Bolton is a town in the North West of England and it is the responsibility of the Council to provide the services relied upon by its 250,000 population. Two years ago, the Adult Services department at Bolton Council was faced with its biggest ever challenge, tasked with making substantial savings which amounted to 40% of its budget over a three-year period. At the same time, it was due to implement the government’s Self Directed Support social care initiative.

The Adult Services department at Bolton Council works hard to safeguard vulnerable adults living in the town, such as people with physical and learning disabilities, older adults and dementia sufferers. Reducing the quality or range of valuable front-line services offered was not an option the Council was willing to consider. Pressure was on to discover areas where large cost savings could be made with no adverse impact on service delivery.