Lewisham Peer Challenge Case Studies

Lewisham Peer Challenge Case Studies Contents 1. Aligning resources for children 2. Apprenticeships 3. Census research programme 4. Commissioning activities for young people 5. Community budget pilot 6. Community Connections 7. Deptford Lounge complex 8. Energy, climate change and fuel poverty 9. Forest Hill Pools 10.Glass Mill 11.The Green Man 12.The Housing Matters Programme 13.Invest 14.Lewisham Future Programme 15.Lewisham Hospital 16.Lewisham People’s Day 17.Lewisham Plus Credit Union 18.Local assemblies 19.Paying the London Living Wage 20.Love Lewisham 21.Neighbourhood planning 22.The North Lewisham Health Improvement Programme 23.Parking policy review 24.Parks and open spaces 25.Positive Ageing Council 26.Rushey Green talk days 27.Safeguarding services 28.Stonewall index 29.Supporting local businesses 30.Sydenham high street 31.Tackling rogue landlords 32.The Young Mayor 33.Trainee market traders scheme 34.Transforming our schools 35.Transforming the library service 36.We.Create 37.Welfare reform Aligning resources for children Targeting support and maximising outcomes
This case study is about the Joint commissioning approach across the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership, including schools, NHS, private and voluntary sector, and the police. This approach ensures the partnership is making every penny of funding for children count and drives all available resources to achieving partnership priorities. In 2011, the Council entered into a Section 75 Agreement for Children & Young People’s Services which enabled the formal joint commissioning of services between the Council and NHS Lewisham, with the Council as the lead commissioner for services and the host partner in respect of pooled funds. Following the creation of Clinical Commissioning Groups, the Section 75 Agreement is now with Lewisham CCG. By jointly commissioning services, the duplication of services between different agencies is avoided. Lewisham’s joint commissioning approach is based on a shared commitment that all money is children’s money and that all staff work for children. The services provided are constantly reviewed and reconfigured to ensure they are meeting the identified needs of children, young people and their families; and that the maximum impact for the collective resources available is achieved. Joint commissioning activities are led by a joint commissioning team that works to: •
Pool or align as many budgets as possible •
•
Identify how best to utilise the partnerships’ joint resources and secure efficient services and value for money Ensure evidence‐based resource allocation •
Drive up the quality of service provision •
Whilst a range of high quality universal services are provided, in the context of limited resources the focus of joint commissioning activity is on early intervention and the provision of targeted services. This ensures that children and young people who may have a problem, receive support quickly, their problems do not escalate, and the demand on costly specialist services is reduced. It also allows for better joint‐
working across different agencies and different elements of the Children’s partnership. For example, Lewisham has pioneered closer integration between Health Visiting and Children’s Centres, aligning their outcomes and priorities to ensure that all activity is moving families towards similar goals. This includes outcome‐focussed specifications with a payment by results model that only pays when outcomes are achieved. Data is regularly cross‐referenced to quality assure the services provided. Earlier this year matching was undertaken between Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) data and contact with individual children’s centres. This work has evidenced children’s centre interventions leading to a higher likelihood of children achieving a Good Level of Development. Children who had more than six contacts with Downderry Children’s Centre for example, had a 10.6% increased likelihood of achieving a ‘Good Level of Development’ at 2013 EYFSP against the Lewisham average and 26.6% against the national average. Re‐shape services and budgets, where appropriate, to deliver improved outcomes. 1
Apprenticeships Supporting on the job training for young people Skills are acquired in areas such as accounting, regeneration, communication, community arts management, food and drink, construction, health and social care, horticulture, housing, physical fitness, IT, plumbing, project management, technical theatre and youth work. Jessica Seal – Lewisham Apprentice This case study is about the Council’s apprenticeship programme, which provides opportunities to young people aged between 16‐
24 years. The programme supports departments where managers want to safeguard the future skill set of their staff by offering training opportunities to younger employees (e.g. Finance). It also targets those with high agency staff usage, high staff turnover or a higher age profile. Lewisham also secures opportunities via our partner organisations. We are now being approached by local businesses, who increasingly express an interest in recruiting via our scheme. The programme was launched in 2009, and as of August 2014, 330 apprentices have started working for the Council and partner organisations such as Lewisham Homes, The Albany, Rhubarb and Custard, and Phoenix Housing. The continued success and creation of our borough‐wide apprenticeships underlines the commitment made by the Mayor of Lewisham to ‘back young people’ as one of his ten Mayoral priorities. The programme provides key opportunities for young people to gain valuable transferable skills whilst on‐the‐job. There have been over 30 different frameworks (i.e. areas of study) for apprentices to choose from over the lifecycle of the programme. “My apprenticeship within the Public Health team has motivated me to make a difference within my community, starting with the stigma and boundaries around sexual health and mental health. I have contributed to these areas of work in various events, schools, colleges and youth clubs, as well as attending further training courses delivered and accredited by Mental Health England.” Jessica Seal The Council has been widely recognised for its apprenticeship programme: • London Council Apprenticeship Awards (Winner 2011; Runner‐up 2013) Shortlisted 2014 – Best contribution by a new apprentice; best manager or mentor; best work with supply chains and small businesses. • Public Sector People Management Association Award (Winner, 2012) ‐ Best recruitment partnership project. As of June 2014, 73 per cent of apprentices were still in employment following the completion of their apprenticeship. 2
Census research programme
Identifying the local demands of a changing population This case study is about the intelligent use of 2011 Census data to better understand the current and future demands of Lewisham’s population, on the Council’s services. In response to the wealth of localised Census data that has been released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a Census research programme was established in the Autumn of 2012. This consists of a series of project groups resourced from across the Council, each with a specialised area of focus. The objective is the ongoing use of Census data to provide fresh and unique insights into Lewisham’s population. The intelligence‐gathering work of the Census research programme underpins Shaping our future, Lewisham’s Sustainable Community Strategy, which looks ahead to 2020 and explores how Lewisham will change and develop over this period. The programme also supports the Council’s Corporate Priorities through the analysis of Census data across the following nine thematic areas: 1. Understanding Lewisham’s Residents 2. The Service User 3. Health and Social Care 4. Housing and Planning 5. Employment and the Economy 6. Poverty and Social Care 7. Engagement and Participation 8. Sustainability and Environment 9. Education and Skills The work of the project groups runs in synergy with the Census data releases from ONS. Examples of outputs produced by the programme to date include the following: ƒ A Borough Profile has been published to provide context for service planning, and forecasting future demand. ƒ Profiles have been created across nine specific service user types, for use in service transformation initiatives. ƒ Resource forecasting for the Waste Strategy has been completed by looking at household composition by tenure, to anticipate waste generation in new builds. ƒ House price analysis has identified inconsistent rises by property type, and the unique challenges faced by those trying to move from flats to houses. This is informing the council’s Strategic Housing Market Assessment and the commissioning activity of the South East London Housing Partnership. ƒ Analysis of economic activity identified the higher proportion of over 50’s claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance, for over 12 months. This has informed, Lewisham’s Work and Skills Strategy ‐ Building Bridges to Work, and activities by HR concerning employability. ƒ The Council’s guidance for staff undertaking community engagement has been updated to include ward data on English proficiency, household language, and national identity. ƒ Change between 2001 and 2011 Census data on some key demographic attributes e.g. age, ethnicity, disability and country of birth has been used to provide baseline comparisons for the Council’s equalities monitoring policy. ƒ Census data which revealed lower than average car ownership, and greater reliance on public transport for journeys to work, has led to a restrained approach to car parking provision within Lewisham’s Core Strategy, and further work with the providers of local transport infrastructure. 3
Commissioning activities for young people A ‘youth friendly’ approach to commissioning “As a young person we were allowed to be involved, to give our own opinions for what we want in the community” – focus group participant
The focus groups were run by trained facilitators and a local charity supported the Council to conduct inclusive sessions for young people with disabilities alongside their parents/carers, and a range of Young people assessing and scoring bids communication techniques including Makaton were This case study is about involving young people in used. In total, 71 young people took part in 31 focus groups (19 open access and 12 targeted for harder to deciding what youth service provision to reach young people and young people with special commission in Lewisham, in support of the corporate priority: Young people’s achievement and needs and/or a disability). involvement: Raising educational attainment and The young people worked as a team to answer six improving facilities for young people through questions based on the same questions used by partnership working. Council commissioners and score each proposal out of ten. They young people’s scoring made up 15% of a In 2012 local third sector organisations were asked bid’s overall score and therefore had a significant to put forward applications for the funding of influence on whether organisations would be activities for children and young people between successful or not. As a result the activities the ages of 8 and 18. The activities to be commissioned reflected the needs expressed by focus commissioned were not specified and could be anything from sports clubs to creative activities. The group participants. idea was that the sector was better placed than the At the conclusion of the commissioning process, all Council to identify the types of activities young the young people that took part received a certificate people might want. for their efforts. The youth service also undertook to write references for any young person wishing to put The Council was also keen to ensure that young their involvement in the process towards achieving a people themselves were directly involved in the commissioning process. Organisations applying for Duke of Edinburgh Award, ASDAN qualification, or similar. funding were therefore asked to submit a second ‘young person friendly’ application alongside their formal application, which spoke directly to young “Personally I would do this again, people. This was compulsory and failure to include as I feel as if my voice and a youth friendly proposal meant the application opinions are really being heard. would be rejected. And I feel like a proper Citizen in Lewisham Borough” – focus Local youth organisations were invited to nominate group participant up to two young people to take part in a series of focus groups which would look at the youth‐friendly applications and score them. 4
Community budget pilot Creating a single back to work system in Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark This case study is about the Council working with two neighbouring boroughs, Lambeth and Southwark, to set up a new integrated support‐
