5/21/2010
PLANS have been agreed to revolutionise the way Lancashire County Council services are tailored to reflect local priorities which will save money and involve district and parish councils much more closely in making decisions.
A meeting of the full council gave the go-ahead to a shake-up of the way services are 'localised', which will see the county work more closely than ever with districts to set priorities, share resources, and respond quickly to what residents want.
A decision was made earlier this year to free up over £100,000 being spent on administering Lancashire Local committees in each of the county's 12 districts and find more cost-effective and efficient ways of working.
The three-pronged approach agreed by the full council will mean:
• A completely new way of working with district councils. Decisions in some areas, such as street lights and road safety schemes could be immediately delegated to district level. A 'shared services' approach, which is already seeing the county council pool resources and set joint priorities with districts councils on highway and street-scene services, will be accelerated and extended to many other areas of work.
• County Councillors will receive more support to develop their role as frontline leaders to help them work alongside service managers to deliver the things that are most important to people in their local area. They will also be more closely involved in day-to-day decisions on planning and delivery of services.
• A fresh approach to working with parish and town councils will make the most of their local knowledge and ability to deliver services tailored to their residents needs.
County Councillor Geoff Driver, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: "We're already working ever more closely with district and parish councils to make sure our services reflect the fact that people in each area of the county have different needs and priorities.
"Lancashire Locals were a costly and time-consuming way of making formal decisions, which we've replaced with a much more flexible approach focused on genuine sharing of services and day-to-day decision making.
"By agreeing with other councils which of us is best placed to deliver vital services, and tailoring them to meet the needs of each local area, there is a great opportunity to make the most of limited resources.
"What we've agreed today will also set councillors free to work in a way that means they can represent their residents' views on all aspects of services, without restricting them to a set of formal decisions."
The county council will now begin talks with district councils to form new agreements on local priorities and identify areas of work and resources which could be shared in future.
Posted: 5/21/2010