Sandwell Council my role and priorities Melanie Dudley

Sandwell Council – my role and priorities Melanie Dudley Director of Improvement and Efficiency 30 th April 2014

Content • Context setting • Role of Improvement and Efficiency and our priorities • Future working with the Voluntary and Community Sector

The challenges we face • • Continued public spending cuts Impact greatest upon most deprived areas Rising demand for costly services Impact of welfare reform, increasing poverty and labour market conditions • Integration of health and social care

The way forward • Incremental changes not enough • Need for major transformation to deliver services for less • Agreed programme of corporate change to shape the future council and deliver better services and savings • Whole partnership and council approach needed

Future council • To provide a safety net of intensive social care services • To enable people and families to live healthier, more independent lives, integrating services with health • To ensure people/the community have the resources/ capacity to help themselves • To shape the place: - supporting development of a vibrant local economy - ensuring there are homes to meet needs and secure neighbourhoods to live in - to ensure Sandwell has clean streets and recycles its waste HOW WE WILL FULFIL THESE FUNCTIONS IN THE FUTURE WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT…

The sort of organisation required to deliver these functions • • • Smaller core organisation Flexible structures and job roles Delivering through partnership Designing services with the community Delivering connected services in neighbourhoods • More commercial focus to business

I and E’s role in the organisation • Key role in enabling the organisation to become fit for the future • Corporate function - enabling the front line to do their job • Shape, influence and drive the council forward

I and E’s role in the organisation • Enabling the organisation to have the skills it needs • Providing change management capacity • Providing commercial and contract support • Making best use of our assets • Communications • Using intelligence to guide policy

Work with the Voluntary and Community Sector • Welfare reform • Leading Anti Poverty actions • Supporting redesign of the advice service

Welcome your views on how we can better work together for the benefit of Sandwell