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Shepway District Council organisational assessment 2009.
Overall, Shepway District Council performs adequately

Managing performance 2 out of 4
Use of resources 2 out of 4
Managing finances 2 out of 4
Governing the business 2 out of 4
Managing resources 2 out of 4

Description of scores:
An organisation that does not meet minimum requirements, Performs Poorly
An organisation that meets only minimum requirements, Performs Adequately
An organisation that exceeds minimum requirements, Performs Well
An organisation that significantly exceeds minimum requirements, Performs Excellently

Summary

Shepway Council's priorities match the concerns of local people. These are: improving the appearance of the District, serving customers and the community, creating places where people want to live and work, and performing effectively as a Council. The Council and its partners are working well to support older people to live independently. Local people feel that they are consulted about how the Council spends its Council Tax, although not enough people feel that they can influence what happens in the area. There are differences between the rich and poor. On average, men from the poorest communities die eight years earlier than those from the richer areas. The difference for women is about 5 years.

Shepway Council scores 2 out of 4 for Managing Performance.

The Council is working with partners to reduce crime. Shepway has one of the lowest levels of anti-social behaviour in Kent. The Council is making more affordable homes available. Many council houses now meet the Decent Homes standard. The Council has prevented 300 households from losing their homes, but too many young people are still becoming homeless. Those who do lose their homes are waiting for long periods before suitable accommodation can be found. The Council needs to improve as a landlord as not enough tenants are satisfied with the service they receive. The Council missed several of its own targets in 2008 and needs to work to improve this. The streets are clean and well looked after although people still feel that there is a problem with rubbish and litter lying around.

The Council scores 2 out of 4 for Use of Resources.

It looks at the money it has to spend and plans accordingly. Councillors and staff work well together to improve the District. People can find clear information about Shepway's finances in ‘Shepway Today' and on the Council website. But the costs of several services such as waste collection are high. The waste collection service also has the lowest satisfaction rates in Kent. The Council has plans to improve this by providing services jointly with other East Kent authorities. The internal audit service was the first to be shared with other East Kent Districts and this is now seeing the benefits of reduced costs. The Council's ability to deliver future improvements depends on how successfully it can share other services with the rest of East Kent.

About Shepway District Council

Shepway is a coastal district on the eastern edge of Kent County with countryside. The main town of Folkestone is a major stop on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

There are 100,100 people living in 47,000 households. About half of the population live in Folkestone, about quarter live in the towns of Hythe, New Romney and Lydd with the remainder in the rural parishes. Just under six per cent of the population are from black or other ethnic minority communities.

There is a sizeable Gurkha and Nepalese community living in the district. A popular location for retirement, Shepway has an elderly population with one in five people aged over 65, however the number of young people is also growing.

Inequality is the most striking feature of the district.

Men from the most deprived areas in the district live on average eight years less than those from more prosperous areas. The difference is about 5 years for women.

Shepway Council is Conservative controlled.

The Council's strategic objectives are:

- Improving the appearance of the district.

- Serving customers and the community.

- Creating places where people want to live and work.

- Performing effectively

Organisational assessment in detail

Improving the appearance of the district area is improving.

The area is clean and tidy. Public places, including the beaches, are clean and well looked after although only half of those surveyed said that they are satisfied with public cleanliness. New standards were adopted last year for street cleaning services in response to public concerns. Abandoned cars are being removed within a day of being reported. Litter, graffiti and fly-tipping are being successfully cleaned up although people still think that there is too much litter and rubbish lying around. The Coastal Park has been awarded the Green Flag for the second year in a row.

Serving customers and the community

Customer services are improving but the Council recognises there is more to do. A new contact centre has been opened and staff at the centre are now trained to deal with a wide range of queries. This has increased customer satisfaction and reduced waiting times. There are good attempts to engage the public about the Council’s budget but many people still feel that they do not have enough of a say over what happens.

