London Councils Tackle Inequality Despite Recession

Local residents posing as mystery shoppers and projects to boost recycling are among the innovative ways that boroughs are seeking to tackle inequalities and deliver efficient and effective everyday services.

Boroughs across the capital are committed to providing first class services that every member of the community has an equal opportunity to benefit from. However, the predicted squeeze on council budgets following the recession could severely challenge how this is achieved.

Now London’s Improvement and Efficiency Partnership Capital Ambition – part of London Councils – has developed a good practice guide. This shows that tackling inequality and making council services more accessible to residents not only leads to better satisfaction levels but is necessary to make those services more efficient.

Among the examples in the booklet are:

• an expansion of the successful Bexley Accessible Transport Scheme to cover a wide range of council services – including taking people to nursing homes for respite care and a special Hop and Shop service for disabled and older and parents with young children. This has led to a better quality of life for those using the service and a £100,000 saving for the council

• a scheme in Redbridge to boost recycling figures particularly by tailoring its promotion to reach its black and minority ethnic communities. This has helped the council to exceed its targets for recycling – including a 20 per cent increase in tonnage of recycling in the targeted areas

• a benefit outreach service to ensure all Barking and Dagenham residents have equal access to information on the benefits they are entitled to. This has led to an additional £2.2 million more in benefits being paid and virtually no-one being in arrears with their council tax or rent

• a joint strategy between Hillingdon Allotment and Horticultural Federation with the local council to encourage a wider and more diverse range of the local community to take up allotment gardening. The partnership has led to a nearly 60 per cent increase in the take up allotments from residents ranging from 16-75 years old – jumping from 700 of around 1,600 plots let to around 1,215

• 70 Greenwich residents, representing the diversity of the borough, acting as mystery shoppers to carry out random tests on council services. This led to suggestions for improvement from people actually using the services on a day to day basis, and meant the council saved money by not having to pay for professional mystery shoppers.

London Councils lead member for Improvement, Councillor Michael White, said: “The big squeeze on public finances is encouraging boroughs to look at even more efficient ways to deliver services.

“But as this guide shows, efficient working does not mean cutting services or limiting the number of people who can access them. We need to think differently about how we design our services to meet the needs of our local communities and help local authorities to deliver value for money and effective services.

“Encouraging more people to use the services their council provides can actually help local authorities deliver better services – and even save money.

“Boroughs need to show strong leadership during these trying times to ensure that the recession does not turn the clock back on the progress that has been made to tackle inequality. This guide shows that these decisions can be taken in a way that benefits everyone.

“With this guide we hope to kick start even more thinking and debate on how best to strike a balance and deliver excellent, effective, and efficient public services in the face of the recession.”

A copy of the guide can be found here

London Councils is committed to fighting for more resources for London and getting the best possible deal for London’s 33 councils. We develop policy, lobby government and others, and run a range of services designed to make life better for Londoners.

Topics: borough, council services, effective services, equality, global economic crisis, Governance, inequalities, London, London Councils, mystery shoppers, recession, recycling

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