into‐work service as part of a community budget pilot. The vision for this service is to create support for our most vulnerable residents to find employment, with the three boroughs working with local colleges, Jobcentre Plus, Skills Funding Agency, work programme providers, housing providers, businesses and the voluntary sector. The service is being created in response to need. Despite the boroughs’ location in London, which has the fastest growing economy in the country, there are 90,000 people on working age benefits in the area covered by the three councils, representing 15% of the working age population; and approximately 6% of residents have never worked. Through insight gained from intensive engagement of people claiming benefits, it has been demonstrated that the existing pathways and commissioned provision doesn’t just need a redesign, but transformation. So far the community budget pilot has focused on three areas. Establishing a ‘front‐end’ for universal credit: Establishing a framework of support for individuals as they transition onto Universal Credit to include digital inclusion and budgeting advice (many residents will require more advanced budgeting skills, functioning bank accounts, access to the internet and digital skills in order to effectively manage their Universal Credit claims) and support into employment. Employability and skills: Understanding the skills levels of residents and the barriers to further developing those skills; working with providers to ensure residents have best possible access to quality skills provision; and understanding future skills demand so residents can be connected to future jobs and growth sectors. Pathways into employment: Understanding the barriers to employment faced by residents, mapping existing employment support across the three boroughs; developing proposals that deliver a more cost‐effective, quality employment pathway that delivers sustainable job outcomes based on research into the national work programme versus local employment support. To test and implement these new pathways a three year transition plan has been outlined with work beginning September 2014: Phase 1: Prototype new pathways. The new pathways will be piloted alongside the old. Embedded analysis will generate insight into what works. The expectation is that the new pathways will commission new providers in the voluntary and community sectors. Phase 2: Scale out new pathways for new cohorts This phase will widen the scale of new pathways across the three boroughs, enabling the decommissioning of existing localized provision. Further development of governance and financial will allow the integration of welfare, employment and skills with the health system. Phase 3: Transformation model in full implementation With the new model in place, residents out of work will get the right intervention at the right time helping them on their own journey into work and into a career, this model will be fully integrated with health, probation and other local services. Support will be delivered by a diverse mix of public, private and voluntary providers that meet the specific needs of individuals. 5
Community Connections
Helping the community to help itself This case study is about Community Connections, a preventative community development programme that is taking place across Lewisham over an 18 month period. This programme is supporting Lewisham Council to realign its model of social care to increase the focus on prevention and community based support. Neighbourhood teams of health and social care professionals are being developed around GP practices to provide person centred care. The Council recognises the important role of the voluntary and community sector within this model to ensure there is a whole system approach to improving outcomes for vulnerable adults. The Community Connections programme is working with individuals and organisations to realise the potential within communities to encourage and enable people to stay independent for longer. It is doing this by connecting people to existing services and working with the voluntary and community sector to develop new services to meet identified needs. The programme is focused on those people who are on the threshold of requiring support from social care services and those at the point of receiving those services to prevent their needs escalating. The Community Connections programme is being delivered through a consortium led by Age UK Lewisham and Southwark and includes Voluntary Action Lewisham, Carers Lewisham and Lewisham Disability Coalition. Funding of £492,000 has been allocated by the Council in support of this programme. Since its launch in November 2013, Community Connections has supported over 280 people to improve their health and wellbeing. The majority of service users have reported that they feel more engaged with their community. Some service users are now volunteering in the community as a result of their involvement in the project. The Community Connections project has also supported community and voluntary sector organisations to develop their services to meet identified needs. Service users have also been supported to set up their own community groups. Community Connections has also: ƒ Maintained a regularly updated blog that signposts services, activities and opportunities for community involvement. ƒ Visited the Lewisham Speaking Up ‘Big Parliament’ to give an overview of the many activities that community groups and organisations offer in Lewisham and to identify new skills or activities that people would like to learn. ƒ Worked directly with the Practice Patient Group (PPG) at the South Lewisham Health Centre to deliver a Well Being event, and increase the current health information held at the Centre for over 14,000 patients and the wider community. ƒ Delivered a launch event which included workshops on reaching out to vulnerable people, volunteering and sustainable transport solutions and provided a chance to meet people that the programme has been working with or supporting across the borough. 6
Deptford Lounge complex
A community hub in the heart of Deptford This case study is about the delivery of an innovative set of buildings – the £27 million Deptford Lounge complex – which has revolutionised the delivery of services to Deptford citizens, and is seen by the Council as a new civic focus for the area. Considerable emphasis has been placed on creating a space that belongs to the community and serves their needs. This was carried through into work with stakeholders prior to, and during, construction, ensuring that they were effectively engaged and given the opportunity to help regenerate their area. One of the unique characteristics of the Deptford Lounge complex is the co‐located space, delivering the following provisions: A local library; a two‐form entry primary school with special educational needs unit; and community offices and a range of community hire facilities with a café. The purpose of this co‐location is to deliver measurable benefits, including: ƒ Revenue savings: Property disposal and co‐
located council services. ƒ Easier access to services: A greater range of adult education, community and leisure classes at a single point of contact. ƒ Greater satisfaction with various services to meet peoples needs. ƒ On going efficiencies: Facilities management costs and improved ways of working. ƒ Increased community cohesion: Good community cohesion through a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities. ƒ Strengthened ownership of community assets and increased involvement in decision making. The Lounge also offers a programme of creative events, in partnership with the Albany, South East London’s leading arts centre situated a two minute walk from Deptford Lounge in Douglas Way. With a focus on community led partnerships and local enterprise through learning and participation, this unique partnership brings to the area an engaging blend of performance and creativity through an imaginative use of space. In addition, the Albany lead on the hiring out of spaces in the building, working towards income generation that will enable the building to be self sufficient. Community groups have benefited from the finished complex, with shared areas accessible to the community. The lounge acts as a hub that brings together local people and transforms the area at night from a previously intimidating environment to a safer, more welcoming space. This is achieved through a combination of design (large glass windows that connect the inside space to the street and square) and long opening hours ( (i.e. 08:00‐22:00 on weekdays). The potential benefits from the complex are large, including impacts on local health employment and school attainment, as well as inspiring positive engagement with and amongst citizens through a sense of pride and place. Indeed, initial visitor statistics have indicated that the new library in the lounge has seen a 60 – 70 per cent increase in visitors (March 2012). The more immediate impact of the project has been buildings that deliver a positive experience for the local community. This is due to a combination of the services it provides and the aesthetic appeal. In the longer term, new housing in the area will increase the use of the Lounge complex and further unlock its potential as a community hub. 7
Energy, climate change and fuel poverty Supporting both residents and local businesses This case study is about the Council’s achievements on energy and fuel poverty. In recent years funding for fuel poverty and energy efficiency work has been piecemeal and, as the focus moves to more expensive energy efficiency solutions, increasingly complex. Lewisham Council has put in place a long‐term partnership with Osborne Energy to help us respond quickly to funding opportunities and create an ongoing offer to residents. The Council’s achievements on energy and fuel poverty in the last 3 years include: ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
Over £4m external funding improving the energy efficiency of residents’ homes. 2,000 Lewisham Homes’ residents in ‘hard to treat’ properties getting insulation. 4,000 properties receiving loft and cavity wall insulation through the Lewisham Insulation Partnership. Area‐based programmes in Catford, Perry Vale and Lewisham Central helping over 3,000 households and installing over 10,000 low cost energy measures. Sir Steve Bullock inspects installation of cavity wall insulation works In July 2014 Lewisham Council launched a new offer to residents combining Government Green Deal Funding, energy supplier money and European funding. The offer aims to support: The partnership with Osborne Energy is based on a competitively tendered OJEU compliant Framework that can also be used by other local authorities and social housing providers in South East London. Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley Councils have made use of the Framework. The partnership model helps generate residents’ trust through the Council’s association and the accredited supply chain. It is also an opportunity for local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) including scaffolding companies, heating engineers, builders and insulation companies to be part of the delivery. ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
825 households to access more expensive measures such as solid wall insulation. 30 local SMEs given a diagnostic assessment to allow them to benefit the local supply chain. 50 local SMEs provided with support and accreditation to allow them to gain skills and accreditation. Training courses at LeSoCo (Lewisham College) for residents and SMEs to help create supply chain capacity locally. Lewisham’s Warm Homes Healthy People project has run for the last four years delivering targeted support for 400‐500 households each winter. The project works closely with front line staff on health, social care and third sector organisations, offering them training and allowing them to refer clients based on their professional judgement not a set of rules and conditions. 8
Forest Hill Pools Improving the community’s leisure facilities This case study is about the £8.9m regeneration of Forest Hill Pools which was reopened in September 2012. When the old Forest Hill Pools was shut in 2006 due to health and safety concerns about the original Victorian building which housed the pools, there was uncertainty over the future of swimming facilities in Forest Hill. Three options were available, a refurbishment, a rebuild or the relocation to a new site altogether. A strong community campaign to keep the facilities in Forest Hill was listened to and after a comprehensive public consultation between April – May 2009, the decision was taken by Lewisham Council to rebuild onsite. The public had legitimate concerns over how the new building design would retain some of the original features of the Victorian building whilst still housing a modern leisure centre. An innovative solution was developed, with the original Victorian frontage forming the main entrance and reception, and the rest of the facilities housed in a new wrap‐around building. The new building enabled the facilities at the pool to be upgraded and expanded. They now include: •
State of the art gym •
25m swimming pool •
16m Learner pool •
Group exercise studios •
Café •
Community and meeting room •
New “pocket park” landscape around the new building and extended along Dartmouth Road providing a public open space •
Facilities and access for those people with disabilities. •
Disabled parking •
Drop off area for vehicles The community rooms are available for use by borough residents and can be booked for a variety of functions which serve the community. The pool is run with a commitment to involving the community in its day‐to‐day operation. User forums held every three months give users the opportunity to raise and issues and shape future services, as well as keep up to date on any developments or service changes that might be scheduled. The group exercise studios at Forest Hill Pools host a variety of different classes such as aerobics, yoga, pilates, and Zumba. All of these classes are available to the public without a membership on a ‘pay to play’ basis. Saxon Crown Swimming Club have regular swims at Forest Pools and there is even a Underwater Hockey Club who meet once a week. As part of the Mayor of Lewisham’s promotion of healthy lifestyles, free swimming has been secured in Lewisham for 15 years. This is available at any swimming pool in Lewisham – including Forest Hill Pools – for any Lewisham resident aged 16 years and under, over the age of 60, as well as for any Lewisham resident who is receiving disability benefits. The popularity of Forest Hill Pools is clear; between the period April 2013 – April 2014 an average of more than 500 under 16s and more than 400 over 60s used Forest Hill Pools each month. 9
