The Assistant Chief Executive presented the report of the Chief Executive on the Future Council.

The Assistant Chief Executive informed that the purpose of the report was to provide Members of the Birkenhead Constituency Committee with the opportunity to provide feedback on the Chief Executive’s Budget Proposals which were currently out for public consultation.

Members were advised that the Future Council project had completed a full review process across every Council service.  The information gathered had been used to redesign the Council through merging similar services, streamlining senior management and getting better value for contracts and goods purchased. This work had resulted in proposals being developed which would reduce the budget gap for 2015/16 from £18 million to £2.5 million as well as achieve the already agreed savings of £9.4 million through remodelling the Council.

The report provided Constituency Committees with a reminder of the options which were out for public consultation and gave more detailed information as to the direct impact on the Wirral West constituency area should the option be accepted.

In response to questions from Members, The Assistant Chief Executive provided further details in respect of ‘Play Schemes’. He advised that a number of representations had been received in relation to this option.

Ms Eve Barratt asked a question about the consultation process. She indicated that she worked closely with residents in Bidston Rise and the North End, and saw how hard ordinary people worked to encourage people to have a say and fill the consultations in. But felt the consultation itself was academic and inaccessible. It was worded in a complicated manner and seemed to have been designed to discourage people from filling it in.

She indicated that people did care and wanted a say and in an area where voting turnout was 36% last May, people should be encouraged to have a say and take part in decision making. Ms Barratt indicated that the easy read version of the consultation document was much clearer to understand; however the image came across as patronising. It implied that people who needed the easy read version had some form of learning disability, and also it emphasised stereotypes of those with Downs Syndrome. In reality, those living with Downs could often read and write and understand perfectly. She asked why the consultation was designed this way and asked the Council if they would consider doing it differently next time.

Councillor P Davies indicated that the Council had made every effort to ensure local people had the opportunity to take part in local decision making. Every year the Council received the highest level of engagement in the UK for budget consultation exercises, and would do so again this year.  However, producing a consultation questionnaire and associated documents was often difficult. Officers are required to explain what were sometimes quite complex budget issues and potential impacts in the simplest language possible. Officers try their best to achieve this, and sought external support to help them, but sometimes residents did raise the issue that reports and consultation documents were still quite difficult to understand.

Councillor Davies indicated that officers would continue to work on improving this element of their work, in relation to the easy read document;

He reiterated that the Council had no in-house expertise available to produce these documents, therefore commissioned the work to a company which specialised in easy read. This company also had Liverpool Mencap assess the documents that made some further suggestions.

Councillor Davies indicated that the Council would take on board the comments made by Ms Barratt when the Council came to deliver a project such as this in the future.

It was reported that aside from the 6,500 responses received the Council were also in receipt of petitions and letters and emails which had been received by both the Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council.

The Chair thanked Ms Barratt and all those involved in writing the alternative questionnaire.

In response to Members comments, The Assistant Chief Executive reiterated that the options were the suggestions of the Chief Executive and that members of the public could still respond to the consultation until the closing date on 31 October 2014.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report be noted.