Lgafirst561

News and views from the Local Government Association “The floods and storms of the last month have shown how local government steps up to the mark when challenges are at their greatest.�

Cllr David Sparks, Leader of LGA Labour Group, p2

P8 Under fire

Further innovation and creativity is needed to help Fire and Rescue Authorities cope with ever-increasing funding gap P10 Organised crime Councils can help successfully tackle serious and organised crime

Fortnightly Issue 561 22 February 2014

P12 Social value Using Social Value Act to innovate

P13 Social worker recruitment Recruiting and retaining skilled social workers

EDITORIAL

Devolution on agenda Delivering public services when there is little money, tackling the long term problems that central government has failed to address and healing the rising problem of political alienation.

Most of the solutions to the biggest problems our country faces involve greater devolution and radical public service reform. Yet too often the agenda of decentralising power is missing from our General Election discourse.

That’s why I was pleased to hear Ed Miliband and Jon Cruddas last week talking about the importance of empowering communities and people.

The challenge facing the next Government of whatever political party or parties is that the books need to be balanced and the state will have reached the limit of its capacity to cut without transformational change to the system.

To really start addressing this issue the next Government will have to start to let go of the levers and give power away.

A contested debate in the General Election, by all parties about greater localism and devolution of power makes that prospect realistic and that can only be good for all our communities.

More immediately the floods and storms of the last month have shown how local government steps up to the mark when challenges are at their greatest.

Clearing roads, rescuing stranded motorists, pumping away floodwater, delivering sandbags to people’s homes and providing emergency accommodation are just some of the ways councils have helped communities cope.

We are indebted to the local government employees who have being going above and beyond this last month.

Cllr David Sparks is Leader of the LGA Labour Group Editor Karen Thornton Design Liberata Design Advertising Amanda Cowen Write to first, Local Government House, Smith

Square, London SW1P 3HZ T (editorial) 020 7664 3294 T (advertising) 020 7664 3012 email

first@local.gov.uk Photography Photofusion and Ingimage

unless otherwise stated Print BGP Ltd, Bicester Circulation 18,300 (July 2013) To unsubscribe email first@oscar-research.co.uk The inclusion of an advert or insert in first does not imply endorsement by the LGA of any product or service. Contributors’ views are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the LGA.

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FIRST NEWS

Council heroes lead flood relief effort

Councils across the country continue to work tirelessly to protect communities and recover from the severe weather and flooding.

The scale of the operation has been huge with staff working 24/7 to make sure vulnerable people are safe and have the medication they need and that those evacuated from their homes are given emergency accommodation.

Local authorities have been working alongside emergency services and government agencies in the face of the unprecedented weather with heroic efforts by council staff in areas hit by floods.

Examples include binmen from Norfolk County Council who rescued a family whose car was stuck in a ford and had begun to let water in.

Somerset County Council has been helping people keep vital dialysis and other important medical appointments using 4x4 vehicles while thousands of sandbags have

been issued for free to residents and businesses in flood-hit areas.

Fire and rescue services also said the emergency had led to the biggest deployment of fire crews and equipment since World War Two with 25 high volume pumps, each capable of moving more than 7 tonnes of water a minute, being used.

Sir Merrick Cockell, LGA Chairman, said: “Councils will always do everything in their power to protect their communities, as we have seen from the excellent examples up and down the country.

“During these extraordinary floods, councils, fire and rescue services and voluntary agencies have come together to work relentlessly to protect all members of the community and it is heartening to see so many people going above and beyond the call of duty during this unprecedented weather.

“Local authorities will continue to work closely with everyone involved in flood relief until this crisis is over.”

Inside this issue 05 Policy

Pledge to improve streetworks

06 Letters

Policing precepts

07 Opinion

Tackling damage to abuse witnesses

08 first feature Challenging times for fire services

10 Crime

Councils can help tackle organised crime

14 Parliament

Caring for the future

15 By-elections Election strategies

Licensing can play public health role Local areas should be able to limit the opening of late-night pubs, clubs and off licences in areas where alcoholrelated health problems are rife.

Excessive alcohol consumption is estimated to cost the NHS around £3.5 billion a year with extra costs falling on cash-strapped councils. In 2010/11 there were 198,900 hospital admissions attributed to alcohol abuse – an increase of 40 per cent in a decade.

Easy access to alcohol, through late night off-licences for example, can exacerbate the problem for those battling addictions or compound existing alcohol related health issues in an area.

The LGA is calling for a new ‘public health’ objective to be taken into account when reaching licensing decisions in a bid to tackle the issue. It is also urging the Government to end bizarre rules that prevent councils from acting on warnings from local health experts.

Local health experts – under the Police and Social Responsibility Act

2011 – are able to present healthrelated evidence, such as ambulance call-out data and hospital admissions, to councils ruling on licences.

However, under government rules councils are forced to ignore this advice when considering applications.

This is restricting their ability to fulfil their public health responsibilities and protect communities.

Cllr Katie Hall, Chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Councils continue to embrace their public health responsibilities to improve the health of their communities. By shifting this responsibility back to councils, the Government has rightly acknowledged they are best-placed to take local decisions for their residents.

“Local health experts have a vital role to play in advising councils on the potential impacts of an application to open new licensed premises.

“That makes it even more nonsensical that councils are being forced to ignore their advice when considering additional licences they know could be a health hazard.”

On board

News in brief Locally-set licensing fees

The Home Office has published a consultation into locally-set licensing fees to allow councils to recover the actual costs of applications from pubs, nightclubs and off-licences. The current system is forcing councils to subsidise the drinks industry by £1.5 million a month with the current bill £150 million and rising. Cllr Tony Page, LGA licensing spokesman, said “Councils are used to working with businesses to set fair and transparent fees that cover their costs. However, we feel the fee level cap proposed by the Government in this consultation is unnecessary and undermines the principle of a locally-set system.”