Crime has fallen although not enough people think that public services are working to make the area safer. Community safety partners are working to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour but complaints about noisy neighbours are increasing in some parts of Folkestone. The neighbourhood policing team and the Council’s neighbourhood management teams are working with local people and the community to reduce noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

Perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour in the District have reduced significantly over the past year and are now below the county average. People believe the police and Council are dealing effectively with the problem. The Council and its partners are working well to tackle health problems in the area. They have a good understanding of what the problems are, and what needs to be done to resolve them. The aim is to help local people to live healthier lives. However there are differences between the rich and the poor, with men from the poorest communities dying on average eight years earlier than those from the richer areas. The difference for women is about 5 years.

Creating Places where people want to live and work

A good supply of housing is being made available. 90 affordable homes were completed in 2008/09, above the target of 60 for that year. 442 houses have been upgraded to meet the Decent Homes standard. However it is still taking too long to re-let council houses and not enough empty homes are being brought back into use. The Council is consulting on its preferred options to deliver between 6,000 and 8,000 new homes by 2026 and despite the economic recession, is still on track to achieve this target.

Neighbourhood management efforts are working well in Hawkinge, where the local community have formed a partnership to decide what is done in their area. The Council has set up a fund for projects which are selected and carried out by the local community. It has worked so well that a similar project is underway in for the residents in East Folkestone.

The Council is working well to prevent homelessness preventing over 300 people from becoming homeless in 2008/09. But too many young people are still becoming homeless. Those who do become homeless are having to stay longer in temporary accommodation as the lack of suitable accommodation means that it is taking longer to find them somewhere suitable to live. However there is a difference between how well the Council is doing to help the homeless and getting new houses built in the area, and how it is doing as a landlord. Although the Council is working hard to get tenants involved in making decisions, as a landlord, this needs to improve.

The first Tiennial Arts Festival was held in 2008 attracting 51,000 exra visitors to Folkestone between June and September. This was a welcome boost to the local economy during the recession. Planning the next Triennial in 2011 has already started. The Council still has a way to go to improve leisure facilities in the area. About one in five people take part in some form of sport in the District, slightly less than the average for England.

The Council has successfully brought in free swimming sessions for the under 16-year olds and those over 65 years of age, but the public swimming pools need to be improved. The Council is working with the Sports Centre Trust to refurbish Folkestone Sports Centre which includes improved swimming facilities. However the plans for a new pool in Hythe have been delayed because of the recession and local residents are unable to enjoy good quality swimming facilities.

Performing effectively

The Council is getting better at managing risks and making sure that services are being delivered as promised. Members are now working with staff to makes sure that risks are identified early and action is taken to put matters right. The Council has made sure that councillors and senior staff are held responsible for the money they control with councillors giving a clear lead. There are regular Council meetings where councillors oversee budgets. Before the Council starts new activities, or changes existing ones, it checks to see if things can be done differently to save money.

The Benefits Service has improved since August 2008. It is now performing above target levels and has been shortlisted for an award as one of the top five most improved services in England during 2008/9. The Council has managed to balance its budget for 2008/09 but the position could be different in future years. Reducing levels of central government grant and less money coming into the Council because of the recession will make the financial situation difficult for the Council. Shepway District is working with other Councils in East Kent to see whether costs can be better managed and services improved if services are shared. For example, rubbish collection and disposal costs are still too high, and the Councils are working with the County Council to see if a joint collection and disposal service will bring down the costs in future.

The Council missed several of its own targets in 2008 for example, vulnerable families are staying too long in bed and breakfast accommodation, and customers are waiting too long to be seen in the Council offices. Waste collection costs are high and the service has the lowest satisfaction rates in Kent. The Council has plans to improve this by providing services jointly with other East Kent authorities.

Prospects for improvement

The Council has a good understanding of what people want to see in the District, and it is a good champion for the area. Councillors and staff work together effectively. The Council has had to make difficult decisions as there is not much money available, but it has balanced its finances for this year.

There is a risk is that things will start to worsen again if the Council isn’t able to share some of its services with the other Councils in East Kent to reduce costs and provide better value for money. Although the overall financial situation for the Council remains tough, the Council has achieved its savings targets. It is managing its finances so it can cope better with the recession.

Current sickness absence levels among staff are higher than the Council would like them to be. Although the Council is managing to deliver all its services currently staffing numbers are stretched and staff sickness levels are too high.

Click the link for the full report in PDF format http://tiny.cc/dO3A1