Following the success of the Nuthall St Patrick’s Church Disney Festival which took place last summer and raised over £3,000, the Wednesday Club Group is making plans for special celebration to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
On Saturday 9th June there is to be a Royal Tea Party to be held in the Church Hall on Back Lane in the afternoon with entertainment that will include music, singing and dancing. I am supporting the event by donating a sum of £250 from my Councillors' Divisional Fund (CDF) allowance.
Admission is by ticket only, which are priced at £10 and can be purchased from Diane Fletcher on 0115 9276109 or Margaret Squire on 0115 9385389.
(Posted 18/4/2012)
Basil Russell Park
I am pleased to have supported a £60,000 refurbishment of the play park and toilet facilities at Basil Russell Park in Nuthall.
The park in Maple Drive serves the 3,000 homes in the village and is used regularly by schools, clubs, scout groups and local residents for nature walks, environmental and wildlife studies.
After years of neglect, residents applied to Nottinghamshire County Council’s Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) to upgrade and improve the facilities.
This is the only park for Nuthall so it is important that it offers well maintained facilities and is used by the whole community. The new bright and colourful equipment will attract younger children and residents’ complaints have been addressed relating to the toilet facilities.
This is one of several play parks across the county to have been refurbished under the LIS. Other examples can be found at Oxton, Papplewick, Upper Saxondale, Ranby, Sutton cum Lound and East Markham.
(Posted 18/4/2012)
Council plans to adopt a committee system
Pending approval at the Council’s Annual General Meeting on 17th May 2012, Nottinghamshire County Council plans to exercise its new power under the Localism Act 2011 to adopt a committee system of decision-making. This will replace the current Leader and Cabinet model adopted under the Local Government Act 2000.
The rationale for a committee system is that it is the most democratic and transparent form of governance. It ensures all 67 democratically elected Councillors are able to fully participate in decision-making and shaping the policy of the Council. It ensures greater transparency in that all reports are publicly available prior to any decision being made, and all decision-making meetings are held in public.
Reports were taken to the Full Council meetings in January and March (Item 11), with final approval being sought, as stated above, in May.
(Posted 17/4/2012)
Council tax frozen again in 2012/13
At the Nottinghamshire County Council budget meeting on 23rd February it was agreed to freeze county council tax for a third consecutive year. With public finances under strain across the country, the council has saved £87 million so far, £44 million of which has been reinvested directly into frontline services. In the coming financial year we will spend: -
- £2.8 million more safeguarding children;
- £5.2 million more on care for older people;
- £2.7 million more on adults with mental health & learning disabilities;
- £1.4 million more on adults with physical disabilities; and
- £1 million more to support young carers.
We are also committed to invest £289 million in capital over three years on:-
- Improving school buildings;
- Modernising day centres;
- New youth clubs;
- Improving libraries;
- Improved broadband services;
- Improved roads and pathways;
- New and improved bus stations.
Councillor Reg Adair is the council's Cabinet Member for Finance & Property. In his speech presenting the budget, he outlined the results of the council's budget consultation. In response to public feedback, we are: -
- providing additional library opening hours at 15 locations across the county;
- holding Meals at Home charges at £3.95 for 2012/13; and
- not increasing charges for Blue Badge holders in 2012/13, unlike many other local authorities.
(Posted 28/2/2012)
Children's Services improving
Following this year's assessment of children's services across Nottinghamshire, Ofsted has judged the County Council as performing adequately. This marks a key improvement from last year's children's services judgement of "performing poorly" following the inadequate arrangements for safeguarding in 2010.
This year's assessment states that the improved grading reflects the better performance in local safeguarding arrangements, with steady progress in improving outcomes and a good capacity for further improvement, strengthened by a robust improvement programme.
The annual assessment of children's services is based on the inspection outcomes for all services for children provided or commissioned by Nottinghamshire County Council over the previous 12 months.
This includes the results following inspections of schools – including special schools, children's centres, fostering, adoption, child protection and safeguarding services, youth offending services and children's homes. Over the previous year, many of the services were found to be good or better, with examples of outstanding practice also being identified.