Collective switching auction

The latest collective switching auction took place this week with more than 30,000 people taking part. This latest switching auction is the first to be held since the LGA launched its collective switching framework. Several councils including Lincolnshire and Essex, who use the framework, took part. Cllr Peter Fleming, Chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said: “Councils are champions of their communities and want to see as many households as possible switch to a cheaper energy supplier, which will benefit vulnerable elderly people, those with disabilities and low income families.”

Next year’s pay offer

Three skate parks are set to be built in Liverpool following a campaign by young people. Mayor Joe Anderson (pictured centre, with campaigners Phil Cahill, left, and Lewis Golby) said: “We desperately need more good quality facilities that our young people can use and the feedback we have had demonstrates there is overwhelming support for this type of facility. No-one knows young people better than young people themselves, which I why I wanted them to drive this scheme.”

The National Employers will be meeting again in the coming weeks to decide their next steps in responding to the trade unions’ pay claim for the local government workforce this year. There is a consensus among councils across the country in favour of a pay offer being made. However, members of the National Employers side are unable to formally respond to the unions’ pay claim until government has clarified details of this year’s increase to the National Minimum Wage. This announcement is expected in midApril. Employers’ Secretary Sarah Messenger said: “The employers wish to construct a fair and affordable pay offer which would then be subject to negotiation with your side. However, we cannot reasonably be expected to do this given the uncertainty around the increase to the NMW to take effect in October.”

FIRST NEWS

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The Local Government Association’s annual conference is the biggest event in the local government calendar attracting over 1,200 delegates.

With this year’s conference coming at a pivotal time, between the May local elections and the 2015 General Election, it is an event not to be missed!

Last year the LGA successfully used its annual conference to set out, through its “Rewiring Public Services” campaign, a range of propositions that will change the relationship for the better between central and local government, and address the financial issues that are providing serious challenges to the sector.

Since then the LGA has been ensuring that these propositions are heard, understood and adopted by those writing party manifestos.

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FIRST ADS

This conference will look to the priorities of whichever government is formed in May 2015 providing an excellent opportunity for national politicians to hear firsthand the key challenges for the sector, and what needs to be done to address them.

This event is essential for council leaders and chief executives, senior officers, lead members and policy makers across all services provided by local authorities.

Speakers already confirmed: Senior Cabinet ministers; Sir Michael Lyons, Chair of The Lyons Housing Review; Simon Stevens, Chief Executive Designate, NHS England.

firstpolicy called for a decentralisation of budgets to local authorities and city regions. Nick Pearce, IPPR Director, said: “Public services are struggling to cope with an increasingly complex world and will have less funding to do so in the future.”

Mental health

Transport

Streetworks improvement

A pledge to improve the quality and reduce the impact of essential utility street works has been agreed by councils, utility companies and businesses. The agreement – ‘What Good Looks Like’ – is the result of a taskforce set up by the LGA and including the National Joint Utilities Group, Transport for London, British Chambers of Commerce, and the Association of Convenience Stores. Based on five key principles – cooperation; communication; quality; safety and impact reduction – it includes a pledge to carry out work 24/7 where appropriate and a flexible approach to business deliveries during periods of disruption. Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the LGA’s Economy and Transport Board, said: “We are all committed to working together to minimise the disruption of street works on residents and businesses and this joint-commitment has been designed to drive improvement forward.”

Transport Cycling safety Cycling safety could be improved if councils were given powers to target drivers putting cyclists at risk by breaking moving traffic laws. The LGA told the Transport Select Committee that the Government needs to implement Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to allow councils to protect cyclists by enforcing cycle lanes and cracking down on illegal U-turns and box junction offences. MPs were told councils would use the power to improve safety by targeting notoriously congested junctions or stretches of road.

Cllr Mike Haines, of the LGA’s Economy and Transport Board, said: “Granting councils the power to tackle impatient drivers who break the law and put cyclists at risk in an effort to

shave seconds off their journey would undoubtedly also help ease congestion, reduce pollution and make roads safer for everyone.”

innovations of others in local government that you’d like to see at the Zone or learn from, please forward your suggestions to events@local.gov.uk.

Innovation

Service reform

Innovation Zone Can you or your organisation rise to the challenge of being more innovative? The Innovation Zone will be back at this year’s LGA Annual Conference showcasing inspirational insights and exciting ideas and sessions, and we would like to hear your ideas to help inform the Zone’s programme. Innovations do not have to be digital or technological and indeed can be simple but effective. So if you or your organisation has an innovative, groundbreaking idea for a session/ demonstration/app to present at the Zone, or know of exciting

Devolving budgets A ‘business as usual’ Spending Round after the next election will not deliver reforms or sufficient cost savings, according to a new report from the think tank IPPR. It said that whoever wins the next election will have to find significant savings in departmental budgets and that the only way to do this is to transform the way services are delivered. This would include promoting a greater role for community and voluntary groups in providing public services so that residents take more responsibility for solving problems themselves. It also

Crisis Care Concordat Radical changes to NHS treatment of vulnerable patients suffering mental health problems were announced this week by Care Minister Norman Lamb. A Crisis Care Concordat agreement has been signed by more than 20 national organisations in a bid to drive up standards of care for people experiencing crisis such as suicidal thoughts or significant anxiety. As part of the joint agreement, the LGA will work with Public Health England and NHS England to make sure mental health care services are consistent across the country.

