Essex County Council Parish Update Successful Shed Network gets Essex Men talking A successful network of men in sheds has taken off in Maldon and is set to expand across the county. The shed project aims to tackle loneliness and social isolation by creating community spaces where men can feel at home and work on projects in a safe and friendly venue. The shed is a space they can share skills, socialise and ultimately gain a sense of purpose, achievement and wellbeing. This has already seen a disused building in Maldon transformed by local men into a community shed. Equipped with tools, visitors work together to make things for the home and garden, or simply to have a chat. Sheds in Southminster, Rayleigh and West Essex have also now been set up. In September there was the launch of the Essex Shed Network at Essex County Cricket Club Pavilion. Organised by Maldon Community and Voluntary Services, residents were invited to come along and find out more. Loneliness and social isolation in men is often a taboo subject, but the success of projects like the Shed Network have proved a success elsewhere in bringing men together into a social space. There is a real appetite for more projects across the county. The Essex Shed Network would love to hear from anyone who wants to know more or wants to start a shed in their area. Contact Hamish on hamish@maldoncvs.org.uk or call 07714 740642. New project to help pupils with speech and language difficulties in mid Essex Primary school pupils with speech, language and communication needs will benefit from extra support following the launch of a new project. Supported by Essex County Council, the early intervention project started in mid Essex in September following a successful pilot during 2015/16, with specialist support based at Powers Hall Infant School in Witham and Trinity Road Primary School in Chelmsford. Evidence suggests pupils who have speech and language difficulties can quickly catch up with their peers if they receive intensive support early in their school lives. The project will allow small cohorts of pupils from mainstream primary schools across mid Essex, including Braintree, Chelmsford and Maldon, to receive specialist support at one of the two host schools.
All pupils will remain on the roll of their own primary school but will be educated off site for a period of up to four terms. Placements will be reviewed on a termly basis, helping monitor pupil progress and ensure their own schools remain closely involved. By catching up with their peers and returning to their usual school it is hoped pupils will not require an education, health and care plan in the future. Three separate free school applications were also set to be submitted to the Government in September. They included proposals for a 75-place autism-specific school in the Braintree district (for pupils with severe needs), a 70-place autism-specific school in the Chelmsford area (for pupils of mainstream ability but with anxiety and/or behavioural problems) and a 60-place school in the Harlow district (for children with autism or social, emotional and mental health needs). Young people urged to stand for youth council election Young people across Essex were encouraged to stand in the upcoming Young Essex Assembly (YEA) election. The YEA, supported by Essex County Council s Youth Service, is the youth council for Essex and gives members the opportunity to have an influence on issues affecting young people in the county. Members mirror the number of county councillors in Essex, with 75 seats available, representing various parts of the county. Young people who wanted to stand in the election had to be aged 11 to 19 and either lived, worked or studied in the district they wish to represent. Applications had to be submitted by Monday, 17 October 2016 with voting taking place in November ahead of declaration events in early December. The elected YEA members will be in office for a period of two years (February 2017 until January 2019), campaigning for changes they believe will benefit the lives of their peers. The existing Young Essex Assembly members have worked on projects covering issues such as mental health, discrimination, sexual health and transport. To find out more about the YEA, please visit http://www.young-essex-assembly.org.uk/ Four-year settlement sets out financial challenge ahead
Essex County Council is set to see an 84% reduction in Government support over the next four years. Set out as part of the Four Year Settlement provided by Government, the Council will see its support grant reduce from 118 million in 2016/17 to 18 million in 2019/20. The decision by Government to provide a four year settlement, rather than an annual announcement should be welcomed, as it allows ECC to plan for the future with certainty over the level of funding available to the Council. However, in setting out the four-year position, it does show the size of the financial challenge ahead and, of course, this 84% reduction comes on top of a 49% reduction already made over the last three years. Over the period of the settlement, it is expected that inflationary pressure on services will increase by 12%, while changes to demographics and increases in population will mean an additional 352 million of pressures by 2020. Essex is a growing and ageing county, and ECC have spoken about the need to look at new and different ways of doing things. ECC has an excellent record in making savings, more than 520million has already been taken out of the council s budget. Realistically in the years to come, the Council is going to look and feel very different - services will need to be provided in different ways, there will be more collaboration with partners, commercial and trading opportunities will be maximised and you will see some areas where communities are supported in delivering services for themselves rather than relying on the council. Superfast Essex Phase 3 to help the final 5% Even more residents and businesses stand to gain access to superfast broadband thanks to a new Phase 3 rollout being planned as part of the Superfast Essex programme. The new work aims to extend the superfast footprint across Essex beyond the 95% coverage target which is set to be achieved by the Phase 2 work currently underway with BT and Gigaclear. The Superfast Essex programme finished its Phase 1 rollout to 65,000 homes and businesses three months ahead of schedule back in June, of which nearly 30% of customers have so far purchased a service. Engineers from both delivery partners are now in the process of delivering the programme s Phase 2a and 2b rollouts to increase the total number of homes and businesses able to access superfast broadband speeds of 24Mbps and above to 120,000.
