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Frequently asked questions
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the Redbridge
Conversation 2012 and why are you holding another one?
- The Redbridge Conversation says you
have saved £14m and need to save another £7m – why doesn’t that add
up to £25m?
- How long will the Redbridge
Conversation 2012 last?
- How can I take part?
- I don’t have a computer?
- Who can take part in the Redbridge
Conversation 2012?
- Does this include people from outside
of the Borough?
- Do people have to give their name and
address if they take part?
- How will you stop people from
submitting more than one response?
- Are you doing a printed version of
YouChoose?
- Are other Boroughs doing
this?
- How can I get involved if English is
not my first language?
- Will the results be
published?
- How will the results be
used?
- How does this differ from the
previous Redbridge Conversations?
- Is the Redbridge Conversation
2012 a way for Councillors to avoid making difficult
decisions?
- Will the results of the Redbridge
Conversation 2012 definitely be implemented?
- Why should I take part in the
Redbridge Conversation 2012?
- What if I have a different idea to
save money that isn't an option in Redbridge Conversation
2012?
- Will particular services disappear if
the results of the Redbridge Conversation 2012 suggest they should
be cut?
- How much money does the Council need
to save for 2012/13?
- How long will the cuts last?
- Is it not a bit insensitive to put
all the details of services and staffing online for people to play
with?
- How much is the Redbridge
Conversation costing?
- What is You Choose and how much did
YouChoose cost to develop?
1. What is the Redbridge
Conversation 2012 and why are you holding another
one?
The Redbridge Conversation 2012 is the
Council’s latest consultation exercise which gives people
a say on how the Council should make savings. It lets residents see
how much the Council spends on services and suggest ways to make
savings of at least £7 million to the Council’s budget.
We want the people of Redbridge to have a say on how public
money should be spent and where it can be saved.
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2. The Redbridge Conversation says you have saved £14m
and need to save another £7m – why doesn’t that add up to
£25m?
The £25m figure related to reductions in grant from Government
over three years, starting in 2011/12. In fact, we are likely to
have to save more than £25m in order to meet the rising costs of
children’s and adult care, in addition to the reduction of
Government funding. We have saved £14m this year (2011/12) and had
already agreed savings of £6m for next year (2012/13).
We now need to find an additional £4m next year (2012/13) and
around £3m the following year. These two figures (£4m and £3m) add
up to the £7m target used in the Redbridge Conversation 2012. That
would take total savings to £27m, though that figure may change in
2013/14 as the real costs of care become clearer and we find out
exactly how much we will receive from Government. In the Redbridge
Conversation, we are consulting over the additional £7m, of savings
for 2012/13 and 2013/14.
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3. How long will the Redbridge
Conversation 2012 last?
The conversation will remain open and the results will be
used to inform the budget setting process which concludes in
March 2012.
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4. How can I take part?
Anyone with access to a computer can take part in the Redbridge
Conversation 2012 by completing YouChoose, the innovative
consultation tool developed by Redbridge Council. You Choose
enables people to see how much is spent on services and suggest
ways to save money. To complete You Choose you have to find savings
of at least £7 million.
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5. I don’t have a
computer?
We will be running a programme of community activities to enable people
without computer access to complete YouChoose. We will
be looking at lots of other ways to ensure as many people as
possible can take part.
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6. Who can take part in the Redbridge
Conversation 2012?
Anyone can complete the YouChoose online consultation tool. We
can provide help to people who do not have access to a
computer, or need support to do the consultation.
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7. Does this include people from
outside of the Borough?
Yes. The Redbridge Conversation 2012 is aimed mainly at people
who live and work in the Borough, but we would like to hear from
anyone with views on how the Council should reduce costs. People
will be asked to provide a postcode so we know if they live in the
Borough, and the views of residents will be given
priority when we analyse the results.
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8. Do people have to give their name and
address if they take part?
No, you can be completely anonymous. However we would like to
get some information about your age, home postcode and ethnic
origin so we can make sure the views of residents from across the
Borough are represented.
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9. How will you stop people from
submitting more than one response?
There is nothing to stop people responding more than once.
However in the analysis of the results it will be possible to see a
pattern that suggests multiple responses and to take those into
account when presenting the results. On balance we think it is
better to make it as easy as possible for people to take part
rather than introduce tough security that might put people off.
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10. Are you doing a printed version of
YouChoose?