It includes introducing a 24/7 helpline for people with mental health problems and greater information sharing.

Transport Parking surpluses Research published by the Local Government Information Unit found that one in five councils reported making surplus income on traffic enforcement. Its report, Councils in the Driving Seat, also found income solely covered the cost for parking enforcement for more than half of councils while a third of councils actually lost money through enforcement schemes.

Dr Jonathan Carr-West, LGiU Chief Executive, said: “Parking enforcement will always be one of those emotive issues. What hinders this important function is when central government intervenes in locally decided issues. We would ask that Whitehall back off and allow local government to do what it has an elected mandate to do.”

FIRST POLICY

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sound bites Cllr Andrew Wallis (Ind, Cornwall) “Hundreds of people turned-up to remove all the debris from the recent storms at #Porthleven Harbour.” www.twitter.com/CllrAWallis Norman Smith (BBC) “Sandbag News Local Govt Assoc say councils are not charging for sandbags for residents and businesses at risk of #flooding #floods @LGANews.” www.twitter.com/BBCNormanS Cllr Cahal Burke (Lib Dem, Kirklees) “Working with @HuddsNorthNPT and Enforcement Officers to improve road safety at @ReinwoodInfants & @Reinwoodjunior.” www.twitter.com/CahalBurke Cllr Claudia Webbe (Lab, Islington) “Delighted @islingtonbc will welcome 1st gay marriage ending legal distinction between gay and straight relationships http://www.islingtontribune.com/ news/2014/feb/midnight-ceremonyislington-town-hall-first-gay-couplemarry-under-new-law …” www.twitter.com/ClaudiaWebbe Cllr Adrian Hardman (Con, Worcestershire) “Thanks to the Army for getting a bit more East/West linkage at Upton across the Severn. Hear the new Bus Ferry a success.” www.twitter.com/CllrAHardman Do you have a blog or a Twitter account we should be following? Let us know. Email first@local.gov.uk

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FIRST COMMENT

letters

STAR LETTER

Policing precepts In your excellent article (first 555) assessing the first year of police and crime commissioners (PCCs), police and crime panel chairmen discussed their panels’ role in scrutinising police accounts and the annual review, knowing that two-thirds of members present can veto a precept request.

However, this month the Dorset Police and Crime Panel voted against the PCC’s precept, but by three votes failed to veto the proposition.

This public meeting was on webcam, and anyone watching would have seen more than two hours of intense scrutiny, following weeks of research of the accounts by panel members.

But the public would then find that even after a vote reflecting that the majority did not accept a precept increase, the increase would be applied to their council tax anyway!

This was not a good, clear outcome and message to the public.

I do think that this should be looked into by the Home Office. We’re there to support the PCC, give the public the confidence that we are protecting their interests between PCC elections, and scrutinise the budget diligently while the PCC’s agreed plan is being efficiently upheld.

Cllr John Adams JP (Con) Chairman, Dorset Police and Crime Panel

OPINION

Witnesses to abuse 100 ways to save money Voting systems

Every time Communities Secretary Eric Pickles mentions the 50 or 100 ways he thinks councils can save money, I get annoyed. Because there are also many simple changes that the Government can make that would allow councils to save money too.

I’ve come up with 35 as a starter (see http://lansonboy.blogspot.co.uk).

I’m challenging Mr Pickles to adopt them and would ask for more ideas from colleagues. These ideas are simply that. They don’t represent the policy of my authority, just freedoms that I think we should have.

Cllr Alex Folkes (Lib Dem) Cornwall Council

Flooding lessons

There is much heartfelt pain over the personal losses from flooding and the damage this has caused, and now there is much angst over the lack of action, defences and preparation.

The reality is that the last few months have seen unprecedented rainfall. If the role of government was to plan ahead to prevent every 200-year disaster then the issues that are being raised in Somerset would need to be addressed and proactively implemented across the entire country.

We can do this, but at what cost?

Do we then apply this pre-emptive logic to all once-in-200-year events from whatever cause, and how does society pay for this preparedness?

I am sure there are sensible lessons to learn and weak costal defences must be strengthened. But we need to be responsible and tell people that, for some eventualities, the only response is help and support when the problems occur – as to address every eventuality to prevent occurrence is just impossible.

Cllr Guy Shepherd (Con) East Hants District Council

I hear more and more talk in the media that the Labour leadership is planning on offering the Liberal Democrats a change in the voting system for local elections, if the result of the next general election is Labour as the largest party in a hung parliament.

Rather than have this policy simply sprung on us by Westminster politicians, I hope councillors of all parties will start discussing the impact of such a change.

Cllr Peter Cookson (Lab) Manchester City Council

Welsh council mergers

The Williams Commission has been a disaster from its inception.

If you want real change you bring everybody – all political parties and the public – together.

You don’t let a civil servant run it, no matter how long they have served, because all they are interested in are structures, and the starting point in ‘public service’ terms has to be the people they serve. Williams and the Labour Welsh Government have failed in every respect.

Cllr Bertin (letters, first 560) is absolutely correct in his analysis and the most unpalatable part of the commission’s recommendations is that, if its proposed boundaries were utilised, we would see Welsh Labour secure a further grip on Welsh public life. Their overall tenure (14 years of a Putin-esque grip which is unhealthy and definitely undemocratic) has stifled any real and meaningful opposition in the Senedd and been a disaster for Wales.

Rip Williams up and have a meaningful debate with the whole of Wales if you really are interested in representing Wales as a whole.