Phase 3 will help some of those homes and businesses in the remaining 5% of the county not currently due to be reached by any superfast broadband coverage plans. The technology to be used is yet to be determined, and will be chosen based on which solution will work best for the areas requiring better connectivity. The decision to proceed with the 9million Phase 3 rollout, funded by project savings, the re-investment of subsidy clawback due to high take-up of the services so far and some local authority contributions, was approved by Essex County Council s Cabinet at the end of September. The areas to be covered by the rollout being determined following a Phase 3 State Aid Public Consultation which invited feedback about where broadband coverage does and does not exist in Essex. The consultation closed in mid October. While broadband provision is not a statutory requirement, the County Council s continued o commitment to improve the level of broadband coverage in Essex shows that we recognise broadband availability is becoming increasingly important for residents and businesses and it is for that reason one of our priorities. In order to plan where the Phase 3 investment should be spent, Superfast Essex asked broadband operators to respond to an Open Market Review in July advising of their existing broadband coverage and plans over the next three years. Based on this data, Superfast Essex created a draft map of broadband coverage which was the subject of the Superfast Essex Phase 3 State Aid Public Consultation. All white areas showed on the map remained eligible for investment. Alongside responding to the consultation, residents and businesses were encouraged to register their demand for faster broadband via the Make the Connection survey at www.superfastessex.org/registerdemand also by Wednesday mid October. Responses to both the consultation and Make the Connection survey will be used to help inform the Phase 3 rollout plan. While the survey will continue to remain open beyond the date stated, any demand registered after this time will be too late to inform the Phase 3 plan. The next phase of work will build on the success of the Phase 1 rollout businesses and the Phase 2 rollout which is currently on track to reach 120,000 and provide 95% coverage across Essex by 2019. Phase 3 brings together savings from the existing Superfast Essex programme, contributions from Tendring District Council and Uttlesford District Council, and a new grant from Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) the team within Government overseeing the national superfast broadband rollout. The tender for the new rollout was launched on Thursday 10 November and the requirement has been split into four separate zones, known as Lots.
Across the four Lots, an estimated 24,000 premises are eligible for inclusion in the Phase 3 rollout. The actual number of properties to be included will be determined during the procurement process. The lots are split as follows: Uttlesford District 5,500 premises. One of the most rural districts in the county with significantly poor connectivity. Central North 4,500 premises. This includes parts of Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford districts. Tendring District 5,500 premises. To help Tendring District reach 100% superfast broadband coverage. South East 8,500 premises. This includes rural areas along the coastline of Maldon and Rochford districts and parts of Castle Point and Basildon districts. Phase 3 will consider all technologies capable of providing superfast speeds, not just fibre. The new approach recognises the rurality of the remaining areas and the need to use alternative solutions and opens up the potential for smaller network operators to partner with the County Council to get the job done. Essex smokers urged to sign up to Stoptober Smoking prevalence in Essex is around 17.6%, meaning that an estimated 200,000 individuals in Essex smoke. During October, we urged Essex smokers to sign up to Stoptober, a Public Health England campaign encouraging people to stop smoking for 28 days, offering support and encouragement every step of the way. Smoking is on the decrease nationally with Public Health England releasing new figures showing that there are now twice as many ex-smokers (14.6 million people), than current smokers in England (7.2 million) as sales of cigarettes decrease. Last year we saw around 5,500 Essex residents register to take part in Stoptober. Stoptober offered a variety of proven support, including support packs, apps, emails and face-to-face support, meaning one was able to choose the right support to help them quit. If you stop smoking for 28 days, you re five times more likely to successfully quit for good. Research shows that after 2 to 12 weeks of quitting, your circulation improves. After 3 to 9 months, coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function increases by up to 10% and after 10 years the risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker. Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.
