Good marks from Government for Redbridge Council (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Good marks from Government for Redbridge Council

10:22pm Thursday 10th December 2009 in

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SERVICES provided by Redbridge Council are consistently above minimum requirements according to Government inspectors who have awarded the authority three stars out of four in their annual assessment.

The council was one of more than 150 around the country which were being rated in the Government’s Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).

Transport , planning and social care for adults were judges to be the council’s strongest areas, but its provision of cultural services was judged its weakest for the fourth year running.

The inspectors said that residents were starting to notice improvements to leisure facilities but that satisfaction levels were still well below those found in similar areas.

It noted that since the closure of Ilford Pool, which left Fullwell Cross as the only pool in the borough, the number of swims taking place in Redbridge has fallen by 20 per cent, although it reported a huge take-up in free swimming by the under 16 age group.

Housing services were judged to be performing well overall but the report said that a high number of council homes that did not meet standards for warmth, weatherproofing and modern facilities.

While adult social services scored top marks for the fourth year running, care for vulnerable children was said to be hampered by difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.

The inspectors wrote: “There is a lack of clarity between agencies and the child protection assessment team about the criteria for referral and assessment, leading to inappropriately high levels of referrals to children’s social care and unnecessary stress for some families.”

For the first time in four years council services overall were judged to be improving strongly.