Stuart's latest news...
Budget Conversation underway
Nottinghamshire County Council has announced proposals for its 2012/13 budget.
Nottinghamshire residents are invited to give feedback on the budget proposals and take part in our Budget Conversation, which is open until Friday 29th January 2012. The results of last year's consultation led us to change some of our proposals and we will be listening very carefully once again. Please let us know your views.
(Posted 17/11/2011)
Newark bus station official opening
I am delighted to report that Newark's brand new bus station was officially opened on Friday 11th November.
Part of the £50m Asda supermarket development on the town’s Potterdyke car park, the new state-of-the-art bus station is fully enclosed and boasts digital information screens, seating, CCTV for added security, toilets, baby changing area, vending machines and a staffed information point.
The new building is jointly owned by Nottinghamshire County Council – which will operate the bus station – and Newark and Sherwood District Council. Both worked alongside Asda on its development.
It has been estimated that there will be around 2,000 bus arrivals and departures a week – with around 25,000 passenger arrivals and departures over the same period.
The new bus station provides a welcoming first impression for anyone arriving in Newark by bus and I am confident that anyone using the new bus station will be impressed by the modern, first-rate facilities it offers. As joint owner of the facility, we are delighted to see it open and become available to residents of Newark and Sherwood. It is a significant part of the regeneration of this part of Newark town centre which will help to maximise the area’s economic potential.
(Posted 11/11/2011)
Newark job fair
Newark residents seeking employment were able to attend a jobs fair on Thursday 10th November, where employers were on hand to discuss seasonal and permanent job vacancies and support agencies were available to offer careers, CV and interview advice along with information on volunteering and apprentice opportunities.
The event took place at the Palace Theatre at Appletongate in Newark and was organised by Nottinghamshire County Council (Making the Connection) and Newark & Sherwood District Council in partnership with Newark Jobcentre Plus and Futures Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
(Posted 10/11/11)
Southern Cross and Council care homes
Nottinghamshire County Council has been working with the NHS and the City Council for some time now to plan for any possible closures of Southern Cross homes. However, Southern Cross and the landlords have now announced they're going to have a planned restructuring of the service which will involve some of the landlords taking responsibility for the future service, enabling existing residents to remain in their residential homes.
Our first priority is to ensure continuity of care for the residents in the homes and we're pleased to see that Southern Cross have emphasised that their first priority is the care of their residents at this time. Homes are inspected by the County Council to ensure that the standard is maintained. This is over and above the inspection standard applied by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The County Council funds residential and nursing care services for 2,900 residents in Nottinghamshire. In addition to the 12 residential homes currently run by Nottinghamshire County Council there are more than 160 homes run by the independent sector. We have developed a fair price for care with independent sector homeowners in Nottinghamshire and have invested more than £8 million in recent years in care home fees to help to improve quality and ensure that home owners receive a fair price for the care they provide.
The Council does have to make sure that it is getting the best value for council taxpayers' money. This means the right care at the right price. As an excellent adult social care authority we're committed to working with over 300 providers of care in Nottinghamshire to ensure that people who receive services get the care and support they deserve.
(Posted 20/7/2011)
£2.5 million boost for Supporting People
Despite local budget pressures and a reduced grant from central Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has invested an extra £2.5 million in its Supporting People programme.
Supporting People is a national programme that provides housing related support to help vulnerable people live independently. It will see its Government grant in Nottinghamshire reduced to £17.6 million this year, threatening the County Council’s previous year’s Supporting People spend of £22.5 million.
However, thanks to a new £1.5 million investment from the local NHS, plus a further £1 million diverted from the County Council budget, the Government’s allocation has been given a vital boost in Nottinghamshire. This limits the reduction in the County’s Supporting People budget to just over 10%, from £22.5 million to £20.11 million. The restricted budget reduction has also been made possible by the County Council’s decision early this year, following public consultation, to keep its savings on Supporting People to £10 million over the next three years rather than two higher reduction options of £12.5 million and £15 million.
These funding measures support feedback gained from a second, two-month public consultation on Supporting People services this year (in Feb/March), to form new proposals which went before Full Council on 30th June 2011. These proposals ensure that:-
- Most accommodation based services continue to be funded, albeit at reduced levels;
- ‘Floating support’ services, which offer support to people in their own homes, will be delivered consistently across issues of homelessness prevention and offender, drug and alcohol, gypsy and traveller and young people’s services;
- Mental health services are reviewed and delivered more efficiently;
- Young people’s services are reviewed for greater efficiency;
- Community alarm and warden services for older people are replaced with a new short term service targeted at helping vulnerable people to remain independent in their own homes.
