Savings Programme Assurance
Assessment of the achievability of Council wide savings programme.
The Challenge.
A Local Authority operating in a financially challenging and uncertain environment. Its funding had reduced by 50% since 2010, which had already seen them make an unprecedented £150m of savings. Over the course of the next three years, they had forecast a need to make a further £30m savings, and had set up a programme to determine how this could be achieved, alongside rising cost pressures and a disproportionate demand in services.
The One Eighty Approach.
On behalf of Internal Audit, we were tasked with reviewing the Councils controls to ensure the achievability of the savings targets and non-financial benefits of the programme.
In order to complete this work a series of interviews were conducted with Council officers, third party organisations and Local Councillors, alongside detailed analysis of the information collected by the departments expected to deliver savings. The assessment considered the following areas:
The logic models underpinning proposed savings;
The impact assessments conducted by the Council;
The resources in place to deliver specific projects; and
The programmes overall governance and reporting processes.
The End Result.
This work resulted in a series of management reports, which highlighted a number of inconsistencies and duplication of savings across the Council. The clarity provided at an early stage of the programme allowed management to review and make the necessary changes to keep the programme on track and ensure the intended results are ultimately achieved.
Our rates are extremely competitive, offering excellent value for money especially considering the significant financial and reputational cost of programme failure. Contact us today to discuss how we can help your programme.