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‘Radical changes’ will help Shropshire Council save £70m
Monday 14th March 2011, 7:01PM GMT.
Public services across Shropshire will undergo “radical” changes in the county council’s bid to save £70 million in four years.
The warning came from Shropshire Council’s chief executive, Kim Ryley, who took part in the BBC’s Politics Show, which was aired yesterday.
The show looked at how services provided by Shropshire Council, such as libraries, are undergoing a huge change.
Mr Ryley said: “I think this is an era defining moment for local government. This is as radical as anything I have seen in 30 years in public service.
“We are re-writing the script. We are re-writing the relationship between the local state and the citizens – what we expect of each other, how we work together in the future and how that is going to be paid for.”
Councillor Keith Barrow, leader of Shropshire Council, said services would now be delivered differently, including partnerships. He said: “We are going to be providing services differently.
“The library services are a good example and social enterprise and working with community groups. You might even get a partnership which includes the private sector.
“I think every one of us has a responsibility. Big society for me means being a good neighbour.”
On library services, James Anthony-Edwards, head of libraries at Shropshire Council, said: “We know we can’t save money and stand still because the service will suffer, so we need to develop the service and at the same time save money.
“That is why we are really focusing on innovative ways of providing libraries rather than just saying we will close ‘x’ number of libraries here, here and here.”
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What? We may even see a partnership with the private sector? Don’t be fooled, people. David Cameron’s new policy director is a consultant with KPMG who has published a new document called ‘Payment for Success’ in which he rubbishes our public sector and indicates that every public service should be contracted out to the private sector. It will end up with you and me paying more for our services, and sure as dammit, someone somewhere will make a profit from it. It won’t be you or me either.
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My husband does work in the private sector jointly with the council and has for over a decade. The council sector financial committment is probably about to be withdrawn. Is that a partnership?
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It was all in the Dispatches programe on channel 4 last night…
“You might even get a partnership which includes the private sector.”
Well the private sector will make huge profits to pay the top executives by paying low wages to the work force…picking the services that will give them the best return and the people of Shropshire will have no say in how that company is providing these services.
The Big Society will become The Big Companys running the council… it’S all being sorted out at Downing street by Mr Ryley and the rest of those in power.
I understand that no savings have been made from the new management structure implemented by the paid consultants employed by the council so I can only assume that the savings will come from front line sevices…which is what we all thought all along.
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