Doing things differently
To respond to the challenges the council faces we need to make changes in how we plan and deliver services in East Lothian - doing things more effectively and more efficiently. Residents surveys have found respondents agreeing that the council should pursue the following options:
- Focus resources on areas of East Lothian where the need is greatest.
- Reduce and manage the growing demand for some services.
- Focus on prevention and early intervention – taking action as soon as possible to tackle social problems before they become more difficult to turn around.
- Deliver services in new ways, perhaps with more community involvement.
- Identify those services which we should stop providing.
The council’s Financial Strategy sets out our commitment to reducing the cost of services through:
- Asset rationalisation and energy transformation (reducing the number of buildings we use, and ensuring that the buildings that we do use are as efficient as they can be).
- Transformation, service redesign & digitalisation (reviewing the way that we deliver services, streamlining our processes to minimise the cost of this and ensuring that we make best use of technology and digital solutions).
- Early intervention & prevention (continuing to invest in preventative measures to improve outcomes and avoid the need for more intensive and costly interventions).
We remain committed to this and continue to work to reduce the funding gap by changing the way we work to deliver services more efficiently. However, with a funding gap of £56 million, it will not be possible to close this through efficiencies alone, which leaves the council with the following options to balance the budget:
- Reduce the amount that we spend, by reducing or stopping certain services.
- Increase the amount of income that we raise through Council Tax, fees and charges.
Neither of these options is desirable, and we want to ensure that the limited resources that we do have are prioritised to allow us to continue to meet the needs of our communities.
The 2022-2027 Council Plan
The 2022-2027 council plan re-affirmed the ambitions set out in the previous plan that the council will:
- Grow our Economy - increase sustainable and inclusive growth as the basis for a more prosperous East Lothian
- Grow our People - give our children the best start in life and protect vulnerable and older people
- Grow our Communities - give people a real say in the decisions that matter most and provide communities with the services, infrastructure and environment that will allow them to flourish
- Grow our Capacity - deliver excellent services as effectively and efficiently as possible within our limited resources
The council will be reviewing these ambitions during 2024/25.