As the clouds of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) blacken on the horizon, and the last ray of light or, indeed, hope, is snuffed out by the formula consultation paper, the need to have in place the ‘efficiency machinery' within your organisation becomes ever-more evident and of ever-increasing importance. Our need as finance directors to govern the re-prioritisation of resources to our organisation's priorities, particularly our frontline services through the ‘efficiency machine', offers the only realistic solution to the CSR environment. Croydon LBC has been building its efficiency machine for the last two years, starting with a series of zero-based budgeting exercises and culminating in its ‘Release' efficiency programme. With our VFM score at a solid three, we have understood the value of good frameworks. Our units costs are some of the lowest in London. But these are not sufficient on their own. The ideas of our service managers, who understand their customers, is an essential ingredient for efficiency success. And the Release programme is designed to open up that opportunity. The programme challenges our use of resources, and develops an understanding of our position in relation to performance outcome and cost injection with others. It reviews our use of partnerships, how we have deployed learning from others, how we have taken advantage of procurement opportunities, exposed opportunity within our assets, enabled transformation across our services, and continued to build effective financial management. We have released capacity of £25m over the last four years, and through our pump-priming support for our efficiency agenda, have identified significant other opportunities going forward. As a consequence, and as the CSR clouds burst, we will have an umbrella to protect our key services. n Nathan Elvery is director of finance and resources at Croydon LBC
