County Tories make 4th Strategic lurch in as many years (Ipswich Liberal Democrats)

Ipswich Liberal Democrats <info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk>

County Tories make 4th Strategic lurch in as many years

September 30, 2009 5:16 PM

Suffolk County Council Lib Dem Manifesto 2005 This letter was submitted to the Evening Star and EADT on Friday 25th Sept.

Dear Sir,

I must admit to suffering from Deja Vu as I heard about the latest Tory County Council change in strategic direction. Having said that I would plead some justification as over the last four years we have been told by Council Leader Jeremy Pembroke:

2005: We need to save £150m over 6 years by working together with our partners.

2006: We can save money through 'Pathfinder'; a means of working with our District and Borough Council partners.

2007: 'Securing the Future' will save money through less being done at the strategic centre and more being done by our partners.

2008 was obviously a year off!

In 2009 we are now being told that we need to save even more money through partnering - by building 'social capital'. Sounds like something from the old Eastern Bloc doesn't it? Well it should because the latest of 4 strategic lurches is in fact the same old message repackaged as new whilst recent history is re-written to mask failure.

The truth of the matter is that the £30m a year in savings Pembroke promised has not been achieved. 'Pathfinder' was forgotten and 'Securing the Future' which was meant to see the strategic centre shrink, (in order for more funding to be found for partners who actually provide the services), has actually seen jobs, wages and bonuses balloon at Endeavour House. Add into that the cost of the consultants who thought up the latest whim and I'll bet as a stand- alone initiative 'Securing the Future has cost more money than it's saved.

Meanwhile Customer Services Direct (CSD), set up in 2004 by the outgoing Lab/Lib administration, has failed under the Tories. CSD was set up to make savings through partnering with BT and Mid-Suffolk District Council. In a secret report, based upon interviews with the County Council's own senior officers, the bold and successful early days of CSD are juxtaposed with the lack of leadership and failure to understand partnering in recent years by the Tory administration.

Rather than saving money costs actually rose by £3m last year because of this failure to work with partners.

Yet we are being told by the Tories that partnering is the future! I hope you can forgive my cynicism. When 4 attempts to work with partners have already failed and the Council's own staff bemoan their own administrations lack of commitment to it why should we believe this? We shouldn't. There is a common pattern in the County Tories 4 years dealing with strategy:

1) Announce new strategic direction designed to save money through partnering.

2) Frighten all the staff and partners about the security of their jobs and funding.

3) Pay a load of consultants lots of money.

4) Tinker at edges.

5) Get bored and doing something else whilst the project fails.

I am left with one question; what will next years strategic direction will be called?

Andrew Cann,

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Resources and Finance