Cllr Paul Hinge (Lib Dem) Ceredigion County Council

What do you think? You can comment on these letters online at www.local.gov.uk/first-letters or submit your own letter for publication by emailing first@local.gov.uk. Letters may be edited and published online

The Early Intervention Foundation focuses on evaluating and advising on interventions which provide babies, children and young adults with a solid social and emotional foundation – improving their ability to form good relationships, communicate, and manage their own behaviour and mental health.

This month we published our first ‘key issues’ report, on domestic violence and abuse and its impact on children.

We found that witnessing domestic violence between parents is, for children, as damaging as suffering direct physical abuse: increased fear, inhibition, and depression, as well as high levels of aggression and antisocial behaviour, can last long into adulthood.

Local councillors will be all too aware of this long-term impact, and it is vital that we act now to protect children and ensure the next generation of parents understand what a healthy relationship is.

We found that families already targeted by early intervention programmes are at high risk of domestic violence and abuse. It is therefore vital that all professionals dealing with children and families have training in how to confidently identify and respond to this.

We recommend at local level that councils, police and crime commissioners, clinical commissioning groups, public health organisations and partnerships such as health and wellbeing boards place the prevention of domestic violence and abuse at the heart of strategies on crime prevention, health, and children and young people.

We know that in some areas the prevention of domestic violence already features in local early intervention strategies, but our report suggests that this should go further, in more places, and should be informed by the latest evidence and guidance.

We also need more evaluation of what is effective practice, so that we can make real improvements on the ground.

There are steps we can take at local government level, as well as in Whitehall, to improve the situation. This is not only about the lives of children and families – it’s also about an intelligent approach to spending. The damage inflicted by domestic violence costs an estimated £15.7 billion a year and the estimated losses to economic output amount to £1.9 billion a year.

We simply cannot afford to go on like this.

Carey Oppenheim is Chief Executive of the Early Intervention Foundation, see www.eif.org.uk

FIRST COMMENT

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The next few years will be very challenging for Fire and Rescue Authorities as their ever-diminishing funding increases the need for them to be more creative and innovative in how they deliver services writes Cllr Kay Hammond

AnyFire As Chairman of the LGA’s Fire and Rescue Services Management Committee and the Fire Commission, I continue to hear from many elected councillors about the very real concerns about future funding for services.

Across the country, FRAs have managed to avoid spending cuts impacting on critical services by moving towards a smarter, more efficient way of working and investing in preventative work while still able to manage the risk of fires.

Despite fire call-outs decreasing nationally, FRAs are playing an increasingly key role in promoting safety messages, dealing with road traffic accidents and being ready to contribute to national resilience during major disasters, as they have done in the recent flooding events.

Solutions At our annual Fire Conference in Cardiff next month, we are publishing an AnyFire report analysing how the cuts have impacted on a typical single purpose FRA and based on a mix of strategies being used across the country to make savings.

It illustrates the challenges facing fire services – with the typical fire authority AnyFire struggling to cope with a 28 per cent reduction in real-terms government funding by 2015 and a funding gap which will reach £17.5 million by the end of the decade.

Working patterns and shift arrangements have been changed, a recruitment freeze imposed and back office and admin savings made across the board. AnyFire is collaborating with other emergency services in the provision of control room services and has also explored ways to generate income by sharing fire stations with ambulance and police services, for example.

So what are the options for AnyFire to manage this funding gap?

Using up its reserves would expose it to further financial risk and is a short-term solution for a long-term problem while AnyFire would need a 10 per cent rise in council tax precepts assuming, of course, in the unlikely event the local electorate voted for it in a referendum, to plug the gap.

It can’t rely on business rates as growth of 20 per cent a year would be needed to balance the books while further back-office savings would compromise the safety of firefighters or the general public.

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FIRST FEATURE

Staffing costs would need to be reduced by up to 30 per cent by 2020 and would severely damage morale and recruitment while fewer staff and fire engines would increase response times dramatically.

The reality is that, if funding reductions continue, then AnyFire will need to continue to be innovative in how it manages its resources to deliver firefighting, rescue operations and community fire safety. This will be challenging as AnyFire is reaching the limit of efficiency savings.

The fire and rescue service continues to deliver a first class service to its communities, as its performance in the recent extreme weather events demonstrates. Despite this, further reductions in funding in 2015/16 and beyond will further test the fire and rescue service.

The Government must work with us to remove barriers to merger, for example by providing transitional relief to help the alignment of council tax rates, ensure that reform to the fire and rescue service is led by local government and the emergency services are given a fairer funding settlement.

Cllr Kay Hammond is Chair of the LGA’s Fire Services Management Committee

2019/20 m 2010/11 to o fr e ir yF n A ook for Funding outl 0 million 13/14 was £7 20 in re 2001/12 itu nd t expe from 23,348 in n w do • AnyFire’s ne re Fi tended by Any • Total fires at enue Support 12/13. mes from Rev co to 7,051 in 20 g in nd fu cent from of AnyFire x and 25 per ta l ci • 38 per cent un co cent from n Scheme.

Grant; 32 per r Rate Retentio om fr e ced by 28 pe m co in retained will have redu g in nd fu t en ) 2016 vernm liament (2010• AnyFire’s go life of this Par e £3 million per th of g e rin ag du cent at an aver s se ea cr in p ga decade.

• The funding the end of the by n io ill m 5 year, to £17.

What AnyFire has done so far • Moved to a ‘Day Crewing Plus’ system with firefighters working an average of 42 hours per week but attending for shift periods of 24 hours with 12 hours ‘at work’ and, 12 hours ‘on standby. SAVING: £1 MILLION. • Recruitment freeze on new firefighters since 2012. Reduced sick leave absence by 10 per cent. SAVING: £2 MILLION. • Reduced cleaning and grounds maintenance, and reduced admin through IT efficiencies. SAVING £4 MILLION. • Sharing blue-light services command and control centre with local police and ambulance services. SAVING £300,000.

