Jane Hutt, Minister for Business and Budget, has announced details of a second tranche of Invest-to-Save funded projects that will deliver more effective and efficient public services.
Announcing the successful projects during a visit to the North Wales Business Support Partnership in St Asaph the Minister said:
“I am pleased that there is keen interest from organisations seeking investment from this new fund. Investments will support public service organisations in transforming the way they work and respond to the challenge of delivering quality services and outcomes for citizens during a period of tightening budgets."
This announcement relates to eight new projects including five from local authorities including Powys, NPT, Flintshire and Wrexham and one project each from UWIC and the National Botanical Garden for Wales. This brings the total number of projects receiving investment from Round I of the Fund to 25 and represents a total investment of some £11.5million.
“The Fund is once again open to new applications and I am encouraging public bodies to use it to help them bring forward projects. Public service providers need to find ways to work smarter and this fund will help them to implement changes that lead to the release of efficiency savings.
“What has been achieved in the health service in the North Wales Business Support Partnership is a model for other sections of the public sector. The way in which it has brought about changes in the approach to how services are delivered is very impressive, as well as delivering better value for money."
The Invest-to-save Fund is available for projects that: improve the way public services procure goods and services; streamline business processes; introduce ICT to improve delivery; make better use of the public estate; and, reduce the costs of corporate functions and routine business through shared services and other collaborative approaches.