News and views from the Local Government Association “We cannot afford to wait any longer for government to get this right, and local government must therefore take the lead to ensure that children and families get the support and protection they deserve.” Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, p10
P8 Taking stock
Have your say in sector-led improvement: We launch our consultation
P10 Taking a lead Local government must fill the void in leadership to tackle child sexual exploitation
Fortnightly Issue 581 31 January 2015
P13 Early intervention The right help at the right time
P14 Infrastructure Bill How the LGA is influencing the legislation
EDITORIAL
An opportunity The approaching general election provides a good opportunity to reflect on how much has changed since May 2010. Just five years ago the relationship between central and local government resembled that between master and servant with, for example, councils being subject to over 1,200 targets and numerous inspections from Whitehall. Viewed in 2015, Comprehensive Area Assessment, the National Indicator Set, Government Offices for the Regions, and the regional strategies – all abolished by this Government – are relics of a bygone age of centralised control. For Labour, devolution meant giving power to unaccountable and unelected regional bodies. By contrast, the government’s 2011 Localism Act has initiated a significant shift in power from Whitehall to councils, councillors and local communities. In 2010, the Government inherited a financial mess. If Labour had been re-elected there would also have been major reductions in public spending; Alistair Darling stated so. Councils have risen to the challenge by forming partnerships with neighbouring councils to reduce backroom costs and secured efficiencies through new ways of working. Within this context let’s note that an Ipsos Mori survey last year found that two-thirds of residents considered that council budget reductions had not made a noticeable difference to services. This is not to deny that tough decisions have been taken, nor that more will have to be made in future years. However, if in the coming Parliament we are given the opportunity to build on the successes of important initiatives such as the community budget pilots and the troubled families programme, and if the Better Care Fund realises its full potential, then I am confident that local government will continue to deliver over the next five years. Cllr Gary Porter is Leader of the LGA’s Conservative Group Editor Dawn Chamarette 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 3157 email first@local.gov.uk Photography Photofusion and Ingimage unless otherwise stated Print BGP Ltd, Bicester Circulation 18,400 (July 2014) 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.
2
FIRST NEWS
Devolved funding will best help NEETs
Thousands of teenagers are dropping out of school or college or failing to achieve a passing grade at a cost of more than £800 million to the public purse each year. Latest figures show 178,100 16 to 18-year-olds failed to complete post-16 qualifications they started in 2012/13, and are at risk of becoming not in employment, education or training (NEET). The LGA said too many youngsters are being failed by a national “bums on seats” approach to post-16 education that funds schools and colleges based on student numbers rather than enabling them to work together to provide the right courses. Analysis for the LGA by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion reveals the cost to the public purse is £814 million – 12 per cent of all government spending on post-16 education and skills. The LGA said councils could do far more if further education, apprenticeships and careers advice funding and powers were devolved to
local areas to ensure all young people get the careers advice and options to pursue the right course for them and gain skills for jobs that actually exist locally. Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “Our analysis lays bare the substantial financial cost of this but the human cost is even greater, with youngsters left struggling with uncertainty, a sense of failure and facing tough decisions. “Councils are having success with helping young people that do drop out to get back into learning, but fear a failure to reform the centralised ‘bums on seats’ approach to funding further education could leave too many teenagers at risk of dropping out or without the skills needed to get a job. “Local councils, colleges, schools and employers know how to best help their young people and should have devolved funding and powers to work together to give young people the best chance of building careers and taking jobs that exist locally.”
Inside this issue 05 Policy
Licensing costs
06 Letters
Planning ‘pig headedness’
07 Opinion The local government family
08 Feature
Where next with sector-led improvement?
10 Feature
Tackling child sexual exploitation
12 Feature
Integrated care pioneers
15 Last word
Restoring voters’ trust
Care crisis will divert £1 billion The escalating cost of caring for the elderly means councils will have to divert £1.1 billion from other services like fixing potholes, new analysis shows. Councils in England will see their core government funding cut by 8.8 per cent in 2015/16, following the Local Government Finance Settlement. However, the LGA has warned that cuts for services the majority of people use are likely to be much bigger because local authorities will have to find extra money from shrinking budgets to meet the rising cost of caring for the elderly and disabled. Analysis shows that in the next financial year (2015/16) councils will have to find £1.1 billion from other service budgets to continue protecting adult social care spending in cash terms. It follows a £900 million hit taken by other services to help plug adult social care funding last year. The analysis is based on current spending patterns, which show
councils have consistently been protecting spending on adult social care at a time when the elderly population continues to rise and local services have faced the biggest and most sustained cuts in funding since the war. The LGA is warning that if the crisis in adult social care funding is not addressed, councils will have little money left for any other services by the end of the decade. Chair Cllr David Sparks said: “Even with councils pulling out the stops to shield social care from the cuts, our vulnerable elderly and disabled are seeing some support scaled back and waiting times grow when they press the call button. “It is not enough for government to keep plastering over the cracks with short term fixes. We urgently need a longer term solution that puts social care on a sustainable footing. Failure to do so will deprive our elderly of the care they deserve, create additional pressure on the NHS and push other local services over the edge.”