A number of strengths were identified:-
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The large majority of early years and childcare continues to be good or better. Of 16 children's centres inspected for the first time during the year, almost all are good and four are outstanding;
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For children under five, most early years services in nursery and primary schools are effective and more provision is good or better than in similar areas, and the national average;
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Almost three-quarters of primary schools perform well with slightly more being good that last year and a higher proportion being good or outstanding than found in similar areas;
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Standards are continuing to rise, and a large majority of children are making the expected progress between the ages of seven and 11;
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The Council's specialist provision is almost all good or better, including all the special schools and most special sixth form provision;
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For looked after children, the children's homes run buy the local authority have improved with three of the five now judged as outstanding;
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A very large majority of the independent children's homes commissioned by the County Council for children in care are good or better;
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Standards in GCSE examinations continue to rise, with provisional results for 2011 showing that further good improvements in the proportion of young people achieving five A* - C grades, including English and mathematics;
In addition to the improved annual assessment rating, Schools Minister Tim Loughton MP has written to the County Council to confirm that he no longer considers the previous Improvement Notice to be necessary. This was issued in June 2010 for inadequate safeguarding services.
I am delighted that our children's services are improving and I thank our staff and partners for their hard work in bringing this about. Since I became Cabinet Member in June 2009 my aim has been to improve Nottinghamshire's historically poor performance and this is a step along the way. The target now is to build on these foundations and establish Nottinghamshire children and young people's services as an example for other shire counties to follow.
(Posted 10/11/11)
Pearl Project is a success
A trail-blazing Nottinghamshire County Council initiative, which boasts blanket success in keeping girls out of the youth justice system, has received recognition from the national body which works to prevent offending and reoffending by children and young people under 18.
Last week, the Council was named as runner-up in this year’s Youth Justice Board Innovation Award for the 'Pearl Project', which looks at what works specifically for girls when it comes to keeping them out of the penal system. Part of the project, which was set up in 2008, delivers programmes in secondary schools across the county tapping into the particular needs of girls.
To date, the school programmes have had a 100% success rate in keeping girls out of the youth justice system. Research was carried out into why so many young women were breaching their statutory court orders, allowing staff to be trained on the risk factors for female offenders and the importance of gender-responsive working. Young female offenders have often had difficult early life experiences including childhood abuse such as neglect and exposure to domestic violence. This links in with issues such as low self-esteem and a lack of aspirations.
So far, 12 schools have taken part in the group sessions for 11 to 14 year olds which look at issues relevant to girls such as peer pressure, nurturing healthy relationships and friendships, sexual health and self-image. Early intervention programmes such as this are vital if we are to steer young people away from becoming involved in crime in the future.
We are delighted to have won this high profile recognition for such innovative work - there aren’t many councils across the country which have adopted such a targeted gender-specific approach with their preventative work.
(Posted 10/11/11)
£2.5 million boost for Supporting People
Despite local budget pressures and a reduced grant from central Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has invested an extra £2.5 million in its Supporting People programme.
Supporting People is a national programme that provides housing related support to help vulnerable people live independently. It will see its Government grant in Nottinghamshire reduced to £17.6 million this year, threatening the County Council’s previous year’s Supporting People spend of £22.5 million.
However, thanks to a new £1.5 million investment from the local NHS, plus a further £1 million diverted from the County Council budget, the Government’s allocation has been given a vital boost in Nottinghamshire. This limits the reduction in the County’s Supporting People budget to just over 10%, from £22.5 million to £20.11 million. The restricted budget reduction has also been made possible by the County Council’s decision early this year, following public consultation, to keep its savings on Supporting People to £10 million over the next three years rather than two higher reduction options of £12.5 million and £15 million.
These funding measures support feedback gained from a second, two-month public consultation on Supporting People services this year (in Feb/March), to form new proposals which went before Full Council on 30th June 2011. These proposals ensure that:-
- Most accommodation based services continue to be funded, albeit at reduced levels;
- ‘Floating support’ services, which offer support to people in their own homes, will be delivered consistently across issues of homelessness prevention and offender, drug and alcohol, gypsy and traveller and young people’s services;
- Mental health services are reviewed and delivered more efficiently;
- Young people’s services are reviewed for greater efficiency;
- Community alarm and warden services for older people are replaced with a new short term service targeted at helping vulnerable people to remain independent in their own homes.
We’ve talked to those who use the services, to our District Council partners, to project providers and voluntary and community groups, including church leaders, to find ways to make savings through efficiencies. We will target the money at front line services that meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable and in greatest need.
Nottinghamshire was successful in securing Government money under Supporting People when the programme first started eight years ago but we’ve seen this central funding steadily fall by nearly £11 million since that time. We believe that after the £10 million savings have been made, the level of funding in Nottinghamshire for these services will still compare well with other Council areas.
