Learning to let go: forming partnerships has allowed one authority to improve services despite cuts

摘要

Project officer Charles Kyprianou smiles as he puts down the telephone. He has just secured a deal with Thompson & Morgan to supply 10,000 packets of seed for Bromley in Bloom's leaflet drop to local householders. As the borough's bedding designer,Kyprianou is looking to capitalise on last year's local competition and the borough's success in the wider London in Bloom awards 2001, when it won the best beddingand best borough titles. This recognition was achieved despite the maintenance and planting budget being cut from 4.5 million pound to 2 million pound in the past decade. "We seem to have the ability to get more from less," says head of parks and countryside Patrick Philips. Talk of innovative delivery, devolved management and partnerships abound in London,s largest borough, which covers the capital's fringes, commuter towns, such as Orpington, and a swathe of rural Kent. And officers at the council seem confident that they are finding new ways of delivering a service to the public that goesbeyond just floral displays to include working with local businesses, contractors and the horticulture trade.