The Coalition’s emergency budget has given the clearest indication yet of the true extent of the funding cuts the public sector can expect with the announcement that around 80% of the debt reduction plans will be funded by public sector cuts. The scale and scope will be known at the end of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

And this is where the Total Place agenda has the potential to deliver.

With substantially smaller budgets the most successful local authorities are likely to see the cuts as an opportunity to achieve more visible outcomes and greater value for money from the services they commission.

The key to achieving this will be the effective identification of local priorities followed by the development of bespoke new service models (in partnership with other public sector organisations) which are designed to support the effective delivery of targeted services without compromising quality.

The effect of these cuts may be deep but with Total Place there is certainly scope to engage in a successful transition to services commissioned within a Total Place framework whilst minimising the pain of the proposed cuts.

Posted by Melanie Print
0121 237 4582
mprint@brownejacobson.com