a) Haringey Council – (8.30 to 8.45pm)
Presentation by Cllr Claire Kober, Leader of the Council
b) NHS Haringey – (8.45 to 8.50pm)
Update by Duncan Stroud, Associate Director for Communications and Engagement, NHS Haringey
c) Haringey Police – (8.50 to 8.55pm)
Written update received from Haringey Police – (attendance to be confirmed)
d) Panel Debate – (8.55 to 9.25pm)
An opportunity for residents to ask questions to the speakers and debate the issues raised by the presentations
Minutes:
A summary of the financial picture and budget setting process being undertaken by public sector organisations was provided.
Local Authority
Councillor Claire Kober, Leader of the Council, provided an overview of the financial challenges the Council faced moving into 2011/12. Councillor Kober noted that the cuts being made to the Local Authorities budget were the most significant in living memory and that the Council’s overall funding would be reduced by 26% over the next three years.
Due to changes in the way Local Authority funding was allocated grant funding, which had previously been delivered on the basis of need, had now been rolled into the overall grant settlement. This meant that Haringey had been also been hit by the loss of grant funding that it had previously received to tackle issues such as deprivation and regeneration.
In addition the cuts were being ‘front loaded’ which meant that the Council had to identify approximately £47m of savings during 2011/12 with approximately £20m being required in each of the two subsequent financial years.
To illustrate the severity of the reduction in funding it was noted that previously £7 out of £10 received by the Council had come from the Government, £2.50 from Council Tax and 50p in fees and charges. The funding that would be received by the Government over the next three years would fall from the equivalent of £7 to £4.
Wider policy changes made by the Government, such as the capping of Housing Benefit, would also impact on the Borough as there was likely to be a migration from the inner London Boroughs to Boroughs like Haringey where rents were less expensive. The Council had already seen increases in the number of vulnerable families coming into the area who had cited this as a reason for moving. As the number of vulnerable families was likely to increase so would the demand on the Council services to support their needs.
In conclusion Councillor Kober noted that the Council’s priorities in terms of alleviating poverty and reducing inequalities had not changed; however, the scale of the financial challenge necessitated a wholesale review of services in order to ensure that those most in need continued to receive the support they required.
NHS Haringey
Mr Duncan Stroud, Associate Director for Communications and Engagement, NHS Haringey, gave an overview of the organisations financial position.
NHS Haringey’s budget for 2010/11 was overspent by £25m and consequently there was significant pressure on the organisation to identify savings.
It was noted that NHS Haringey (as the Primary Care Trust (PCT)) was the commissioning body for health services in the Borough. Following the Government’s decision to disband PCTs and move commissioning responsibility to GPs NHS Haringey and five other north London Boroughs were merging. This would also achieve the 50% reduction in management costs required by the Government.
The meeting was advised that it would be necessary to reduce services in order to achieve the savings required and difficult decisions regarding local services would have to be made.
Haringey Police
A written update was received from Haringey Police which is attached at Appendix 3.
Panel Questions
Set out below is a summary of the questions put to Councillor Kober and Duncan Stroud and the responses given:
1. Cutting Council ‘Back Office’ Staff rather than ‘Front-Line’ Services
In response to assertions that senior managers, ‘back office’ staff and Members Allowances should be targeted as savings areas, Councillor Kober noted that preserving frontline services was a priority for the Council. However such cuts would not alone go far to meet the scale of financial savings required of the Council this year.
A target of reducing back office staff by 50% had been set and approximately one third of the senior managers employed within the top three management tiers would be made redundant. Overall one thousand Council staff would be made redundant before April 2011. Other measures to reduce spending included looking at where services could be provided in conjunction with other Local Authorities and a memorandum of understanding had been agreed with Waltham Forest around this.
In some instances it was difficult to separate back office and frontline services. In cases such as social working where administrators freed social workers to spend their time working in the community, rather than carrying out administrative tasks, making back office staff redundant would be a false economy and consequently a balance had to be struck.
2. The Council’s Neighbourhood Management Service
In response to concerns expressed with regard to the loss of the Neighbourhood Management Team (NMT) Councillor Kober advised that no formal decision had been made by the Council with respect to this. The meeting was not the appropriate forum to discuss any potential restructuring of the service as it affected staff present. Councillor Kober noted that the Council remained committed to engaging with local residents and advised that this work would continue regardless of any changes to current staffing structures.
3. Proposed Enhanced Role for GPs in Commissioning Healthcare
Concern was raised that additional responsibility for commissioning health care would detract from the time that GPs had to spend with patients. The resident felt that they may not have the skills to take on this role. Mr Stroud noted that concerns of this nature had been expressed in many quarters, and advised that in the transitional period NHS Haringey would focus on preparing GPs for their new role.
In terms of whether the proposals put forward by the Government within a recently published White Paper on Health would pave the way for privatisation Mr Stroud advised that the Government wanted to drive up standards by creating competition.
It was noted that the Council was now obliged to establish statutory Health and Well Being Boards that would have a role to play in working with the new GP collaboratives. These would provide a forum for Local Authorities to influence GPs and their commissioning priorities. This would also take the lead on the Council’s new responsibilities with respect to Public Health.
4. Accident and Emergency Service at the Whittington Hospital
The meeting was advised that the Whittington Hospital would retain its Accident and Emergency (A&E) facility. In addition a new Urgent Care centre was being established that would treat people with minor injuries that did not required the specialised or intensive treatment provide by A&E.
5. Safer Neighbourhood Policing
In response to concerns raised over the reduction in partnership working undertaken by the Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) the meeting was advised that funding that had previously supported preventative work had been withdrawn. It was anticipated that the valuable work carried out in schools around gun and knife crime would continue.
6. Proposed Closure of Day Centres for Elderly People
In response to opposition that was expressed to the closure of day centres for elderly people in the Borough Councillor Kober advised that this had been a very difficult decision for the Council. However, the scale of the savings that had to be found made it necessary to cut services that that affected residents. In order to mitigate the loss of these centres work was being undertaken with VCS groups to determine whether there were voluntary groups that may be able to provide assistance.
7. The ‘Haringey People’ Magazine
Certain local residents present suggested that ‘Haringey People’ should be scrapped as part of spending cuts. Whilst Cllr Kober recognised that people wanted the Council to direct resources at preserving frontline services she pointed out that the Council also had a statutory duty to inform the public and that Haringey People formed it primary tool in doing this.
8. The Council’s Library Service
Cllr Kober confirmed that none of the Boroughs libraries would be closed as part of the Council’s package of cuts. As community ‘hubs’ the role of libraries would be extended and it was envisaged that a greater range of services would be offered from libraries in the future.
9. Conclusion
In conclusion the Chair thanked residents for attending the meeting and the officers and external representatives that had given presentations.