What is DBS?

DBS stands for Designing Better Services. DBS is an efficiency programme, being promoted by the council, to look at all service areas and to result in the more efficient delivery of services and a leaner organisation. The DBS team consists of 15 full time equivalent staff, supported by representatives from across all council services.

The DBS Programme has cost approximately £800,000 so far, and there will be a larger investment required for implementation, to ensure we achieve the long term savings.

The projected savings of £4.4m per year are net of set-up and running costs.

The main element of the programme is scheduled to end in Autumn 2011 and thereafter the structure of service delivery will be more efficient. The new simplified Council will be more agile and better able to adapt to future challenges. 

What areas are DBS looking at? 

All service areas.

Why is it taking so long to implement DBS?

We have to do a lot of planning to make sure we get it right. It’s a big job.

How much money will DBS save?

£4.4million a year.

What will the savings be and how will they be achieved?

DBS looks to deliver £4.4M annual revenue savings.  The detail of the saving – how and where – is mapped against budgets and dates.  The savings come from better procurement, reduced property and a smaller organisation.

How much has DBS cost so far, and how much will it cost in total?

It has cost about £800,000 to get this far in the planning stage. The next stage is implementation, which requires a larger investment to achieve the long term savings.  The level of investment is being determined now.

Has the cost of setting up the DBS project been taken into account when projecting the savings?

Yes. The projected savings of £4.4m per year are net of set-up and running costs.

How many members of staff are permanently involved in DBS?

15 full time equivalents

Are DBS programme staff qualified to make decisions about the service I provide? 

All services are represented on the decision-making DBS boards, and departmental staff have been heavily involved in the workshops used to inform plans for the changes.

Does DBS really mean cheaper services and cuts?

It means better, more efficient delivery of services and a leaner organisation.

Is DBS an ongoing (permanent) process to improve the Council in the future or will it have an end point?

The main element of the programme is scheduled to end in Autumn 2011.

If DBS has an end point, how will the council improve in the future if it could not in the past without DBS?

The structure of service delivery will be more efficient at the end of DBS. The new simplified Council will be more agile and better able to adapt to future challenges.

Why do we need DBS, is this not what senior management is paid for anyway? 

DBS is a root and branch reform that cuts across the whole council and needed proper funding. The council has tried to implement improvements on a piecemeal basis before but these have never delivered the savings required.