Last financial year (2011-12) we saved £28 million. We also considered over 600 of your money saving ideas from last year’s budget conversation. Dealing with the implications of a £70 million reduction in government funding for the council means far reaching change to the way we operate. We have therefore been changing and saving by:
- Removing many senior posts, saving around £1 million over the last few years
- Greatly reducing our use of expensive external consultants
- Only recruiting to posts we absolutely need and by making the most of the employees we already have
- Providing more services online and by the telephone (far cheaper than face-to-face, and often preferred by many local people)
- Reducing the numbers of buildings and offering combined services in buildings e.g. making better use of libraries for customer service
- Shopping around for better deals e.g. supported public transport services
- Changing the way we commission some services e.g. care services
- Reducing our energy costs
This all needs to be done whilst protecting the needs of the most vulnerable in the city.
The overall approach to deliver better value for money from Bristol City Council
These savings stem from our overall approach to the challenge of the council’s budget reducing by £70 million over 4 years. By 2015, the council will be:
- Smaller and more flexible – better able to react to changing circumstances
- Designed around our customers’ needs
- Better equipped for future service delivery
- Focusing on the quality of the service, whoever delivers them
- Giving better value to the tax payer