(Posted 20/7/2011)
More Nottinghamshire children eating healthy school meals
As Cabinet Member for Children & Young People's Services I am pleased to report that the number of children eating healthy school meals in Nottinghamshire has climbed for the 3rd year in a row – with more than 34,000 children now having a school lunch every day. News also out from recent research suggests the County Council’s policy to buy local food has injected £1.6 million into the local economy.
This is obviously fantastic news for parents across Nottinghamshire and is testament to the high quality of school meals. I am equally delighted with the news that the local economy is benefiting from our new approach.
New figures, published by the School Food Trust and the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA), show that nationally an average of 44.1 per cent of children in primary schools and 37.6 per cent of pupils in secondary school opted for school meals in the 2010-11 year, up from 41.4 and 35.8 per cent respectively in the previous year.
Figures in Nottinghamshire are above the regional average with 41.6% of primary school pupils and 31.2% of secondary school pupils having a school meal.
This means that:-
- Around 1,300 more children in Nottinghamshire had healthy school meals last year;
- More than 33,000 children in Nottinghamshire now eat a school meal every day;
- The equivalent of almost 6.7 million healthy school lunches were served up last year in the 93% of schools to which the County Council supplies a service.
If parents are thinking about signing up for school meals from September it's also worth noting that research shows that school meals not only have a big impact on children’s health but it also helps them to concentrate and succeed in school.
(Posted 20/7/2011)
More grass cuts
Nottinghamshire County Council is increasing the number of times it will be cutting grass verges this year.
As part of this year’s budget savings it was originally intended to reduce the frequency of routine grass cutting in urban areas from six to four times a year. However, we have listened to public feedback and have now increased that frequency to five cuts. In rural areas the frequency remains at two cuts a year.
At the same time we have issued guidelines for a growing number of residents who are happy to cut the grass verges outside their homes. Again, this is a direct result of feedback from the Council’s Big Budget Conversation consultation process, when hundreds of people said they would be prepared to cut verges if it helped to release money for use on other priorities, such a repairing potholes.
The guidelines highlight what needs to be considered when cutting grass near the roadside. They can be found online at: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/roadverges
(Posted 14/7/11)
Meeting to discuss traffic issues
On 21st June 2011 I met with the Cabinet Member for Transport & Highways, Councillor Richard Jackson, to discuss traffic issues in the Nuthall division. We met on site at the estate at the side of Bilborough College to look at the parking issues created by students from the college. We also looked at the state of certain roads that are in urgent need of resurfacing, and the possibility of extending the no parking zone on Woodland Drive in an attempt to deal with dangerous and selfish parking caused by some visitors to Jungletastic.
I have also had meetings with officers to try and push the case for a mini-roundabout at Watnall Corner and also to review the bus lane between Larkfield Road and the Three Ponds, which has no effect on bus timetables but gives the opportunity for motorists to speed along what is, in effect, a dual carriageway.
(Posted 21/6/2011)
Pledges of support sought for A453 widening
As you may have seen in the Nottingham Post newspaper, Nottinghamshire County Council has stepped up the campaign to convince the Government of the urgent need to improve the A453. A letter has already been written to transport secretary Philip Hammond pledging £20m towards the cost of widening the route.
The Leader, Councillor Kay Cutts, has now also written to major businesses in the region, urging them to support the bid. The importance of improving the A453 to Nottinghamshire and the regional economy cannot be underestimated.
In order to maximise our chance of success we need to gather pledges of support from as many local people and businesses as possible. There is now a dedicated A453 web page on the Nottinghamshire County Council web site where you can read about the campaign and sign up to pledge your support.
(Posted 17/6/2011)
School buildings investment
I am delighted to report schools across the County are set to benefit from the first phase of Nottinghamshire County Council's new £100 million programme to refurbish and improve school buildings.
At the Annual General Meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 19th May, as Cabinet Member for Children & Young People's Services, I set out the full Schools Capital Refurbishment Programme List, covering three years up to 2014.
In line with the "Three R's" set out by the Government for school building works (Refresh, Refurbish, Re-use), Nottinghamshire County Council has set the criteria to prioritise the schools most in need of improvements for the first year. The condition of roofs, external walls and windows, electrical arrangements and mechanical issues such as boilers have been considered.
More in-depth surveys of the schools in the first year list will take place from June and works on a small number of schools will begin during the summer holidays. The Council started a review of school buildings across the county following the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.
The County Council will be funding around £30m of the programme with the remaining money coming from the authority’s Government grant for school maintenance.