Glass Mill Design quality and the public realm This case study is about the Council’s newest leisure centre – Glass Mill – which opened in the summer of 2013. It is the culmination of the Council’s leisure investment strategy. The design of the Glass Mill project was won in a competition and has been based on delivering the best affordable quality internally and externally. This high quality public facility has been delivered by Barratt London at no cost to the Council, through the creation of a private and public sector partnership. The building and development is playing a key part in the creation of a new neighbourhood in Lewisham town centre. It connects the park, riverside, road and new plaza to the transportation interchange and Lewisham town centre. It maximises the site potential by: ƒ Utilising the whole site. ƒ Giving premium location to the Glass Mill. ƒ Creating a new public place. ƒ Ensuring that the Glass Mill was placed in exactly the right location for people. Whilst leisure centres of this type are normally high energy users, a low energy sustainable solution has been developed here, making it one of the best in the country. This has been achieved through the utilisation of: ƒ High levels of thermal insulation. ƒ Reduced external wall area. ƒ Fully sealed building. ƒ High level of energy / heat recovery. ƒ Reuse of water. ƒ Community heating system. ƒ Natural daylighting. In addition to energy efficiency, Glass Mill has delivered benefits for the wider public: •
•
•
•
•
1,200 members signed up in the first three weeks, well beyond initial expectations. The Centre has been averaging about 30,000 visits per month. Many features have been designed to make the Glass Mill user‐friendly to disabled residents, including: ‐ Moveable floors ‐ Accessible changing cubicles ‐ Signage for the visually impaired Saxon Crown swimming club have been given new office facilities in the Centre. A local catering company – Rhubarb & Custard – were supported by the Council in their successful application to run the Glass Mill’s café. In February 2014, Glass Mill won the award for ‘Best Build Project – Community Scale’ at the London Planning Awards, which recognise and reward best practice in planning in the capital. Judges commended Glass Mill for its “transformational impact on the wider area, benefits to the local community, design and ingenuity”. This is the fifth Lewisham Council project which has received a London Planning Award in the past five years. 10
The Green Man Creating a community hub This case study is about the redevelopment of a disused pub to create a vibrant and thriving community hub and assist some of the most vulnerable residents in the community: those in food poverty and the unemployed. In August 2010 Phoenix Community Housing (a resident‐led housing association which owns and manages over 6,300 homes transferred from the Council) acquired the Green Man site as part of a an innovative barter agreement with London & Quadrant (L&Q) Housing Association. This saw some of their land pass to L&Q for development into homes for local people in return for a site for their Headquarters and a community hub. The Green Man site, which had stood empty for seven years before Phoenix Community Housing acquired it, was officially opened in December 2013. It provides the local community with: • A training kitchen • Café • Branch of the Lewisham Plus Credit Union • A variety of training courses • Advice and Information Hub run by Lewisham Citizens Advice Bureau and Advice Lewisham • Business units • Community facilities and spaces. Training and employment Phoenix and the Council see the Green Man as being integral to efforts to stimulate economic regeneration in the south Lewisham area. The hub offers 1 to 1 training and support to college leavers, local people wishing to start their own business and small local established businesses. Events held to foster economic regeneration include Business Breakfasts, where aspiring entrepreneurs are given advice and support to make their business a success and signposted to information about the business support on offer in Lewisham and surrounding boroughs. Increasing cooking skills at the training kitchen The Green Man has a state of the art training kitchen, committed to encouraging and developing positive attitudes towards food and a balanced diet. The training kitchen, provided by the Council, supports awareness, skills and menu development in cooking for catering staff and school pupils. It also helps local young people gain useful employment skills; provides courses to help residents better understand food and nutrition; offers volunteering opportunities; and works in partnership with community groups to increase cooking skills and healthy eating practices. Tackling food poverty The hub also works closely with the Whitefoot and Downham Community Food + Project to help reduce hunger and food poverty, and their damaging impact on health. This community based project supports people who are experiencing hardship and poverty, by providing food, housing support, health advice, employment advice, debt advice, and family support. 11
The Housing Matters Programme Delivering new social housing and improving existing stock This case study is about the Council’s Housing Matters programme which was established in 2012 to address the two major housing challenges facing the borough: the need to invest in existing social housing to bring it up to modern standards and the shortfall in overall social housing supply. In 2012, 55 per cent of the Council’s housing stock did not meet the Decent Homes standard. It was also predicted that over the next 20 years the mismatch between new households forming in Lewisham and the projected supply of new housing could be as much as 15,000 units, with the shortage of social housing being particularly acute. Housing Supply is a critical issue in London. London Councils estimates that 80,000 homes need to be built in London every year to meet both the backlog of housing need and demand associated with population growth. However the average number of completions in London (2010‐14) was 17,000 homes per year. The South East London Housing Partnership have recently updated their Strategic Housing Market Assessment and early indications are that there is currently a net annual need for 1,144 new affordable homes in Lewisham each year to meet existing and new demand. In terms of social housing, more than 8,000 residents are awaiting a council home but over the past four years the number of lets available to the council has fallen by nearly half. In order to address these two challenges and meet the Sustainable Community Strategy priority Clean, green and liveable: where people live in high quality housing and can care for and enjoy their environment, the Housing Matters programme: •
Delivered a full legal and technical appraisal of how the available options for the ownership and management of Council homes might enable greater investment and improve housing services. •
Consulted residents on each of the options and after considering over 2000 residents’ views collected as part of Your Home, Your View, agreed to consult further on two options: retaining the ALMO and creating a resident‐led organisation. •
Developed options for improving existing social housing stock, especially housing for older residents. •
Launched the New Homes, Better Places programme, a joint initiative between Lewisham Council and Lewisham Homes to deliver a number of new build social housing schemes, primarily using “in‐fill” development capacity on Council owned land, with the aim of delivering 500 new homes by 2017. The programme will also support the development of new homes by registered social landlords by releasing sites or providing finance to make new developments viable. A key milestone was reached in February 2014, when work started on the first of the new build social housing schemes. The houses being built in Lee will be the first council homes to be built in Lewisham in almost 30 years and the standards of construction will be very high. In particular, the homes will be highly energy efficient with solar panels, triple glazed windows and high specification ventilation systems. Looking forward the Council is developing a mixed tenure strategy for future phases of development, using the money generated by selling a proportion of properties to fund additional social rented homes; and developing models for intermediate tenures. Two new specialised housing schemes for older people are also being developed which will see 111 homes for older people built by the end of 2016. Existing homes are also being improved. In 2011 Lewisham was awarded £94.5 million of Decent Homes funding over 4 years ‐ the second highest settlement in England. So far over 3,000 homes have been brought up to the Decent Homes Standard. It is estimated that by March 2015 the percentage of the Council’s housing stock not meeting the Decent Homes standard will have fallen to 19%, with all homes meeting the standard by the end of 2018. 12
Invest
Developing people, improving services, saving money This case study is about the Invest programme that has been developed by staff, for staff. The proposition behind Invest was for individuals to commit time for their own professional development. The programme created a means to manage that time, and for it to become a resource to benefit the whole Council. The Invest programme was developed by a group of participants in the Council’s management development programme, with the help of the Learning and Development Team. When the group finished their training they wanted to carry on learning and developing, but they realised that in the current climate there wouldn’t be many opportunities to use the skills they had learned. Feeling that other staff across the Council would be facing a similar situation, they developed the Invest programme, which was then approved by the Executive Management Team. The key objectives of the Invest programme are to: ƒ Offer all staff, including managers, the opportunity to develop new skills and gain new experiences by taking on projects in other parts of the Council. ƒ Offer managers the opportunity to gain additional resource to undertake or support work within their service area. ƒ Develop staff and support internal succession planning and internal promotions. ƒ Support service improvement and save the council money. ƒ Develop the networking and learning culture across the organisation. ƒ Develop exciting new ideas to meet the needs of the organisation and its residents. ƒ Improve staff morale and motivation. Since the programme launch in October 2011, Invest has provided organisational gains in three key areas: 1. Developing people 75 council employees have participated in, or are currently participating in projects. 2. Improving services 50 projects or pieces of work have been completed as part of the INVEST scheme including: 9 tenant interviews for the decant of Milford Towers housing estate in Catford. 9 support for the redesign of the children with complex needs service. 9 leading on Census data analysis projects which have directly informed high‐level strategic planning. 3. Saving money As a direct result of Invest projects the organisation has saved money. As an example: 9 a minimum of £12,300 has been saved on recruitment of temporary staff. Invest has delivered value to the Council over and above the examples detailed above. The programme has tested new ways of working, pushing boundaries in the process, and harnessing the resourcefulness of the Council’s greatest asset, its staff. 13
Lewisham Future Programme Building a better borough for the next decade This case study is about the Council’s organisational approach to delivering savings of almost £85 million by 2018. This is the equivalent of approximately £1 in every £3 that we currently spend. The Lewisham Future programme has been set‐up to oversee this savings process, and to help manage delivery of the necessary changes to services or functions within the scope of the programme. The Programme focuses on the areas of greatest spend, recognising that in many consecutive years of spending reductions even greater innovation, focus on the customer, and cross‐
