BSPIG update

The BSP Implementation Group (BSPIG) brings together partners in Buckinghamshire to drive forward work and ideas for the residents of Bucks.

Below are some of the updates that were in the last BSPIG papers;

Open Public Services White Paper
In July the Government published its long-awaited White Paper on public service reform.  The Paper sets out the government’s approach to improving public services through choice and control by individuals and neighbourhoods.  The White Paper reforms are based on five principles:

• Choice: increasing individual choice or, where not possible, choice through elected representatives
• Decentralisation: Devolving power to the lowest appropriate level
• Diversity: opening services up to a range of providers in order to drive improvements
• Fairness: ensuring fair access to services
• Accountability: making services more accountable both directly to local people and through elected representatives by increasing information and transparency

The White Paper identifies three categories of public services:
1. Individual services - for example in education, skills training, adult social care, housing support and individual healthcare
2. Neighbourhood services - provided very locally and on a collective basis such as maintenance of the local public realm, leisure and recreation facilities, community safety
3. Commissioned services - local and national services that cannot be devolved eg tax collection, prisons, emergency healthcare and welfare to work

A listening period was held between July and September and in November the Government will set out how departments will take forward ideas to implement open public services over the rest of the term of parliament.

Dilnot Review
The Commission on Funding of Care and Support presented its findings to government in its report ’Fairer Care Funding’ in July.  The report concluded that the current system is confusing, unfair and unsustainable and as a result people are unable to plan ahead to meet their future care needs.  Eligibility for services varies between local authorities and services often fail to join up.  A consistent theme in the report is that current funding for adult social care is inadequate and that carers need to be better supported.  In conclusion, the Commission stresses the importance of aligning funding streams and urges the government to consider how the whole care and support system can be better integrated.

Early Intervention: Smart Investment, Massive Savings
In Graham Allen’s report commissioned by government, the MP underlined that many of the costly and damaging social problems for individuals can be eliminated or reduced by giving children and parents the right type of support, especially in their earliest years.  The report recognises that there are no ‘magic bullets’ to the problems, but that a spending culture change is needed from late intervention to early intervention.

Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act
This legislation gained Royal Assent in September and is expected to come into force on 1 January 2012.  The Act reforms police accountability and provides new powers for councils, giving the public and local agencies a greater say over policies to tackle crime and disorder.  Key features of the Act are to replace police authorities with directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) and create a Police and Crime Panel (PCP) to hold the PCC to account.
In the latter stages of debate in Parliament, the original timetable for elections for PCCs was moved from 3 May 2012 to 15 November 2012. 

Community Infrastructure Levy Front Runners
Wycombe District Council is one of 20 authorities to join the Community Infrastructure Levy Front Runners programme.  The programme gives councils more choice and flexibility in how they fund infrastructure that local communities want and need, with Front Runner councils accessing a tailored package of support from the Planning Advisory Service to help them set a chance for their area.

Neighbourhood Planning Front Runner
Aylesbury Vale District Council is to be part of the fourth wave of ‘front runners’ to test out neighbourhood planning.  The Council will be given £20,000 to support work on the planning and free advice will be available for the target community, Buckingham.  The District Council has produced an informative briefing note on Neighbourhood Planning.

Payment by Results
The Government has announced up to £30m for up to 30 local areas to trial payment by results in children’s centres.  The payment by results trial will be at two levels: National (Department for Education to local authority); and Local (local authority to individual children’s centre providers).    Buckinghamshire is one of the pilots for payment by results in children’s centres.

Tackling Crime Funds
Organisations from the voluntary sector were invited to apply for a share of two new crime funds:
The ‘Choices Fund’ aims to support the development of innovative local solutions to reduce substance misuse and offending by young people, and the second fund ‘Community Action Against Crime: Innovation Fund’ is to encourage new and creative ways of working within communities to tackle crime. 

Best Value Guidance
The Government has published new statutory guidance on the Best Value Duty which set out some reasonable expectations of the way authorities should work with voluntary and community groups and small businesses when facing difficult funding decisions.

Innovation in Giving Fund
The Government has opened a £10m Fund to find and back new ideas for increasing volunteering and charitable giving.  The Fund will be managed by the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and is offering investment particularly for innovative ideas that focus on:

• Reciprocity - using reciprocity or exchange to stimulate civic action;
• Pro bono - harnessing people’s professional or corporate skills
• Donations - increasing the number of people making donations
• Sharing - enabling the sharing of previously hidden resources and assets