Agenda item

County Councillor Borrow presented a detailed report regarding the above and informed the meeting that in response to the financial challenges which the County Council faced over the next few years consideration was being given to a range of measures aimed at securing savings of around £300m. These measures included a review of planning assumptions/forecasts which had led to a reduction of £17.4m in the level of savings required over the next four years, together with an additional £19.1m of efficiency savings identified over the next two years and a review of the County Councils accommodation which would generate £5m of savings by 2017/18.

It was also reported that a significant element of the budget proposals related to the reshaping of services in Adult Social Care which were intended to help support people to remain living at home rather than having to move into costly residential care.

In considering the report the following issues were discussed by members of the Forum.

·  In response to a query regarding potential legal challenges arising from some of the proposals Mr Graham reported that any costs associated with a legal challenge to a decision made by the County Council would be funded from reserves. He added that potential risks, including challenges, would be taken into account by the Cabinet when formulating the budget early in the New Year and the County Council operated a robust risk assessment and equality impact analysis of proposals which was intended to take account of potential risks.

·  It was reported that a number of local authorities had expressed concerns regarding their ability to set future budgets and the necessity of making some hard choices regarding services. County Councillor Borrow reported that for Lancashire when considering budget proposals particular attention had been paid to services provided by the Adult Services, Health and Wellbeing Directorate and the Children and Young People's Directorate, both of which represented significant elements of the County Council's overall expenditure.

·  The proposal to reduce costs by closing waste transfer stations and landfill sites on Bank Holidays was discussed and it was noted that the Borough Council was also looking at reducing some of its costs by streamlining its waste collection services.

·  Concern was expressed about the impact of the budget proposals on mental health services and it was reported that the County Council was looking at ways of making better use of available resources to support people in their own homes. It was also noted that the transfer of public health responsibilities/funding to the County Council via the Health and Wellbeing Board presented an opportunity for closer working with partners in order to provide a more effective/efficient service.

·  In response to a query from a member of the public County Councillor Borrow informed the meeting that the intention was for the County Council to agree a budget for 2014/15 and then focus attention on reshaping services in order to achieve more significant savings over the period up to 2017/18. Whilst it was acknowledged that there would be difficult decisions to be made over the next few years it was recognised that the County Council had established a clear direction in relation to securing significant savings, reorganising existing services and seeking to maintain a high standard of service.

It was noted that the comments of the Forum would be taken into consideration when developing further proposals to meet the remainder of the savings requirement in 2014/15 which would be presented to the County Councils Cabinet in December and January and would be the subject of further consultation.

Agreed: That the comments of the Forum are forwarded to the County Treasurer and presented to the County Council’s Cabinet for consideration as part of the process of finalising the 2014/15 budget proposals.