• AnyFire has made additional savings through prudent management of its debt portfolio. SAVING £500,000.

• AnyFire has explored options for further income generation such as the provision of environmental decontamination services and dry riser testing to businesses, and the commercialisation of the provision of fire safety services to film production companies. INCOME: £500,000.

The future optio

ns for AnyFire to

close the fundin

g gap

• Collaboration an d commercialisa tion - Anyfire will advantage of the need to take opportunities ther e are to be more in designing and creative delivering emerge ncy and commun services. ity safety • Increase busin ess rates revenu e – sustained an per cent a year w nual growth of 20 ould be needed to bring AnyFire budget by 2020. to a balanced • Increase coun cil tax revenues – AnyFire would its council tax pr have to increase ecept by just over 10 per cent ever 2020. y year until • Use reserves – AnyFire could us e its £2 million un reserves and £12 allocated million in other re serves to plug th • Reducing staff e gap. and appliances – by 2015 AnyFire 22 per cent fewer will have frontline staff than it had in 2010, a approximately 10 loss of 0 firefighter post s. Three fire stat closed or merge ions will have d with others, an d the same num close again by 20 ber will have to 20.

• Cutting firefigh ter salaries – Staf fing salaries wou cut by a third by ld have to be 2020.

What must be done • National resilience – government to review contribution from fire authorities and to ensure they are funded accordingly.

• Funding – local government must be protected from further cuts and provided with longer-term funding settlements.

• Local taxation – all restrictions must be removed and FRAs given freedom to set tax levels without having to hold a referendum.

• Support for mergers/sharing services – including one-off transitional funding from government.

FIRST FEATURE

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The police need the support of local partners, including councils, to tackle serious and organised crime, writes Richard Riley

Organised crime ‘Serious and organised crime’ is a phrase which captures much of the criminality which the public see in the media and experience in their local communities.

Human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, online fraud, drug trafficking, the sale of counterfeit goods and the theft of agricultural equipment are all crimes defined as ‘serious and organised’.

However, the link between crimes committed on the streets of our communities every day and organised crime groups operating across the country and in many cases internationally is not always made. It may be a global threat, but its impact is felt locally; the perpetrators live locally and often the opportunities to disrupt and prevent organised crime are at a local level.

Historically, the response to serious and organised crime has been the preserve of specialist law enforcement teams operating in isolation. A key priority of the Government’s new Serious and Organised Crime Strategy is to raise awareness of the impact of serious and organised crime, and to garner the support of the public and all authorities and agencies with the information and powers to disrupt this activity.

The National Crime Agency, in conjunction with police forces, will lead, coordinate and support the operational response to serious and organised crime. The agency has new powers and new capabilities to do this. Most of the work against serious and organised criminals will continue to be conducted locally by police forces but they need support from a wide range of local partners to disrupt the activities of these criminals. Local authorities play an important role in helping to provide this support.

So what does this mean for your local authority?

You may already have measures in place to support your local police forces to tackle organised crime. The information and powers of trading standards and licensing

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FIRST FEATURE

teams, for instance, can be used to shut down ‘front companies’ used to launder money from criminal activities (often cash-rich businesses such as car washes, saunas, and nail salons).

Local safeguarding teams can protect the most vulnerable people at risk from exploitation from modern day slavery or child sexual exploitation. And close working between benefit fraud investigation teams and the police can ensure that organised criminals are not able to falsely claim support from the state.

At the heart of the Government’s new Serious and Organised Crime Strategy is the ambition for there to be ‘local multi-agency partnerships’ to tackle serious and organised crime. The precise structure for these partnerships will vary across the country but local authorities should play an active role in them.

These partnerships already in exist in some parts of the country – some examples are shown in the case studies opposite.

You can find out more at a series of multi-agency workshops that will be held across the country over the coming months. These will bring together key partners to discuss how the threats manifest themselves in different areas and how agencies can work together to tackle them.

These workshops are intended to share best practice and to facilitate conversations between partners on how they may work together to tackle the organised crime threat faced in their local areas in the future.

If you are interested in attending one of the multiagency workshops or would like further information on the new strategy, please contact ocstrategy@homeoffice. gsi.gov.uk, or visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/ serious-organised-crime-strategy Richard Riley is Director of the Strategic Centre for Organised Crime at the Home Office

Dorset

Greater Manchester

Project Spotlight is a multiagency partnership that has recently been set up to tackle serious and organised crime in Dorset.

It will build upon the success of multi-agency operations such as Operation Wiseman, where a number of different bodies including trading standards, the Security Industry Authority (SIA), Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, Southern Electricity and licensing, came together to tackle an organised criminal group involved in the supply of Class A drugs.

The group was using a Bournemouth nightclub to launder money and supply drugs. A series of jointly planned activities were carried out using the breadth of powers available to the partners, which resulted in the premises having its license revoked and its subsequent closure.

Six people were arrested and charged with a variety of offences and a key means of money laundering was dismantled, providing a very visual statement to other criminals and the wider community.

Spotlight will encourage the police and partner agencies to be more creative in their use of enforcement powers and information sharing to disrupt organised criminal groups. It will provide an opportunity not only to strengthen Dorset’s efforts to tackle organised crime but also to be cost-effective while doing so.

Salford’s Community Safety Partnership identified threats from gangs and related serious and organised crime.

Its response was to launch ‘Project Gulf’, a multi-agency, problem-solving approach to tackling crime undertaken by organised groups operating in Salford and beyond, ranging from benefit fraud and counterfeit goods to violent crime.