(Posted 27/5/11)
County Council issuing free bus passes
Nottinghamshire County Council took over responsibility for issuing free bus passes for older and disabled people from district councils in Nottinghamshire on Friday 1st April 2011. Anyone applying for a new pass will need to get a form from their district council, local library, bus station, county customer service point or from County Hall or go to www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/community-travelpasses. It should then be returned to the County Council at the address shown on the form.
The Council has agreed to continue the additions to the scheme for Nottinghamshire residents, allowing free travel for companions of disabled people and free tram travel (or half-fares between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays), as well as the standard national scheme, which allows free travel for older and disabled people between 9.30am and 11pm each weekday and all day at weekends and on bank holidays.
The passes will be funded in 2011/2012 with £9.27m from the Government and £460,000 from the County Council. Passes issued by district councils before Friday 1 April will still be valid after that date.
(Posted 27/5/11)
Council Budget 2011/12
At the Nottinghamshire County Council Budget Meeting on 24th February 2011 I joined my Conservative colleagues in voting to freeze Council Tax for a second successive year. In doing so, I approved £4.1 million of changes to the Council’s original budget proposals in direct response to the outcomes of the Big Budget Conversation. Extra money has now been found from reserves for the Supporting People programme, grant aid to voluntary groups, libraries, country parks and welfare rights advice.
With less formula grant funding from the Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has to find more than £80 million of savings in 2011/12 by reducing management and administration costs and reviewing expenditure on non-essential services. Just over half of this is being reinvested to meet growing demand for our most vital services, including: -
The budget was approved at the Council meeting by 34 votes to 29.
(Posted 28/2/2011)
Gritter Twitter
Nottinghamshire County Council will now be advising the public of when the county’s roads will be gritted, using Twitter. During the cold weather last winter there were a number of calls to the Council’s Customer Service Centre asking when the roads would be gritted. Now people can sign up to the Council’s Gritter Twitter feed to receive the latest gritting alerts.
In an age of social networking and 24-hour news, the Council recognises the need to give people ‘live’ information that will help them plan their journey. You can sign up to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nottscc
(Posted 11/11/2010)
Improvement Programme latest
At the full meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 21st October I joined my Conservative colleagues in supporting the recommendations for action contained within the Nottinghamshire County Council Improvement Plan Progress Report.
The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Martin Suthers set out the financial challenges facing local authorities across the country and stated that Nottinghamshire County Council needed to save £150 million over the next three years.
He said this would require savings of £69 million in 2011/12, to be achieved through a series of major initiatives including reprioritisation of services, improvements in business management and a review of property owned by the Council.
Of this £69 million, it is intended to reinvest £39 million largely in services for our most vulnerable service users. The council has faced a 59% increase in children’s social care referrals over the last year and a 25% increase in the number of children in care over the last two years.
For Children and Young People, a proposed reinvestment of £22.5 million will provide:-
Our Adult Social Care & Health services are under similar pressure, with 500 extra people aged over 80 and 4,000 extra people over the age of 65 in Nottinghamshire every year. Our proposed reinvestment of £13 million in 2011/12 will provide: -
- the care and support services necessary to meet this increased demand
- more support for adults with physical disabilities
- more support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs
- extra resources for independent sector care.
I joined my Conservative colleagues in arguing that Nottinghamshire County Council must live within its means and ensure frontline statutory services are maintained.
(Posted 5/11/2010)
Parking restrictions around Jungletastic
I have received complaints from residents about obstructive parking on Nottingham Road and Woodland Drive in Nuthall by patrons of the Jungletastic soft adventure play facility. At my request, a parking restriction scheme has been drawn up for the introduction of double yellow lines along parts of Nottingham Road and at its junction with Woodland Drive. This should ensure that buses are able to turn more safely and visibility is improved, thereby reducing dangers to all road users. The matter is out for consultation at present.
(Posted 3/8/10)
Speed survey on Main Road in Watnall
A recent survey carried out at my request on Main Road in Watnall has shown that this road meets the new criteria laid down by the Conservative-controlled County Council for the provision of an interactive speed sign. This location has now been added to the list for inclusion.
(Posted 3/8/10)
Watnall corner
There are continuing problems at Watnall corner, with queueing traffic at peak times and speeding vehicles at other times of the day. Highways officers are looking at possible schemes for the improvement of this junction. All options are being considered.
