Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Thursday, 08 January 2009

Annual Performance Assessment of Children, Young People and Adult Social care Services
Cabinet received the results of two independent annual performance assessments of both services for Children and Young People and Adult Social Care services. The inspections, carried out by Ofsted and the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) respectively, revealed that: -

-The Council's contribution to outcomes for children and young people were judged to be at least good and outstanding in one area. The graded judgements* included in the report are as follows:-

Overall effectiveness of children's services: Grade 3
Being Healthy: Grade 3
Staying Safe: Grade 3
Enjoying & Achieving: Grade 3
Making a Positive Contribution: Grade 3
Achieving Economic Wellbeing: Grade 4
Capacity to improve, including the management of Children's Services: Grade 3

*Judgements are made on a 4 point scale, with Grade 3 being 'Good' and Grade 4 'Outstanding'.

- The performance ratings of the Council for Adult Social Care Services are judged as follows:

Delivering outcomes: Good
Capacity for improvement: Promising
Performance rating: 2 stars (on a scale of zero to 3 stars)

Each of the reports were helpful in supporting the Council's own assessment of its performance and in contributing to the review of strategic plans and service improvement plans, to ensure the necessary actions are in place to build on strengths and respond to areas for improvement. Full copies of the report are available via the cabinet report

Credit Crunch
Cabinet, as requested, received details of the latest effects of the economic downturn, which included significant job losses in the retail and manufacturing industries locally, as the impact of the global Credit Crunch continued to be felt.

Recent measures taken by the Council and partners to support those experiencing hardship as a result of this crisis, include:-

-appointment by Job Centre Plus of a dedicated Redundancy Officer;
-a Recruitment Fair to be held on the 15th January 2009 in Thornaby Town Centre, attended by some of the new shops coming to the town, such as Wilkinsons, New Look, KFC;
-expansion of training support offered by Train to Gain for small and medium sized private sector enterprises;

-Home and Communities Agency funding of £400M announced nationally for the housing market through its HomeBuy Direct scheme, giving a boost to first time buyers and developers.

Housing Rent
In accordance with the framework laid down by the Government for the level of rent each local authority must charge its tenants, Cabinet has agreed an average rent increase for Council homes of 6.5% for 2009/10; equating to an average of £4.02 per week.

It was noted that a lower rent increase would result in an additional demand on the Council's  Revenue Account in future years, which would potentially jeopardize a range of service  improvements such as Choice Based Lettings, initiatives to tackle anti social behaviour,  domestic energy assessments etc.

The Cabinet Member for Housing & Community Safety has written to the Department of Communities & Local Government about the formula for the rent restructuring process and the impact such high level rent increases have on our tenants.

Free Bus Pass Scheme
Finally, Cabinet considered a review of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS), which started on 1st April 2008. Under the ENCTS, holders of a concessionary pass can travel on any local bus service in England free of charge between 9.30am and 11.00pm on weekdays and at any time at weekends.

Under the Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 local enhancements are allowed to the ENCTS including, for example, removal of restrictions on the time of travel and use of companion passes. In the Tees Valley residents can travel at any time. No capacity problems have been experienced as a result of this enhancement.

Both bus operators and local authorities wish to keep the operation of the ENCTS under close review and until its longer terms effects are known,

It was noted that in the first six months of the ENCTS since 1st April 2008, 28,478 passes had been issued to the over 60's and 1,861 issued on grounds of disability. This means that approximately 82% of residents who are eligible now have a pass, compared to 64% before the introduction of the National Scheme. Applications were now being processed 'live' from the Council's Car Parking offices via an Internet connection to the card management system (CMS). Residents can now also apply for a pass up to 13 days before their 60th birthday to enable delivery of passes in good time for a resident's 60th birthday.

Members noted that it was planned to extend the number of outlets at which ENCTS applications can be made to all libraries in 2009. Additional outlets for the ENCTS could also be set up at other suitable sites subject to agreement with those concerned. This will make applying for the concession more convenient for the public and extend the hours when residents can apply for passes.

Because of the high cost of replacing passes and the large number of lost passes that have had to be replaced, the Cabinet approved the introduction of a £5 charge for replacing a first lost pass, with a charge of £10 for replacing subsequent lost passes. This fee will only be waived in exceptional circumstances. Stockton's charges reflect the costs of replacing passes. Some authorities in the region charge £10 for every lost pass and elsewhere in England there are charges as high as £20.

Details regarding the Council's Concessionary Travel Scheme can be obtained via this link