Public Health England estimate that a 20-a-day smoker can save up to 60 a week, 255 a month and 3,060 year by stopping smoking. Leading Councillor relinquishes Cabinet Role Councillor Rodney Bass relinquished his role as Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, ahead of his retirement from the Council in May 2017, after 50 years service to local government. The announcement was made at the Essex County Council Full Council meeting in October. A councillor since 1967 (and a County Councillor since 1997), Cllr Bass served as Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation between 2003-2007 and 2013-2015. More recently he has focused on his cabinet role relating to Infrastructure. He was Vice-Chairman of the County Council 2008-10 and Chairman 2010-12. Through his time on the Cabinet he has led on the Council s largest capital investment programme to date, and has played a key role in working with national and local organisations to make infrastructure schemes a reality. New Cabinet Member announced One of Essex s youngest councillors took up a new position on Essex County Council s Cabinet. The announcement was made at the same Full Council meeting in October at which Cllr Bass relinquished his Cabinet position. Councillor Stephen Canning took up the newly created Cabinet position of Digital Innovation. Councillor Canning takes on the new role leading on the Council s digital strategy, information technology, digital transformation and customer services. In other changes announced, Cllr Kevin Bentley took on the role of infrastructure following Cllr Bass s decision to step down from Cabinet. He will be responsible for our rail, port and aviation strategy as well as Strategic Infrastructure Commissioning. Cllr Eddie Johnson will remain as Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation but gained the Local Transport Plan, Highways Capital Programme and Strategic Highways Delivery. Essex s toughest problems tackled through ground breaking collaboration Some of Essex s hardest-to-solve problems lack of affordable housing, shortages of skills and as we live longer tackling healthcare issues are set to be addressed head on by a team of the county s top public servants.
It was announced in October that they will begin working to boost economy, promoting greater independence for older people, and encouraging healthy lifestyles, the aim is to improve the lives of Essex people and reduce costs for taxpayers. In a new and ground breaking programme launched by the Essex Partnership, 50 people from public services providers representing Essex, Southend, and Thurrock will spend the next year experiencing the issues first-hand and working on better ways of tackling them. The Greater Essex Leadership Collaborative includes officers from councils, universities, the police, fire, NHS and the voluntary sectors involves has been set up to develop the next generation of talented senior people. They will be encouraged to ditch the constraints of their own organisations and pool their talents and skills to come up with the answers Essex needs. There are some problems that cannot be solved by a single organisation or department, which need fresh thinking, new approaches and brighter ideas. The programme is an opportunity to change the way we get things done now, and in the future. Seeing 50 talented people take on this challenge in this way demonstrates that our public services are ready, willing and able to do things differently to get better results. Number of potholes halved on Essex main routes The number of potholes on main routes in Essex has halved thanks to significant investment in the county s roads. Between June and September this year figures showed a 47 per cent drop in the number of defects on priority routes. The impressive figures come following a record-breaking summer for road surfacing with 3.24 million square metres of surface dressing completed across the county. This is the equivalent of surfacing the area of the runway at Stansted 23 times. Following a record summer for road surfacing, we have seen an impressive reduction in the number of potholes across the county. This has been helped further thanks to the Government s Pothole Action Fund allowing us to send out extra repair crews onto the county s roads. We understand potholes are a real frustration for drivers across the county. That is why we have not only invested in repairing potholes, but have also taken a long-term view by investing in surfacing roads to ensure they last for years to come. Crews fixed 2,627 defects on the roads over the three months (June September 2016) compared to a respectable 1,638 over the previous quarter (April June 2016).
