Bassetlaw 2013/14 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S ANNUAL STAFF REPORT
Culture First of all, thank you for all the hard work that you have put in over the last year and the way in which you continue to support Bassetlaw. Many people have said to me that there is a new energy and buzz about what we do, and this could not be achieved without the manner in which you carry out your work to make a difference in the district. I firmly believe that creating the right environment to deliver - with people taking responsibility for what they do increases the important contribution we make to the District. Bassetlaw is on the move, transforming from just being good at efficiency to innovation in the way we deliver services. You are all part of that.
The Council is no longer concerned with just service delivery, but working with others, getting on the front foot with the proactive work we do day in day out and building a positive reputation. We are moving away from the paternal traditions of the past, where the Council was seen as the solution (or to our detractors, the cause) of every problem. There is a greater understanding of the limits of what we can do with reducing resources. It is this testing of our collective brain power and creativity that we need to harness in the coming years to reposition the Council with the money available and what we can offer.
“I wanted to write to you as part of my accountability as Chief Executive, as I think you should know how well we have all done at Bassetlaw to support local people and businesses in the last 12 months and how we are planning to keep up the good work over the next 12 months.”
The Future As you may already know, we have a large budget gap to meet in a year’s time when we have to complete the 2015/16 budget and find another £1.45m to compensate for the next withdrawal of Government funding.
our services where we can; setting higher income targets and cutting back on other commitments, such as grants.
Whilst I know this may be a daunting prospect and we are moving into uncharted waters, the fact that we are preparing for this now, and so far in advance, is important. Just some of the plans we have on the table include; earning additional income by sharing our premises with others; re-examining our contract costs for Information & Communications Technology; trying to secure more
As such, we have trusted Bassetlaw Community & Voluntary Service to allocate the voluntary sector’s grants this year, and we have engaged the firm ‘Thinking Places’ to develop the Invest in North Nottinghamshire project and work with private sector firms to encourage more commerce and businesses to come to Bassetlaw.
In addition, the Voluntary Redundancy and Voluntary Early Retirement exercise was brought forward to April 2014, so that if people wish to go we will try and agree a severance package. This could create more options and space for those people who wish to carry on working for Bassetlaw. The aim is to create sufficient time to ensure we come up with the best solution there is to making the savings that are required. There is a good working relationship with your Union representatives, and we are working together to ensure that things go as well as they can.
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Change is inevitable and I believe that we are as well prepared as any other Local Authority in the county to face these challenges head on. As such, I would like to highlight some of the successes we have all worked hard for in the last 12 months. It has been a significant period of progress which can be divided into two main categories:
Some things we have laid the foundations for: All Councils are now preparing for Individual Electoral Registration which will be introduced for the first time in the run up to the next General Election on 7th May, 2015. This major task is being managed by the Cabinet Office and we have had some good data matches with the information provided by the Department for Work & Pensions as part of a first stage. Two major initiatives for Bassetlaw will be the co-location of Worksop’s Job Centre Plus in Queen’s Buildings from April 2015 and the transfer of Retford Police Station to 18 The Square, Retford. These major projects will help us provide a more comprehensive service to local people each location and also provide some income from otherwise under used space. There is a lot of work to be done on these projects to incorporate a new way of working, however, the aim is to provide a local exemplar service before the introduction of the Universal Credit system in 2017/18.
Not everything happens at once, we have to plan for them, work with others to achieve them, get people on board, consult and co-ordinate budget rounds, and this takes time. So, whilst people may think “nothing’s happening”, a lot of effort goes into getting things ready. Some of these are: Following the change in housing finance, the Council is now working with A1 Housing on its first major social housing building project since the 1980’s, which will see pre-fabricated, post-war Airey Homes in Harworth replaced with 71 new homes.
We have also started some joint work with the Bassetlaw NHS Clinical Commissioning Group where we want to see if we can help each other to intervene on health matters that will contribute to healthier lifestyles for some: activities and sport for the young and those that wish to get fitter; and also support for those senior citizens who feel more lonely or isolated. This is a ground breaking initiative and we have benefitted from a dynamic CCG team in Bassetlaw on the one hand, and a very open and enabling approach by ourselves on the other. We will let you know how we get on. Coupled with this is the new national Better Care initiative which will create a co-ordinated funding package by bringing together NHS funding, County Council adult care funding and Bassetlaw’s disabled facilities grant funding into one co-ordinated function. 3
Due to a variety of factors outside Bassetlaw’s control, progress on developing the Vesuvius site in Worksop was delayed as the developers made an appeal against the Council’s planning decision. The subsequent Planning Inquiry concluded in March and the Secretary of State granted planning permission for the outline scheme. On the 22nd April the final details were approved by the Council, meaning that the development can now take place. Bassetlaw Councillors have now set up a small working group to decide what community facilities should be provided.
Bassetlaw is also part of two Local Enterprise Partnerships – the Sheffield City Region and D2N2. (Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire) A lot of effort is going into developing economic growth as well as schemes on transport and infrastructure. This will help firms start up new businesses or develop existing ones in Bassetlaw. As part of our modernisation programme we are rebranding Bassetlaw step by step with more emphasis on ‘North Nottinghamshire’ and a more contemporary version of our logo. And it’s not costing anything as we will only use it when things wear out or get replaced.
