Shropshire Council's new stategy 'nothing like ip&e', says chief executive
Shropshire Council's chief executive has distanced the authority's new commercial strategy from its doomed ip&e venture, with the plan instead billed as "a pathway to get this council to a better place".
The plan, which includes aims to generate an extra £15 million of revenue in the next five to 10 years, as well as raising £50 million from the sale of council land, buildings, and other assets, has been welcomed by the council's controlling Conservative group, as well as its political opponents.
Council leader Malcolm Pate said the plan is one way the authority will seek to tackle its continuing budget problems, particularly increasing adult social care costs and the impact of changes to business rates.
He said: "This is the pathway to get this council to a better place. We want to be there. It is not just aspirations, we need to plan so that the way we are operating gets as close to achieving those ideals which will solve a lot of our problems."
He added: "We cannot carry on and put our head in the sand and pretend it is going to go away."
The proposal, which was agreed by cabinet at yesterday's meeting held at Shirehall, also includes an aim to "reduce back office costs by 25 per cent by March 31, 2019", and "to deliver commercial skills development to 25 per cent of council staff by the end of 2018". The target is for that figure to reach 100 per cent by the end of the financial year 2021.
The cabinet was pressed on what assets are being considered for sale but would not be drawn, with Councillor Pate only saying that "all assets are under review".
He said: "As in all aspects of this council's work we are looking at all options and when we fall upon an option we think is of an advantage then we will be consulting on it."
Councillor Nic Laurens, who presented the paper to cabinet, said: "This is not just a wish list, these are actions we are taking."
Clive Wright, the authority's chief executive also insisted that the strategy is wholly different from the council's failed business venture, ip&e.
He said: "There are fundamental differences that should be pointed out. This is not taking services out and trading them on, this is trade within services."
