Cabinet on the frontline

Published 1 November 2010

As major cuts to funding are announced, councillors go back to the floor to see what this could mean for services.

Find out what the cabinet members did when they visited frontline services.

How would you spend public money?

Help us decide which services should be kept, reduced or cut. We are holding open budget consultation events at community council meetings and at an extra meeting on 16 November at the council's headquarters in London Bridge. Everyone is welcome - please come along and give your views.

The council's innovation challenge will continue throughout November. We want to know how you think services could be delivered differently and what our priorities should be.

Why we're doing this

On 20 October the government announced the results of its comprehensive spending review, and as predicted the news for councils wasn't good. While details of the exact grant each council will receive will be announced in December, the total amount of money available to councils across the country has been cut by 28% over four years.

For council leader Peter John: "Cuts of this level are unprecedented and will pose a big challenge to our plans to create a fairer future for Southwark."

In response the council has launched an innovation challenge calling on residents to give their views on how services can be delivered in future and what the priorities should be. But Peter John acknowledges that balancing the budget can't be done by making efficiency savings alone, "some services will have to be reduced, some will be provided in a different way and others may stop altogether.

The council has pledged to do all it can to protect frontline services particularly those helping the most vulnerable. To do this radical proposals and shared services are being considered and no ideas will be ruled out."

The tough decisions about the future of services will be made by the council's ten cabinet members. To help them gain more of an insight they wanted to go onto the frontline; to see for themselves how services are delivered, look for efficiencies and understand the impact that cuts across the council may have.