By co-locating a range of key stakeholders, a significant change was made to the way in which the partnership worked.

Rather than an occasional coming together of key stakeholders when faced with a problem, there is an integrated, daily approach which sees partners working together in the same room to tackle criminal activity.

This work has drawn upon the information and powers of a range of partners, including the Department for Work and Pensions, housing associations, trading standards, social care, the police, and the Environment Agency.

As a result, serious violent crime incidents went down to 142 in 2012/13 from 174 the previous year, and more than 30,000 counterfeit items totalling a street value in excess of £600,000 were seized by trading standards officers.

Suffolk Suffolk Trading Standards has investigated a number of people in connection with a fraud estimated to have netted £5.7 million and affected more than 16,000 victims.

Operating between 2007 and 2010, the fraud involved debt elimination services and also escort and companionship companies. Consumers of both of these services experienced financial loss as a result of fraudulent activity in which services were paid for but not received.

Suffolk Trading Standards used its powers to investigate the fraud, which led to the discovery of money laundering activity in UK bank accounts and the identification of a number of individuals involved. Key evidence was also gathered about the sales practises of staff in the Spanish call centres involved in the fraud, which was used in court.

FIRST FEATURE

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Scrutinising social value Since the beginning of 2013, the Social Value Act has meant that councils have had to consider not only the economic costs of decisions they make, but also those decisions’ wider social and environmental implications.

These changes will have a big impact not only on the way that councils procure and commission services from external providers, but also the way that they think more fundamentally about the issues most important to their residents.

This is about having a more rounded view than just value for money when we think about how scarce resources are allocated.

It’s a debate and discussion in which councillors must play an active part.

Innovation The legislation allows councils plenty of leeway to use the underlying principles of social value to innovate. The aim is to bring about behavioural changes that will mean taking a more holistic view of the impacts of decision making in future.

But there are still some big questions. What, for example, merits inclusion in such a holistic view? To take just one debate, the issue of whether or not local authorities should take special measures to commission services through providers who pay the living wage has proved controversial.

Islington Council became the UK’s first council to be formally badged a living wage council in March 2012, and cites multiple benefits. These are not only for its employees, in preventing the indignity of working poverty, but for the council as an employer in raising staff morale, improving rates of retention and lowering absenteeism.

In addition to paying all directly employed staff a minimum London living wage, it is considered in the pre-procurement stage when outsourcing services. This has led to 92 per cent of outsourced contracts being to living wage employers, and an aspiration to raise this to 98 per cent in the course of this year.

While most living wage employers espouse the idea that paying staff a better rate makes them more productive and committed (thereby driving up standards), others have claimed that the impact is to decrease labour demand and skew the labour market across the local economy.

12

FIRST FEATURE

There are other policy decisions which councils could make that, while they might benefit some sections of the local community or economy, might inadvertently disadvantage others.

In truth, these are the kinds of debates and discussions that have been going on in local government for years – but the requirement to consider ‘social value’ gives us an opportunity to give that debate a clearer framework and fresh impetus.

Insight Councils’ scrutiny functions provide an obvious mechanism for councillors to lead the debate locally, because discussions about social value will demand the kind of insight and perspective on the local community that only elected members, working together on a cross-party basis, can bring.

Scrutiny can, for example, help to challenge assumptions made by officers and the executive about social value, consider possible unforeseen negative effects of big decisions and, by doing so, ensure that councils fulfil their obligations to consider these issues properly.

At the Centre for Public Scrutiny, we are working to put together a briefing to help scrutineers in local government to better discuss and engage with the principles of social value, and look forward to seeing more councils take advantage of the benefits that this approach will bring about.

Naomi Russell is a Research Assistant and Ed Hammond is Research and Information Manager at the Centre for Public Scrutiny, see www.cfps.org.uk

A stable, flexible and engaged social work profession is fundamental to ensure councils continue to improve outcomes for vulnerable people in society, writes Cllr Jim McMahon

Recruiting social workers Building this workforce is a priority for councils across the country. A significant amount has already been done to try and establish how the best social workers can be recruited and retained.

And while there is not a national shortage of social workers as a whole, having the right level of experience in the right areas continues to be a challenge that many councils face.

Evidence shows a real problem with social workers leaving the profession after just a few years. The reasons for this vary but do include caseload pressure, lack of support and poor prospects of career progression.

This has created a shortage of fulltime social workers with three or more years’ experience which has in turn led to newly qualified social workers failing to get the contact with more experienced staff that they need to develop.

Skilled Breaking this cycle is challenging.

Higher vacancy rates do not themselves lead to poor service, but it can make a good service harder to sustain. Councils need skilled social workers for both immediate and longer-term work and there is a real need to find sustainable solutions wherever possible to prevent this issue from spiralling.

And although figures suggest that social work vacancies are falling, there is evidence that the gap is being plugged by agency staff rather than council employees.

Agencies provide councils with skilled and knowledgeable staff to fill gaps, but we know that, given the choice, councils would prefer to fill positions directly.

Having permanent staff in teams with the right skills mix is an investment in the future quality of the workforce.

local authorities are properly coordinated and focused on the priorities of employers.

We know that more needs to be done.

We need to build on local efforts to address the challenges that remain in employing and developing social workers. As the number of people that councils provide care and support to is increasing across the country, getting this right now will be a crucial factor in the local performance of children and adult services.

Retention However, on average, local authorities are using 22 agency staff to fill roles across children and adult social work roles, and we know that this figure is climbing. The question is whether there are new approaches that could serve the immediate needs of councils, as well as these future needs?

Various reforms in this area are already in place to help councils and their partners to find ways to address the challenge. We have been involved in initiatives to improve recruitment and retention through the hosting of the ‘Employer Standards for Social Work’.