Healthy option is clear for 430 miles
News in brief England must have same freedoms as Scotland
Responding to the draft Scotland Bill, LGA Chair Cllr David Sparks, said: “This is a vital step towards ensuring five million Scots will have a real say in shaping their own taxes, schools and housing benefit. And what’s good enough for the Scottish Government should be good enough for England’s cities and shires. Our local areas need the same freedoms to tackle the big issues for residents, from health and jobs to welfare and housing. We need locally elected councils driving local economies through devolved taxation, with greater control over council tax and business rates.” Cllr Sparks added that without an urgent Constitutional Convention on the future of devolution in England millions “risk becoming second-class citizens.”
Medical professionals join LGA in call for social care funding
Councils and health authorities this week warned that spending cuts have left the NHS and social care in crisis. An LGA letter – co-signed by the Royal College of Nursing, NHS Confederation, British Medical Association and Care and Support Alliance – in the national media said: “It is an inescapable truth that reduced funding for social care has had a knock-on impact on NHS services. Without adequate funding for care, the NHS will continue to be forced to pick up the pieces from a social care system that is not resourced to meet demands.” It came as the LGA highlighted the need for proper funding in its Show Us You Care Campaign.
Councils best at oversight for academies and free schools
Chelmsford City Council leader Cllr Roy Whitehead thanked the local authority’s Countryways team for completing a full programme of maintaining 430 miles of country footpaths in support of the council’s healthy living project, which encourages residents to walk and cycle. He said: “The team has limited resources and have braved sometimes difficult weather to ensure all areas identified have been maintained.”
Councils are best placed to ensure oversight of all schools is effective and any action needed can be taken quickly, the LGA has said. Responding to a report into academies and free schools from the Commons Education Select Committee, Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “We have long argued that 4,200 academies cannot be answerable to Whitehall, which has acknowledged that it lacks the capacity and local knowledge to oversee so many schools. It is not acceptable that poor exam results or an Ofsted inspection should be the only trigger to identify underperforming schools.”
FIRST NEWS
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A New Magna Carta? The power of culture, tourism and sport to transform places and renew democracy Culture, Tourism and Sport annual conference 3 - 4 March 2015, Durham This conference brings together local political and professional leaders to discuss innovative practice and debate the hot topics around culture, heritage, tourism and sport. Speakers include: Sir Robert Worcester, Chairman, Magna Carta 800th Committee Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chairman, Arts Council England Penelope, Viscountess Cobham, Chairman, VisitEngland Sir Laurie Magnus, Chairman, English Heritage
To book visit www.local.gov.uk/events
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FIRST ADS
firstpolicy Last orders: an end to taxpayer subsidies for supermarkets, pubs and off-licences
180 MILLION
Since the system began in 2005, the cost to councils has been an estimated £169.5 million.
This could have funded:
3 MILLION
POTHOLES FILLED
JANUARY 2015:
169.5M
160 MILLION
140 MILLION
5,490
SOCIAL WORKERS’ SALARIES
120 MILLION
100 MILLION
80 MILLION
27 MILLION
MEALS ON WHEELS
51%
60 MILLION
OF SPENDING ON HOMELESSNESS SERVICES
40 MILLION
20 MILLION
Licensing
Calling last orders
Each month, councils lose out on £1.5million because nationally set licensing fees do not fully cover the costs of issuing licences to pubs, nightclubs and off licences. In the 2011 Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act, the Home Office committed to introducing locally-set licence fees. It has not made any progress. Since 2005, the cost to councils has been £169.5 million. The infograph (above) shows what this could have funded instead. More on the LGA’s 100 Days campaign is at www.local.gov.uk/to-do. Create localised infographics at www.lginform.local.gov.uk.
Health Nominate unsung heroes The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Jane Ellison MP, will be holding a reception event for a selection of “unsung heroes” of public health, which will take place in March at The House of Commons Terrace. We invite recommendations of projects or individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in the health and wellbeing of local people, and who you think are worthy of recognition. Please email your name and contact details along with those of the lead person for the project, or the individual, to rpmp@dh.gsi.gov.uk by 6 February. Please accompany this with no more than two paragraphs outlining why you think they should be invited to this event.
Children and young people Fostered siblings are kept together In response to a report from the Family Rights Group claiming almost half of siblings in care had been split up, the LGA said: “Councils do everything they can to ensure children are placed in the right home and always act with the child’s interests at heart. The latest national figures show that social workers are able to keep siblings together in the vast majority of cases but there are instances when it may be in a child’s best interests to be placed separately from brothers and sisters. Councils are working hard to raise awareness of the need for more foster carers, but we urgently need more people to come forward and offer loving homes for children who need them.”
