Derbyshire County Council

Council Spending and Efficiency · drafted 2026-07-02 · accepted · 10 finding(s)

← council-level findings on this theme

3 Jul 2025Cabinet's 3 July 2025 decision on the Council's Operating Model and efficiency options did not impose any recruitment or vacancy freeze; it only noted ongoing efficiency work and agreed a further plan on the PwC recommendations would come to Cabinet in Autumn 2025, while acknowledging the Council 'cannot rule out reducing its workforce in supporting service areas.' [1]

11 Sep 2025Cabinet Member for Council Efficiency (DOGE) Cllr John Lawson confirmed the Council engaged PwC (a paid external firm) to review the Council's Operating Model and third-party spend, producing recommendations for a Transformation and Efficiency Programme; a public question at Council on 10 December 2025 cited PwC's estimate that savings of between £11.2m and £22m could be achieved through better management of third-party spend. [2][3]

13 Nov 2025Derbyshire County Council's Reform administration established a formal Cabinet portfolio titled 'Cabinet Member for Council Efficiency (DOGE)', held by Councillor John Lawson, confirmed in Cabinet and committee minutes from at least November 2025. [4][5]

13 Nov 2025On 13 November 2025 Cabinet, on a report introduced by Cllr J Lawson, resolved to approve procurement of an external 'Design and Implementation Partner' to deliver the efficiency-driven operating-model redesign, agreeing in principle to fund an estimated £5 million cost through capital receipts. [6][7]

10 Dec 2025In a written response to a full Council question (10 Dec 2025), Cabinet Member for Council Efficiency (DOGE) Cllr J Lawson confirmed the Council was revising its procurement Standing Orders and had plans to establish a 'Consultancy Spend Board' and a Third Party workstream to reduce contract/third-party spend, but described this as ongoing work rather than a decision setting a specific reduction or cap figure for consultancy/agency spend. [8][9]

10 Dec 2025A resident question at full Council (10 Dec 2025) noted that PwC had estimated potential savings of between £11.2m and £22m through better management of third-party spend following an Audit Committee finding of failures in contract management; this PwC estimate was cited as context by the questioner, not adopted as a Cabinet/budget decision or savings target in the retrieved minutes. [10]

9 Jan 2026Cabinet, at its meeting of 9 January 2026, received the 'Budget Savings Proposals 2026/27 to 2030/31 and Update to Medium Term Financial Plan' report introduced by Councillor A Graves and resolved to note the budget savings options and refer them to Resources Scrutiny Committee (14 January 2026) ahead of formal budget adoption by full Council. [11][12]

11 Feb 2026Full Council adopted the Revenue Budget Report 2026-27 on 11 February 2026, moved by Councillor J Lawson (Reform Cabinet Member for Finance); the approved budget calculation nets £55,331,478 (c.£55.3m) of 'Budget Reductions' against pressures in setting the Council Tax requirement, and Council separately approved 'the level and allocation of budget savings' set out in Section 9 and Appendix 7 of the report. A Conservative amendment (moved by Councillor Dale) to reduce the council tax rise and part-fund the gap from reserves instead was defeated on a recorded vote. [13][14][15][16]

12 Mar 2026Derbyshire County Council's 2025-26 Revenue Budget (adopted before the Reform administration took control of the council in May 2025) carried a savings target of £37.499m; reporting to Cabinet on 12 March 2026 (Quarter 3 budget monitoring), Reform Cabinet Member for Finance Councillor Lawson stated £35.146m (93.7%) had been delivered, leaving £2.353m of savings still to be found and a forecast £0.505m overspend at year-end. [17][18]

25 Mar 2026Derbyshire County Council has not adopted a corporate recruitment/hiring freeze or vacancy-control regime by cabinet, budget, or MTFS decision; the only documented recruitment pause is a narrow, service-specific one in Adult Social Care, where recruitment to new adult-care roles was paused so that staff displaced by the closure of eight HOPs day facilities could be offered redeployment first — a redeployment-priority measure, not a cost-saving vacancy freeze, and no headcount/FTE or £ saving target is stated for it. [19]

References (19)
  1. Minutes, 3 July 2025 “the Council cannot rule out reducing its workforce in supporting service areas.”
  2. Minutes, 11 September 2025 “Work is ongoing to assess the PwC findings against the Council’s Change Portfolio and to identify a plan to implement the recommendations identified by PwC in the form of a Transformation and Efficiency Programme for the Council.”
  3. Minutes, 10 December 2025 “Thereafter PWC indicated that estimated savings between 11.2 and 22m could be achieved through better management of third party spend.”
  4. Decisions, 13 November 2025 “Cabinet Member for Business Services and Cabinet Member for Council Efficiency (DOGE), to award the contract”
  5. Minutes, 3 December 2025 “due to his role as the Cabinet Member for Council Efficiency (DOGE)”
  6. Minutes, 13 November 2025 “sought approval to conduct a procurement for the selection of a Design and Implementation Partner to deliver these changes. RESOLVED to:”
  7. Minutes “agree in principle to fund the estimated £5million cost of the Design and Implementation stages through the flexible use of capital receipts”
  8. Minutes, 10 December 2025 “establishing a Consultancy Spend Board, a Third”
  9. Minutes, 10 December 2025 “It is correct the Council has reviewed its standing orders that details how the Council procures services. The revised standing orders are included on today’s agenda.”
  10. Minutes, 10 December 2025 “PWC indicated that estimated savings between 11.2 and 22m could be achieved through better management of third party spend”
  11. Minutes, 9 January 2026 “Councillor A Graves introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, that set out Budget Savings Proposals for 2026- 27 to 2030-31 and provided an update to the medium term financial plan.”
  12. Minutes, 9 January 2026 “3) Note the possible options in respect of budget savings proposals for the 2026-27 Financial Year;”
  13. Minutes, 11 February 2026 “Councillor J Lawson introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, that sought approval for the proposed Revenue Budget and Council Tax for 2026-27.”
  14. Minutes, 11 February 2026 “Approves the level and allocation of budget savings as outlined in Section 9 and Appendix 7 to the report”
  15. Minutes, 11 February 2026 “Less Budget Reductions -55,331,478”
  16. Minutes, 11 February 2026 “The amendment was declared to be lost.”
  17. Minutes, 12 March 2026 “The 2025-26 Revenue Budget includes savings targets totalling £37.499m.”
  18. Minutes, 12 March 2026 “As at the end of Quarter 3 total savings forecast to be delivered are £35.146m (93.7%).”
  19. Minutes, 25 March 2026 “Recruitment to new roles has been paused to ensure colleagues affected by the closure of the eight HOPs facilities are offered redeployment first.”