The standards help councils to assess the quality of the support they provide to social workers in their daily jobs and developing careers, and focus on setting out the expectations of both the council and social worker in terms of what they can expect from their new role.

We are also working with experienced practitioners and partner organisations to refresh and publicise social work standards so that they become embedded in practice. We are determined to ensure that a range of different initiatives designed to assist

Cllr Jim McMahon is Chair of the LGA’s Workforce Board

FIRST FEATURE

13

PARTNERS

PARLIAMENT

Recreational sea angling

Caring for the future

An estimated 25,000 people visited Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex last September for the second Bexhill Sea Angling Festival – not bad for a town of only 40,000 residents.

The family-focused fishing festival is calculated to have brought in an additional £250,000 that wouldn’t have been spent in the town otherwise.

It’s now on course to become one of Rother District Council’s flagship events after only two years.

© Bob Mazzer

Getting more people into fishing in Bexhill, and recognising angling’s role in the community, was the festival’s mission.

However, it could have been a very different story when in 2011 bylaws were proposed which would have banned fishing along the coast for part of the year. Instead local residents persuaded councillors that sea angling brought such significant benefits to the area that the bylaws were dropped and the festival was born.

A recent report into sea angling in England, published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, calculates the sport indirectly supports nearly 24,000 jobs and generates a total annual spend of more than £2 billion, much of this supporting jobs and small businesses in local coastal communities.

The Bexhill Sea Angling Festival is a great example of local organisations, businesses and volunteers working with their council to deliver health, social and economic benefits to their communities.

This is exactly what the Angling Trust wants to achieve through our National Angling Strategy – developed to get more people fishing, more often, and to bring angling into the heart of communities.

To find out more about the Angling Trust visit www.anglingtrust.net or email me to discuss how your authority can embrace angling (see below). For more information on the Bexhill Sea Angling Festival visit www.anglingtrustsussexmarine.net David Mitchell is the Marine Campaigns Manager for the Angling Trust, email david.mitchell@anglingtrust.net

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FIRST POLITICAL

Local government has been at the forefront of making the case for changing the way we provide care to our residents. This is why we’ve been supportive of the proposals set out in the Care Bill.

Having passed through the House of Lords last year, the Bill has been debated over the last few months

by MPs in the House of Commons.

The LGA has been working closely with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to highlight both the need to ensure the reforms are adequately funded and our proposal to create a national body to run the system of deferred payment agreements.

To do this we’ve briefed MPs to highlight our concerns that the reforms being implemented through the Bill need to be fully costed and funded. While listening to our concerns carefully, the Government decided to oppose our funding amendments on the grounds that there are already sufficient safeguards. When pressed by Liz Kendall MP (Shadow Care Minister), Norman Lamb MP (Care Minister) “absolutely confirm(ed)” that there is adequate funding for the Bill.

This is a positive development and we will refer to it, along with earlier reassurances made in the House of Lords, should costs turn out to be greater than funding allocations.

In addition to arguing for adequate funding, we recommended and supported an amendment tabled by Grahame Morris MP (Lab, Easington) which

sought to create a national body to run the system of deferred payment agreements. This amendment sought an assurance that local government will be supported in managing the financial and reputational risks of implementing the new system.

Mr Morris highlighted how our proposals respond to concerns about the level of financial risk that councils will face. Our proposal was also supported by a variety of stakeholders including the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, Age UK and the National Association of Financial Assessment Officers.

Following the debate in Parliament, the Government has agreed to meet with the LGA and ADASS to discuss our proposal and how the system of deferred payment agreements can be run in a way to minimise the risks to local government.

As the Bill moves into its final stages, we will continue to work with colleagues across the charitable and public sectors to represent local government. It is crucial to ensure that there is sufficient funding to cover duties such as those relating to carers, social work in prisons and the potential impact of introducing the principle of general wellbeing. For the sake of good quality care, we need to get this legislation and the funding to support it right.

• See www.local.gov.uk/

parliament

BY-ELECTIONS ANALYSIS

LAST WORD

Election strategies Two election results on February 13 threw into sharp focus divisions about electoral strategy within the Conservative party.

In both the parliamentary contest at Wythenshawe and Sale East in Greater Manchester and the council by-election in Birmingham, Kingstanding, the party adopted a localist approach.

Posters in Wythenshawe promised cleaner streets and fixing potholes; the party’s candidate in Kingstanding got some friends to compose a special campaign ditty and adopted the slogan ‘Winning here!’ straight from the Liberal Democrats’ playbook.

And yet, despite the broadly similar social composition of the two areas - largely white with a moderately high level of social housing - the outcomes could not have been more different.

To no one’s great surprise the Conservatives finished third behind UKIP in Wythenshawe with Labour increasing its percentage majority compared with the 2010 general election.

In Kingstanding, on the other hand, the Conservatives registered only their second gain from Labour since last May’s local elections.

They achieved a 7 per cent swing and came home by more than 100 votes in a seat the party failed to win even in the dog days of the Brown government in 2008.

So what might account for this disparity in performance?

In both cases the Conservative candidates were local, though Gary Sambrook in Birmingham was fighting the ward for the fifth time and had more opportunity and fewer voters to engage with.

Labour in Wythenshawe had lost a well-liked and respected MP in Paul Goggins, and also had the advantage of being able to campaign against an incumbent government and its ‘austerity’ policies.

In Kingstanding it was the ruling local Labour council in many voters’ sights, and the councillor whose resignation triggered the by-election had been associated with controversial service cut backs in the ward.

