Notts: Local people back plans to transform County Council services

A new blueprint for how Notts County Council services will be delivered in the future has been supported by local people.
Notts County Council leader Coun Alan RhodesNotts County Council leader Coun Alan Rhodes
Notts County Council leader Coun Alan Rhodes

More than 1,600 people responded to the six-week Redefining Your Council public consultation which set out plans about how the County Council will deliver the services in the future.

The council is looking at ambitious plans to overhaul the way services are delivered as it grapples with a further £77 million budget shortfall caused by substantial cuts in Government funding, despite already saving £100 million and shedding 3,000 jobs since 2010.

As part of the Redefining Your Council approach, feedback from the consultation has been used to add greater focus on more partnership working with other public sector, voluntary and business organisations in the county to look at new ways to jointly deliver services together.

Council leader, Coun Alan Rhodes, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who responded to our consultation to help shape the future of local public services. We’ve been able to share our plans for the future of local services with more than 1,600 people.”

“Despite facing a near impossible situation of rising demand for services and huge Government funding cuts, we are taking a constructive approach to look hard at what we do and the way we do things to identify any opportunities to save money and change how we do things.”

“Although we’ve already managed to make substantial savings totalling £100 million, we have to recognise that as there is less and less money available and more and more demand for our services, the decisions we face will get harder and harder.”

“Reading the results from the consultation, it’s clear that while people recognised that we will need to consider different ways to provide our services.”

“Just over one in four people expressed concern about this issue and I’d like to reassure people that any proposals to change the way we deliver services will need to stay true to our values, especially to treat people fairly and will involve full and further public consultation.”

Reviews of the council’s highest spending services will now start in July.