Nottingham City Council
Policy Digest
dDdbriefing
Issue No. 25: July 2009
Introduction
Welcome to Issue 25 of the monthly Policy Digests covering national policy developments in July 2009
of interest to the local government sector. July saw the further spread of swine flu, more fatalities in
Afghanistan and the publication of opposition plans to regulate banking.
Policy briefings published
Policy Alert – The Future of Adult Social Care (click here to download)
National news
Strengthening local democracy
The Government has launched a consultation which seeks to give citizens a much bigger role in shaping the
places in which they live and the public services they use. The consultation proposes that:
o Councillors have enhanced scrutiny power, giving them more power to scrutinise a wider range of
organisations delivering key local public services which are currently outside scrutiny Councillors’ remit
o Councillors take a lead role in ending bureaucracy, helping to end duplication, increase value for
money and personalise services
o Councils lead on climate change measures locally, and have more debate on the idea of local carbon
budgets
o Councils have new discretionary powers to raise a supplement on business rates to spend on local
projects aimed at economic development
o Council house finance changes so that councils can more effectively manage their housing resources
o The relationship between local government and its role and powers in relation to central government is
put on a statutory basis
o How city and sub regional powers could be further strengthened, and these new bodies made more
accountable
The implications of greater scrutiny powers for Councillors may be a process of formalisation rather than major
change for Nottingham, since our scrutiny function is already well advanced. Already Overview and Scrutiny
Committees look at a wide range of topics, covering Council and partner services but although statutorily they are
limited to the issues and priorities set out in our Local Area Agreement, the Committees look at a wider range of
issues including crime and community safety, climate change, training and employment, health and social care
and young people. This consultation considers widening the scope of scrutiny to cover all issues relevant to the
local area, services provided across boundaries, and to cover more organisations including utilities and transport
companies, which is already similar to how the Nottingham Overview and Scrutiny Committee works. For more
details contact Nancy Barnard, Acting Head of Overview and Scrutiny, on 915 4511.
The consultation asks whether councils have the right powers and responsibilities to help address climate
change, and invites views on proposals to give local authorities a greater role in tackling climate change such as
through local carbon budgets. The Government wants to see councils increasingly lead local action, including
reducing carbon emissions and adapting to the consequences of climate change. The intention is that new
freedoms and responsibilities will be delegated to councils to put in place plans that add value to national climate
change policy, and demonstrate local support. In Nottingham, the Nottingham Energy Partnership is leading on
developing an energy strategy for Nottingham and this will form a key element of Nottingham’s new climate
change strategy which is due to be refreshed and updated. Our Sustainable Community Strategy contains
challenging targets which include reducing Nottingham’s carbon emissions by 26% of 2005 levels by 2020, and
our Local Area Agreement includes a target to increasingly demonstrate that locally we are planning to adapt to
climate change. For more details contact Matt Easter, Sustainable Development Manager, 915 5450.
At a regional level, Local Authority Leaders’ Boards will be responsible for devising a regional strategy, in
cooperation with regional development agencies. This activity will be scrutinised by a Regional Select Committee.
In the East Midlands, our (shadow) Local Authority Leaders’ Board is set up, and its membership includes Cllr
Collins (Vice-Chair). For more details click here or contact Stuart Young, Executive Director of the East Midlands
Regional Assembly, on 01664 502559.
To download the consultation click here, or to read the LGiU briefing click here (Nottingham City Council
subscribes to the LGiU).
Future Jobs Fund
The council's Jobs Plan which is designed to help tackle worklessness and increase employment in the city, and
is part of the economic resilience work, has received a welcome boost. While visiting Nottingham Rosie
Winterton, Minister of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, announced that Nottingham
City Council has been successful in its bid for £6.5m from the government's Future Jobs Fund. An additional £4.2
million matched to the bid through the Working Neighbourhoods Fund has been pulled together by Nottingham
City Council and One Nottingham. This money will be used to create over 2000 job and training opportunities for
the long-term unemployed, young people aged between 18 and 24 and others who face significant disadvantage
in the labour market. For more details click here.
Consumer White Paper
This paper, A Better Deal for Consumers, sets out help for people in financial difficulties and longer term
measures to bolster confidence. The immediate help aims to help keep people in their homes, offer advice to
those in debt, and help vulnerable people cope with essential bills. The longer term measures include new
approach to consumer credit and aims to help consumers make better borrowing decisions. The paper proposes
a consumer advocate to co-ordinate work to educate consumers and help them get their money back when things
go wrong. As part of the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS), a Financial Inclusion Strategy is being
developed in Nottingham. For more information on the white paper click here or contact Lisa Black, Head of
Contact Centre and Welfare Rights, 915 4192.
Social Mobility
A report commissioned by the Prime Minister into social mobility has claimed that top professions such as
medicine and law are increasingly being closed off to all but the most affluent families. The report examined social
mobility and its importance for the economy and social justice in ensuring everyone has the chance to fulfil their
potential and secure the jobs of the future. In Nottingham our vision is that by 2030 we will break the intergenerational cycle of poverty that exists in too many communities by tackling causes not just symptoms through
early intervention, and achieve a new level of social mobility so that every child in the city can aspire to the same
heights. To read the report click here, or click here for the SCS, or click here for information on Early Intervention.
Prioritising need in the context of Putting People First
This is a consultation on the revision of the Fair Access to Care Services guidance, which is used to support
councils determine eligibility for social care services. The consultation is linked to the Future of Adult Social Care
consultation (see Policy Alert), and the Council will be responding to both consultations. For more information
click here.
Strategy for older people
The government has published Building a society for all ages, a new strategy for older people. The document sets
out the government’s long-term vision for a ‘society of all ages’ and the actions they intend to achieve it. Key
themes include recognising the importance of wider public services than just health and social care to older
people’s lives; and that local government has the prime role in ensuring the whole community and the rest of
public sector work together in delivering the vision set out in the strategy. For details click here.
ASB website
The Home Office has launched a new Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Action website, to help people locate their
local ASB team and to inform people about what is being done to tackle ASB locally. The website allows you to
compare levels of ASB in different areas and is part of a wider effort to support local partnerships tackle ASB. For
details click here. In Nottingham we have seen an encouraging improvement in the public’s perceptions of how
successfully we’re dealing with ASB. Compared to previous BVPI results, the Place Survey showed a reduction
from 42% to 28.9%, and in our family of Crime and Drugs Reduction Partnerships we are only slightly higher than
the family average of 25.7%. For more details on tackling ASB in Nottingham click here.
Public Spending Index
Ipsos MORI has launched the Public Spending Index, which looks in detail at the public’s views and priorities.
The research was conducted in June 2009 using telephone interviews. The findings, including a commentary,
charts, topline and tables, are available on the website – click here.
Looking ahead…
August is expected to be a relatively quiet month in terms of policy announcements, due to Parliament being in
recess.
All Policy Alerts, Policy Digests and City Bulletins are available on www.nomadplus.org.uk and the City Council
intranet – just search for ‘national policy updates’. Please send any feedback on these to Alice Coleman,
Partnership Policy Team, Tel 0115 915 4191, or email [email protected].
Note: This policy alert is for information only, and does not constitute official Nottingham City Council policy
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