Finance Bonds agency appointments A Chairman and Vice-Chairman have been identified to head up the UK’s first municipal bonds agency as it gears up for launch. Sir Merrick Cockell, former Chairman of the LGA, will become Chairman of the agency, which will trade under the name Local Capital Finance Company Ltd (LCFC). Adrian Bell, formerly the Chairman of RBC Europe Limited and now the head of Debt Markets for Canaccord Genuity in London, will be Vice-Chairman. Sir Merrick and Adrian will head up a board which will drive the business forward through its mobilisation phase into full operation. The remainder of the board will be appointed in the near future. A business case for the bonds agency, published by the LGA earlier
last year, showed that the agency could save more than £1 billion in borrowing costs for councils investing in new infrastructure like homes, roads and business hubs.
Planning Training sessions In partnership with CABE – The Chartered Association of Building Engineers, The Planning Advisory Service has created a councillor briefing session on planning and design. You can work through it yourself, or it can be delivered in a session. It covers: where design fits in the planning system; help with understanding the basics of good design and what makes good places; local authority good practice approaches to design. To download the sessions visit www.local.gov. uk/ebulletins.
Fire and Rescue Annual Conference The LGA Annual Fire Conference and Exhibition takes place on 10 and 11 March at Gateshead You’ll hear from key politicians about their priorities for the next parliament as well as from a range of fire service experts and speakers showcasing innovative projects. To book your place visit www.local.gov. uk/events.
Commemorations World War One The National Association of Civic Officers (NACO) is putting together a Single Commemorative Act for which it is asking civic heads to join in to commemorate the centenary of World War 1. It takes place on 9 March. Full details are at www.naco.uk.com.
FIRST POLICY
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sound bites Andy Burnham (Lab, Shadow Health Secretary) “Warning from @nhsconfed & @ LGAcomms about crisis in NHS & care. Labour’s 10 year-plan, out tomorrow, offers solution> http://bit. ly/1wxprWw” www.twitter.com/andyburnhammp Sue Brown (Vice Chair, Care and Support Alliance) “Cuts have left NHS & social care in crisis - letter from @candsalliance @ nhsconfed @LGANews @TheBMA gu.com/p/45679/tw via @guardian” www.twitter.com/SueBrownSense Cllr Michael Brown (Con, Kettering) “The waiting time in our onestop-shop is coming down. We’re answering more calls, faster & new web communications are growing in popularity.” www.twitter.com/CllrBrown Cllr Andrew Smith (Lib Dem, Chichester) “Blanket ban of fracking in Nat. Parks illogical. Either it’s safe or not. What next? A blanket ban on all quarrying in Nat. Parks too?” www.twitter.com/Andrew_RH_Smith
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
Planning pig-headedness The LGA conference to be held on “affordable” housing (first 580) is a red herring. Talking and lobbying to increase the meagre supply of lower cost housing does not tackle the basic problem, which is that our bureaucratic, obstructive and incredibly expensive planning system prevents builders from building houses at a price which people can afford. Because these houses are so expensive and in such short numbers, this increases the demand for subsidised housing. We now build one-third of the houses we built in the sixties, when local authorities built more houses per year than the entire industry now builds. We then had the best housing in Europe; now we have the smallest houses in Europe, the lowest
standard of build in Western Europe and the greatest shortage in Europe. Most of the proposals which come forward to planning committees are subjected to ridiculous minute detail requirements by officers, and especially houses in conservation areas, and this costs money. We are the only country in the world which operates this system and which places the burden of social housing on the building industry. Eighty nine per cent of the country is not built on, so land is not the major obstruction. It is our pig-headedness in claiming that everything British cannot be improved by looking at the way “foreigners” do things. Cllr Keith Sowden (Free Ind) Lancaster County Council
OPINION
We’re all in one local government We could help more with energy bills
Cllr Owen Bierley (“The Big Switch is On” first 580) supports iChoosr, something all councils should do [to reduce energy bills for residents by group buying from cheaper suppliers]. I have been concerned for some time about the iniquitous standing charge that all consumers have to pay on their utility bills, regardless of use. I have accessed a comparison website and see that we can pay anything from 19p per day to 31p per day. If people are paying the top rate, this adds up to a whopping £113 a year. The standing charge is one reason why older and poorer members of our society do not turn on their heating. They just cannot afford it. The LGA is next door to Ofgem in Westminster. Please will someone nip round and discuss this problem with them? This will help the population at large to see that at least local councillors care about individuals in their communities. As a suggestion, [instead of the standing charge], adding 4p to the unit cost – which also varies enormously between distributing companies – may then enable those in fuel poverty to afford to use their oven to prepare a hot meal or turn on their fire on these cold winter days. Cllr Keith Ross (Ind) West Somerset Council
All candidates should do their homework
Cllr Gareth Fairhurst makes some very valid points (“Candidates’ calibre is paramount,” first 580). If a party or group can be seen to be contesting most, if not all seats, it adds to its credibility even if many of its candidates have no idea what they are letting themselves in for if successful. Even if they are merely a paper candidate - and all parties have these - candidates should at least know
what being a councillor involves in terms of knowing what the council is responsible for, how it is structured and how much time commitment is required to do an effective job. After all, it has been known for paper candidates to win. Doing your homework is vital for your credibility. In 2007 the Boston Bypass Party virtually swept the board in the Boston Borough Council elections. Given concern about traffic chaos, it was not surprising that a one issue group might have success. Most councillors worth their salt know that county, not district councils normally build roads, possibly with the Ministry of Transport. Clearly, the new party picked the wrong elections. Two years later, after having to deal with the bread and butter issues, the party won one seat out of seven in the Boston area for the county elections. By 2011 they had all but disappeared. Cllr John Marriott (Lib Dem) Lincolnshire County Council