cutting thinking is required to deliver savings whilst attempting to minimise the impact on residents and customers of Lewisham. Work to date has focused on developing options via 18 service and cross‐cutting based reviews, each led by Heads of Service across the organisation. Each review has been provided an indicative target to help frame the scale of change needed. These targets are set between 10‐40% of the net budget and 5‐25% of the gross budget. Within these reviews staff, service users, stakeholders and members are working collaboratively to generate ideas for change and develop firm proposals to meet their respective savings targets over the four year period. The Lewisham Future Programme Board was established to manage delivery of these changes and to develop options for the Mayor and Council to consider. The board is chaired by the Chief Executive and consists of all Executive Directors plus the Head of Corporate Resources and the Head of Service Design and Customer Insight. The Board has initiated, assessed and challenged a range of possible savings options. From these options a number of work strands have been identified, £8m of savings agreed and further provisional savings proposals totalling £31m to 2017/18 are being drawn up. Of these, approximately £21m relate to the 2015/16 financial year. The Chief Executive is also undertaking a near‐zero based budget challenge process with Heads of Service which may lead to further savings proposals. In addition to the above, officers are looking at measures to reduce demand through existing service strategies and approaches being developed as part of the Lewisham Future Programme. New cross‐Council activity monitoring and forecasting is being introduced so that the major risks in this area can be tracked and early action taken to address them. The activity data being monitored is as follows: • Children in care • Children on remand • Special Education Needs transport • Families with No Recourse to Public Funds • Families in Temporary Accommodation • Adults receiving home in residential settings and at home • Waste tonnages. Our role as a Council is to help people and communities improve the quality of their lives through investing in good quality, cost effective public services and we have a great track record in doing that. Our continuing challenge is to reduce our costs further, be more productive in how we work, and build a better borough for the next decade. The Lewisham Future Programme provides the organisational focus to meet this challenge. 14
Lewisham Hospital Protecting a highly effective local healthcare provider This case study is about working with the local community to mount a successful campaign to protect University Hospital Lewisham from having some of its key services downgraded. Improving residents’ health and wellbeing is a priority objective within the Sustainable Community Strategy, one that all partners work towards, and one which was central to this campaign. Lewisham Hospital is a highly effective general district hospital in both clinical and financial terms and a key Council partner. It has provided community health services since 2010, facilitating the vertical integration of acute and community services and creating stronger links with the Council’s social care services. The Hospital also made a key contribution Save Lewisham Hospital campaign – victory poster to Lewisham’s achievement of an ‘outstanding’ rating for Children’s Services in March 2012. decision in the courts, arguing that the decision was In October 2012 the Trust Special Administrator (TSA) beyond the powers set out in the Unsustainable for the South London Healthcare NHS Trust published Provider Regime. The Council felt that the serious detriment that would occur to the people of Lewisham
a report which included proposals affecting University Hospital Lewisham, which was not part of should the changes proceed, justified committing significant officer time and financial resources to that Trust. The proposals would have a huge impact on local residents because emergency care would no pursuing legal proceedings. The Challenge was supported by the “Save Lewisham Hospital” campaign
longer be provided at the hospital and there would be either reduced critical care or no critical care for The local community were keen to support a legal women requiring hospital admission during challenge with donations to the “Save Lewisham pregnancy or an obstetric‐led delivery. Local residents were very concerned and a “Save Lewisham Hospital” legal fund topping £20,000 and contribution
to the Council’s Legal Challenge Fund reaching £9,237
Hospital” public campaign was launched. This is testament to the level of local concern about the proposed changes. After taking independent expert opinion on the TSA report and analysing the likely impact of the As a result of the legal action the decision was proposed changes on Council services and local residents, elected members agreed at a joint meeting overturned. A subsequent appeal by the Secretary of State failed and the Council’s Head of Law was of Mayor & Cabinet, the Healthier Communities shortlisted for the Law Society Excellence Awards 201
Select Committee and the Overview and Scrutiny in recognition of her meticulous work on the Business Panel to respond robustly to the campaign. consultation on the report and challenge the assumptions and processes employed by the TSA. In responding robustly to the TSA Proposals, and in facilitating others to do so, an important local When the Secretary of State for Health accepted the healthcare provision was safeguarded and the Counci
TSA proposals the Council challenged his met its commitment to deliver community leadership
and empowerment. 15
Lewisham People’s Day Celebrating a sense of community This case study is about bringing the local community together at south east London’s favourite free festival – Lewisham People’s Day. In July, over 20,000 people came to Mountsfield Park to help celebrate the 30th successive year in which the Council has hosted this event. The aim of Lewisham People’s Day is to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience. This is achieved through a range of fun activities, the presence of stalls and displays sharing local information, and a programme of professional and community performances. This year, 130 artists or groups took part with an excess of 1,000 individual performers. All four Council directorates play an active role in the day with 24 Council services taking the opportunity to showcase what they have to offer to local residents. However the day is also used as a platform for promoting partnership working and the real success of the event depends on the wide range of public, private and voluntary sectors taking part. For example, this year over 80 voluntary and community organisations had a presence at the event. The People’s Day team is continually receiving feedback from visitors and partners and looking for ways to improve the event. For example, in 2014 a British Sign Language interpreter was available on the information point to assist the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. New stages and site layout were introduced in the park to improve navigation and lessen congestion, and online booking was provided to make it easier for participants to get involved. Feedback on the 30th Lewisham People’s Day has been very positive: “Once again it was a great day and we picked up a number of referrals for our employment and youth programme” ‐ Paul Nehra, Community Investment Manager, L&Q. “Thanks for all your support with the breastfeeding tent. We had some great conversations with parents about our support services” ‐ Smita Hanciles, Infant Nutrition, Public Health Lewisham. “Thank you for a wonderful day. Very well organised, super facilities great music and food, everything was excellent. Everyone there had a great time and everyone left smiling. Lewisham People's Day is a credit to the events team and Lewisham and an envy to the other boroughs” ‐ Juan Carlos Frietman, local resident. 16
Lewisham Plus Credit Union Preventing financial exclusion This case study is about Lewisham Council’s work with its partner: Lewisham Plus Credit Union (LPCU), a community co‐operative encouraging saving and providing access to credit for people living or working in Lewisham. In August 2012 Lewisham Council was selected as a pilot site to develop and test local approaches for providing support to residents transitioning to Universal Credit. Anticipating that these changes might cause difficulty to some residents who receive multiple benefits, Lewisham Council in conjunction with LPCU, decided to set up a Budget Account to help customers manage monthly payments such as rent and utility bills, and transfer money to a separate account for day‐to‐day living. Lewisham Council provided the funds to set up the first 100 accounts. The accounts in the pilot have been targeted at Lewisham’s most vulnerable residents who are at risk of getting into a spiral of debt. The pilot has been a great success and will be made available to all customers who qualify, once Universal credit is rolled out nationally. Mrs S, one of the first members to use the Budget account said: “I have always struggled to budget my finances and liked the idea of the money being managed for me, helping me budget. My budget account has helped me understand how I manage my money and I now have savings for the first time ever. I set the account up in February and can’t believe the difference it’s made to me.” From April 2013 emergency loans became the responsibility of Local Authorities. Lewisham Council teamed up with LCPU to help administer these. Emergency loans are now issued using Pre‐
paid cards which provide a rapid way of getting cash to those in who are in an acute need. Sir Steve Bullock with the LCPU team The Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock has championed the work of LPCU, not least because it provides a viable alternative to pay day loans companies. Sir Steve has been vocal in his support of Lewisham’s credit unions. Speaking on a visit to LCPU on International Credit Union Day, Sir Steve said: “I want people to be aware that there are much better alternatives. In Lewisham we have two local credit unions that offer great value loans as well as ethical savings that are fully protected.” The number of people in the community that use LPCU has been steadily growing. In the 2012 – 2013 financial year: • Membership grew to 7,972 adults (up by 840) and 1,545 juniors. • Savings increased by over £670,00 to £3.15m for adults and £0.22m for juniors, a 25% increase. • Over £1.8m in loans were granted, an increase of £0.1m over 2011‐2012 financial year. • Credit Union Current Account: 2,154 members have a current account, a net increase of 189. • Over 200 members were using the Credit Union Current Account Card. • Pre‐paid cards: 75 cards were issued – many of these were used to pay emergency local loans for residents • 1% dividends were paid for adults and 2% for juniors. 17
Local assemblies
Listening to the voices of a community This case study is about the positive opportunities for civic engagement provided by the many local assemblies across Lewisham. Local assemblies are open meetings where residents and others decide how to improve their area. Assemblies provide opportunities to: • Discuss what matters to local people. • Work with councillors and others to shape the future of the neighbourhood. • Find out what is happening in the ward. • Consider how funding available to the ward is spent. There are 18 local assemblies in Lewisham, one for each ward. Anyone who lives, works or studies in each ward is encouraged to attend. Meetings take place up to four times a year, and are chaired by a councillor. In 2013‐14, almost 1,000 people attended a local assembly meeting. Targeted engagement or alternative approaches are also used by local assemblies to ensure that all people are given equal opportunities to share their opinions on local issues and priorities. This may include outreach work, or participation outside of the traditional meeting environment. with under‐represented groups (e.g. Black African residents and young people). The assembly works with the Council, voluntary sector, police, the wider community and others to discuss what the priorities are for the ward, to develop an action plan to improve their area, and to make real change happen. To assist them in doing this an Assembly Fund has been set up. This is a budget allocated to each ward to help meet the local assembly priorities. The fund may also be used as ‘seed’ funding to attract other sources of finance. In 2014‐15, there is £15,000 available for each ward. Below is a selection of what has been achieved by local people through their involvement in their assembly: • A group of Sydenham and Bellingham residents helped improve their local park after it had long since been a haven for anti‐social behaviour, gang activity and crime. • A Scout group helped clean up a neglected war memorial in Grove Park, which the Grove Park Assembly had identified as needing renovation. • Lee Green Assembly celebrated the hard work of its residents when a vacant shop unit in Leegate shopping centre was opened for community use. • Downham Tamil Association worked with its local assembly to share Tamil cultural activities with the whole community. • A coalition of local parents in Telegraph Hill came together to create a skate area for young people to play. • Forest Hill Assembly worked with the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve to provide illustrative signage on various aspects of the flora, fauna and history of the nature reserve and to fund a community built green‐oak garden building with a living roof. • A number of local assemblies have given funding for young people to take part in sailing activities at the AHOY Centre. 18
