Brent Council are consulting on the delivery of essential basic services from April 2023. As these affect us every day (you should see my email in-box!) it is worth making an effort to respond:
In May 2019, the council set up a programme called ‘Redefining Local Services’ to explore how some of the most important local services could be delivered from 1 April 2023. This is when existing contracts for many of these services are due to end.
We’re talking about the delivery of services that have an impact on:
- How your recycling and waste is collected and processed
- How our roads and pavements are maintained
- How we work to prevent anti-social behaviour and crime
- How we improve local air quality and tackle the climate emergency
- How businesses like pubs and casinos are licensed
- How Brent’s parks and trees are maintained
- How we keep our streets free of litter and illegal rubbish dumps
- How illegal parking is enforced
A decision must now be made on how services that are currently being delivered by contractors will be delivered in the future, once those contracts end. For example, the council could continue to pay outside organisations to provide these services (outsourcing), or it could deliver some of them itself (insourcing), or the council could do a combination of both these things.
The documents we are consulting on summarise the research that has been done to date and outline the pros and cons of a number of different delivery model options for these services.
Ultimately, our ambition is to design a model which delivers the services residents, businesses and visitors need. This means a cleaner, greener environment and more jobs for local people, as well as opportunities for local businesses. We also want to build in greater flexibility, control and innovation.
Whichever option is chosen, the council must make sure that the way services are delivered is affordable and secures best value.
We are now asking for your views on the future delivery of these local services.
Why we are consulting
We are consulting with you to help us make informed decisions about the future delivery of these important services. We want to know what your priorities are when thinking about service delivery and how you feel we should choose between the different delivery model options.
We also want to know which delivery models you prefer, your reasons for choosing them and whether you agree with the two competing options we are currently favouring.
Who are we consulting with?
Under Section 3 of the Local Government Association 1999 (LGA 1999), the council has a duty to consult with representatives of the following groups of people:
- Local taxpayers (i.e. Brent residents)
- Local ratepayers (i.e. local businesses, including SMEs)
- Service users (i.e. people who use Brent services)
- People with an interest in the borough (this could include organisations who have contracts with the council)
- Local voluntary groups
When is the consultation and how can I respond?
The consultation will run from Tuesday 18 May 2021 until Monday 21 June 2021.
We ask that you please complete the online survey by Monday 21 June.
We also want to talk to a handful of people from across the borough in a bit more detail about these issues – if you’d like to get involved in one of those conversations do please let us know by registering. As a thank you for your time, we’re offering a £20 LDO (London Designer Outlet) voucher to all who attend.
Please note that individual replies on the consultation will not be provided. However, we will post a summary of all views received on the portal after the consultation has closed.
How will we use your data?
A report summarising all views received will be
produced after the consultation period for consideration at a future meeting of
Cabinet. This report will help inform Cabinet’s final decision on the delivery
model for these services.
All feedback received through the consultation will be anonymised, and any
identifiable information removed before the summary report is produced.
As part of the online survey, we also need you to confirm that you fall within one of the groups of people that we are consulting with.
We will not use the information you provide for any other purpose other than that stated above, nor will we share it with other council departments / external bodies.
We will always process your information in accordance with the law. For more information on how we process, use and store your information, please refer to the Council’s Privacy Policy.
Further Information
If you have any queries on the consultation process, please email them directly to redefininglocalservices@brent.gov.uk
For more detail on the services in scope and the delivery models being considered, please refer to the documents provided alongside the survey.
1 comment:
Great idea, but not a convincing photo op, Mo!!!
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