Cuts are coming thick and fast. Local government insiders predict council budget reductions of 15 to 20 per cent. But a scheme introduced under the Labour government could end up playing a big role in the new age of austerity.
Total Place was launched in the 2009 Budget and backed by the Treasury. The aim is to save money and improve delivery of local services, by taking what the Treasury calls "a whole-area approach to public services". Thirteen parts of the country, involving 63 councils, 34 primary care trusts and 13 police authorities, have for the past year piloted the ambitious scheme. In each place, the bodies spending public funds have come together to work out how much money is being spent across the locality and whether it could be better used. Top of their list has been removing duplication and waste. But another aspect is to redesign frontline services into multi-disciplinary teams that can nip problems in the bud. Each of the pilots received £250,000 for start-up costs and has focused on one or more specific themes, many relating to children's and youth services.
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