News
Council remains one of the best performing Welsh authorities
The Council continues to be one of the best performing councils in Wales.
Figures compiled by the Local Government Data Unit compare the performance of councils across Wales on a range of issues. The results for 2015/16 show that Denbighshire performed in the top half for the majority of activities it was assessed against, when compared with other councils.
The bulletin shows that Denbighshire was amongst the top 5 authorities for:
- Percentage of highways and land of a high or acceptable level of cleanliness (Denbighshire was the best performer at 100%). The Council also achieved top quartile performance for the percentage of reported fly-tipping incidents cleared within 5 working days
- Average number of days taken to deliver a Disabled Facilities Grant (Denbighshire was the best performing Council at 133 days), this is a substantial improvement on the 2014/15 performance (178 days)
- Percentage of adult protection referrals where the risk was managed (Denbighshire was the best performer at 100%)
- Formerly looked after children who are in contact with the authority at age 19 (Denbighshire was top with 100%)
- Formerly looked after children who are in suitable accommodation at age 19 (Denbighshire was top with 100%)
- Formerly looked after children known to be engaged in education, training or employment at age 19 (80%)
- Third lowest number of average days/shifts per full time employee lost due to sickness (8.47 days/shifts)
- Percentage of pupils assessed receiving a Teacher Assessment in Welsh (first language) at the end of Key Stage 3 (21.27%)
- Percentage of private sector dwellings (vacant for more than 6 months) returned to occupation (24.61%)
- Percentage of children looked after (on 31st March) who have had 3 or more placements during the year (8%)
- Percentage of reviews (looked after children) carried out within statutory timescales (96.33%)
- Percentage of municipal waste collected that was reused, recycled, composted or treated biologically (62.42%)
Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance, with responsibility for business performance, said: “This report makes very pleasing reading and reflects the commitment and dedication of both staff and councillors for Denbighshire to be a continuing high performing authority, providing the best quality services to its residents and its communities.
“The headlines speak for themselves and we are proud of our achievements. However, we recognise that there is always room for further improvement and we will not become complacent as we work to continue to be as good as we can possibly be in all areas of our work”.
Supporting People Day 2016
On 12th September, Denbighshire Supporting People stakeholders gathered at Rhyl Town Hall for the annual Supporting People (SP) Day. The day was an opportunity for anyone with an interest in SP to share information and ideas, learn about SP projects and other related services and developments, and meet other people in the broad field of housing related support.
A full hall took part in workshops on areas such as early intervention, and development of better housing and support services for young people, as well as listening to talks on Universal Credit, the new benefit cap, and the ‘prisoner pathway’. The day was also an opportunity for people to have their say on SP’s Local Commissioning Plan 2017-18.
Joint working praised at the Senedd
A ground-breaking partnership between the Council and Citizens Advice Denbighshire has been hailed as an example of good working practice during a session at the Welsh Assembly Senedd.
Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Denbighshire, Lesley Powell addressed the Senedd to mark the launch of Fairness For All, a national report which looks at the relationship with local authorities and partner agencies.
Five years ago, Citizen Advice Denbighshire and the Council forged a closer working relationship and arranged regular meetings to discuss council tax debt collection, with the aim of producing more positive outcomes for clients.
Since that time, the organisations have put a referral system in place for those needing money advice.
Lesley Powell said: “I was delighted to be given an opportunity to address the Senedd about the good work going on between Citizens Advice and Denbighshire County Council.
“Five years ago, Citizen Advice Denbighshire started a series of on-going meetings with the Council to discuss council tax debt collection.
“The Council’s team recognises the vulnerability of some clients at an early stage in the process and withholds action to recover unpaid council tax. The benefit of this way of working is that the team is more aware of local issues and has a better working relationship with existing debtors.
“The Council is also prepared to introduce payment options which provide clients with a greater opportunity to manage their money better, one example being a weekly payment option. This is a great help and provides some peace of mind for those individuals worried about how they are going to meet the next payment.
“I’m delighted that our joint working has resulted in such a positive outcome”.
Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance, said: “Over recent years we have really strengthened our working relationship with Citizens Advice in Denbighshire, with the aim of supporting clients who may find difficulty in paying their Council tax.
