The best councils… James Kingston Department for Communities and Local Government October 2015

The best councils…

Right to bid – Stanwick Parish Council Stanwick Parish Council, Northamptonshire  Nominated land in time to have it pulled from auction  Purchased from reserves

 Cost-benefit analysis a key part of Our Place programme  Analyses show clear financial and other benefits from this way of working Our Place - analysis

Neighbourhood level services – efficiencies and better outcomes Appropriate geographic scale Smaller Economies of scale Co- design: Services produced between provider and user Economies of Scope: achieved through the ‘bundling’ of services Economies of density: Local knowledge means you can identify where need is greatest Economies of learning: You can respond quicker, experiment and take risks Economies of cost: You have lower cost base and simpler purchasing The outcome will be different for different services types. Larger

Co-design Better relationships means more engaged customers and greater user satisfaction with the services you provide

Economies of scale Economies of scale works in some circumstances – but not all, e.g. where there are knowledge gaps or where need is not uniform. There are other ways to achieve efficiencies

Economies of scope Bringing services together could mean sharing premises or staff; or enabling staff to better help clients with a range of needs

Economies of cost The parish tier cost base is lower… … and procurement is easier

Economies of learning You can be quicker to respond experimental take risks

Economies of density Local knowledge means you can identify best where need is greatest

Lots of active parishes… Significant increases in community activity and services Parishes well represented amongst users

Drivers of increased localism Financial and demographic pressure. Trust in institutions and politics is low People say they want more involvement – but they don’t always act on it.

Redesigning public services Local authorities looking for ways to redesign services and save money. Parish councils are well placed Much of this strength comes from effective engagement

 Our Place – putting the community at the heart of decision making Our Place

 ********** an Our Place programme area  deliver highways, grounds maintenance; provide a commercial service  a multi-disciplinary team tackling crime, antisocial behaviour and quality of life issues. Our Place- in action

 Advice and support from your peers  A range of support programmes My Community, My Community Network and community rights support

James Kingston Department for Communities and Local Government