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Mayor of Bournemouth welcomes the IRRV

The Mayor of Bournemouth, Betty Baxter, welcomed delegates to the IRRV Annual Conference today, urging them to find time to take advantage of the balmy weather, and the attractions of the resort.  Councillor Baxter thanked the Institute for choosing the BIC after an absence of several years, and passed on best wishes to all for a profitable event.

President Julie Holden challenges government

n a hard-hitting Presidential address, Julie Holden warned government that it must reconsider funding for local authorities, particularly in the light of the difficult current financial climate.  Julie emphasised the need for investment in front-line services, not cost cutting.  In spite of the recent blip, Julie reminded delegates that collection rates were still the best in the world, and she spoke of the ‘boom time’ for benefits as the recession continues to bite.  Turning to the views of the Institute, the President pointed to the need to consider giving local authorities responsibility for administering the gateway for all welfare benefits.

Tell Us Once takes off

After an incubation period of two years the DWP ‘Tell Us Once’ project is finally reaping the benefits many always knew it would bring, said Programme Director Lyn McDonald.  In a frank and often humorous presentation, Lyn spoke of the pilot successes, particularly in the reporting of bereavement, where up to twenty services can be linked into one visit or call.  The response from local authorities had been marvellous, she added, citing in particular the work in Wolverhampton, Southwark, and Tameside councils.  A self-confessed ‘convert’ to local authority service provision and partnership working, Lyn joked, “local government is fantastic at providing services, and central government at putting up barriers!” 

Richard Harbord on doom and gloom!

Local government finance expert Richard Harbord closed the first afternoon of the 2009 Annual Conference with an amusing yet occasionally worrying paper.  “You are doomed!” stated his first slide, as he told tales of predictions of the level of public sector cuts expected over the forthcoming years.  “It’s not a good time to introduce severe expenditure cuts in public service, though”, he warned.  Richard pointed out that the current situation was not new, and that most finance chiefs had never experienced a period of growth, and would not be able to cope with it!  Public sector redesign must be high on the agenda, he asserted, with shared services playing its part.  The challenge, he said, was to find ways of delivering high quality services voters want, at a cost taxpayers can afford and the private sector can support.  Concluding on a personal note, he suggested that savings of 10% per year, and no growth until 2017/8 in the public sector, may be a realistic interpretation of the current situation.  

Wednesday Soundbites

“Tell us once” – the detail

Following on from Lyn McDonald’s Tuesday keynote speech, Southwark’s Eleanor Kelly and Dominic Cain treated delegates to a practical example of ‘Tell Us Once” at work.  Using a case study to demonstrate the fundamentals, their talk brought to life how services can succeed or fail.  The message was clear – “understand customer needs”.  The Southwark conclusion is that the project does indeed work, and that the pilot area of reporting a bereavement is a key time for the customer, and an opportunity to make a big difference in helping the public.

The way forward for Housing Benefit

DWP benefit strategy lead Paul Howarth’s key message was to emphasise that success comes when his department and local authorities work effectively together.  There is a major efficiency challenge, he said, with ways of reducing expenditure a key factor in the “political battlefield”.  Paul added, “There is a stark choice between containing public finances and issues around poverty”.  Paul’s funding message was that there is unlikely to be more money in the pot for the current year, but possibly better news for next year.  Other key messages were confirmation of the removal of the LHA £15 ‘top up’, and additional funding to assist with the implementation of temporary accommodation charges.  Paul’s final challenge was to encourage local authorities, the IRRV and the LGA to make a case at the highest level for delivery of benefits locally. 

Behavioural psychology is key

South Ribble’s Ian Parker rightly strayed from his allocated topic to give himself a platform for stressing the importance of the psychology of behaviour to meet the efficiency agenda.   “A whole wealth of psychology is about statistical analysis”, he said, pointing out that we spend so much time improving processes and technology, that we need to remember the importance of the psychology of behaviour too.  Ian stressed the need to look at team dynamics – concluding with the well worn but worthwhile “people are our greatest asset”.

“Extract maximum value”, says Cutler

Harrow’s Carol Cutler delivered her customary hard-hitting and practical advice to delegates, pointing to the need to “extract maximum value for every pound that we spend”.  The latest Harrow improvement agenda started three years ago, but there is still room for further work, she added, stressing that we must use all the tools available to reduce costs and improve public satisfaction, and let them see that services are offering value for money.   The Harrow mantra revolved around the CRM system as the authority’s “centre of the universe”, as it standardises information and cuts down on duplication, Carol asserted.  

Effective data management and communications is key

Rob de Felice of Gandlake took delegates on a tour of effective communication channels, as he examined transaction costs in the all too familiar search to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction.  He urged local authorities to look at ways of joining up with third parties, such as landlords and welfare advice agencies.  “Data is the key – ensure it is managed effectively”, he stated, pointing to joint HB notifications and intelligently merged bills as an example.  Conversion to self-service and electronic billing should be high on the list, he said, with effective CRM use as invaluable.  “Think big and start small”, Rob said, as he urged a phased approach – “significant savings have to be planned!”         

 

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