Barnet Council’s new Interim Chief Executive, Andrew Travers, explains OneBarnet
On Wednesday 24 October 2012 Barnet Alliance submitted a Petition called Stop the One Barnet Programme
http://petitions.barnet.gov.uk/StopOneBarnet/
This allowed a Barnet resident to speak to their petition, take questions and listen to the interim Chief Executive to respond.
Barnet Council’s new Interim Chief Executive, Andrew Travers, explains OneBarnet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v8zJ27RHOA&feature=plcp
TRANSCRIPT BELOW
Mr Travers, Barnet’s Acting Interim CEO is asked by Hugh Raynor, Chair of Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to take a seat.
Thank you very much Chairman. The One Barnet Programme as set out in the current report, has its genesis originally in 2008 so has been considered as Council policy from that point and in numerous occasions since then. If I could just sum up some of the challenges that are recognised in that Programme and the response then maybe that would give a flavour of why I think the Programme exists as it does today.
Firstly, the Programme, I think, recognises a period of exceptional challenge for public services and for local authorities so we know that we are in a period of extreme austerity. I think we can probably anticipate that that will continue for a number of years. One of the consequences of that is that the Council’s support from Central Government, I mentioned earlier, is likely to decrease by somewhere between 30 and 50%. This level of reduction is unprecedented. Coupled with that we know that Barnet is a growing and changing place. Population growth is rapid, has been in the last 10 years and continues for the next 10 years and also the expectations of citizens for public services are increasing and expectations are the way in which the Council can tailor its services to the public – is a clear and important factor. So for those reasons of context the Council has, I would recognise that, has considered quite carefully about how it responds to the unprecedented challenge and needs a carefully thought through response.
But also I think given the nature of the challenge needs to think quite radically about how Council services can be brokered in that context and I think that is the clear context for the Programme that has informed member decision making about it. In terms of the implementation of the Programme the way in which it has been taken to all of this is effectively to consider service areas on a case by case basis against that background and against the 3 objectives of the Programme which are around a new relationship with citizens; a one public sector approach; and a relentless drive for efficiency. So taking service areas on a case by case basis, as I’ve said, to consider options for future delivery against that context and agenda and then to select a preferred option for delivery and then to that an impact a preferred option. And as I’ve said earlier there are some projects which have already been implemented and some that are in the process of being implemented.
Taking the Programme as a whole we are trying to track both financial and non-financial benefits of the project within the Programme. As we’ve been saying said the financial benefits over a 10 year period are anticipated to be about £111million. There are 115 non-financial benefits which are tracked within the Programme which in effect are the wider aspirations driven by the 3 objectives that I’ve referred to.
Council has recognised and officers have recognised that this is a very challenging Programme to deliver. Change of this nature is clearly always difficult. The number of different delivery approaches within the Programme are such that we need to make sure we manage the risk of delivery very carefully. The way in which we have sought to do that is to try and make sure that the Council increases its capacity within its core workforce to manage a Programme of this nature effectively but has also supplemented that with a number external expertise in respect of commercial, contractual and legal matters so in that way we try and make sure we deliver the Programme safely and effectively and we protect continuity of services for residents now and through the change process.
Just to finish, Chairman I think worth noting that there are a number of approaches being taken in the 1 Barnet programme as to how outsourced services are to be delivered. There are clearly a wide range of services that are delivered at the moment in-house. There are some services which are being delivered through a shared service, for example with legal service with Harrow. There are some services delivered via the Barnet Group Arms Length Company and there are some services which it is planned to deliver through outsourced arrangements. So the context and the approach really resulted in the Council seeing itself as being a Commissioner of services and commissioning those services from those agents best able to deliver and there is a rational process of its own in that and we try and manage those risks as effectively as we possibly can. Thank you Chairman.