Getting the best out of resources – some big questions the toolkit can help with

Making Ends Meet is a tool for councillors and senior managers on how to get the best out of resources. It provides answers to the questions that many local authorities are grappling with.

Do you have problems setting your budget for Social Services?

See Finance module: Setting annual budgets

Are you overspending your budgets and do you know how to tackle this?

To explore the underlying causes and solutions see:

Children's module: Key Questions

Adults module: Key Questions

Are you targeting your money on your priorities?

See Commissioning module: Stages of commissioning

Have you the right services to deliver the outcomes you want?

To start your analysis and find material about specific service areas link to:
Children's module: Key Questions
Adults Module: Key Questions

Are you getting value for money from your existing services?

See Commissioning module: Challenges of commissioning

Do you understand how much your services cost?

See Finance module: Unit costs

Do you understand where your money is being spent?

See Finance module: Managing budgets

Are you sharing resources with your partners to deliver your priorities?

See Partnership module: Being a good partner

 

Making Ends Meet seeks to help councils with these difficult issues and assist them in their management of financial resources.

Experience from Joint Reviews indicates that councils that manage resources successfully:

  • have a shared sense of direction and priorities for spending
  • plan services and finances together
  • have the capacity to plan and arrange the services that are needed
  • are responsive to changing demand
  • understand what things cost
  • have robust financial control supported by accurate information
  • put in place effective local partnerships
  • develop financial as well as service skills in their workforce
  • focus on long-term sustainability
  • tackle value for money openly and fairly