Work Programme not a solution
It is good to focus on employment creation measures undertaken by councils, which of course includes those in North East Lincolnshire (“The Skills for the Job,” first 580). When you write of many “being let down by the 28 national job schemes,” it isn’t simply that people are not helped because they haven’t signed on. As a former recipient of Job Seekers Allowance, I had to take part in the Government’s compulsory Work Programme. This included a four-week placement, that neither brought me extra money nor any work - based qualification. The rest of the time I simply went into an office to apply for jobs I’d have gone after anyway. Yet the private provider of the scheme would have got a bonus if I’d succeeded in gaining employment. Cllr Tim Mickleburgh (Lab) North East Lincolnshire 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 LGA’s 100 Days campaign highlights the impact its members can have, not just on the economy but also improving the lives of their residents in these tough times. In addition to the membership of the LGA, there are more than 9,000 town and parish councils (the National Association of Local Councils) in England making up the most local level of democracy. Our numbers are growing, we are rapidly improving, we are delivering more for our communities than ever and we too are part of the solution, as our Communities in Control manifesto makes clear. Most of these councils have long been delivering important and visible services, from playgrounds, community centres and sports facilities; to youth projects, transport schemes and crime reduction initiatives. However, we are also capable of delivering much more than you might expect, such as in social care services. Take Forest Row Parish Council in Sussex for example, who have begun taking on the delivery of meals previously delivered by the County Council. NALC’s members are committed to improving, pushing themselves to meet the challenges faced by the whole local government family. That’s why we have worked with LGA, Government and other partners on our newest national improvement programme, which we launched in January. The Local Council Award scheme – backed by the LGA – allows councils to show they meet the standards set by the sector and assessed by their peers. In the first month alone over 500 councils have registered to take part – testimony to their commitment to improve and to be able to show their capabilities to the partners they work with. My challenge to those reading this is to think differently about the local councils in their patch. Consider their potential; work together to deliver even more efficient and truly local services. And support each other in your improvement journeys.
Cllr Ken Browse is Chairman of the National Association of Local Councils
FIRST COMMENT
7
Taking stock:
Where next with sector-led improvement?
Government funding to local authorities (including fire and rescue services) will have been cut by 40 per cent in the five years up to May 2015. Councils have responded well, rising to the challenge, and public satisfaction has remained high. With more cuts to come, expectations rising and demographic trends signalling further pressures on already stretched services, the LGA has launched a major sectorled improvement consultation for all members. The LGA provides tools and support to help councils drive their own improvement and also maintains an overview of the performance of the sector in order to identify potential performance challenges and opportunities. Councillors and senior officers are being asked to give their views to shape how this is developed for the future.
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FIRST FEATURE
The achievements of local authorities, including fire and rescue authorities, through the sector-led improvement approach have demonstrated its success and shown what can be achieved by working together and supporting one another rather than through external inspection and targets. This consultation is an opportunity for those in local government to ensure sector-led improvement remains relevant. An independent evaluation into sector-led improvement has already taken place and we hope the consultation will build on its findings. The old top-down approach to council improvement was estimated to cost £2 billion a year, whereas sector-led improvement is locallydriven, much cheaper and more effective. Three years ago, the LGA published “Taking the Lead,” which set out an approach to improvement in local government which was developed and agreed with councils. It has been a success, as can be seen by looking at the best barometer of sector-led improvement - the level of satisfaction and trust that members of the public have in councils. This has remained consistently high. As well as councils’ performance improving across a wide range of metrics, the evaluation also shows that the approach and support on offer from the LGA is welcomed and valued by councils.
Local government is one of the most trusted parts of the public sector but with rising public expectations and resourcing pressures, political parties are thinking about potential policy changes impacting on local government. In addition, we know that some commentators have suggested the voluntary nature of the approach is a weakness and that it should have more bite – for example all authorities could be expected to have a corporate peer challenge on a regular basis. Others have suggested that there is a potential lack of transparency since there is no “requirement” to publish corporate peer challenge reports. Now is the right time for us to ask whether what we are currently doing is the right approach for the future or whether any changes are needed. This consultation is every council’s opportunity to tell us what you think, and I would urge you all, as individuals, to take part in the consultation, which ends on 13 March. Please see the details on the following page for how to take part. Cllr Peter Fleming is Chairman of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board
Key principles of sector-led improvement
LG Inform has received over 66,000 visits from 36,000 unique visitors since it was launched and is now available to the public. Nationally, nearly three quarters of almost 100 indicators have improved since 2010. Support from the LGA’s productivity programme has helped councils achieve savings in excess of £400 million, equivalent to a saving of £8 for every £1 of investment. More than 2,000 councillors have been trained and developed through the LGA’s leadership programmes in three years,
300 graduates have been recruited through the National Graduate Development Programme.
