Efficiency Exchange Achieving more with less in local government

This is the first roundup from the Efficiency Exchange, one of the flagship Communities of Practice for the IDeA.

It’s a community for everyone working in local public services to

• build a better picture of what localism (Total Place), the efficiency agenda and the coming public spending squeeze will mean in practice for public services.
• share what our organisations are doing in this area including time and money-saving innovations we would recommend to others
• get help from community members to solve problems and offer help in return

Councils and their partners are facing one of the most challenging (and potentially exciting) times in terms of delivering public services in new ways.  This community offers an opportunity to exchange information, support, guidance and examples to help us all.

The Efficiency Exchange is part of a wider programme supporting efficiency learning across the country, working with councils working with RIEPs to bring learning from across the regions.

But this community won’t work without your input.   How should we be shaping this community to fit your needs?  What areas should we promote?  How can we help you share?  Join the discussion here.

New resources

The Efficiency Exchange team has been sharing a whole range of efficiency resources in the community’s library across a range of key themes developed through Capital Ambition’s London Efficiency Challenge programme.

• Community Safety
• Smarter procurement
• Social care commissioning
• Back office redesign
• Mobile working
• …and more

Including the latest document 10 Ways Councils Can Protect Local Services – a new report from The Task Force, chaired by Sir Steve Bullock, the Mayor of Lewisham, and Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council – setting out ten decisive steps that all councils should act on to protect vital frontline services in an era of tighter public finances.

From the blogs

Are consultants stealing tax payers’ watches and The Power of a Good Checklist from Jon Harvey

Members and money saving through better procurement from Steven Locker

Gordon Murray brings the learning from a range of academic papers into perspective, looking at: Benchmarking and Improvement, Knowledge Management in the context of the Efficiency Exchange, Is Local Authority Procurement Lean?, Understanding the Innovation Impacts of Public Procurement.

Kirsty Russell blogs about two events which bring together innovation and efficiency: The Kent and Medway Innovation Camp – Transformed by You and The Digital Marketplace

Events

Procurex National

“Smarter Local Government” NWEGG Spring Meeting (which will feature a talk on the Efficiency Exchange)

Using Outcomes Based Accountability to Achieve VFM in Adult Social Care

What can you share?

Feel free to join or create discussions in the forum, promote your public sector efficiency/innovation events or share your stories, internal guidance and toolkits and resources in the community library?