Buckinghamshire Implementing the town and parish devolved services - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Buckinghamshire County Council

Modernising Local Government in Buckinghamshire Implementing the town and parish devolved services offer

Buckinghamshire County Council

Workshop Feedback; What would a successful devolution programme look like?

• Clear unchanging definition of the service being devolved
• No additional funding required to run / Concerns that Parishes /towns will

be blamed following caps on taxes rather than a unitary

• Clear communication for queries
• Flexibility on funding models
• The new council to provide sufficient technical expertise to advise parishes

through the process

• Toolkits provided for each service
• Parishes able to input to specs
• Sustainable –staff and volunteers
• Clear understanding within the new Council as to services that are

devolved to ensure no confusion.

• Greater shared learning /working
• A more sensible website with polices /key contacts
• A longer consultation time for parishes

Buckinghamshire County Council

From the Business Case

Buckinghamshire County Council The devolution offer proposal: Menu of assets and services Flexible to different needs and ambitions Transparent formula Tailored capacity building support Countywide policies and standards

• Commissioned services
• Devolution of statutory services

with budgets

• Transfer of local assets

To include:

Buckinghamshire County Council

The Devolution Offer proposal

Key considerations:

• Evidence of the benefits to the local

community

• Cost neutral overall for Buckinghamshire

Council

• Enable more local decision making and

budget setting

Buckinghamshire County Council

Potential County Council assets to devolve

• Off street car parks / income from them
• Community library premises
• Youth centres (currently on peppercorn

rents)

• Other buildings

Buckinghamshire County Council

Potential County services to devolve

• The current devolved services; offer

to continue? Budget to continue?

• Minor road and footpath repairs
• Flytipping enforcement
• Recycling management
• Home care and meals on wheels
• Health and wellbeing services
• Off street car park income
• On street car park income
• Parking enforcement
• Community transport
• Community safety/ neighbourhood

watch

• Footpath lighting
• Road closures for special events
• Events Management
• Traffic management (i.e. for litter-

picking)

• Dropped kerb licensing
• Gully cleaning
• Tree management (crowning)
• School crossing patrollers
• Other services as requested
• Traffic Regulation Orders, e.g. for

parking schemes and speed limit reductions

Buckinghamshire County Council

Potential District assets to transfer

• Play areas
• Sports grounds and

pavilions

• Local Parks and open

spaces

• Public toilets
• Allotments
• Community Centres
• Cemeteries and

churchyards

• Town / parish council
• ffices
• Theatres
• Leisure centres

Buckinghamshire County Council

Potential District services to devolve

• Grasscutting and open

space maintenance

• Flytipping clearance
• Street cleaning
• Abandoned vehicles
• Off street car parks
• Community safety
• Dog control and fouling
• Management of common

land

• Leisure Centre

management

• Event and pub licensing
• Table licenses
• PSPO management

Buckinghamshire County Council

Financial Methodology; Principles

• Cost neutral excluding setup and handover costs
• Additional initial investment in the New Council’s project

management and setup costs for towns and parishes

• Note Parish Futures on hold but model available
• Case by case negotiation, taking account of assets, costs of each

service, and income potential (e.g. car parks)

• Also accounting for reduction of demand e.g. complaints and call

centre

• New unitary council to take account of ongoing cost of audit of

service provision

• Each service to provide best estimate of cost on parish by parish

basis, starting with the pilot councils

• Each commissioner to review end of contract dates, and

commissions that may be able to be let to individual parishes and or clusters of parishes

Buckinghamshire County Council

Financial Methodology; Process

• Case by case negotiation, taking account of assets,

costs of each service, and income potential (e.g. car parks)

• Also accounting for reduction of demand e.g. complaints

and call centre

• Each service to provide best estimate of cost on parish

by parish basis, starting with the pilot councils

• Each commissioner to review end of contract dates, and

commissions that may be able to be let to individual parishes and or clusters of parishes

• New Council to publish a list of all assets held, with an
• ffer to all local councils to submit a bid to take
• wnership of any of them, with a deadline for proposals.

Buckinghamshire County Council

Issues for consideration

• High Wycombe
• Special expenses (Aylesbury, West Wycombe, High

Wycombe)

• One off opportunity for local councils to raise their

precept on the first day of the new unitary council

Buckinghamshire County Council

Timescale

• Pilots to begin April 19 or April 20?

– Need to have clarity on district budgets and issues – Experience is that takes a long time – Need to get right first time – Parishes have a long decision making process

• Remainder to begin over 4 year period

– Allows for detailed negotiations with each council