Over 350 peer challenges have been delivered and research found that the challenges were helping councils drive forward improvements. 73 per cent say they trust their local council most to make decisions about how services are provided in their local area. The proportion that trust the government most is 15 per cent. 79 per cent of leaders and other senior councillors agree that the LGA understands what councils need to help improve their service and organisational capacity. 93 per cent of leaders and chief executives said the support from the LGA had had a positive impact on their authority.
1. Councils (and fire and rescue authorities) are responsible for their own performance and improvement and for leading the delivery of improved outcomes for local people in their area. 2. Councils are primarily accountable to local communities (not government or the inspectorates) and stronger accountability, through increased transparency, helps local people drive further improvement. 3. Councils have a collective responsibility for the performance of the sector as a whole (evidenced by, for example, sharing best practice, offering peer challenge and support). 4. The role of the LGA is to maintain an overview of the performance of the sector in order to identify potential performance challenges and opportunities – and to provide the tools and support to help councils take advantage of this approach.
How to take part in the consultation Please complete the consultation by 13 March.
How to respond All leaders and chief executives have been sent their own unique link to the online response form. Anyone else wishing to submit a response can generate their own unique link by visiting http://bit.ly/1uRWs5E
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Last week, the LGA, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services held a summit for local and national politicians, the police, health service and charities to discuss ways to tackle child sexual exploitation. In the absence of co-ordinated action from Whitehall, the national leadership must come from local government, says Cllr David Simmonds
United and taking the lead: Tackling child sexual exploitation Every parent wants to know their child is safe and this is a responsibility councils take very seriously. So in the wake of the Jay Review into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, the time felt right for local government to come together and discuss tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE). CSE is a terrible crime with destructive and far-reaching consequences for victims, their families, and society. It is not limited to any particular geography, ethnic or social background, and all councils should assume that CSE is happening in their area and take proactive action to prevent it.
To coincide with the summit, we have published a resource pack to help councils scrutinise the effectiveness of local practice and share learning from around the country. Tackling CSE is not just a job for the lead member for children’s services or the local director of children’s services. We all have a role to play in keeping children safe, and councils cannot stamp out CSE without the help of the wider community. Councillors have a key role to play in this, and should not be afraid to raise these issues within the communities they represent.
Leadership
We need children, their mums and dads and their communities to understand the signs of abuse and exploitation. It is also vital we tackle wider public attitudes about young people. We need to build a stronger public acceptance that these are children in need of help and protection and challenge the ongoing sexualisation of childhood. In our view, there needs to be a coordinated approach to CSE. Activity is currently split across Whitehall departments, leading to considerable confusion of responsibilities; for example, an effective approach must include work in schools, local authorities, healthcare providers, the police and the courts, which are overseen by five different government departments.
Last week, the LGA , the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace) and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) convened to hold a summit for local politicians and senior local government officers, together with representatives from the police, health service and charities, to discuss current progress in tackling CSE and ways to improve responses in the future. In the absence of co-ordinated action from Whitehall, our view is that national leadership to end CSE must come from local government. It is vital we as local government work to challenge attitudes to child sexual abuse across society.
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FIRST FEATURE
Responsibilities
The failure to deliver a joined up response to child sexual exploitation is failing children. We cannot afford to wait any longer for government to get this right, and local government must therefore take the lead to ensure that children and families get the support and protection that they deserve. Challenging public attitudes is a vital part of the fight against CSE, and it is not acceptable for young victims to be dismissed as somehow to blame for their own abuse. We must give victims the confidence to come forward, and let perpetrators know we will bring them to justice. Protecting children is one of the most important things councils do, but we can’t stamp out this horrendous crime without the help and support of central government and the wider community. Parents rightly want to be assured their children are safe, while children need to know we will take allegations seriously and deliver urgent action to protect them. Councils are working hard to challenge and improve their local responses – it is time that Whitehall did the same.
Cllr David Simmonds is Chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board
EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IS PREVALENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, OCCURRING IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS WITH PERPETRATORS AND VICTIMS COMING FROM A RANGE OF SOCIAL AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS.