“From the outset, we have worked to remove barriers, gain a greater understanding of how both organisations operate and develop a closer working relationship. Key to its success was the fact it had been initiated and led by senior management in both organisations.
“Having recognition at a national level is a testament to the great amount of work that has gone on to help residents”.
Celebrating Talking Points in Denbighshire
A series of events have been held across Denbighshire to celebrate the success of Talking Points.
The celebrations were held in Prestatyn and Llangollen and were an opportunity to meet some of the organisations involved and to hear presentations on a wide range of issues relating to health and social care.
Talking Points have been set up in Denbighshire in response to the implementation of the Social Services and Well-being Act. This is a new law that will radically transform the way social services are delivered in Wales to meet the needs of individuals and make services sustainable for the future. The Act gives people a stronger voice and real control over the support they need to remove barriers to their wellbeing. It focuses on earlier intervention; increasing preventative services within the community and helping people maintain their independence. To help people to do this they need easy access to information and advice about what is available in their area.
In Denbighshire, Talking Points have been set up by staff in Community Support Services (incorporating social care for adults) to offer people a different way to find out what help might be available in their community to support their health and well-being.
Working with partner organisations we aim to respond faster and in a more personally tailored way to people, rather than a more traditional ‘one size fits all’ approach. Under this new model, if citizens are able to visit their GP they will be expected, in general, to attend a Talking Points rather than be visited at home.
If someone needs help with daily life please ask them to come along to a Talking Point or phone the Single Point of Access on 0300 456 1000 to make an appointment
For more information please contact Jason Haycocks the Talking Point Coordinator on 07733 111392 or e-mail: jason.haycocks@denbighshire.gov.uk
Insulation scheme funds cosy homes
The Council is launching its biggest energy efficiency initiative to date, with over 5,000 homes in the county identified as needing improved insulation.
Hundreds of homes across the county have already received insulation improvements as part of a previous scheme, with the Council attracting over £5 million to improve the energy performance of houses in Denbighshire, with hundreds of homes improved in West Rhyl, Prestatyn and Upper Denbigh. Through working with partners, the Council has improved the energy efficiency of almost 1,000 homes in the county, offered direct advice and assistance to 109 homes, hosted five community events and supported care agencies to access funding to provide support services.
Now the Council has worked with partners A&M Energy, Citizens Advice Denbighshire and the North Wales Energy Advice Centre to develop Denbighshire Cosy Homes, to fund the installation of loft and cavity wall insulation for all suitable homes in Denbighshire.
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership to promote this scheme and encourage more properties to have better insulation.
“People could get loft and cavity wall insulation installed in their homes for free, even if they rent the property. Insulating the house will make the house warmer in winter, cooler in summer and reduce fuel bills and carbon dioxide emissions. The improvements could save up to £500 per year off your fuel bills”.
“All houses will be contacted directly by post to inform them of their suitability and surveyors from A&M will visit the area and contact the households directly to organise for the survey”.
A Freephone advice service is being offered by North Wales Energy Advice Centre: 0800 954 0658. If you wish to contact A&M prior to the initiative contact them directly on 0800 318 867 (select Penly Branch) or 01948 83 0824.
Citizens Advice Denbighshire will also be offering households advice on how to further reduce energy bills through supplier switching, tariff checking, fuel debt and also welfare and benefits advice. They can be contacted directly on 01745 814336 (Denbigh), 01745 334 568 (Rhyl), 01824 703483.
Thank you for your patience during the recent bus situation
The Council would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding as the Council responded to the closure of GHA Coaches this summer.
Members of Denbighshire’s Cabinet have endorsed the action taken by the Council’s Passenger Transport team to restore school bus and public bus services in the wake of the collapse of GHA Coaches Ltd in July.
The Company closed on July 13th and the Council’s Passenger Transport team worked around the clock to restore school transport services by finding alternative providers at short notice.
Significant effort was also made to ensure that all communities served by a bus continued to benefit from some form of service in the days and weeks that followed.
Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: “I must pay tribute to the team for pulling out all the stops to sort out school buses for the following day and to get the public bus service up and operating as quickly as possible.
“These were certainly testing times and the superb effort of staff meant that disruption to services was kept to an absolute minimum. The public was also extremely supportive and we thank them for their understanding and patience”.