Paying the London Living Wage Ensuring all employees receive a fair salary for providing public services This case study is about paying a fair wage to all council employees and becoming one of the first London boroughs to be accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Lewisham adopted the London Living Wage (LLW) in 2009 and was accredited in 2012. Whatever their role, Lewisham Council seeks to ensure that every member of staff is valued and remunerated on a fair and just basis. It is for this reason that the Council pays all its employees (apart from apprentices on learning contracts) at least the LLW. Low wages cause poverty and this can have a massive impact on individuals and their families, contributing to ill‐health, inadequate housing and reduced life chances. It is therefore important that thr Council is an exemplar for other local employers in terms of paying a fair wage. Contractors In addition to paying the LLW to directly employed staff, the Council requires payment of the LLW by its contractors, wherever it is lawful to do so. This means that contracted workers, many of whom are providing frontline, essential services from street sweeping to caring for some of the most vulnerable people in the community, also receive a fair wage for providing council services. Lewisham uses the variant route in relation to the LLW. When letting a contract, if it is ascertained that staff are paid below the LLW level, then the contract is priced on two levels (with or without the LLW) and the award report gives the Mayor & Cabinet the option to award on the basis of including the LLW. To date, all contracts where LLW pricing has been provided, the Mayor has accepted the LLW option. “I am very proud that Lewisham is pioneering the London Living Wage, not just for its own employees, but also for those employed by our contractors to deliver services for our borough. Paying a living wage helps not just those individuals and their families, but contributes to the overall wellbeing of the borough.” ‐ Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock Only in one area has this proved impossible to implement ‐ Residential & Nursing Homes ‐ due to the nature of the contracting arrangements in this area and the fact that Lewisham does not purchase exclusively all the beds in the homes. Senior Pay Fairness in pay also means an appropriate pay framework for senior officers and the Council has established an Independent Executive Remuneration Panel to advise it on this matter. The Panel ensures that pay decisions are proportionate, fair and equitable; support equal pay principles; and take account of appropriate pay differentials. In 2012 the Council’s Public Accounts Select Committee carried out a scrutiny review into fairness in the Council’s procurement and pay & employment practices; and was pleased to discover that the gap between the lowest paid and the highest paid in Lewisham was relatively small. The Hutton review on Fair Pay presented the case for a maximum pay multiple of 20:1 between the lowest and highest paid in an organisation. The corresponding figure in Lewisham is 12.4:1. 19
Love Lewisham Improving the environment and saving money
This case study is about the Love Lewisham project, and the creation of a mobile phone application to make it easier for the public (and council staff) to report flytipping, graffiti and other examples of environmental crimes that can blight neighbourhoods. At the moment, 50% of jobs are reported by the council’s own staff, primarily refuse collectors and street cleaners. “As a tool which makes it easier for us to help the Council help us, it is absolutely brilliant” – Brockley Central Blog The Love Lewisham website was launched in 2005, enabling members of the public to report and email pictures of environmental crimes directly onto an externally‐facing website. Since then the project has launched an app which enables residents to use their smartphones to send fouling/litter pictures (geo‐tagged to an exact location), with the touch of a button. The second their observations are received by the council, the images go public and a quick reporting system is set in train that results in the majority of issues being resolved within a couple of days. ‘After’ images are also made available on the website alongside the ‘before’ photographs. As well as making savings via ‘channel shift’, encouraging residents to contact the council digitally rather than by phone or in person; the app has resulted in savings via ‘channel avoid’. If employees and partners can get to the problem first, contacts between the public and the council are reduced. Money is also saved by preventing problems from escalating, as graffiti tends to attract more graffiti and fly‐tipped rubbish can encourage more dumping. Refuse & recycling collection crews typically drive down every street in the borough at least twice a week so are in an excellent position to help the council nip any environmental problems in the bud.
Since the Council started using the LoveLewisham app, environment‐related calls to the Contact Centre have dropped by over 30% and case work costs have been reduced from an average of £41.38 per complaint, to £1.58. The application’s mapping software and reporting tools have also helped Lewisham prioritise budgets and target the areas most in need of cleaning, focussing limited resources on the areas that need it most. The technology has been made available to other councils via the LoveCleanStreets initiative. 40 other councils and contractors, and 50% of inner‐London councils now have their own branded version. LoveCleanLondon was launched by the London Mayor in 2011, and the LoveTheSquareMile app was launched in the City in 2013. 20
Neighbourhood planning Local communities shaping new developments This case study is about Lewisham’s first neighbourhood forum ‐ the Crofton Park and Honor Oak Park Neighbourhood Forum. The Localism Act 2011, introduced new rights and powers to allow local communities to shape new development by coming together to prepare neighbourhood plans through the establishment of a neighbourhood forum. In 2014, the first application from a community group to set up a neighbourhood forum was received by the Council, covering a designated neighbourhood area within Crofton Park and Honor Oak Park. Membership is voluntary and open to individuals who live or work in the neighbourhood area and to elected members of Lewisham Council’s Crofton Park Ward, who have an interest in assisting the Forum to achieve it’s objectives and who are willing to adhere to the rules of the Forum. Membership is also open to different places in the neighbourhood area and to different sections of the community in the neighbourhood to reflect the diversity, character and inclusivity of the area. Founding members include residents of both SE4 and SE23 postcode areas, local businesses people who have been involved in Ward Assemblies and in community activities, and members of local community groups such as the Crofton Park Transport Users’ Group and the Crofton Park Community Garden project. The formation of the Forum was also communicated at Ward Assembly meetings in 2013 as well as in the promotional Assembly leaflet distributed to every home in Crofton Park Ward. It is the role of the local authority planning authority to agree who should be the neighbourhood forum for the neighbourhood area, and as such the Council consulted on these proposals in March 2014. The consultation exercise revealed concerns by members of the public regarding the exclusion of those living outside of the proposed neighbourhood area from taking part in the forum activities. In response to these concerns, the proposed Crofton Park and Honor Oak Park Neighbourhood Forum has made revisions to the constitution to allow those outside the proposed area to become non‐voting ‘associate members’ of the proposed Forum. At the Mayor and Cabinet meeting on the 16 July 2014, the Mayor of Lewisham officially designated Crofton Park and Honor Oak Park as a neighbourhood area and also designated the neighbourhood forum for this area. 21
The North Lewisham Health Improvement Programme Improving the health of a community This case study is about a complex public health intervention involving community based activities in the New Cross and Evelyn wards, where life expectancy was low compared to the rest of the borough and rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) were high. The programme supported the delivery of the Sustainable Community Strategy priority: Healthy, active and enjoyable – where people can actively participate in maintaining and improving their own health and wellbeing; and the corporate priority: Active, healthy citizens. The programme ran from 2008 – 2013 and adopted a community development approach to reducing health inequalities in North Lewisham, described by the Department of Health National Support Team on Health Inequalities as unique and innovative. The project was also the first in the country to use a participatory budgeting approach to allocating funds to community groups to promote healthy lifestyles. The approach helped residents gain ‘social capital’ by linking them into new social networks and empowering them to participate in a decision making process which would have a substantial impact on the lives of local people. Active participation in the process enabled local people to clearly define their priorities, and in so doing, significantly improve their quality of life in a relatively short timeframe by funding schemes that closely matched their priorities. A range of projects and initiatives were rolled out as part of the programme including: • Evelyn Stop Smoking Social Marketing Project – this provided insight into smokers’ views to inform and improve the way the Stop Smoking service was being delivered, and resulted in an increase in the number of people using the service, setting quit dates and stopping smoking. • Vietnamese focus groups – this led to an increase in the uptake of NHS health checks and use of the Stop Smoking Service in this community. • CVD Healthy Communities Collaborative – Local volunteers were trained to run the project and 2,247 health checks were delivered. Prescribing data indicated improved diagnosis and management of CVD. • Cancer Healthy Communities Collaborative – The project led to a change in practice within primary care leading to a trebling of the number of cancer referrals per month and a dramatic improvement in the numbers referred within 2 weeks for breast, bowel and lung cancer. • Community Development for Health – A nutrition project worker provided community development support to 92 community groups and organisations leading to 21 workshops and 9 health events being held in 2009/10. The programme represented good value for money. The total cost (over 5 years) was £1m and local evaluation of the programme demonstrated that raising awareness and changing behaviour about smoking, healthy eating and exercise in the North Lewisham area had a return on investment of a ratio of 1.8:1 to 3.0:1 depending on the project, not including longer term cost savings to the NHS. As a result of the programme a rich knowledge base has been built up about how to reach communities, raise awareness, change behaviour and improve health outcomes. Learning from the programme has been transferred to other parts of the borough, in particular the Bellingham Well London programme (September 2012 to March 2015) which is using community action and capacity building to promote good health and wellbeing. Similar programmes are also planned for the Downham and Lewisham Central wards. 22
Parking policy review Making it easier for vulnerable residents to receive visitors This case study is about the 2012 review of the Council’s parking policy and the subsequent changes that were implemented to help the more vulnerable residents within our community. Lewisham’s first controlled parking zone (CPZ) was introduced in 1983 and since then parking policy has evolved over time. In response to recommendations from the Sustainable Development Select Committee and the Lee Green Local Assembly, the Mayor of Lewisham initiated a review of the Council’s parking policy. The Council consulted all residents, received submissions from community groups and held stakeholder events to gain a better understanding of the issues around parking policy. There were over 3,000 individual responses to the consultation, which gave the Council a good understanding of the full range of concerns and potential solutions. A key issue that had arisen during the review, was the impact that parking permit charges had on many older and more vulnerable members of the community. The cost of visitor and carer permits was contributing to the social isolation of some residents, especially those who were reliant on an intensive period of care and support from friends and family following a period of illness, or discharge from hospital. In the parking survey, 1,446 (53%) of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that “current CPZs support residents to receive visitors”. In response to these concerns, the following recommendations were put forward and agreed by Mayor and Cabinet in April 2013: •
•
•
The cost of weekly visitor parking permits was reduced from £28 to £20. On application, a book of 10 visitor parking permits (1‐hour) is now provided free of charge to all households that currently have at least one resident parking permit holder. On application, a book of 10 visitor parking permits (1‐hour) is now provided free of charge to residents in CPZs that are over 60, in receipt of council tax support, and do not have another parking permit. In 2011/12 there were 108 carers permits issued in the borough. Carers permits are issued for residents who require constant help and care. These permits are particularly aimed at the elderly or disabled residents who rely on regular visits from friends, family or professional carers. In the parking review survey, 37 respondents indicated that they had a carers parking permit. Of the 30 carers permit holders that expressed an opinion, 21 indicated that the annual charge of £65 for the carer parking permit was not reasonable. As a result of this feedback and the wider review, carers permits have been provided free of charge from 2013. This will be a positive financial benefit to all those residents that currently need them, especially those in low‐income households, and those living on a pension or pensioner’s credit. 23