The number of outstanding defects on Priority 1 and 2 routes at the end of June was 555. This had fallen to 291 by the end of September. Across Essex statistics showed a reduction in potholes from 4,954 to 4,597 at the end of September. Essex above national average in new GCSE attainment measure Essex County Council is congratulating secondary schools after the county s performance under the Government s new GCSE measures was published for the first time. About 15,000 young people were entered into GCSEs at schools in Essex this year. Provisional figures show the percentage of the county s pupils who achieved A* to C grades in both English and maths has risen from 61 per cent in 2015 to 64 per cent in 2016. The figure is above the national average of 63 per cent, and means Essex is currently ranked 59th out of all 151 local authorities. In October it was the first time the county s performance under the new Progress 8 (average of all students' progress across eight subjects between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4) and Attainment 8 (school's average grade across the same set of eight subjects) measures has been revealed. The measures aim to focus on pupil progress rather than just exam results and data released by the Department for Education shows that progress made by young people in the county is in line with the national average. The average attainment score across eight subjects is 50.3, which is above the national average of 49.9 and means Essex s ranking has risen from 74th to 58th of all 151 local authorities. ECC remain committed to ensuring pupils receive the best possible education and we look forward to continuing to work closely with schools in the future. Council outlines plans for management team savings 800,000 of savings could be made through proposals for a restructure of Essex County Council s Senior Management Team. Chief Executive Gavin Jones has said his ambition for the authority was to have a more streamlined structure, but one which was better able to meet the challenges of achieving the County Council s vision for Essex. Under the proposals, there would be nine fewer senior posts, saving the authority 800,000 a year. Once the restructure is complete, a further restructure of the wider organisation is planned.
The new structure will see more emphasis put on to those commercial elements of the council which we will be reliant on over the coming years, and also digital, which we know we need to embed more into our work. At the same time many of the services that we deliver have a huge impact on people s lives, especially areas such as social care and children s services, and it is absolutely right that these areas continue to be a priority. This is reflected in the proposed structure. These changes are about ensuring we create a flexible management team that is well placed to meet the challenges ahead. Bright future for LED rollout Over 1,000 energy-saving LED streetlights have been installed since Essex County Council began its rollout this summer. The two-year project to upgrade 19,000 street lights began in August this year and is making good progress. 1,191 LED streetlights have been installed in Essex since August. Castle Point district has had 307 of its 414 all-night lights upgraded. Rochford district is underway, with 113 lights replaced of a total 429. Work has started in Basildon with 771 LEDs in place. Uttlesford, Chelmsford and sites along the A127 are next on the list with all-night lights there due to be upgraded by May 2017. Essex County Council has focused crews on rolling out the LED programme which stands to save taxpayers 600,000 a year on energy, maintenance and carbon tax costs as a priority. The project is on schedule and the new LED lamps last longer, so they use less electricity and do not need as many expensive repairs ECC have taken a common sense approach to repairing ordinary streetlights on the network in areas where LED lights are soon to be rolled out. Focusing crews on the energy-saving LED rollout programme avoids the risk of wasting taxpayers money by replacing bulbs only for them to be replaced with LED lamps weeks later. When the 19,000 LEDs are all working correctly, taxpayers will benefit from savings of 600,000-a-year on energy and maintenance costs, as well as carbon taxes. The number of broken streetlights across the county rose between June and September from 1,831 in June to 2,782 (2.18 per cent of the overall council-maintained streetlight network). A large number of these are due to be replaced by LED lights as part of the rollout. Pupils thriving as Essex achieves best ever school attendance figures
Attendance at schools in Essex is at its highest since records began, according to data published by the Department for Education in late October. Statistics for the autumn and spring terms in 2015/16 show the percentage of sessions missed in state-funded primary schools in Essex was 3.7 per cent above both the national and East of England averages, which were 3.9 per cent. The figure means Essex enjoys its best ever ranking of 29th out of 151 local authorities. At secondary level, the percentage of sessions missed in Essex was 4.8 per cent, compared with 5 per cent nationally and 4.9 per cent for the East of England, meaning the county remains ranked 54th. The increase in school attendance rates comes as Essex enjoys much improved Ofsted ratings and amid continued exam success for the county. More than nine in ten Essex schools are currently rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted, while the average Attainment 8* score and percentage of Key Stage 2 pupils achieving at least the expected standard