Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed here.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations were made.

There were no declarations of the party whip.

The Commission considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the outcomes of the County Council’s Efficiency Review (ER) and which set out the implications for the Council’s revised Transformation Programme and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).  A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 3’ is attached to these minutes.

The Chairman welcomed Stephen Knight, Mandeep Mohan and Dominic Ansbro from Newton Consulting Ltd (Newton) to the meeting and thanked them on behalf of the Commission for their work on the review.

The Chairman also welcomed to the meeting Mrs N. Bottomley CC, Mr M. H. Charlesworth CC, and Mr J. Miah who had been invited to attend for this item.

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Leader introduced the proposals commenting that, following the change in administration after the County Council elections, the new administration had inherited a significant budget gap of £90 million and had therefore decided to commission a root and branch efficiency review of Council spending, income and procurement. He reported that the review aimed to identify opportunities to maximise efficiencies, to enable the Council to live within its means, and to reduce and ultimately eliminate budget deficits over time, as well as protect valued frontline services. Members were advised that this represented a clear change from previous ways of working, including a council tax increase of 2.99%, described as the lowest in over a decade. Investment in social care teams, earlier intervention, support to keep children with their families, and improved contract value would also improve outcomes and reduce longer-term costs.

The Leader outlined that savings of £33.4 million had originally been built into the budget, which had been increased to £44 million through work with officers, and that external consultants had worked with the Council to identify further potential savings of up to £60 million, contributing to an overall target of £102.6 million. He further stated that, after a three-year payback period, the savings delivered through the programme would deliver recurring annual financial benefits.

The Leader advised that proposals for local government reorganisation could also, if a single council model for Leicestershire and Rutland was introduced, release a further £40 million and provide a financially viable basis for a new authority.  The Leader further commented that in his view, the measures proposed would place the Council at the forefront of innovative local government and support improved services alongside financial sustainability.

The Lead Member for Resources supported the Leader’s comments and explained that the efficiency review had been established to take a fundamental look at how the Council operated, with the aim of identifying savings whilst also improving services. He emphasised that, notwithstanding criticism of its ambition and scope, the independent review had produced a rolling programme of action expected to deliver payback within around three years, target £60 million of savings, and continue to identify additional opportunities in the future.  The Lead Member further stated that in his view, the proposals provided the best opportunity to secure improved outcomes and financial sustainability for residents.

Arising from questions asked of the Leader and the Leader Member for Resources, the following points were made:

(i)               In response to questions as to whether the appointment of external consultants had been necessary the Leader highlighted that their involvement had brought a fresh perspective, drawing on experience from a range of organisations and sectors. He  suggested that their wider organisational view had enabled additional opportunities to be identified beyond those visible within individual service departments.

(ii)              Regarding concerns about the interaction between the efficiency programme and the timing of local government reorganisation (LGR) the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 94.

The next meeting of the Commission is scheduled to take place on 10 June 2026.