Chadlington Parish Council has been asked by West Oxfordshire District Council to publicise the following:-
Have your say on our proposals to share services
West Oxfordshire District Council is inviting local residents to have their say on proposals that will reduce running costs without the need to cut services.
The Council is working with local authorities at Cheltenham, Cotswold and Forest of Dean on the 2020 Vision Programme, which is aiming to reduce the cost of providing services through sharing management and staff and making better use of IT.
At the same time, the Council will maintain the full range of services it currently provides and retain its own distinct identity. Elected West Oxfordshire District Councillors will continue to decide what is best for the residents they serve, and ensure local access to services.
As a result of the work on 2020 Vision so far, the partner councils are proposing initially, that the following services are shared:
- IT
- Public Protection
- Building Control Legal
- Property
- Customer Services
- Revenues and benefits
- HR, finance and payroll (a shared service already established)
Not all partners will necessarily be involved in each of the above projects as some already have different arrangements.
Detailed proposals are going to each council in September and October this year. Before those meetings take place, the Councils are consulting with their local residents.
Cllr Barry Norton, Leader at West Oxfordshire District Council said: “Shared working is already well-established and proving to be extremely effective. Three years ago we formed a joint finance, accounts, human resources and procurement service with the 2020 partner councils and since then we have seen our administration and running costs fall dramatically; this is helping us to save money and safeguard services that matter most to residents. Furthermore, our actions have enabled us to balance our budget for the last three years, maintain the same level of Council Tax for five years consecutively and continue setting our own priorities to serve the best interests of local people.
“We are now looking at further opportunities to make efficiencies and would like the local community to let us know what they think about the proposals to share more services.”
How you can comment
You can have your say on these changes by emailing us at feedback@2020partnership.uk, letting us know the area where you live, or by writing to Communications – 2020 Vision Office, West Oxfordshire District Council, Woodgreen, Witney OX28 1NB.
Please let us know:
- Do you agree with this approach?
- If not, how do you think the savings could be made?
- Any additional comments?
The 10-week consultation runs until Tuesday 15 September.
More information can be found at www.westoxon.gov.uk/2020consultation.