Babergh , together with Mid Suffolk District Council, has been shortlisted in the ‘Shared Service’ category of the MJ (Municipal Journal) tenth Anniversary Achievement Awards.
The entry in the glossy brochure that lists all the
shortlisted local authorities describes our achievement as follows:-
‘In just over two years, Babergh DC and Mid Suffolk DC have created
a single-delivery organisation serving both councils. The scheme has already achieved annual
revenue savings of 8% and reduced the management team by 50%. The self-leadership remit of the new delivery
teams also ensures resources support front line service and outcome delivery’.
The last sentence seems to me to be complete gobbledygook,
written as it is in localauthorityspeak, but the rest is pretty clear. In the face of unprecedented cuts in
government funding, councillors and officers at Mid Suffolk and Babergh have
not stood idly by waiting for the moment that we are forced to start to reduce
services and cut back on community support.
We have proactively taken the initiative, and our path breaking activity,
which is well in advance of similar initiatives by other bodies, has
now been recognised by this nomination for a national award.
There are another four projects from all over the country in
the frame for the award, and we will know whether we have won on June 20th
People are very quick to criticise Babergh , and, of course,
it is not perfect in every respect.
However, it has for many years been a comparatively well run council
that has kept council tax low, and has
elected members who are not afraid to recognise the realities of a changed external environment
and act accordingly.
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