Key priority 5 - Modern, efficient and financially sustainable
Being a more modern, efficient and financially-sustainable council
Local councils continue to operate in a challenging financial environment and as part of our recovery from Covid-19 we'll continue to identify opportunities to increase income and reduce costs to ensure financial sustainability. This will allow us to keep investing in front-line services and enhance Cheltenham as a place to live, work and visit.
Advancements in new technologies provide a greater opportunity for residents, communities and businesses to interact with the council. Whilst new digital services present huge opportunities, we will continue to provide efficient services over the telephone and face to face, to ensure we remain accessible, responsive and helpful.
To ensure we can continue to invest in frontline services, we will make more efficient and effective use of our assets, identify income-generating opportunities and optimise investments to ensure community benefit and value for money for the taxpayer.
"CBC is a council with ambition and a focus on the projects to deliver that ambition, and the council has demonstrated the organisational flexibility to respond to the Covid-19 crisis in such a way that many of the external stakeholders were keen to acknowledge positively. The council’s dynamic assessment and review of risk will ensure that community needs continue to be met and front line services delivered.”
Local Government Association Renewal and Recovery Review
Goals
- Make it easier for customers to contact the council and ensure their enquiries are resolved wherever possible at the first point of contact
- Continue to use our assets for the benefit of our residents, businesses, staff and communities, stimulating a positive environment for inward investment in our place and people
- Lead the economic recovery of our town and continue to invest in Cheltenham for the benefit of the town, both in terms of sustainable council finances, but also the way we invest both commercially and for regeneration purposes
What we will do to be a more efficient and financially-sustainable council
- Introduce new digital services to make it easier for our customers to interact with the council 24/7 and 365 days a year. This will free up more time to help those customers most in need
- Identify development opportunities that will help regeneration and provide a financial return
- Ensure value for money for the taxpayer by identifying commercial opportunities to increase our net income
- Develop a car parking strategy that will bring real change in how we travel, how we help our communities and our financial sustainability, as the supply and provision of acceptable, accessible and good quality car parking is important to visitors, residents and businesses
"Excellent online use of renewing private hire taxi license. Easy to use. Full instructions which guide you through the process. Would highly recommend it.”
Private hire driver
How Cheltenham residents, communities and businesses will benefit
| Resident benefits | Community benefits | Business benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Easier for customers to interact with us 24/7, 365 days a year | Regeneration opportunities | Opportunities for the local supply chain |
| Value for money for the taxpayer | ||
| Frontline services have sustainable investment |
How success will be measured
- Number of digital transactions
- Resident satisfaction with Cheltenham as a place to live
- Balanced budget
- Savings made through process improvements
- Social, environmental and financial return on investments