| Topic: | How to achieve savings | |
| Posted by: | George Knox | |
| Date/Time: | 21/11/10 23:55:00 |
| Now here's comment from someone who arouses passions on this website and elsewhere, but in this case, on the face of it I am inclined to agree with the approach once you disentangle it from the politics and the personality issues. Not easy when he suggests chopping off a leg to achieve savings, which without proper explanation does not ostensiblly seem too realistic. However he may wish to clarify - with some new detail - what he is paddling on about. It's about the costs of duplication, its about lack of shared services, it's about hours that Council staff work, it's about localism, a silly word which I don't understand, but it's akin to more democracy for the Residents and it's about the fear of loss of power and jobs at the centre leading to the sacrificial loss of frontline jobs such as park rangers - or PCSOs as Councillor Stacey recently suggests in a rather scaremongering comment on Ealing Today. What I don't know because it is not explained is the scale on which these negative criticisms happen or do not happen. What I do not know, because it not explained, is the achievable cost savings (all of them) which are envisaged by the suggestions. What I do not know, because it is not explained is how quickly the approach could be implemented. What I do not know because it has not been explained, is how much less such an approach would be felt by the Residents of Ealing, than the approach being promulgated by the current administration. However these views have been made by a very active ex Cabinet Member - and whatever you think of him, it would be very foolish to think he knows naff all about his subject. To find out what I am talking about read the comments in http://philtaylor.org.uk/?p=4019#respond What does not seem to be mentioned in the papers to be decided by Cabinet on 30 November is what risk assessments have been undertaken. The Council should publish these. If the Labour Councillors cannot sell their package to the electorate and if they cannot convince us that they have also taken a radical approach to management structures and driven out duplication - but just lamely cut frontline staff and services, then some Labour Councillors will be on a hiding to nothing at the next election. |