We’ve talked to those who use the services, to our District Council partners, to project providers and voluntary and community groups, including church leaders, to find ways to make savings through efficiencies. We will target the money at front line services that meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable and in greatest need.
Nottinghamshire was successful in securing Government money under Supporting People when the programme first started eight years ago but we’ve seen this central funding steadily fall by nearly £11 million since that time. We believe that after the £10 million savings have been made, the level of funding in Nottinghamshire for these services will still compare well with other Council areas.
(Posted 20/7/2011)
Council listens and acts on lunch club transport concerns
As Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health I can report that Nottinghamshire County Council has listened to community luncheon club users who were concerned about paying a new £5 transport charge. Older people who used to pay a £1 fare to get to their local luncheon club had been asked to pay an extra £4 per journey to cover costs when the Council set this year's budget in February. The Council had been challenged to find £87 million savings in 2011/12.
However, having heard the concerns of service users and providers, we have decided it would be fairer to subsidise a standard £2 transport charge for all those attending luncheon clubs. We have the opportunity to take this step because greater than expected efficiencies have been achieved elsewhere within the Council's budget. The new, lower transport charge will be introduced from 1st August.
We appreciate that older people's budgets are particularly stretched at the moment and we know how highly many people value their luncheon clubs. We can see that the effect of this price reduction will go a long way.
(Posted 20/7/2011)
More grass cuts
Nottinghamshire County Council is increasing the number of times it will be cutting grass verges this year.
As part of this year’s budget savings it was originally intended to reduce the frequency of routine grass cutting in urban areas from six to four times a year. However, we have listened to public feedback and have now increased that frequency to five cuts. In rural areas the frequency remains at two cuts a year.
At the same time we have issued guidelines for a growing number of residents who are happy to cut the grass verges outside their homes. Again, this is a direct result of feedback from the Council’s Big Budget Conversation consultation process, when hundreds of people said they would be prepared to cut verges if it helped to release money for use on other priorities, such a repairing potholes.
The guidelines highlight what needs to be considered when cutting grass near the roadside. They can be found online at: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/roadverges
(Posted 14/7/11)
School buildings investment
I am delighted to report that Magnus Comprehensive and Hawtonville Junior in Newark are amongst the schools set to benefit from the first phase of Nottinghamshire County Council's new £100 million programme to refurbish and improve school buildings.
At the Annual General Meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 19th May, The Cabinet Member for Children & Young People's Services, Councillor Philip Owen set out the full Schools Capital Refurbishment Programme List, covering three years up to 2014.
In line with the "Three R's" set out by the Government for school building works (Refresh, Refurbish, Re-use), Nottinghamshire County Council has set the criteria to prioritise the schools most in need of improvements for the first year. The condition of roofs, external walls and windows, electrical arrangements and mechanical issues such as boilers have been considered.
More in-depth surveys of the schools in the first year list will take place from June and works on a small number of schools will begin during the summer holidays. The Council started a review of school buildings across the county following the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.
The County Council will be funding around £30m of the programme with the remaining money coming from the authority’s Government grant for school maintenance.
(Posted 1/6/11)
New countywide handy persons scheme
As Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health I'm pleased to report that a new countywide handy persons and adaptations service was launched in April by Nottinghamshire County Council, meaning older people's prospects for getting small jobs done around the home just got a whole lot better.
Whether it's fitting a curtain rail, replacing a door lock, fixing a dripping tap or installing grab rails and half steps to aid mobility, the new service will help maintain properties, prevent falls and support older people to stay in their own homes.
This subsidised service is available to all those living in Nottinghamshire with a disability or over the age of 60. For just £10, users will get either up to four hours' work from a local handy person (materials used are charged at cost) or the installation of up to £250 worth of adaptations (equipment is provided at no cost to the service user).
Victims of burglary can have their homes made secure if they live in one of the county's 14 priority areas. Free home safety checks are also available to those living in these areas, with smoke alarms fitted where needed.
The service uses local traders from the Council's Buy With Confidence Approved Traders Scheme, ensuring the local economy benefits from the Council's investment in the scheme. In all cases the balance is paid to the trader by the Council.
The County Council co-ordinated scheme is funded by the county's seven District and Borough Councils, NHS Nottinghamshire County, NHS Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and Nottinghamshire Police, as well as the Council.