Parks and Open Spaces Sustaining a healthy and accessible environment This case study is about the 18 nature reserves, 46 parks and 80+ community gardens located in the borough. Lewisham’s parks and open spaces are run and managed by Glendale Grounds Management in partnership with the Council. The Ravensbourne river running through Ladywell Fields Lewisham has the 9th highest number of Green Flag awarded parks nationally and the 4th highest number in inner London; a total of 14 of the borough’s parks have achieved the award. Lewisham has always treated parks and open spaces as a key asset and sustained investment has ensured that their quality is maintained for all residents to enjoy. One recent project is the £2m regeneration of Ladywell Fields in 2011. Before the regeneration the Ravensbourne river which runs through the park, was hidden and completely inaccessible, now it provides a focal point for the park. As well as receiving a Green Flag award, Ladywell Fields was the recipient of two awards: •
Best New Public Space – London Planning Awards 2012/2013 •
Public Spaces category (Commendation) – The New London Awards 2012. Margaret McMillan Park is another park which has been greatly improved in recent years. Previously residents had felt unsafe in the park due to the poor lighting and large bushes making the area very secluded. In a clever redesign, two sections of the park were merged into one, a small strip of hedge removed and the main footpath straightened, making for much better visibility. There are new plants, lighting and seating, plus some original public art and a modern children’s play area. Margaret McMillan Park has won three prestigious awards: •
Winner, Urban Green Space category – Local Government News Street Design Awards (2011) •
Community Recognition award – Civic Trust (2011) •
Best New Public Space – London Planning Awards 2011/2012. The Community Recognition award was granted due to the level of involvement that different community groups had in the development of the park. One such group was clients from the Mulberry Centre (a centre which provides services for people with learning disabilities) who took photos documenting the regeneration and were consulted throughout the project. “We feel much safer walking through it and chilling out with our friends.” – Mulberry centre client on Margaret McMillan Park. The investment in parks is set to continue – in July 2014 £4.9m was secured for the restoration of Beckenham Place Park. Lewisham Council has also signed up to the Capital Growth campaign to establish 60 community gardens by the end of 2012. This target was easily reached and there are now more than 80 community gardens in the borough. Community Gardens are a wonderful opportunity for communities to try out new skills and grow their own food. In 2012, the council awarded £9000 to 16 community gardens. As well as providing funding the Council supports community gardens in the form of
advice to support groups in setting up gardens, assistance with establishing land ownership, running workshops on Conflict Resolution and Funding, and facilitation of the lease process for those gardens on Lewisham land. 24
Positive Ageing Council
Supporting and listening to older people This case study is about Lewisham’s Positive Ageing Council (POSAC), a group set up in 2011 to give older residents of Lewisham a stronger voice. POSAC is open to any person over 60 who lives, works, studies or volunteers in the borough and is led by a chair and a dedicated group of voluntary steering group members, all aged between 60 and 86 years old. POSAC’s main functions are: • To provide a forum for older people to talk about their issues in a non‐intimidating environment where all voices can be heard. • To influence projects and strategies undertaken by Lewisham Council and other bodies that have an effect on older people, through consultation of its members. • To work with other older peoples organisations within Lewisham. • To work with the Lewisham Young Mayor’s team to help break down perceived barriers and stereotypes between the generations through events, trips and information sharing. • To identify and react to changing issues of old people and help facilitate change wherever possible. POSAC currently has a postal mailing list of over 200 people and an ever growing email‐only mailing list of a further 33 members. The membership has grown by over 100% in the past year. POSAC keep in contact with local older peoples groups and organisations, doctors’ surgeries, sheltered housing units, libraries, leisure centres and care homes. These organisations receive information from POSAC and then advertise them to service users, ensuring that the information is accessible to over 60s in the borough. POSAC holds 4 general public meetings a year on a variety of themes. In addition to the general meetings POSAC also hold special consultation meetings, special interest meetings, social events and work in partnership with other bodies to commission activities for older people. “At our meetings a lot of people were mentioning public transport as a big issue. We invited people from the bus companies to come and talk to us. They listened to us and made changes, including moving two bus stops to make things easier.” James Dobson, POSAC member (pictured) A recent success of POSAC’s was an Alzheimer’s awareness event, in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society, to launch the Dementia Friends Manifesto for London. Dementia Friends for London is a project which is designed to put pressure on politicians, local authorities and the NHS to build a dementia‐friendly London which will provide better diagnosis rates and post‐diagnosis support, and ensure good quality care to all those affected by dementia. Current projects include ‘Activity Days’ – inviting older people out for a day where they can take part in a variety of activities from Tai Chi based exercise to short mat bowls; and ‘Out and about befrienders’ – a joint partnership with POSAC, Community Connections and Irish community services Lewisham/Greenwich to provide volunteer befrienders to help older people make the first steps into activity. POSAC are also organising a walking football event in partnership with the London FA, to engage recently retired men in sport. 25
Rushey Green talk days
Involving people in their local assembly This case study is about the talk days held by the Pre‐advertising – the assembly worked with the Rushey Green Assembly in their ward during organisers to advertise their presence at the December 2013 and June 2014. event in advance. Using advertising through community‐driven social media such as Facebook Local assemblies are open meetings where and Twitter can be particularly effective. residents and others decide how to improve their area. Rather than simply engaging local people in a Being focussed – the assembly had a plan of what they wanted to achieve and talk to people about. formal meeting environment, where the agenda is They chose to frame their talk days around set in advance, a talk day is a chance to speak with gathering ideas from local people that could help people about their local assembly, what it is, how it prioritise projects to be commissioned through works and how being a part of it can help influence the assembly fund (e.g. addressing concerns change for the better in their local area. about street cycling). The main benefits of talk days are to: Positive outcomes of the two talks days held in Rushey Green were as follows: • Engage with people who don’t know what an assembly is, or are not interested in the items on the agenda. • The Rushey Green Assembly stall attracted over 400, 1‐2‐1 engagements over both talk • Increase recognition of the assembly so when days. people receive their flyer or see a poster they are already familiar with what it is. • Over 100 people left a contact email and or postal address and asked to be contacted • Meet people who want to be involved in their further about assemblies. area, but cannot make the meetings (e.g. due to childcare commitments or safety concerns about • Over a third of engagements left suggestions going out in the evening). about things they would like to improve in their area. • Hear the views of local people that don’t attend the meetings and give them a chance to • Rushey Green averaged 65 people at their influence the assembly agenda and its priorities assembly prior to the talk days. Attendance at for action. the assembly immediately following the first talk day almost doubled to 120 attendees. • Inform people about local groups and projects that they might be interested in. • Promote upcoming events and meetings and gather contacts for direct email marketing. Rushey Green Assembly made their talk days successful by: Picking the right moment ‐ talk days were planned around an existing community event or activity. Community or fun events have proven very successful as people are relaxed, have time to engage and want to be there. 26
Safeguarding Services
Safeguarding children, young people and looked after children
This case study is about Lewisham’s excellent record in safeguarding services, services for looked after children, and safeguarding outcomes for children and looked after children which was highlighted by an Ofsted inspection in 2012. Lewisham has had a multi‐agency Children and Young People’s Partnership since 2002. The Partnership has a top level board to provide leadership and direction across agencies. The Lewisham Safeguarding Children Board has been chaired independently since 2009 and includes a range of organisations that are working with children, young people and families in the area to provide safeguarding services. Lewisham’s focus on outcomes during the commissioning of children’s centres has been praised by Ofsted. The use of comprehensive local profiling to inform a payment by results strategy when working with providers has proved to be a great success. The allocation of financial resources has also been commended. Lewisham has a rigorous audit system, and a clear set of standards which ensure that all its statutory requirements are met. Following unannounced inspections of the Council’s safeguarding services in November 2010, Lewisham successfully addressed the areas for development that had been identified. This was led by a senior management team that was described by Ofsted as “highly ambitious and energetic … with a relentless focus on improving outcomes”. The 2012 Ofsted report demonstrate that Lewisham exceeded all minimum requirements. “Outstanding” is the highest obtainable grade and demonstrates that a service “significantly exceeds minimum requirements”. A “Good” score means that a service “exceeds the minimum requirements”. At the time of inspection Lewisham was one of only five Local Authorities in England and one of two London boroughs to achieve an “Outstanding” grade for its safeguarding services. Safeguarding services Overall effectiveness Outstanding Capacity for improvement Outstanding Safeguarding outcomes for children and young people Children and young people are Outstanding safe and feel safe Quality of provision Good The contribution of health agencies to keeping children and Outstanding young people safe Ambition and prioritisation Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Performance management and Good quality assurance Partnership Working Outstanding Equality and diversity Outstanding Services for looked after children Overall effectiveness Good Capacity for improvement Outstanding How good are outcomes for looked after children and care leavers? Being healthy Good Staying safe Outstanding Enjoying and achieving Good Making a positive contribution, Good including user engagement Economic well‐being Good Quality of provision Good Ambition and prioritisation Good Leadership and management Outstanding Performance management and Good quality assurance Equality and diversity Outstanding Table showing 2012 Ofsted inspection judgements 27
Stonewall Index Ensuring equity and fairness in the workplace This case study is about our commitment to tackling workplace discrimination, and engaging with lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) staff – both of which are key objectives within the Council’s Comprehensive Equalities Scheme 2012‐16. To help focus our improvement activity in this area, the council set itself an ambitious vision of becoming a ‘Top 100 Employer’ in Stonewall’s annual Workplace Equality Index. Stonewall is a national LGB advocacy and campaigning charity, and their Index is Britain’s leading tool for employers to measure their efforts to create an inclusive workplace for LGB staff. Submissions to the Index are independently assessed by Stonewall across eight areas of best practice. These include: workplace polices and practice; staff engagement; training; workforce monitoring; supplier policies; community work; role models; and innovation. Stonewall also invite the Council’s LGB staff to provide their own feedback via a confidential online survey. The Index is marked out of a total of 200 points, and employers across all sectors are ranked in order of score. The Council has participated in the Index on three occasions in total, and has progressively improved on its overall score, illustrated below: Year Score Change 2013 133 +10 2011 123 +39 2009 84 ‐ In 2013, Lewisham was just four points short of realising it’s ambition of becoming a ‘Top 100 Employer’ on the Index. Between 2009 and 2013, the council has also improved its ranking from 173rd to 108th, and is now in the top 30 per cent of employers participating in the Index. Workplace posters used during International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) 2014. As a result of participating in the Index, the Council now has an active LGB Staff Forum, which champions our Corporate Priority to ‘inspire efficiency, effectiveness and equity’. This is done through improvements to service delivery, auditing of Council policy, and awareness‐raising of discrimination and homophobia amongst non‐