in reading, writing and maths are both above the national averages. ECC remain committed to ensuring all children in Essex receive the best possible education and, where necessary, will continue to take the action required to protect the learning of the county s pupils. New Wi-Fi scheme launched for communities in Essex A new scheme has been launched by Essex County Council s Superfast Essex programme to enable local communities to access a public Wi-Fi service in community buildings or hubs. Superfast Essex is the county s broadband improvement programme which is working to make Essex one of the best connected counties in the UK. With the infrastructure being upgraded across the county over the next few years, Superfast Essex would like to support local communities in experiencing superfast speeds at their local community hubs, encouraging them to see how it might benefit them at home. Under the scheme, community hubs (such as village halls or community centres) can buy a broadband service from two approved suppliers, APC Solutions or County Broadband. Initial set up costs will be supported by the Community Initiatives Fund (CIF) and community hubs will subsequently need to pay a monthly service charge. The CIF is a small grants scheme funded by Essex County Council, designed to fund community projects. Money from the CIF has been set aside to help community hubs pay for the setup costs of a Wi-Fi service as offered by the two service providers under this
scheme. Up to 400 can be claimed per community hub by completing a short online form similar to the general CIF application process. ECC s aim is to encourage and support communities to make use of the upgraded infrastructure being installed by the Superfast Essex Programme and we re really pleased the CIF has been able to help make this scheme possible. The scheme is aimed at but not limited to community hubs enabled to access superfast broadband. ECC encourage community hubs to take advantage of the scheme as it could help existing groups using community hubs to be better engaged online, or provide additional value to the venue for future prospective users looking for somewhere to hire. The Community Wi-Fi Scheme is supported by the Rural Community Council of Essex (RCCE) and the Essex Association of Local Councils (EALC) and was presented to delegates at the RCCE Village Halls Conference in October, generating initial interest from around 15 communities. Representatives from APC Solutions and County Broadband were in attendance to answer any questions about their services and are in full support of the scheme. Views sought on proposed changes to Maldon bus service Bus users are being urged to share their views on proposed changes to bus services in Maldon. A public consultation on a number of routes taxpayers fund in the area opened on Friday, 4 November and will close on Tuesday, 3 January. Some of the services currently cost taxpayers more than 5 for every passenger carried, which is the maximum level of support Essex County Council will normally approve. The proposed changes aim to support the future running of essential travel routes while offering the best value for money for the taxpayer. The Council is keen to get bus users to give up just a couple of minutes of their day to feedback on a number of bus services in the Maldon area. The consultation lists each service, its current timetable and the proposed change to the service. Residents can submit their feedback online, in libraries or over the phone up until Tuesday, 3 January. Cllr Eddie Johnson, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: This consultation is a great opportunity for people to share their views to help create a cost-effective service that supports their needs. We provide financial support for a number of routes and it is our responsibility to ensure that they deliver a reliable service as well as value for money. Taxpayers are currently
paying for a number of lesser-used routes that cost more than 5 for each passenger they carry. This is not sustainable in the long term and that is why we are looking at a whole host of options to support the future of bus services across Maldon and the local area. I would urge everyone to engage with us and share their views as part of this consultation. Questionnaires are available: online www.essex.gov.uk/busconsultations from libraries in Braintree, Burnham-on-Crouch, Chelmsford, Colchester, Danbury, Great Baddow, Kelvedon, Maldon, South Woodham Ferrers, Southminster, Stanway, Tiptree and Witham by phoning: 03457 430 430 Application period open for primary school places Parents in Essex are being encouraged to apply for their children s primary school places. Children are entitled to start school in the September after their fourth birthday and applications can now be made for children starting reception from September 2017. Parents and carers of children born during the period 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013 must apply between 14 November 2016 and 15 January 2017. Late applications, submitted after the deadline on 15 January, will only be considered once all on-time applications have been determined. Applications can be made online at www.essex.gov.uk/admissions. Parents are encouraged to use all four of their preferences and use the website to search for the school information and check admissions criteria. ECC encourage people to consider admissions criteria carefully, use all of their preferences and make use of the information available on the website. It is vital that applications are submitted on time to ensure parents have the best chance of being considered for a school they want.