As Wokingham Borough Council braces itself for the loss of £43.6 million of government revenue support over the next three years, ensuring that our spending is as efficient as possible is more important than ever.
External assessments of councils to measure the quality of their performance occur regularly. They usually examine a particular department or service, such as the Care Quality Commission assessing the standard of adult social care, or the Social Housing Regulator looking at the way in which the housing service manages the council’s housing stock and interacts with residents living in council-owned homes.
In 2024, ImPower, an independent and well-respected firm of local government experts, offered a broader look at the performance of the 150 tier one councils in England (those that provide adult and children’s services). The ImPower index, published in October of that year, identified those councils that secured the best results in terms of outcomes achieved per pounds spent. In this assessment of efficiency of expenditure, Wokingham Borough Council came fifth in the list, which was a considerable achievement and testimony to the hard work of council officers and councillors in ensuring effective use of public money.
The latest ImPower index has just been published – and Wokingham has gone up to second place.
We will not be resting on our laurels. There is much more to do, and the council will continue to work hard to increase efficiency and boost productivity. But the achievement of coming second in this important national assessment suggests that we are doing the right things.
Interestingly, the top ten councils in the ImPower index had two things in common. The first was a culture of supporting and encouraging council officers and appreciating their work; the second, a commitment to partnership working. Both are hallmarks of the approach of the current political leadership on Wokingham Borough Council.
We have sought to show staff how much their hard work is recognized and appreciated as vital for the success of the organization. Our officers are the council’s greatest asset; without their dedication to public service, nothing worthwhile can be achieved.
We have also pursued the partnership agenda vigorously. Inside the council, we have encouraged much more corporate ownership of problems, with the challenges being faced by one service or department seen as challenges that other parts of the council can help to solve.
At the same time, we have focused effort on creating, sustaining, and deepening the council’s relationship with external partners such as local voluntary and charitable organizations, local businesses, other Berkshire councils (we led the way in forming a Berkshire Prosperity Board to lever in external funding), the Youth Council, and the University of Reading.
No less important is our partnership with users of council services, such as the disabled residents and their carers involved in Social Care Futures, a forum that enables the council to learn from their lived experiences. After discussion of the problems disabled people had with bus passes that could be used only outside peak times, the council decided to spend a relatively modest sum to extend the hours of operation of the passes to enable those disabled people who wanted to get to work to travel at peak time. The result has been transformational. Disabled youngsters have been able to find work, earn money, and gain a sense of independence, achievement, and fulfilment.
Partnerships, external and internal, are vitally important in increasing the council’s access to expertise, experience, knowledge, and resources, which all help to improve efficiency of council spending. By pooling our efforts, we can achieve much more together than we can on our own.
We have always thought that collaboration saves money and produces better outcomes. We are delighted that the ImPower index suggests that we are on the right track.
By Cllr Stephen Conway