(Posted 3/8/10)
Improvement Programme
Like every council in the country, Nottinghamshire County Council faces ongoing, significant and unavoidable increases in demand for key services. At the same time, it faces an unprecedented and long-term reduction in the resources available to it. Present forecasts are that the Council must reduce its current expenditure by at least £88m, or 18% of its revenue budget, over the next three financial years. Most of this reduction will be used to fund increased demand in other service areas. £30m of reductions have already been identified for 2010/11, leaving a further £58m to be found in 2011/12 and 2012/13.
In the past, reductions have been achieved through a process of allocating savings targets across departments. However, the scale of the financial challenge is now such that a more strategic approach is needed to achieve reductions in a structured and consistent way.
At the County Council meeting on 25th February 2010 the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Martin Suthers gained approval for a new Improvement Programme to deliver these aims, called ‘One Council - One Business - One Plan’. This will involve an estimated investment of £21 million over five years to deliver total aggregated savings of over £200m over a five year period.
The Improvement Programme will include: -
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a complete overhaul of the Council’s approach to procurement
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implementation of an integrated Business Management System and changes in processes
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rationalisation of the Council’s property portfolio and improvement in flexible ways of working
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a fundamental review of all services followed by a comprehensive programme of organisational redesign
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departmental improvement programmes that deliver service-specific developments and
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the Chief Executive’s own programme to deliver improvements in partnership working, communications and organisational development.
The aim of ‘One Council-One Business-One Plan’ is to drive out inefficiency, target resources, minimise the impact on service delivery and create an organisation that is fit for purpose and financially sustainable in the long term.
(Posted 8/3/10)
New Strategic Plan
Nottinghamshire County Council's new Strategic Plan 2010-2014 sets out our promise to the people of Nottinghamshire; our priorities for the next four years; and how we aim to support the people of our county to be aspirational, independent and to share with us responsibility for the future.
This Plan complements the wider Nottinghamshire Sustainable Community Strategy which is the collective plan that outlines how organisations in the county will work together to promote and deliver a better Nottinghamshire.
Our plan is ambitious. It is a plan based on what local people tell us they want, and what they want to see happen. The success of our plan relies on us working well together with local people and organisations. Whilst we face challenging financial times, nevertheless we have opportunities to promote and deliver a better future for Nottinghamshire.
(Posted 8/3/10)
Gritting
The exceptionally cold weather which affected Nottinghamshire and most other parts of the UK between December and February led to unprecedented pressures on local authority gritting supplies. Nottinghamshire County Council possessed stockpiles far exceeding Government recommendations and was able to keep its priority routes gritted even when other councils had exhausted their supplies. The biggest difficulty was obtaining replacement supplies, given the exceptional pressure on the two national companies who supply the country’s salt.
Taking these events into account, it was agreed at the recent County Council budget meeting to increase the gritting budget by £50,000 for 2010/11. It is also intended to use 6mm rather than 10mm salt, which will improve spread rate and increase our gritting capacity still further.
(Posted 8/3/10)
229 bus service
Changes are being made to the 229 bus service run by Doyles Coaches under contract to Nottinghamshire County Council.
The early morning departure from Eastwood has been moved from 7.20am to 7.10am to reach the Queen's Medical Centre at 7.52am. The journey has previously suffered from traffic problems. The route remains the same.
Off-peak journeys - 9.15am to 3.15pm from Eastwood - will be re-routed to operate along Larkfields Road to replace Veolia's 555 service, which has been withdrawn.
The changes have been made to take account of hospital patients who used the 555 service.
Revised timetables will be produced shortly. Information will be displayed on the bus. Bus times can be found at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/timetables
Youth travel petition
Early in November I had the pleasure of meeting Scott Beasley, the Youth Mayor of Mansfield 2008/09 and Natalie Smith, Mansfield Youth Assembly Member, to receive a petition requesting the introduction of a discounted transport card for young people in Nottinghamshire.
The petition highlighted a number of issues that young people face with local transport: -
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prices too high - especially when making daily journeys to school/college
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bus drivers not accepting current student discount cards
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drivers (not) believing a young person's age
It was suggested that a card be made available for 11-13 year-olds to prove their age when using public transport, and then a card for 14-19 year-olds that would allow discount off their transport fees. It was also suggested that the card could double up as a library card.
Councillor Lynn Sykes, the Deputy Cabinet Member with specific responsibility for Youth Services, joined me in receiving the petition. I will give these ideas careful consideration with my colleague Cllr Richard Jackson, the Cabinet Member for Transport & Highways and Cllr John Cottee, Cabinet Member for Culture & Community.
(Posted 18/11/09)