Asking the right questions There is a vital role for scrutiny in challenging officers and the executive when there is evidence of a problem that must be addressed. The LGA advises that all councillors should ask questions and ensure that plans are in place to raise awareness of CSE, develop a strategic response, support victims and help to facilitate policing and prosecutions. Among the questions to ask local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs), or other agencies are: 1. What is the extent and profile of CSE in our local area? How do we know? 2. Do we have a local CSE strategy and action plan? Are these multiagency and how is progress monitored? How does this link to other plans and strategies? 3. How effective is the Local Safeguarding Children Board? Are all agencies engaged at a senior level, and is CSE an area for priority focus? 4. Does the relevant scrutiny panel receive the LSCB’s annual report, and use this to challenge local priorities and outcomes? 5. What other multi-agency forums exist to facilitate joint working? 6. How is CSE incorporated into local training programmes, and who is able to access this training? Does this include training for a wider cohort than just those professionals working directly with children and
young people, such as licensing officers, environmental health officers or elected members? Are outcomes measured, and are changes made as a result? 7. Is an awareness raising programme in place for children, families and the wider community? Is this reaching the right people? 8. What support is available to current, potential and historic victims of CSE?
Resource pack The LGA’s new publication – “Tackling child sexual exploitation – a resource pack for councils” gives suggestions on what to look for in the answers to these questions, and the discussions they should prompt. The guide points out that they do not form an exhaustive list, and local approaches will be expected to vary. It can be can be downloaded from www.local.gov.uk/cse.
Take two: examples of good practice: Blackburn with Darwen Council The Engage Team is a co-located multiagency response to tackling CSE. Working with the Crown Prosecution Service, the team has achieved a total of 700 years in custody for perpetrators. The team approach has developed over time, becoming more specialised in delivering CSE services. The team approach reflects the improved understanding of patterns of abuse, risk factors and warning signs of CSE. They now predominantly deal with grooming offences, concentrating on prevention and “disruption” activity. They have access to information on databases from all agencies; the information is shared openly and legally.
West Midlands Region The West Midlands region set up a task and finish group which developed 15 regional standards and pathways for tackling CSE. The aim of the approach was to create a consistent and child centred approach to responding to CSE across the region, underpinned by the See Me Hear Me framework developed by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. There are locally tailored pathways in each council area, but a more unified regional level approach is in place, for example through a regional induction pack for the workforce on missing children, trafficking and CSE.
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This week 11 local authorities joined the first group of 14 who become Integrated Care Pioneers in 2013. The first report of their work shows how they are developing innovative ways to join up health and social care around people’s needs.
Pioneers of integrated care Local authorities and health and care organisations around the country are working together to improve people’s health, wellbeing and experience of care. In May 2013, a group of national partners invited the most ambitious and innovative of these local areas to volunteer to pioneer new approaches to providing care and support which is co-ordinated around the needs of individuals. Following a rigorous application process, 14 localities, from a field of over 100 applicants, were chosen by an independent panel of UK and international experts to become Integrated Care Pioneers. Their objective was to lead the way in documenting change and sharing learning so that efforts can be scaled up at a national level.
Populations The pioneers encompass a broad range of health and care economies, ranging from large urban populations in cities such as Leeds or London to the rural counties of Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Cheshire. They span the country from Cornwall to Southend, from South Tyneside and Barnsley to Kent.
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FIRST FEATURE
Their size and make-up range from some 2 million residents within north west London or the million in some of the most deprived parts of east London, to the diverse populations of Islington and Greenwich, or the dispersed rural communities of South Devon and Torbay.
Improve Over this first year, the pioneers have started to show that integrated care can improve their communities’ health and experience of care. In Cornwall, for example, an innovative partnership with Age UK has created multi-agency teams in GP surgeries which include staff such as district nurses, social workers and Age UK staff. Their work to support people with several chronic conditions such as diabetes to improve their health and wellbeing has led to a 15 per cent fall in accident and emergency attendance in the first six months for the first 320 people supported. The programme estimates that the return on investment is 4:1. Kent’s programme is also reducing the number of times people attend A and E through developing its Proactive Care service, which develops packages of
support for people with chronic conditions. It has achieved a drop of 55 per cent in non-elective admissions for the 134 people supported, bringing savings estimated at £225,000 over the past three years.
Evidence Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chair of the Chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “We need a care system that is fit for the 21st Century. Evidence has shown that integrating health and social care means people will receive better care at home and a reduced need for hospital beds. “The Pioneers’ aim of being bold and ambitious should be an inspiration to colleagues across the country. Local councils and their health partners know what is best for their communities. So it is vital that we are working closely together with greater ambition and a sense of common purpose if we are serious about making every effort to create a care system that will improve people’s.” See the details at www.local.gov.uk/web/ guest/health
As the Early Intervention Foundation prepares to host its first national conference, Chief Executive, Carey Oppenheim, looks at how some councils are blazing a trail towards ending cycles of disadvantage within families.
Right for children, better for the economy It is an exciting time for the Early Intervention Foundation as we gear up to host our first national conference on 12 February. The conference will be a milestone for us following our launch in 2013. It comes at a time when making the case for early intervention has never been more crucial and ensuring children and families have the right support when they need it most to overcome the challenges they may face. Early intervention for children and young people involves taking action as soon as possible to prevent long-term damaging outcomes rather than paying for failure later down the line.