Some things we’ve completed: Significant effort has gone into the development of the new Local Plan. We have been consulting on the Strategic Site Allocations for local housing and employment sites which fits in with the wider Core Strategy which was completed in December 2011. The real test will be when the Planning Inspector examines the report at a public inquiry that will take place in 2015. We have also worked hard to finalise the Council’s new Corporate Plan which sets out Councillors’ ambitions for the 2014- 2017 period. These are:
Corporate Plan
AMB I T I O N S F O R T H E 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 7 P E R I O D
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A Viable Co-operative Council
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Local Growth
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Quality Housing &
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Local Living Standards
Decent Neighbourhoods
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Corporate Plan Corporate Plan
Ambition 1:
Ambition 2:
We need to deliver against the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan and Value for Money Strategy to meet the challenge of funding reductions year after year by central Government. Our aim is to provide high quality services and improve customer satisfaction for the services we provide.
We want Bassetlaw to be a productive place to invest in where business and enterprise thrive, where local people have the opportunity to gain high skilled employment and increased wage levels.
Our Priorities:
Our Priorities:
• A Resilient Local Authority • Working Towards a Co-operative Council • Increasing Pride in the District
• A District That Maximises its Potential • Driving The Local Economy • Bassetlaw as a Destination
Ambition 3:
Ambition 4:
Councils influence a unique and important part of our lives – the quality of life for local people, the homes people live in and their local surroundings.
Life is getting tougher for people financially, and people in Bassetlaw suffer from poor standards of health which impacts on their standard of living and the choices they can make.
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Our four key Corporate ambitions are set out on the right and these are essential to help us to achieve our goals for the community.
The Council and its partners will use the resources available to deliver new and affordable housing, bring back empty properties into use, provide specialist housing for those with care and support needs and prevent homelessness.
As a Community Leader the Council will provide a voice for local people and offer advice and guidance which positively supports their life prospects.
Our Priorities:
Our Priorities:
• Quality Housing in the District • Maximum Benefit for Tenants and Local Communities • Local Neighbourhoods that are Clean, Safe and Welcoming
• Meeting the Challenge of Welfare Reform • Standing up for Local People
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Bassetlaw in Statistics Vic Reeves famously said that ‘96.2% of all statistics are made up’. I can assure you that the following are not only accurate and genuine, but highlight how we are all contributing to making Bassetlaw a better place to live, work and visit.
36,000 – The number of change of circumstances administered by Benefits last year (completed within 11 days on average)
110 new jobs and 20 new businesses supported by a fully let Retford Enterprise Centre and Worksop Creative Village
1431 followers on Twitter
1448 planning applications, enquiries and pre application advice
£165,802,363.76 The total amount of monies processed through the Council’s income management system during 13/14.
3,000 – The number of new benefit claims administered by Benefits last year (completed within 13 days on average)
2 Crack house closures and 1 Family Intervention Tenancy secured by the Joint BDC/A1 Housing ASB Team
11 Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, 19 Injunctions, 19 Acceptable Behaviour Contracts
£126,048 spent out of £126,148 government grant on discretionary hardship payments to vulnerable residents
2,541,050 bins collected each year by our refuse collectors
5 Evictions (related to anti-social behaviour), 29 Possession Notices (linked to anti-social behaviour),
Over the last year our Legal Team undertook 32 prosecutions
13 Neighbourhood plans are being drawn up 56 Empty Properties bought back into use
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As part of the drive for greater efficiency resources have gone into the new Procurement Team, which have generated savings of £365,000 for Bassetlaw in the last year. In addition we provide a shared procurement service for Mansfield and Ashfield, which generates income for Bassetlaw.
A recurring theme is the need for Bassetlaw to work with others, as no-one in the public sector can deal with both the cuts they face and the demand for services. So, the Bassetlaw Community Partnership has been launched which brings together all the major public services such as Fire and Rescue, Health, Police and Probation. The partnership is looking at prevention measures that deal with potential health problems, encourage youth employment, involve more people in dealing with criminality and its causes, and work with the County Council to reduce educational gaps and raise achievement.
In terms of Welfare Reform, 2013/14 has seen the biggest changes in benefit administration for a generation. Bassetlaw successfully introduced a new local benefit scheme and revised it in line with further funding reductions from the DCLG and implemented the new directions from the DWP’s ‘Bedroom Tax’, or to give its official title the ‘Spare Room Subsidy’ under the Welfare Reform Act 2012. After some problems were found with the Government’s legislation the Council has recalculated some tenants’ accounts in a smooth and effective way.
Bassetlaw Community Partnership FIRE AND RESCUE | HEALTH | POLICE AND PROBATION
A key priority for Members has been the concept of paying the Living Wage for all the Council’s staff. Instead of sticking with the minimum wage set by the Government, Councillors here want to improve local living standards by setting an example to other employers. The Living Wage is currently set at £7.65 per hour and Bassetlaw is the first council in Nottinghamshire, and only the second council in the East Midlands
Region, to become an accredited Living Wage Authority. So far, 44 members of staff have benefitted from this initiative and it will be extended to new contracts the Council has with contractors and service providers.
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Senior Management Review Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service)
Cabinet has now approved a new Senior Management Structure (pictured opposite) and this will generate net savings of around £76,000. The structure sees the deletion of the vacant Heads of Service posts whilst also taking into account a reduction in the Chief Executive’s salary.
Director of Corporate Resources (Monitoring Officer)
Head of Corporate Services
Head of Finance and Property (Section 151 Officer)
Head of Human Resources
Director of Regeneration and Neighbourhoods
Head of Neighbourhoods
Head of Regeneration
And finally ... Yes, it’s dull but we did balance the 2014/15 Budget again, which was another £0.9m gap that was bridged successfully, bringing the total amount of efficiencies and savings to £7.8m since 2007/08. On a controllable budget of £24.2m, that’s a lot. The Council also closed down its accounts, got its accounts approved without qualification by the external auditor and was also given a positive Value-For-Money opinion. You cannot buy a good reputation, which brings us full-circle, and proves that all the hard work that is being put in by everyone is paying dividens.
Neil Taylor
Chief Executive
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