LGB staff Specific achievements of the LGB Staff Forum include more inclusive wording within HR policies; third party reporting for staff who have been victims of homophobic bullying; updating of workforce monitoring to include sexual orientation; and e‐learning for staff on workplace discrimination and respecting diversity. Between 2011 and 2013, there was a significant increase (of 13 per cent), in the number of LGB staff working for Lewisham, who feel that the workplace culture in the Council is inclusive of LGB people. Of the LGB staff that responded to the survey in the 2013 Stonewall Workplace Index, over three‐quarters (77 per cent) agree with this statement. 28
Supporting local businesses Strengthening the local economy and helping small businesses This case study is about how the Council supports local businesses. Lewisham has one of the smallest economies of all inner London boroughs and the Council is committed to its growth. Supporting small businesses and helping them to prosper and grow is key to strengthening Lewisham’s economy as the majority of the 8,000 active businesses in the borough are small: 84.2 per cent of Council contracts: The Council is a signatory to the local businesses employ less than five people, the National Procurement Concordat for Small and highest percentage in the UK. Supporting these Medium‐sized Enterprises (SMEs) which businesses to succeed and, where appropriate, gain commits the Council to making its contracts more council contracts are key strands of activity for the accessible to local SMEs. Following a scrutiny Economic Development team. review into fairness in the Council’s procurement policies, the procurement code was revised in Business Support: The Council provides a free local 2012 to require officers to obtain a quote from at business support service focussing on: least one local company in respect of all contracts under £40k and over £500, if a local supplier Start up – helping residents to develop their exists. To support local businesses to take entrepreneurial skills. advantage of this requirement, the procurement team offers tailored support ‐ providing guidance Sustainability – providing information, advice and on tendering procedures and helping make sure mentoring to new and existing businesses and a rapid local firms and organisations are contract ready. response service for businesses requiring immediate The Council also has a target of paying small assistance to aid survival. businesses within ten working days of receiving an invoice, if undisputed ‐ over 55% of SMEs were Growth – supporting businesses with high growth paid within 10 days during 2013/14. potential, helping them to expand through innovation and increasing sales. The business growth strategy: In 2013 the Council launched a strategy to promote sustainable Business Support Service in figures economic growth and help local businesses to flourish. Because Lewisham has become a growing In 2013/2014 the service achieved: centre for micro businesses, working primarily in • 32 business start‐ups the business services, information technology and • In‐depth advice and support provided to 80 creative industries, a key focus of the strategy is businesses providing appropriate premises and environments • 48 businesses helped to be fit to supply for these businesses. The increasing level of • local SMEs helped to secure over £1.36m of regeneration taking place in the borough is new work. facilitating this, allowing the Council to ensure that the right sorts of commercial premises are being provided to meet the needs of future The service holds frequent advice and networking businesses. In particular, the strategy seeks to events, such as Lewisham Means Business, held in facilitate the development of clusters and support February 2014 where more than 180 local businesses innovation so that businesses can move into were provided with free advice from legal, web regional, national or international markets. design and business development experts. 29
Sydenham high street Balancing the needs of pedestrians, shoppers and drivers This case study is about the community engagement A detailed street‐by‐street overview of the plan was that was done in Sydenham ahead of recently displayed in the window of a leased retail unit on the completed environmental improvement works. high street, with further detail on things such as street furniture and materials to be used featured on Lewisham Council, with backing from Transport for exhibition boards inside the unit. London, developed a number of proposals to enhance Sydenham high street. These aimed to The team behind the proposals staffed a drop‐in create a more pleasant environment for pedestrians centre inside the unit and ran sessions totalling more and shoppers without adversely affecting the than 100 hours. These sessions provided an excellent throughput of traffic. opportunity for visitors to ask very specific questions and to raise their concerns. It also provided the Public consultation in the Spring of 2008 found that Council with a local presence to share the latest the majority of those who responded were in favour information and dispel any factual inaccuracies. of regenerating the high street. Everybody visiting the exhibition was given a However, the Council’s proposals which formed the comments card to capture their feedback, and a total basis of this consultation met with vehement of 957 comments cards were completed. Of these, 89 opposition from a very vocal minority. This included per cent stated that they “supported the proposals a 414 signature‐strong petition to the Prime overall”. Minister and letters to the Mayor of London, Mayor of Lewisham and local MPs. The local community was also galvanised into action, and set up their own online petition in support of the In considering the draft regeneration proposals in proposals. This was inspired by the exhibition, and February 2009, the Mayor of Lewisham noted the received 813 signatures in total. very different interpretations of what people wanted, and so he requested further clarification of “I was very impressed with local opinion. the attention to detail and the efforts gone to, to consult To present a truthful picture of the Council’s with local people.” proposals, to garner support and to show that those Kerry Fox, Resident in opposition were very much in the minority, a high street exhibition was set up between October and December 2009. The Council’s approach to local engagement was highly commended by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in their ‘consultation excellence’ awards category in 2010. The display of public support following the exhibition resulted in the Sydenham regeneration proposals being accepted by the Mayor for Lewisham. As a result, £3 million of funding was secured from Transport for London to deliver these works, which were implemented during 2012‐13. 30
Tackling rogue landlords Protecting the rights of private renters This case study is about the council’s commitment to tackling the activities of rogue landlords operating in the borough. Protecting the rights of residents living in private rented sector accommodation is a mayoral priority and in his 2014 Mayoral Manifesto, Mayor Sir Steve Bullock underlined this commitment with a pledge to establish a Lewisham Lettings Agency to rival commercial agencies and improve access to quality private rented accommodation. Joint Raids In 2013/14 Three joint raids on rogue landlords (involving the Council, Police, gas and electricity suppliers) targeted 25 properties. The raids uncovered: four new criminal landlords all involved in high level tax evasion with at least 50 properties between them; 15 addresses with dangerous, stolen, unregistered utility meters; and two cannabis factories running on stolen electricity. The council takes a wide range of action to help the tenants of rogue landlords, including: ¨ Taking enforcement action under the Housing Act 2004 in relation to property conditions and unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation; and under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in relation to the creation of illegal structures. ¨ Supporting tenants in taking “no win no fee” civil prosecution, resulting in damages much higher than the criminal fine. ¨ Notifying the police of the risks of harassment and illegal eviction at addresses controlled by rogue landlords. ¨ Investigating housing benefit fraud by landlords and securing Rent Repayment Orders for unlawfully claimed housing benefit. Case study: Landlord X is a rogue landlord with 8 unlicensed, overcrowded properties in multiple occupation, only one of which is owned by him. Mrs X was persuaded to allow him to manage her property while she was out of the country. She is now back in Lewisham and he will not return the house to her, having let it, made unauthorised changes to the internal layout, demolished the front garden wall and not paid rent to Mrs X, who is currently unemployed, in mortgage arrears and effectively homeless with no money to pay for legal action. In response, the council is taking targeted inspection and enforcement action on all properties in his portfolio; bought one of his properties from under his feet; prosecuted for unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation and got a fine imposed; secured 2 Rent Repayment Orders against him; created cross‐borough liaison and awareness of his modus operandi; set up a referral channel to provide for vulnerable tenants; and is supporting Mrs X to find a lawyer willing to take her case on a “no win no fee” basis. Legal action, following the above raids, resulted in: • unsafe premises being closed down • hefty fines being imposed on landlords involved in criminal activity • public money and tenants deposits that has been fraudulently obtained being recouped • landlords being forced to bring their properties up to standard. key features of the council’s approach to rogue landlords include: Taking a surgical approach: Taking a range of different enforcement activity that, when combined, has a significant detrimental financial effect on a rogue landlord. Lobbying central government: Trying to change the rules regarding (a) the restriction of planning enforcement action to within 4 years of the illegal building work being carried out; and (b) the payment of housing benefit, to allow payment to be withheld in the case of landlords who are not ‘fit and proper’ and who are continuing to flout relevant regulations despite having had successful enforcement action taken against them. Making the most of funding opportunities: £125k has been received from the DCLG to tackle rogue landlords; £30k has been received from public health to help drive up standards in the sector; and £750k has been received from the GLA to tackle empty homes. 31
The Young Mayor Representing young people in Lewisham This case study is about the Young Mayor programme. Lewisham has demonstrated its innovative nature through the longest established Young Mayor programme nationally. The scheme – the first of its kind ‐ was started in 2004 by Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham and it has influenced and encouraged other councils and cities to provide this opportunity for their young people. The programme encourages democratic engagement as every young person aged between 11–18 years old who lives, works, or attends a school or college in Lewisham can vote in the Young Mayor of Lewisham elections. In the 2013 election, 25 candidates stood for Young Mayor of Lewisham, and there were 9,417 votes cast with a turnout of 49.4 per cent. Pictured(L‐R): Titanya Murdock, Deputy Young Mayor and Emmanuel Olaniyan, Young Mayor. The Young Mayor serves a one year term, to make life better for young people in Lewisham. Their duties require them to: • be a spokesperson on behalf of the borough’s young people • inform and advise the Mayor of Lewisham, on issues relating to young people • work with the young advisers and Young Citizens' Panel to inform the work of the Mayor, Council and other decision‐making bodies • oversee a budget of at least £30,000. The Young Mayor programme is now in its 11th year and during this time it has been responsible for a number of new initiatives, including: organising healthier living activities; intergenerational engagement; mentoring programmes and international exchanges. The programme has been evaluated this year, and will be looking at ways to encourage more girls to stand and become elected as Young Mayor of Lewisham, as well as improving the focus and speed with which the proposals of the Young Mayor and young advisors are implemented within their one year term. “The Young Mayor programme has engaged thousands of young people in democratic processes and changed the way the Town Hall works. The regular presence of young people who are there by right has changed the way the rest of us work and think.” Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock 32
