Proposed £18.2 million savings that will protect frontline services, ensure that our vulnerable residents are protected, and use innovation and technology to target services more effectively were scrutinised at Corporate Overview and Scrutiny this Wednesday (20 November) and will now go to Cabinet in December.
Savings proposals focus on protecting frontline services to residents by reducing management costs and making use of new technology and ways of working that more efficiently target help at those who need it.
Proposals in Adult Social Care include using a mixture of expertise of those on the frontline, technology and streamlined processes to focus care on encouraging independence. Under the proposals services will prioritise support that focuses on helping people regain their independence earlier, instead of relying on costly on-going care services.
Savings proposals also include investing in creating a new children’s home, using buildings already owned by the council, which will be able to better care for children with the most complex needs. By creating its own home, the council can make annual savings of £173,000 per place while also providing bespoke care.
Other proposed savings include creating a selective licensing scheme for private landlords that - subject to further development and consultation - could help ensure high-standards in privately rented homes, streamlined waste collections that will create a more efficient service and combining housing and public cleaning services to create one team that works more effectively.
Cllr John Kent, Leader of Thurrock Council, said: “There is no doubt that we need to make significant savings, and doing that is not easy. We have stuck to some core principles to guide the proposals we have made and that is to protect frontline services, protect our most vulnerable residents and tackle waste and inefficiency within the council.
“We are fundamentally changing the way we work to make better use of local expertise knowledge and technology to streamline management and admin and reduce bureaucracy.
“Many of the savings we make will improve the services residents, especially our most vulnerable residents, receive.
“Proposals include creating a children’s home that provides better care at a lower cost, creating a licensing scheme that will guarantee a higher standard of privately rented accommodation in the borough and looking at how we can use more local teams, and their knowledge of the area they work in, to drive efficiency and improvement in areas like street cleaning and waste collections.”
A decision on the council’s budget, including savings, will be made by Full Council in the new year.