Smartly Councillors will be all too aware of the effects on crime, poor health and homelessness in their communities. The reality is that many early intervention services are under threat as funding cuts bite and with worse likely to come. Yet, it is exactly at a time when there is less public money around that we should be investing more in early intervention. Councillors are at the sharp end of having to take difficult budget decisions and struggling just to maintain some of their statutory service provision. However we also know that councillors are passionate about making their localities better places in the long term. The EIF is working closely with 20 local authorities to provide bespoke expertise to ensure that this long term vision can be maintained, despite the challenges. The councils we are working with are all trying to make early intervention a reality through various levels of local activity which are not only about investing more money. In some cases it is about maintaining the level of investment; in others it is about using that money more smartly; and in many cases it is simply about doing things differently. For example, Islington are developing an integrated approach to support mums and babies from the time of conception through to the first 21 months. Partners such as midwives, health visitors and children centres work together to ensure support and advice is available every step of the way during this critical time. Solihull are redesigning their children’s centres offer to integrate with the health visiting service and better target families who need early help, and grow the capacity of communities to
deliver play and learning services as part of a new Best Start system – lower cost but better quality. Croydon is also working to develop coordinated services and processes in the early years, ultimately aiming at fully integrated commissioning framework for under-fives. The model will include parent-led community governance; community and children’s centre collaborations, multidisciplinary locality teams delivering the healthy child programme and targeted family support led by health visiting services - aligned with midwifery services and wrapped around GP practices. We call on councillors across the country to join us in blazing a trail to ensure that early intervention continues to be firmly on the agenda with the goal to break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and improve children’s development.
Carey Oppenheim is Chief Executive of the Early Intervention Foundation
FIRST FEATURE
13
PARTNERS
PARLIAMENT
No hurdle but Solid gains for Bill an opportunity Sport England has a new campaign that’s got hundreds of thousands of women talking enthusiastically about exercising as it’s gone viral here and around the world. Local authorities can capitalise on this wave of positivity towards sport. It’s called “This Girl Can” and is designed to break down the psychological barriers that women face when thinking about being active. There’s a significant gender gap in sport. Two million fewer women than men exercise regularly, despite 75 per cent of women saying they would like to do more. Our research showed that time and cost were common factors. But we also identified another unifying theme: the fear of judgment: fear of being the wrong size, not fit enough and not skilled enough.
That’s why Sport England launched this campaign and why we’re keen for local authorites to get involved. I know that we share this agenda, but recognise that it can be difficult to prioritise it at a time when local authority budgets are so stretched. But I also know that getting people more active plays a significant role in building stronger, more engaged and healthier communities. Launching a campaign is just the beginning. To get more women active, we need partners like local authorities to embrace it and take action locally to turn this wave of new interest into regular participation. Already this month, 500 local authorities, county sports partnerships and schools have signed up. If your council hasn’t, I’d urge you to do so. Resources are scarce for everyone so we’ve created a free marketing toolkit. Women in your communities are watching the campaign right now and telling us, and each other, how positive they feel about exercising. This is a golden opportunity. We’ve created something powerful here and working together, we can make a real and positive impact on women’s lives. Jennie Price is Chief Executive of Sport England. See more about This Girl Can at: www.thisgirlcan.co.uk, @thisgirlcanuk and #thisgirlcan
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FIRST POLITICAL
The Infrastructure Bill was first introduced in the House of Lords in June 2014, and now after seven months, and 10 parliamentary stages, it is about to complete its passage through both Houses of Parliament. The Bill covers a number of areas of interest to local government, such as transport, fracking, planning conditions and local land charges. In a nod to the importance of parliamentary scrutiny, the Infrastructure Bill was amended on its route through Parliament to take into account those organisations and individuals who held concerns about the proposals. The Infrastructure Bill’s Committee Stage in the House of Commons provides a good example of how this important lobbying takes place. As legislation advances through the House of Commons it must pass the scrutiny of a specially formed Bill Committee, where it is examined by between 18 and 30 cross party MPs (including relevant Ministers) tasked with considering line-byline the different clauses, and then voting to approve each one. A Bill Committee will reflect the make-up of the House of Commons and the Government of the day always has a voting majority, so changes to legislation, unless supported by the Government, are rarely achieved. However, the Committee Stage is a perfect opportunity to put forward new proposals, secure concessions in the debating chamber and probe the Government on their long term plans. MPs are also guaranteed an opportunity to speak about their concerns and importantly they have the Minister’s ear.
It was during the House of Commons Committee stage that the LGA worked with our networks of supportive MPs to secure an amendment to the Infrastructure Bill that will ensure local authorities are consulted on proposals for the management and development of highways. Deliberations in the Committee also encouraged the Government to give a commitment to look at ways to enable the transfer of centrally held land to local authorities, a policy that if implemented will help councils tackle the housing shortage. Elsewhere, the LGA was also able to use Committee Stage to table amendments that sought to oppose the Government’s proposal to transfer the local land charges service to the Land Registry, and create a legislative duty to ensure that those communities affected by fracking receive a percentage of the revenue generated by it. At the time of writing, the Bill had just been through Report Stage and Third Reading in the House of Commons, and it will shortly receive Royal Assent. Solid gains have been made and we will continue to influence positively the infrastructure agenda on behalf of councils in the run up to the 2015 General Election. The lobbying during the Committee Stage of the Infrastructure Bill has set us in good stead to keep up the pressure on national government.
