Derbyshire council outlines multi-million pound saving plans and fee increases across services

The cabinet voted in favour of its Departmental Service Plans 2024-25, at a meeting on March 14, at County Hall, in Matlock, with the proposed removal of some posts, or vacant jobs, which will now all be presented to the Full Council before any final decisions.

It also approved a Fees and Charges report for the 2024-2025 financial year from April 1 with increases expected across adult social care, corporate services, and its ‘Place’ department covering economy, regeneration, environment, transport and highways.

Council Leader, Cllr Barry Lewis, told the meeting the service plans report – relating to adult social care, children’s services, corporate services, regeneration, environment and highways – follows the progress of the council’s budget-setting meeting, in February, and the authority aims to continue with its delivery of these plans in terms of savings.

He said: “It comes on the back of the council plan from the budget meeting. Delivering our plans in terms of savings, we will cut our cloth, as it were. There will be ample opportunity to discuss this when it comes to Full Council soon.”

In March 2021, the council approved a four-year Council Plan and Service Plans for 2021-2025 but since that time an annual refresh of the Council Plan and Service Plans has been undertaken to ensure they remain up to date.

The Service Plans outline each department’s service delivery and how the department will support the Council Plan for 2024-25, which was approved by the council at the Full Council budget meeting on February 14.

Adult Social Care and Health will be managing savings of over £19m with proposals including short-term services redesign, changes to the charging policy for people receiving adult social care in the community, technology, and ‘Whole Life Disability’ as well as low-level support services.

Approval will also be sought with public consultations on a number of proposals for Adult Social Care and Health.

This involves possibly redesigning certain areas including: The council’s five short stay residential homes and four building-based day centres for people with a learning disability or autism; Services at the council’s residential care homes and building-based day care centres for older people; The current council-owned care and support delivery arrangements within extra care settings; The current allocation of grants to the voluntary sector which support preventative services.

There is also a plan by the council to reduce contributions to housing assistance schemes under Adult Social Care.

The council stated it also aims to continue to ensure young people transitioning from Children’s Services to Adult Social Care have opportunities to maximise their independence and aspirations, and Direct Payment plans are to continue so a person can put in place the support that works for them.

Derbyshire County Council also aims to continue supporting people with learning disabilities or autism so they are able to live within their communities and not within a residential setting.

The council Children’s Services aims to meet proposed budget savings of over £12.5 million through efficiencies across staffing and by reviewing the delivery of some services.

These include: Possibly removing some vacant posts; Reviewing ICT equipment and digital services; Postponing a Mosaic Mobile project; Reviewing the Education Psychology management structure with the removal of a post in this service; Reviewing the Quality Assurance model with the removal of post in this team; Reviewing the Traded Services team with the removal of more posts; And reviewing the Elective Home Education service with the removal of posts.

Other plans include reviewing spending to support children and families and centralising procurement with more efficient and effective spending.

There are also to be further reviews including: The reduction in posts across Children’s Services; The delivery of Children’s Centres operations and the sustainability of grant funding; Reviewing the Children’s Early Help Service; And reviewing the home to school transport contractual arrangements.

Other plans under review include: The Short Break Service and support for children with a disability; Funding for all external contracts; Alternative funding sources for Special Educational Needs and Disability through early intervention; School catering utilisation of grant funding; And recharging some families for children in care.

Council Corporate Services and Transformation is looking at proposed budget savings of £5.8m and it is hoped this can be achieved by considering reviews of areas including: Rateable values for assets; Reducing management costs of industrial estates and reviewing rents; Business rates; County Hall opening hours and getting rid of a vacant post; Facilities Management Services including getting rid of more vacant posts; Maintenance and cleaning contracts to reduce costs; Maintenance services including getting rid of more vacant posts; Cessation of Graduate Recruitment; A five per cent reduction in ICT; Increase in fees and charges within legal services; Councillors’ grants to local groups; Support services for Members and Management; Human Resources Team Efficiency opportunities; Cessation of work experience service for schools within HR; Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion resources; Cessation of the Derbyshire Now magazine; And consider reviewing the Call Derbyshire team.

The council’s ‘Place’ department, which deals with Economy and Regeneration, Environment and Transport and Highways, aims to deliver a proposed budget savings for 2024-25 of over £2.7m.

This will include considering: Household Waste Recycling Centres; The removal of a vacant post; A revised income for commercial work undertaken by County Transport; The Derbyshire Connect bus services; A proposal to use external Government grant funding to replace county council core funding for the pilot of a ‘bus pass for companions’ of severely disabled people; The removal of a Trading Standards Service vacant post; Reduction in funding for climate change initiatives and a review of the Derbyshire Environmental Studies Service; The removal of vacant post within the Climate Change Team; Replace council spending with external funding at the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.; Use grant money to deliver projects instead of council funding for Derbyshire’s woodland strategy; Develop additional income streams and review the Countryside Service; Reduce the Countryside Service grounds maintenance budget; Make Highways Winter Service efficiencies; And reduce council contributions to Bolsover Countryside Partnership.

The cabinet voted and approved that the Departmental Service Plans for 2024-25 be recommended to the Full Council meeting, on March 27, where they will be considered by councillors from across different political parties before any final approval.

The cabinet also approved its Fees and Charges report concerning its main services for the 2024-2025 financial year from April 1.

Cllr Lewis, stated increases have been necessary even though the council understands they will have an impact upon residents but he stressed the authority continues to provide what it regards as ‘good value’.

Fee and charge increases under Adult Social Care and Health include seven per cent for weekly Well-being Extra Care Schemes, four per cent for Training Sessions, and 17.5per cent for School Crossing Patrols for Academies.

Children Services will remain protected with no fee and charge increases listed at all, according to the report.

There will be increases, largely, right across the many Corporate Services and Transformation service areas ranging from between 3.4per cent up to 68.8per cent and to 100per cent in one case with some areas not seeing any increases at all.

For the council’s ‘Place’ department – covering Economy, Regeneration, Environment, Transport and Highways – fee and charge increases will range from 0.1per cent up to 506.4per cent with one exceptional 3,100per cent increase concerning ‘large box archaeological archive’ deposits with many other areas remaining unaffected by any increases.