The Entrepreneurial Council

West Lindsey District Council

Alex Reeks – May 2013

Overview

1. What Entrepreneurial means to us,

2. Difference between Entrepreneurial and Commercial,

3. Focus on culture change,

4. Challenges

5. Successes

6. Questions

Who are we?

West Lindsey District Council

• One of 7 districts within Lincolnshire

• Lincolnshire County Council

• 440 Square miles

• 90,000 residents

• 42,000 properties

• 16th most sparsely populated council in England

• 37 Councillors – Conservative controlled

Financial Position1. The base Revenue Account and budget - approximately £43.8 million

gross expenditure

2. A Capital Programme - spend for 2012-13 of approximately £3 million

3. Earmarked Reserves - approximately £6 million

4. General Fund Balance - approximately £6 million

5. Physical assets on the assets register – £14.4 million (2010 valuations)

6. Section 106, Community Infrastructure Levy – (funds available to be confirmed)

7. New Homes Bonus – estimated at £1.2m earmarked for empty homes project.

8. No borrowing

Challenges

1. Significant grant reductions,

2. Further decentralisation plans challenging the funding regime

3. Increasing demands for services

4. Increasing customer expectations around services

5. Increasing expectations to invest for growth to support the local economy

6. Tradition

New Approach

Realisation: Our current model of delivery is unsustainable we need to change our approach

Rebrand: West Lindsey - The Entrepreneurial Council

What does that mean to us?

Entrepreneurial - looking creatively at all resources

Commercial (sits under entrepreneurial) - how do we become more cost conscious in the solutions we propose and the way we use that money

Co-production – Less hand outs, different approaches, different relationship with our communities

Responses to Branding

Inquisitive:• What’s that all about?• Why do we need to change?• What does it mean to me?

Challenging:• We’re a council not a business• Why are we wasting our time with this• You’re on another planet• That’s not our role

Missing the point:• Yeah, that’s great, here’s my growth list for this year• But they deliver social good, we should just fund them• When are you going to stop trying to scare us with this talk of budget

cuts?

Important step

ListenThese comments help shape the response

What did we hear?

• Confusion• Resistance• Uncertainty• Denial• Threats to the status quo• Risks• Fear of personal implications

How do we overcome these?

For full success:

• Intellectual buy in• Spiritual/emotional buy in• Materials/Resources required

Realisation

Not everyone will get the Intellectual

Focus on:• Gaining their trust and confidence• Focus on providing enablers• Focus on kick starting the conversation

Kick starting the conversationStaff: No redundancies if you work with us, you’re flexible and

adaptable

Communities: Funding allocated for your priorities - £4.5 million

Businesses: A ‘Dragons Den’ fund established to support start-ups and growth - £3 million

Specific outcomes:

Empty Homes - £2.2 millionIncrease property portfolio yield - £3 million

In Depth Reviews of service areas to baseline commercial position

Successes

20 % reduction in Net Expenditure over the last three year• approximately 98% from efficiencies and rationalisation, 2% income

A further 23% reduction in the pipeline

• Approximately 37% from further efficiencies

• Approximately 63% from income achieved while delivering social outcomes

Successes continued

• Increased Entrepreneurialism• Increased commercial Awareness• No compulsory redundancies to date• No significant reductions in service to our customers• High satisfaction with our approach to community

engagement/Localism• Improved outcomes for the community• No use of reserves or New Homes Bonus to set a balanced and

sustainable budget

Successes continued

“As an Entrepreneurial Council with a Social Enterprise Mindsetworking for our place and our society.”

End of presentation

West Lindsey District Council

Alex Reeks – May 2013