Speak up for Libraries:Influencing council decision makers

Councillor Alan Waters.

Financial Context

Headline reduction of 7.1% of formula grant funding per annum over four years

The funding reduction is “front loaded” for local councils, flat for police authorities and “back loaded” for fire

authorities

Major changes in funding mechanisms from 1 April 2013

Every council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy will include the need to make significant savings

Further cuts of c. 7% to be announced in the Autumn Statement

The Pickles Plan

Reason for the frontloaded cuts

It is important that local government restructure its administration and its services, and the only real way to do that is to start the process early on’

Eric Pickles – CLG Select Committee 2010

Councils should be ‘commissioners’ not ‘providers’ of services.

The Localism Act

The Localism Act

• Community Right to Challenge – bidding to run council services

• Community Right to Bid – taking over assets of ‘community value’

‘Your Community Rights’:

Community Rights: CRTC

“It enables communities to challenge to take over local service that they think

they can run differently and better. The Right to Challenge could be used to run

a wide range of local services”. (Your Community Rights)

DCLG Consultation February 2011

Community Right to Challenge: ability to protect public services?

Local authority must accept or reject an ‘expression of interest’ and give grounds for

doing so.

Local authority in coming to a judgement must

“ consider how it might promote or improve the

social economic or environmental well-being of

the authority’s area” -Section 83 (8) of the Act.

Understand your Council

There is a need to understand how your Council operates..

They are not all the same

There are different ways of looking at this question

Whether friendly and receptive or not knowing how they operate and what makes them tick is really important

Local Authorities

What are there constitutional arrangements?

What is the Political composition? Are they politically vulnerable?

Informal arrangements and culture

Scrutiny arrangements

Public interface arrangements

Constitutional arrangements

Committee systemElected Mayor, Leader and Cabinet (who selects

the Cabinet)In all Councils Audit and Regulatory Committees

are committees of the Council Levels of Delegation. Single Member Decision

making powers. Officer delegationsDefinition of Key decisions (will be found in their

constitution

Political Composition

Majority Party Control

Minority Party Control

Coalition arrangements

Balance of Political Groups

Next Election (1/3rds of All out

Electoral Vulnerability

Is majority group cohesive or divided?

Informal/Non Constitutional Considerations

Member led or Officer LedStrong or weak leader

Strong or weak Executive/CabinetAdvisory Committees?

Significance of Party GroupsReactive or Proactive

Strategy Led or Policy ledTimid or Adventurous

Role of Scrutiny

Strong or marginalised

Active in Pre Decision scrutiny?

Active in Post Decision Scrutiny

Call in Procedures

Is Call in effective in changing decisions

Public Interface

Deputations and Petitions and arrangements to receive

Public question opportunities?

Public speaking to agenda items

Consultation events

Levels of decision taking

How high or low?

Nothing happens without the authority of the Chief Executive/Leader

OR

Many key decisions are taken well down the ‘food chain’ without reference ‘upstairs’

Climate and culture of delegation and effective decision making

Corporate or Departmentalist

• Some Councils in reality resemble 3, 4 or more different Councils

• Others are very corporate in their make up, composition and culture

• The role of the Chief Officers Group may be critical

Working with Formal Structures(1)

Making Use of scrutiny

Presenting evidence to review groups

Using call in procedures

Some Councils allow electors to call in decisions or it may have to be via a member or a number

of members.

Matter of days after a decision. Check constitution

Working with Formal Structures(2)

Petitions and Deputations and Committee and Council Meetings

Most Councils have facilities to receive and hear petitions and deputations

Public question opportunities. Speaking rights on agenda items

Make use of these very public forums

Working with Formal Structures (3)

The Media

Some Councils are extremely sensitive to articles and letters in the local media

The letters page is the most widely read page of local newspapers

Not forgetting local broadcast media

Working with Formal Structures (4)

Meeting Key Decision Makers

Leaders rarely turn down a request for a meeting.

Cabinet Portfolio holders

Officers more likely to refer you to formal mechanisms

Working with Formal Structures (5)

Keep abreast of decisions and strategies as they are developing/made

Know and understand the role of the Forward Plan

Research and be proactive

Many Councils are struggling and actually searching for solutions to problems

All elected members play a role –The ruling group or coalition on the council

Cabinet membersThe opposition groups on the council

Scrutiny membersWard Councillors

Corporate Plan and Budget has to be agreed by the full council.

Understanding the policy making and budget setting cycle.

Making decisions

Crucial to have high quality – quantitative and qualitative information to inform the political priorities of the

council

The Financial Management Process

Objectives

The Corporate Plan

Service Plans

Performance Review

Financial Planning

The MTFS

The Annual Budget

Budgetary Control

The Financial Management Process

Objectives

The Corporate Plan

Service Plans

Performance Review

Financial Planning

The MTFS

The Annual Budget

Budgetary Control

Relating to the Budget ProcessAndrew Coulson 2005

April/May

June/July

September/October

October/November

November

December

January – February

March

Initial Projections

Review Baseline Budget –In Strategic Context

Identify known Pressures

Capital Programme, IncludingPrudential borrowing

Identification of Savings,Efficiency Measures, and Alternatives

Budget agreed by Council

Government Settlement

Budget formulated

Councillors

Other than elected mayors, all Councillors represent a particular ward.

Map your membership to Wards and Cllrs

Most Cllrs will have Ward surgeries. Often Drop in arrangements

All are subject to election every four years

Sensitive to their own electorates

Make use of your role as electors

In Conclusion

Councils are there to be influenced

They are democratic bodies often highly sensitive to opinion

Many have elections every year

Your campaign members will have electoral power

You need to know and understand the Council, its personalities and its structures

Make use of opportunities

In the end personal dynamics are often the key