Council chief says transformation will take bravery
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COUNCILLORS must be “bold and courageous” as they progress the transformation of the way services – including education – are delivered in Moray.
That was the view of council chief executive Roddy Burns, given during an update on the authority's Improvement and Modernisation Programme this morning.
The programme, agreed last December in a move to reduce costs, reaches across the council's operation – from the structure of management to income maximisation and from leisure services to the school estate, including digital and campus options.
While progress is being made in identifying where and how transformation can take place across many areas, the policy and resources committee heard work in education and children's services has been more challenging. Resources are now being directed to ensure the development work can remain on track.
A report to the meeting stated: "There is a considerable risk that the delayed progress in some of the significant projects within education and children’s services has a substantial impact on the council’s future financial position given the proportion of the council budget that these services account for.
"The chief executive is working closely with the services on these issues."
Councillor Tim Eagle (Buckie) asked if top line figures were known, adding: "I'm conscious that after the break, talk of the budget for next year will come up. Are we still hoping that we are going to see some kind of financial benefit coming from this that will help us in next year's budget?"
Mr Burns said the situation will be come into focus at the end of this month when the actual costs from last year's operations are known.
He said: "There has to be some financial benefit; I think the key will be whether it is sufficient and I think the risk is it won't be.
"I'm certainly keen by the end of this month to have as strong an indication as is possible of what is likely to come from this programme, because if it doesn't come from this programme then it has to come from the Revenue Budget. That is how critical it is.
"Again, that reinforces the criticality around education and children's services in terms of their ability to engage with this process in terms of achieving the transformation and change and indeed the savings that are necessary. So I think the council is at quite a critical point."
Mr Burns concluded: "These words may seem trite, but I really mean them, I think it will require members to be bold and courageous on some of these issues."
