In response to the increasing demands being made on services and the voluntary and community sector, Bromley Council has taken the lead in establishing a borough-wide, multi-agency recession group.
Structure
Initiated by the Chief Executive‘s office, key representatives within the Council and across the borough have been drawn together. These include Community Links, which supports, promotes and facilitates the development of the voluntary and community sector in the borough; housing, community safety, health and business interests.
The group has a shared intelligence site, much like a social networking site that operates via an intranet. The site allows the group to share information and post studies, which keep members up-to-date on changing trends (such as unemployment, homelessness and on local business and town centres). The intelligence is being used to create reports and signpost, joining up existing advice services and key organisations with each other to track changes and prepare for future developments. Key data are shared by relevant colleagues wherever possible monthly – eg, job seekers allowance claimants, housing and property market trends, homelessness applications, shop vacancy levels and other retail trends, advice requests, etc.
Aims
The initial focus of the group is to pick up intelligence. A Recession “10-point” Action Plan has been created, considering Objectives; Immediate action priorities within existing resources; Other actions for consideration that may require re-directed or additional resources, and others.
As there is an anticipated tightening of national funding to boroughs Bromley will use the intelligence shared by the multi-agency group to look closely at what impact this will have on the council and its strategic partners.
Next steps
Bromley will use this information to model how it can best make future efficiencies and prepare for the prospect of more people and businesses being affected by the recession. The Action Plan will help indicate a realistic understanding of local needs, including advice services, and what the council, along with its strategic partners, can do to help minimise adverse impact.
Checks and balances
The Action Plan will continue to take into consideration the projected decline in the council’s own income streams and capital receipts, which in turn impacts on planned capital expenditure. As well as trying to help soften the deepening recession, all councils are also struggling to re-balance their budgets.
Contact
John Hazeldine, Assistant Chief Executive
London Borough of Bromley
T: 0208 313 4482
E: john.hazeldine@bromley.gov.uk
Further resources
Click here to read Bromley’s multi-agency Recession Action Plan
Click here to download or print this case study
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