No. Reducing the Council spending is a
complex problem. By providing detailed information about services,
actual costs and the likely impact of savings people will be able
to make informed choices. It is only possible to provide this
amount of information online. However we want to make sure people
from right across the Borough, young and old, can take part so we
will be running a series of community events across the Borough
that people who do not have access to the internet or need help
with completing YouChoose can attend.
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11. Are other Boroughs doing this?
Most councils do some kind of budget consultation. Redbridge
Council is working with the Local Government Association and
YouGov, the leading online polling company, to enable other
Councils to use YouChoose.
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12. How can I get involved if English is not my
first language?
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The Council recognises that English is a second language for
many people living in the Borough. We will find help for people to
complete YouChoose by calling the Customer Contact Centre on
020 8554 5000.
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13. Will the results be published?
Yes. The full results will be published on Redbridge i and
reported by the local media. You will also be able to get the data
tables to analyse yourself if you want.
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14. How will the results be used?
The results will be used to inform Councillors about how
residents think savings could be made before the Council sets its
Budget on 1 March 2012.
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15. How does this differ from the
previous Redbridge Conversations?
The first Redbridge Conversation in 2008 was focused on future
investment and improvement works known as the ‘capital programme’,
including school improvements and road repairs. We asked everyone
who lives or works in the Borough to talk about the long-term
improvements they want to see, and how the Council should pay for
them. The second Redbridge Conversation in 2010 looked at the
‘revenue budget’ – that is, the costs of providing frontline
services such as education, adult care and refuse collection, with
a view to identifying savings of £25m over three years. The
Redbridge Conversation 2012 lists savings proposals of £7m to take
effect in year two of the the three year target set in
2010.
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16. Is the Redbridge Conversation 2012 a way
for Councillors to avoid making difficult decisions?
As democratically elected representatives, the Councillors will
make the final decision on how and where money will be saved. But
before making these difficult decisions, Councillors want to hear
directly from the people they serve.
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17. Will the results of the Redbridge Conversation
2012 definitely be implemented?
The results of the Redbridge Conversation 2012 will highlight
residents’ views on the best way to make savings. Councillors also
have to consider other factors, such as the Council’s legal duty to
provide certain services. The Council will make the final decision
about the 2012/13 Budget in March 2012.
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18. Why should I take part in the Redbridge
Conversation 2012?
This is a real opportunity to tell us what you think of our
savings proposals while letting us know which frontline
services you value most.
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19. What if I have a different idea to save money
that isn't an option in Redbridge Conversation 2012?
There will be a section of the Redbridge Conversation for people
to put forward suggestions and ideas that may not already
be included in the YouChoose options.
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Services and savings
20. Will particular services disappear if the
results of the Redbridge Conversation 2012 suggest they should be
cut?
This is not a referendum but a way for the Council to understand
residents’ views. The Council has a legal duty to provide certain
services, particularly for vulnerable people. Councillors will have
to consider a lot of different factors, including the results of
the Redbridge Conversation 2012, when they make their
decisions.
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21. How much money does the Council need to save
for 2012/13?
We estimate that we will need to save at least £7 million
over the next two years. Government departments are considering
savings, so the Council has to plan to make savings on a similar
scale.
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22. How long will the cuts last?
Like the rest of the public sector, the Council is likely to
have to reduce its budget each year for several years. The
Government has said it plans to significantly reduce public
spending for the long term.
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23. Is it not a bit insensitive to put all the
details of services and staffing online for people to play
with?
The Council wants to hear from as many people in the Borough as
possible. The Redbridge Conversation 2012 has been
designed in a way that is user friendly and easy for most people to
access. YouChoose isn’t a game, but a way to explain Council
spending and involve residents in helping the Council make its
spending and savings decisions. Residents are entitled to see what
the Council spends on services. Our annual accounts are printed
every year and open for public inspection.
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24. How much is the Redbridge
Conversation costing?
The only cost is to publicise the Redbridge Conversation
to ensure as many people take part as possible. This is likely to
be under £8,000. This cost is matched by savings from not carrying
out other surveys such as the annual budget consultation. We
will also be paid by other councils who want to use the YouChoose
device to conduct their own consultations. We do not yet know
how much income we will make from that.
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25. What is You Choose and how much did YouChoose
cost to develop?
YouChoose is an innovative online tool which has been created by
the Council's ICT team at minimal cost. It shows how much
the Council currently spends on services and how much the Council
can save. Redbridge has led the way in developing online
consultations and over forty other councils have used the tool in
the past year. This enables us to run the current YouChoose at
little or no cost to the Council.
Do you have a question you don't see answered here? Submit your
question and we will do our best to publish it with the answer on
these pages.
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