Available countywide since 1st April, the handy person's service was first piloted in Ashfield and Mansfield in October 2009, before being extended into Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood last autumn.
Anyone wishing to use the handy persons and adaptations service should call the County Council's Customer Services Centre on 08449 808080.
(Posted 1/6/2011)
Strict spending controls save £20 million
I am pleased to report that strict controls to stop non-essential spending at Nottinghamshire County Council have helped the authority to save £20.4m during 2010/11. Details of the saving are contained in the Council’s final accounts for 2010/11 which will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 8 June.
The saving is due to a budget underspend and is in addition to the £29m saving made during 2010/11, much of which was reinvested in social care and protecting children at risk.
We have stopped non-essential spending including holding back on staff and councillors attending conferences and not travelling to meetings when email or telephone calls suffice.
Spending control measures were introduced in September to help meet the Council’s current financial challenges. Here are a few examples of the savings made on non-essential spending during 2010/11:
- £460,000 saved on reduced water and energy consumption.
- £820,000 saved by holding back on the purchase of IT equipment.
- £1.06m saved on staff travel and subsistence.
- £63,000 saved on restricting staff attendance at conferences.
- £743,000 saved on print and stationery.
The Council also has a strict policy on staff vacancies which restricts the filling of vacant posts unless there is a business need.
(Posted 31/5/2011)
Council Budget 2011/12
At the Nottinghamshire County Council Budget Meeting on 24th February 2011 I joined my Conservative colleagues in voting to freeze Council Tax for a second successive year. In doing so, I approved £4.1 million of changes to the Council’s original budget proposals in direct response to the outcomes of the Big Budget Conversation. Extra money has now been found from reserves for the Supporting People programme, grant aid to voluntary groups, libraries, country parks and welfare rights advice.
With less formula grant funding from the Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has to find more than £80 million of savings in 2011/12 by reducing management and administration costs and reviewing expenditure on non-essential services. Just over half of this is being reinvested to meet growing demand for our most vital services, including: -
The budget was approved at the Council meeting by 34 votes to 29.
(Posted 28/2/2011)
Gritter Twitter
Nottinghamshire County Council will now be advising the public of when the county’s roads will be gritted, using Twitter. During the cold weather last winter there were a number of calls to the Council’s Customer Service Centre asking when the roads would be gritted. Now people can sign up to the Council’s Gritter Twitter feed to receive the latest gritting alerts.
In an age of social networking and 24-hour news, the Council recognises the need to give people ‘live’ information that will help them plan their journey. You can sign up to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nottscc
(Posted 11/11/2010)
Improvement Programme latest
At the full meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 21st October I joined my Conservative colleagues in supporting the recommendations for action contained within the Nottinghamshire County Council Improvement Plan Progress Report.
The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Martin Suthers set out the financial challenges facing local authorities across the country and stated that Nottinghamshire County Council needed to save £150 million over the next three years.
He said this would require savings of £69 million in 2011/12, to be achieved through a series of major initiatives including reprioritisation of services, improvements in business management and a review of property owned by the Council.
Of this £69 million, it is intended to reinvest £39 million largely in services for our most vulnerable service users. The council has faced a 59% increase in children’s social care referrals over the last year and a 25% increase in the number of children in care over the last two years.
For Children and Young People, a proposed reinvestment of £22.5 million will provide:-
Our Adult Social Care & Health services are under similar pressure, with 500 extra people aged over 80 and 4,000 extra people over the age of 65 in Nottinghamshire every year. Our proposed reinvestment of £13 million in 2011/12 will provide: -
- the care and support services necessary to meet this increased demand
- more support for adults with physical disabilities
- more support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs
- extra resources for independent sector care.
I joined my Conservative colleagues in arguing that Nottinghamshire County Council must live within its means and ensure frontline statutory services are maintained.
(Posted 5/11/2010)
Deputy Cabinet Member Adult Social Care & Health
I am delighted to have been appointed Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health and I am already in the process of travelling around the county visiting various service centres to meet staff, service users, residents and carers. If you have any views as to how we can develop and improve our service, please contact me.
(Posted 12/5/10)
Improvement Programme
Like every council in the country, Nottinghamshire County Council faces ongoing, significant and unavoidable increases in demand for key services. At the same time, it faces an unprecedented and long-term reduction in the resources available to it. Present forecasts are that the Council must reduce its current expenditure by at least £88m, or 18% of its revenue budget, over the next three financial years. Most of this reduction will be used to fund increased demand in other service areas. £30m of reductions have already been identified for 2010/11, leaving a further £58m to be found in 2011/12 and 2012/13.
In the past, reductions have been achieved through a process of allocating savings targets across departments. However, the scale of the financial challenge is now such that a more strategic approach is needed to achieve reductions in a structured and consistent way.
At the County Council meeting on 25th February 2010 the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Martin Suthers gained approval for a new Improvement Programme to deliver these aims, called ‘One Council - One Business - One Plan’. This will involve an estimated investment of £21 million over five years to deliver total aggregated savings of over £200m over a five year period.
The Improvement Programme will include: -
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a complete overhaul of the Council’s approach to procurement
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implementation of an integrated Business Management System and changes in processes
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rationalisation of the Council’s property portfolio and improvement in flexible ways of working
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a fundamental review of all services followed by a comprehensive programme of organisational redesign
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departmental improvement programmes that deliver service-specific developments and
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the Chief Executive’s own programme to deliver improvements in partnership working, communications and organisational development.
The aim of ‘One Council-One Business-One Plan’ is to drive out inefficiency, target resources, minimise the impact on service delivery and create an organisation that is fit for purpose and financially sustainable in the long term.
(Posted 8/3/10)
New Stategic Plan
Nottinghamshire County Council's new Strategic Plan 2010-2014 sets out our promise to the people of Nottinghamshire; our priorities for the next four years; and how we aim to support the people of our county to be aspirational, independent and to share with us responsibility for the future.
This Plan complements the wider Nottinghamshire Sustainable Community Strategy which is the collective plan that outlines how organisations in the county will work together to promote and deliver a better Nottinghamshire.
Our plan is ambitious. It is a plan based on what local people tell us they want, and what they want to see happen. The success of our plan relies on us working well together with local people and organisations. Whilst we face challenging financial times, nevertheless we have opportunities to promote and deliver a better future for Nottinghamshire.
(Posted 8/3/10)
Stuart's latest Councillors' Divisional Fund awards...
Following a decision taken by Council on 19th May 2011, each County Councillor now has an annual fund of £10,000 to support worthy initiatives in the division they represent.
The Councillors' Divisional Fund aims to make use of each councillor's 'grass roots' knowledge to identify projects, events, people and clubs that work hard to benefit and promote their local area, but often lack access to resources. Even a small amount of funding can sometimes make a huge difference.
If you know of a deserving initiative in the Newark West division that might be eligible to receive a CDF grant, please do contact me. You can click the following link to read the eligibility guidance criteria.
Here are some of those I've been able to help so far: -
Newark & Sherwood Play Scheme: funding for play activities
Vine Way Luncheon Club: a grant to help with the running costs of the club
Newark Carnival 2011: a contribution towards the running costs of the carnival
Think Children: a grant to support work with under-privileged children at two local schools
The Royal British Legion 90th Anniversary Celebrations: funding to assist the celebration events
Library Challenge: funding towards a summer reading challenge event at Newark Library
Bailey Road & Thoresby Avenue Tenants' & Residents' Association: a grant to help cover room hire and activity costs
Hawtonville Junior School: funding for a two-day visit to the school by the Life Education Charity.
Newark Rugby Club U17s: funding to travel to Cornwall to participate in a number of tournament matches
Newark & Sherwood CVS: funding for services and events run by the Newark Town Partnership
Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Services (LIVES): a grant to buy a special protection suit to be worn by voluntary paramedics attending serious accidents and injuries in the rural areas
1st Coddington Rainbows: a grant to purchase new equipment for the Brownies and Guides
Oliver Quibell Community Infant School: a grant to purchase play equipment
Barnby Road Primary & Nursery School: a grant to purchase some new bicycle stands
Newark Division Rangers: a donation to the Newark Division Rangers to assist with their 'Centenary Stampede' celebrations for girl guides
Hawtonville Christmas disco: a contribution to help provide a Christmas disco for children on the Hawtonville Estate
Home Start Newark: funding to arrange a Christmas trip for vulnerable families to the Sundown Adventure Land
Hawtonville Estate speed reduction: a grant to cover the cost of training residents to use a traffic speed gun to help improve road safety in the area
Hawtonville Junior School: a grant to provide drug resistance and health awareness education for pupils
Newark Blues Festival: a contribution towards the staging of the festival at Newark Castle
Newark District Primary School Sports Association: funding for the provision of sports activities and trophies.