BY-ELECTIONS ANALYSIS
LAST WORD
Election count will be It’s up to us to a long and tiring night restore trust Members of the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) gather in Brighton next week for their annual conference with delegates from England facing perhaps their most challenging set of elections ever. With the general election coinciding with the four-yearly round of “all out” district and unitary contests for the first time since 1979, outside London all bar 13 councils will have a “combined” election. Elections staff got a flavour of the size of the task when running the combined alternative vote referendum and local polls in 2011, but a simple yes/no question aggregated nationally presents fewer difficulties than the need to determine a clear result for each electoral unit from a multi-candidate and often multi-vacancy ballot paper. And elections have changed since 1979: in that year there were just under 2,600 general election candidates across the UK; in 2010 there were 4,150 - an average of nearly seven per constituency. This time it seems certain there will be more: at least five parties are committed to fight nearly every seat, not to mention the likely plethora of Independents and micro-party candidates. As far as the locals are concerned, the 1979 contests saw a fifth of candidates elected unopposed; in 2011 the figure was just 4 per cent. Perhaps the biggest difference though is the growth of postal voting. Until the regulations were amended prior to the 2001 general election, only about one in 50 electors were granted a postal vote. Now the facility is used by about 16 per cent of the electorate and, with turnout among these people much higher than among those still obliged to visit a polling station, it could be that approaching a quarter of all votes this May will have been cast by post.
These have to be individually verified before they can be counted and many electors complicate matters further by delivering their postal votes in person to a polling station on election day itself. One consequence of such widespread “combination” together with the volume of postal votes is that the count itself takes longer. In 1992, the last general election not to coincide with at least some local ones, only 75 constituencies had not declared by 3am the following day; in 2010 fewer than 200 had announced their result by then. The delay this time will probably be even greater. This will be frustrating for those anxious to know the outcome of perhaps the closest and most unpredictable election for 40 years. But spare a thought as you wait for those charged with separating, verifying and counting the papers. It will be a long and tiring night for all concerned.
Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher are Directors of Plymouth University’s Elections Centre
Local by-elections Authority
Ward
Result
Wealden
Crowborough West
CON HELD
Swing % from/to (since) n/a
For more statistics, see this story at www.local.gov.uk/first-news
Turnout % 20.5
Following a by-election analysis article (first 578) which stated that the last existing SDP councillor’s seat had just been lost after the death of longserving Social Democrat Party Ray Allerston, I had to write to correct the article as I am a serving SDP councillor on Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and have been since 1987. As the article rightly pointed out, there are areas where the SDP still has a presence, albeit with no representation. The party is still active in large parts of the country and is still the only party that is a truly radical left of centre party that offers a true alternative to the existing parties. The SDP hold two annual conferences the spring one is to be held in Birmingham in the April of 2015. Having become a councillor, I threw myself into the role with passion and commitment and not a little naivety. Like all members, albeit a relatively young one, I imagined I could change the world. Very soon a lot of the rough edges were knocked off (these were the days before training programmes for new members). One thing I did do was quickly connect with my constituents, visiting them and consulting with them regularly. Setting up local groups, holding public meetings and regular surgeries were all important steps in gaining the trust, and to an extent loyalty, that a minority member needs. I was the sole SDP member on the authority. Over the years I believe that I have strengthened that bond between myself and my constituents and work closely with many organisations in the voluntary, public and private sectors. I have always been busy helping local groups both with advice and with any fund raising help they may need. It is important that we at a grassroots level rebuild trust in politics and politicians by setting an example – by being approachable, accountable, trustworthy and above all honest. For too long politicians have let people down with their behaviour. It is up to us at the “basic” level to re-establish the connection between politicians and the public by doing the basic things to help our communities. I believe that it has been that trust and that connection that has helped me to keep my seat and to continue flying the flag for the SDP in Port Talbot. Cllr Anthony Taylor (SDP) is a member of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
FIRST POLITICAL
15
Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Conferences 9 March 2015 (Manchester) and 31 March 2015 (London) These conferences will help councillors and officers to understand how the licensing process can be used to protect the public, and provide an opportunity to discuss innovative and emerging local practice. They will also provide an opportunity to consider how the next government should take forward the recent Law Commission recommendations for overhauling taxi and private hire licensing. The conferences will also explore: • The impact of the Deregulation Bill clauses to permit sub-contracting and three-year licences • Implications of the use of licensed vehicles in child sexual exploitation cases and what we should be doing to prevent this • Best practice in issuing licences where the vehicle is likely to operate in other council areas
Visit www.local.gov.uk/events for more information and to book your place