New council director starts cost-cutting post (From Basingstoke Gazette)

New council director starts cost-cutting post

11:40am Monday 3rd September 2012 in Local

A DIRECTOR who will help cut costs at the borough council has started her new job. Laura Taylor, pictured, has joined Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council as director of governance and commissioning.

She was previously strategic director at Mole Valley District Council. She took over the position left vacant when corporate director Dorcas Bunton was appointed chief executive of Derbyshire Dales District Council.

As part of her role Mrs Taylor will be looking for cheaper ways of providing services. The council has already made more than £1million savings by sharing services with Hart District Council , including bin collections and street cleaning.

When at Test Valley Borough Council, Mrs Taylor’s job included being part of a shared environmental service team. The 45-year-old mother-of-two has just worked with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games to host to Olympic road cycle races in Surrey. She said: “It’s a really exciting time to be joining the council as we are working hard to give our residents the best possible value.”

She said the new commissioning approach “means getting the right things done, in the right way, at the right time, for the right price”.

Mrs Taylor joins the council just as it is asking residents, public services, voluntary and community groups, to help the council find out what the borough needs now and in the future, so it can focus limited resources.

The consultation, called Strengths and Challenges, gives facts and figures about the borough’s transport links, infrastructure, housing, leisure, health, community, safety and economy.

The consultation runs until September 28 and the results will be used to help form the basis of the council’s service-planning in the future. To contribute visit basingstoke.gov.uk/go/needs or call 01256 844844to request a copy of the document.