vote on the full transformation programme in December 2011.  Councillors would decide in 12 to 18 months whether to proceed with a shared management team. 

Councillors will be considering new evidence and taking further decisions on two other review exercises for Harborough District Council in the near future.  The Council’s waste and recycling service is under review, to explore how value for money and service quality can be maximised.  And the future management of the Council’s property portfolio, including the current Headquarters and the Market Hall is also under consideration.  Recommendation as to how that portfolio can be better managed will be made to the Executive in November.   

The full Future Options Review Report is available here.

For background about Future Options visit www.harborough.gov.uk/futureoptions