KCC achieving better outcomes for residents, business and communities

Kent County Council’s strategic statement annual report for 2017 shows the authority is continuing to improve outcomes for residents and businesses and actively address the challenging times ahead.

Overall the majority of KCC’s outcomes are improving or maintaining in the last year and improving over three years.

Among the successes in the report are that 91% of schools are now rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. There has also been a reduction in the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

Kent County Council Leader Paul Carter said: “The welfare of children and young people is the council’s top priority and our recent ‘good’ Ofsted judgement of our children’s services is the result of a seven year journey and recognition of the hard work of all of our staff – putting us in the top 30% across the country.”

The report highlights how KCC has attracted significant investment into the county for transport projects, infrastructure, arts and environmental schemes.

KCC also continues to improve our infrastructure, highways assets and public rights of way. Among these schemes is the conversion of 63,000 streetlights to LED.

KCC remains committed to facilitating independence for older people ensuring they are confidently equipped and appropriately supported to live independently.

Mr Carter continued: “We have worked to advance the integration of health and social care across Kent, and improve local health and care services in the county as we seek more effective and efficient use of both our own and NHS resources.

“We recognise the national challenges which health and social care face but also the local opportunities to redesign our health and social care system around the needs of our residents and deliver much more integrated ways of working wherever possible.”

To this end, KCC has played an important role in driving significant change in Kent and Medway’s Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.

Meanwhile, KCC continues to rigorously embed its strategic commissioning authority model, to drive forward efficient and effective commissioning and procurement of services that lead to improved outcomes for our residents.”

Mr Carter added: “These successes have been achieved against a backdrop of unprecedented budget pressures. We face considerable and increasing challenges including growing demand, rising costs and reductions in government funding.

“Over the last year we have prioritised those services which will achieve our strategic outcomes and matter most to Kent residents and businesses. We continue to ensure we utilise our resources as effectively as possible to make the biggest difference to people’s lives.

“As a council we greatly value our staff’s continued dedication to delivering high quality services and excellent customer service.

“We will continue in our relentless pursuit to further improve services, address the challenges we face and deliver our strategic outcomes.”

These are;

• Children and young people get the best start in life
• Communities benefit from economic growth by being in-work, healthy and enjoying a good quality of life
• Older and vulnerable residents are safe and supported with choices to live independently.”

The Strategic Statement Annual Report will be presented at the full council meeting on Thursday 19th October.

You can read the annual report by clicking here.

KCC’s strategic statement, Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes, set out the authority’s ambitions for the county by 2020.

These have three main objectives; to ensure children and young people get the best start in life, Kent communities benefit from being in-work, healthy and enjoy a good quality of life, and older and vulnerable residents remain safe and supported to live independently.

This second annual report provides an opportunity to reflect on progress towards delivering these outcomes for residents over the last 12 months.

Key Results include:

Strategic Outcome 1:
• A ‘Good’ overall Ofsted judgement for children’s social care & 91% of schools rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, compared to 89% in 2016.
• 11,000 families, including 24,000 children and young people, supported by early help intensive support, up from 7,400 families and 16,000 children and young people in 2015/16
• 74.2% of children achieved a good level of development at early years foundations stage, well above the emerging national average of 70.7%
• An average 353 days between becoming a child in care and moving in with an adoptive family, down from 499 in 2016 and well above target of 426

Strategic Outcome 2:
• £80.3m of Section 106 developer contributions secured towards KCC delivered services, 97% of the amount requested
• 719,363 tonnes of waste (98%of Kent’s total waste) diverted from landfill, an increase from 94% (674,905 tonnes) in 2015/16
• 9,061 potholes repaired, with 96% repaired within 28 calendar days and an additional 1,200 potholes filled as part of the pothole blitz
• 16,921 visits to libraries per day & 210,237 customers attending events in libraries and archives

Strategic Outcome 3:
• 7,706 people received enablement support with 81% of people able to return home from hospital
• 64,010 residents protected by the Stop the Scammers project and over 500 scam victims visited by community wardens
• 898 extra care housing units provided in 2016, up from 587 in 2015
• 12,055 people with a personal budget including 5,408 with a direct payment