Maidenhead & Windsor

Council taxpayers in the Maidenhead Royal Borough are benefiting from the council's determination to make every penny count – with more than £6 million of efficiency savings achieved over the past three years.

A report to next Thursday's cabinet meeting (February 8) explains how this value-for-money approach to finance has resulted in the proposed Maidenhead council tax increase being kept as low as possible at 3.8%. This represents a new Band D rate of £993.98 – an increase of £37 from 2006/07 but £69 under the anticipated average Band D change for England.

Cllr David Eglise, lead member for Maidenhead finance, said this restrained increase had been achieved, despite:

* consistently less government grant support – this year up by only 1.4% in cash terms
* inflation for local authorities running at over 4.5% and
* rising demand for services from local residents, particularly by the increasing numbers of older people.

He said: "We owe it to hard-pressed council taxpayers to make their money work to the limit and three years ago we started our concerted efficiency and improvement programme to make every penny count. So far we have achieved savings of more than £6 million, thanks to the wide range of initiatives to make the council a leaner, more efficient organisation, while at the same time maintaining quality services.

"This business-like approach has been endorsed by the council's auditors who have particularly commended us for our financial management and value for money."

The largest savings have come from the Maidenhead council's procurement strategy, which aims to find the best value in purchasing goods and services – everything from office stationery to finding new specialist companies to provide home care services.

Another key element of the 'making every penny count' approach has been to invest resources in projects that improve service delivery at lower cost – Invest to Save. For example the Maidenhead council's customer service centre which will achieve £½ million in savings by the end of 2008/09. A further £240,000 will be achieved in the same timescale by making better use of council offices.

Savings achieved by the council in the past year 2006/07 include:

* Reorganising the council to work more effectively - £500,000 every year
* More efficient home to school transport contracts - £215,000 every year
* Procuring new contracts for home care - £700,000 every year
* Moving social care staff to town centre offices - £60,000 every year
* Reducing stationery bills - £40,000 every year.

There have also been new developments in residential and day care – at no cost to council taxpayers because of council partnerships with other organisations. These include:

* the recently-opened Clara Court residential home for older people in association with Maidenhead & District Housing Association (MDHA)
* the new day centre planned at Boyn Grove, Maidenhead, for people with learning disabilities also in partnership with MDHA and
* the new residential home for older people in Windsor where work has now started on the site of the former Wardens Lodge, in association with Windsor Housing.

The council's policy to actively pursue developers' (Section 106) contributions has also resulted in a wide range of initiatives at no cost to council taxpayers, including the parks and open spaces improvement programme, children's play areas and public transport improvements across the borough, including the new real time bus service information currently being introduced in Maidenhead and Windsor.

Cllr Mary Rose Gliksten, Maidenhead council leader, said: "The 2007/08 budget has given us one of our biggest ever challenges, in the wake of the government's derisory 1.4% grant increase. However the improvement and efficiency programme, started three years ago, has equipped the council to meet modern demands and to deliver quality services in the most cost effective way.

"The result is the lowest possible increase in council tax of less than 70 pence per week over 2006/07 for a Band D property, but one which will enable us to keep up with first rate services for our residents."

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead