03 September 2010Sevenoaks District Council has been named as one of the four best run and efficient councils in the country.
As part of Central Government's new annual assessment of all public authorities, called 'Oneplace', the Council's services, management and partnership arrangements were put under the spotlight by independent inspectors during the autumn.
The review itself comprised of two elements, managing performance and use of resources.
Sevenoaks scored four in both categories, the highest possible score. Only three other councils, out of 356 in England, achieved this score, which puts Sevenoaks in the top one percent of the highest performing councils nationally.
The Oneplace assessment of Sevenoaks District Council says the Council "..performs excellently overall," and "...manages its finances excellently...and has an excellent track record of delivery." It adds that the Council's prospects for improvement are excellent.
The report acknowledges that people in the Sevenoaks District are more satisfied with their local area than most and the Council is successfully working with the police and the health service to reduce crime and improve people's health.
As well as acknowledging that the Council delivers many high quality services, such as refuse and street cleaning amongst others, the inspectors praised the Council for its discretionary services, such as its minibus service, believed to be the only service of its type in the country, run to help tackle rural exclusion of older and younger people.
Although Sevenoaks provides some of the best services in the country, it is one of the least resourced authorities and receives the third lowest grant per head of population of England's district councils.
Cllr Peter Fleming, Sevenoaks District Council's Leader, says: "We have a simple ethos at Sevenoaks and that is to provide quality local services at the very best price to our residents. In Sevenoaks we get one of the very lowest grants per head of population in England, yet the Oneplace review demonstrates that it's possible, even with modest resources, to provide the very best services to our residents."
The inspectors made the following comments about the Council and the District's priorities:
Safe Communities
Sevenoaks is one of the safest districts in Kent. Not only the fear of crime, but also the crime recorded in the District continues to fall. There has been a decline of 7.3 per cent between 2007/08 and 2008/09 in domestic burglaries, violent crime, robberies and vehicle crimes.
Caring Communities
Sevenoaks District Council is active in looking after its communities. The summer holiday scheme ‘Youth Zone’ was successful and feedback showed that children and young people engaged in play and other activities that they would otherwise not have had the opportunity to enjoy. For older people, the District Council funds a minibus service to tackle rural exclusion providing over 6,600 passenger journeys each year by nine buses allowing access to day centres, shops, club transport, and private hire services. The Council has improved its benefits services and has been able to absorb increased workload with existing staff.
Healthy Environment
Overall, the health of people in Sevenoaks District is better than the national average. Sevenoaks District Council has been active in delivering ‘healthy living’ projects with NHS West Kent. Over 10 per cent of the District’s population attended projects, ranging from healthy cookery sessions, parent yoga, and line dancing to falls prevention classes for older people.
Green Environment
The streets are clean and the Council is good at removing flytipping and abandoned vehicles. Satisfaction with parks and open spaces is high. The Council has ensured residents have access to government grants to help insulate their homes and reduce heat loss. This has helped local residents to reduce their fuel bills.
Dynamic Economy
The Council has a good view of the local economy through watching local economy barometer indicators. The West Kent Leader Grant supported three local businesses which were able to secure grants of around £45,000. In addition, 39 groups benefited from grant funding which resulted in more people being able to use the services of the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux.
Sustainable Economy
Progress has been made to improve the housing market. The District Council has achieved and exceeded all government targets on homelessness and it delivered good performance in reducing empty homes. Over the past four years, the District Council has been successful in delivering an average of 72 affordable homes a year.
Planning matters
Development of the Local Development Framework 'LDF' is on target. The LDF will contribute to tackling the effects of climate change, sustainability and other ‘green’ issues.
Achieving a balanced and sustainable budget
The Council has achieved a balanced and sustainable budget for 2008/09. It has been able to deliver £3 million savings between 2005/2008, while increasing productivity with consistent improvements in performance and quality.
Prospects for Improvement
The prospects for improvement are excellent. The Council is good at listening and acting on what local people say is important. Council staff are highly motivated. Councillors and staff work well together and leadership is strong.
The purpose of Oneplace is to allow people to see how well their local public services meet their needs and how well these services are working together to improve an area's quality of life. Crucially, the assessment looks at how important local issues, such as crime, housing and people's health are being tackled, and the prospects for improvement.
For more information, visit www.direct.gov.uk/oneplace.