Above all though, the results show that electors no longer vote for ‘my party right or wrong’. They make judgements about the purpose of the election and the fitness of the various parties and candidates to deliver. In Kingstanding the Conservatives got it spot on; arguably in Wythenshawe they needed to pay more attention to national level issues and concerns.

The same voters will be asked to do it all again at the local and European parliament elections in May. It is a safe bet that a large proportion will vote for different parties at the two contests – and see no contradiction in doing so.

Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher are Directors of Plymouth University’s Elections Centre

Local by-elections Authority

Ward

Result

Swing % Turnout from/to (since) %

Conwy

Betws-Yn-Rhos

IND HOLD

n/a

44.0

Sheffield

Arbourthorne

LAB HOLD

6.7% Lab to UKIP (2012)

19.6

Tendring

Peter Bruff

CON HOLD

8.4% LD to Con (2011)

20.1

Tendring

St. Johns

CON HOLD

2.7% Lab to Con (2011)

23.4

Birmingham

Kingstanding

CON GAIN FROM LAB

7.1% Lab to Con (2012)

19.0

Richmondshire

Reeth & Arkengarthdale

IND HOLD

11.3% Ind to Con (2011)

34.1

For more details, see this story at www.local.gov.uk/first-news

Housing and homelessness I remember being asked by an executive officer: “What worries you the most about the housing department?” I said then, and will now; homelessness.

It could happen to any of us at any time.

Before anyone says, “no not me, I own my home and have no mortgage, I am secure,” I am writing this with local and national media reporting on the flooding across the country. Homelessness can suddenly affect us all.

The implications of homelessness are massive on everyone concerned, but the principal issue is one of uncertainty about what is going to happen next.

At South Cambridgeshire District Council, we decided to provide our own good quality temporary accommodation for vulnerable people.

We use a number of initiatives to keep people in their homes as prevention is better than cure, but by purchasing 10 formerly empty homes in the district we’ve also increased our temporary accommodation.

Although much publicity has been given to the cost saving – a staggering 70 per cent fall in our bed and breakfast bill, from £8,000 per month to just £2,400 – what I am most pleased with is the stability we have brought to people when they most need support.

By providing good quality accommodation we are able to support people to work through the difficulties they are facing. We also offer help in a variety of different areas, including accessing the private rented sector and money advice.

Officers are now able to work effectively with people in supporting them to face the issues which have led to their current situation. In the past, we have first had to find where people were staying, especially if they were ‘sofa surfing’; or we might need to travel miles, sometimes out of district, to a B&B where a family had been placed overnight.

I still worry about homelessness, and always will. However, I am extremely proud of the work we have undertaken to keep people in their homes. Prevention, prevention, prevention is our motto. But if people have to move into temporary accommodation, we know it will be good quality and give people the security they so desperately need.

Cllr Mark Howell (Con) is Cabinet Member for Housing at South Cambridgeshire District Council

FIRST POLITICAL

15

www.local.gov.uk/events EVENT FEATURE

Growth and devolution: more and better jobs for local people

Event listings Leading places: making the most of your cultural, heritage and sport assets 3-4 March, Portsmouth

The LGA’s annual culture, tourism and sport conference will look at how we can make the most of this sector to deliver growth and create more attractive places for local people, businesses and visitors.

Secretary of State Maria Miller MP is among the confirmed speakers.

LGA annual fire conference and exhibition 11-12 March, Cardiff

As growth is predicted to return, our local labour markets will change significantly.

This is giving rise to new challenges including whether our local workforces can keep up with the pace of change. This will be a challenge for all local areas, and require a different response for different places.

At the same time, there is recognition from the Government that local intelligence and devolved decision making is the way forward. Councils, alongside their business and voluntary partners across local enterprise partnership (LEP) areas, are at the forefront of local efforts to drive economic growth, and ensure all residents benefit from it.

Ensuring support is directed in a way which equips people with the skills employers need, both now and in the future, is fundamental to achieving growth everywhere.

But does the promise to devolve go far enough to give local areas the levers they need to influence national skills and employment support? What else is needed, and how can we work to a place-based approach? How can one area learn from another’s innovation?

The LGA’s future skills conference – ‘Local people into more and better jobs: can growth and devolution deliver local ambitions?’ – will tackle these issues, exploring the refreshed role of councils and LEPs alongside learning and employment providers, businesses and the voluntary community.

Dave Simmonds, Chief Executive of the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion, is among the confirmed speakers for the event, which takes place on 17 March in London. See www.local.gov.uk/events

Health and wellbeing system improvement – looking to the future 19 March, London

A year on since public health transferred to local authorities, this conference provides an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved – and discuss the challenges ahead.

National children and adult services conference 29-31 October, Manchester

EVENT NEWS

Improving children’s health Healthy students are better learners, and better-educated individuals are healthier.

Effective behaviour change interventions in school are a cost effective way of reducing the prevalence of poor physical and mental health later in life and reducing health inequalities.

Local authorities have an important role to play in supporting schools to help them

A range of workshops and plenaries will look at key issues for fire services, including finance, blue light integration, and privatisation.

Speakers include Peter Holland, Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser; Paul Fuller, President of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association; and Matt Wrack, General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union.

deliver and promote healthy behaviours among children, young people and families, and to deliver better educational outcomes.

The LGA’s ‘Healthy schools, healthy citizens’ conference on 28 April will help local authorities and their partners from schools and the NHS to work together on their shared goals. See www.local.gov.uk/ events

Councillors, directors, senior officers, directors of public health, policy makers, service managers and others with responsibilities for children and adults in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors will hear from ministers and others on the key issues facing the sector.

See www.adass.org.uk

For further listings visit www.local.gov.uk/events