Trainee market traders scheme Ensuring the long‐term future of Lewisham’s markets This case study is about the trainee market traders scheme, one of a number of projects which the Council has been undertaking to regenerate Catford and Deptford town centres and ensure their markets’ long‐term future. Lewisham Council secured just over £3 million from the Mayor of London’s Outer London Fund to strengthen two of the borough’s key shopping streets: Deptford High Street and Catford Broadway. This was topped up with an additional £1.2 million of Council money. Funding has been used to deliver a number of projects including comprehensive public realm improvements, events programming and working with individual business people to improve the look and feel of their premises. The Council was also keen to use the Outer London Fund as an opportunity to test new grounds for getting people into work and specifically into working for themselves. The trainee market traders scheme was one such initiative. Why market trading? Markets have an important role to play in a town centre economy. Research shows that while the popularity of markets overall is undiminished, there has been a decline in the fortune of ‘general’ markets. Although many existing traders are prepared to stick with the markets, the younger generation are more reluctant to carry on. As such, the long‐term future of traditional markets is even more in doubt. However, becoming a market trader is a great way for entrepreneurs to start their own business, as it’s flexible, low risk and provides them with an instant audience for their product. Opportunities presented by the scheme were advertised in local and social media, through economic development partners, and via the markets team. Applications took place in Autumn/Winter 2012 and again in Spring 2013. They were open to any Lewisham residents aged 17‐24 years. On the strength of their applications and subsequent interviews, 21 young people were offered a place on the course. Successful applicants received: • A free place on training sessions delivered by qualified business support experts on topics such as branding and marketing, trading standards, and health and safety • A grant towards the start‐up costs of the business and market stall • Free pitches at one or more of the borough’s markets Many of scheme’s graduates are still trading regularly at the borough’s markets, in particular Catford Broadway market and the Giffin Square Food Fair. 33
Transforming our schools Improving life chances and life choices This case study is about Lewisham’s ambitious programme to transform the borough’s schools and create state‐of‐the‐art facilities which would have a positive impact on children’s education. Over £300m – a combination of central government and council money – has been spent on rebuilding or refurbishing over 20 of the borough’s schools over the last ten years. Additionally, two brand‐new schools have been built, and several primary schools have expanded to provide much‐needed extra places. Lewisham was one of the first areas to benefit from national “Building Schools for the Future” funding and it is continuing to deliver one of the most ambitious programmes in the country. But the programme is not really about buildings, it is about providing the best possible education to the borough’s young people, to give them the best possible chance in life. Key features of the programme are: Attainment: producing spaces that change how education is delivered, change how students view school and have a positive impact on exam results. Technology: providing amazing IT facilities with access to up‐to‐date laptops, interactive whiteboards and specialised technology. Flexibility: creating spaces that can change in response to usage. Student involvement: pupils helping design the facilities they use the most, including colour schemes. Sustainability: achieving a 60% reduction in carbon emissions and creating new buildings with a 60 year minimum life. Access: adaptations for pupils and staff with disabilities. Community involvement: providing spaces for the community to use as well as the school body. The transformation has involved: Forest Hill School: the school’s new building has a unique performance space with two stages and a 260 seat theatre. Forest Hill School Beecroft Garden Primary School: the school now has double its previous capacity, and wireless technology is available throughout the building and grounds. Tidemill Academy: the school has a brand new building integrated with Deptford Lounge. Its facilities include a sports hall, a studio hall, a ball court, a music suite and food technology rooms, all of which are available for community hire outside of school hours. Prendergast Ladywell Fields College: the new building includes a learning resource centre overlooking the main atrium; and a primary phase is currently being built. Deptford Green School: previously split across two sites, Deptford Green has been amalgamated into a single building, with a large conference centre, a four‐
court sports hall and a floodlit multi‐use games area in Fordham Park. The school won the Best Education Building, Local Authority Building Control National Building Excellence Awards 2013. Drumbeat: Drumbeat is a brand new school over two sites, catering specifically for children identified as having Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and with facilities including sensory rooms and state‐of‐the‐art ICT. It provides services 50 weeks of the year. Prendergast Hilly Fields College: the school is split over two sites, with one site comprehensively rebuilt to accommodate an expanded sixth form, new assembly and dining halls, and new science, drama and design/ technology facilities. The Grade II listed building has been refurbished to include adaptations for people with disabilities and measures to improve energy efficiency. 34
Transforming the library service Redesigning the library service in partnership with the community This case study is about the introduction of a new library model to improve the customer experience, empower the community and make significant savings. In 2009 the Mayor of Lewisham set up a Mayoral Commission on Libraries and Adult Learning, which had representation from all Lewisham’s political parties; the local community including service users; the third sector; and a range of other stakeholders. Having considered the evidence presented to it, the Commission made the case for changing the Council’s strategic approach to its library service. It recommended expanding the scope and flexibility of services and encouraging service user and local community involvement in the design and delivery of library services and the use of library buildings. This vision, combined with the need to make significant savings following the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, prompted the Council to create a new model for the library service which would meet community aspirations, save money and ensure the long term viability of the service. The Library service was completely reorganised in 2011‐12 and the level of change and the speed at which it was delivered has made Lewisham a benchmark for effective transformation in the library sector using the transfer of assets and the involvement of the local community: Lewisham continues to work with colleagues across the country to present its model of service delivery. The new model The Council has transferred five library buildings to the community at minimal or no rent; established a sixth community library (making Lewisham the only borough in London to have increased library service points since the start of the economic downturn); reorganised the staffing structure; improved the seven libraries it has retained; and strengthened services for homebound residents and the blind. Lewisham Library Service in figures (2013‐2014) •
•
•
•
13 libraries (including 6 community libraries) over 2 million visits 820,113 issues 82,449 residents (29.3 %) used their library card to borrow books or access services • Books gifted to 100 per cent of under 5s • Net Expenditure (Excl Recharges) £14.20/head Each community library receives a peripatetic library service but the organisations running and maintaining the buildings can use them for a variety of other purposes. They are now delivering a range of new activities for their local communities including work clubs, business start‐up advice sessions, computer training, sit down exercise classes for the elderly, and hacker‐maker activities (community‐run computer and craft clubs which encourage the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills). The new model has improved library coverage across the borough, led to a 26.3 per cent increase in library opening hours and delivered an increase in usage: Indicator
Visits
Virtual visits
Issues
eBook/eAudio loans
WiFi sessions
Mar-12
1,708,202
261,667
748,660
2,636
N/A
Mar-14
2,051,892
354,765
820,113
3,345
17,439
Growth
20.1%
35.6%
9.5%
26.9%
The redesign has also delivered important savings for the Council. By transferring five buildings to the community the Council saved £240k on upkeep and maintenance and by reorganising the service it saved £755k on salary costs. Including the reduction in costs on IT maintenance and software, the Library Service transformation contributed £1M of savings. 35
We.Create
Staff involvement in shaping Lewisham’s future This case study is about how the Council is harnessing the ideas and innovation of its staff to work towards its savings target of £93 million by 2018. In March we launched a simple social media tool ‐ called We.Create – to crowdsource ideas from staff about how we can re‐design services at lower cost while maintaining outcomes for local residents. We.Create was championed by the Lewisham Future Programme Board and has been used by Heads of Service from a range of Council services to canvass ideas from across the business. These ideas feed directly into the savings process. Staff are able to submit, comment and vote on ideas and suggestions for change and directly influence decisions made by the board. Where ideas are taken forward, if practical, those who came up with them are involved in their delivery. As of July 2014, 533 staff had used the system with over 100 ideas being raised and 3,815 unique page views. Ideas taken forward to date include the following: 1. Moving high transaction services online – lots of people were downloading forms on the website to apply for a dropped kerb outside their house. Processing these forms was time consuming for the customer and for the service, and as a result the service is being built on‐line currently. It will be live by the end of August 2014. 2. Charging admin fees for blue badges – this was an idea raised by the service to generate income for the Council (lots of other councils are already doing this but we aren’t so there is a precedent for the change). The idea went to the Future Board and was agreed in principle and will now need to go through the political process. 3. Taking a more co‐ordinated approach to advertising – there were a number of ideas around advertising and how we could generate money through this avenue. All of these ideas were presented to the Income Board (a savings review that reports directly to the Future Board) and they have decided to set up a work stream to look at putting in place a more co‐ordinated approach to advertising across the Council. 4. Differential charging – this idea examined how we could change service charges based on the time that people used them (for instance charging people less for parking when usage was very low and more when it was high). The variable parking charges idea is currently being worked‐up into a more detailed proposal by the service area. 5. ‘Didgie buddies’ or channel shift for vulnerable people – loads of ideas were posted around how we could enable those who are furthest away from using on‐line services to use them. Off the back of these ideas there are plans to hold a number of events with community organisations, youth organisations, residents and Council staff in order to better understand these issues and to start to build relationships in the community between those who are highly IT literate and those who are less so. The hope is that this will enable community members to help each other to better interact with the digital environment that we now find ourselves operating within. 36
Welfare reform Protecting vulnerable residents This case study is about supporting residents who have been affected by the Welfare Reform Act 2012. The reforms have had an impact on a large number of households in Lewisham and analysis by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion on behalf of the Local Government Association has estimated that, in 2015/16, income loss for households claiming benefits in Lewisham is likely to be £1,835 per year. The benefit cap The benefit cap places a limit on the total amount of benefits out of work households can receive and it came into effect in Lewisham on 12 August 2013. Figures provided by the Department of Work and Pensions show that, in terms of the number of households affected by the benefit cap since its introduction, Lewisham is in the top 20 local authorities, with 486 households affected (as at 31 July 2014). if they have one or more spare bedrooms has been restricted. As at 31 July 2014 2,352 tenants are affected by the bedroom tax in social housing across Lewisham and the borough’s housing providers have been offering targeted support to these tenants to help them to move to smaller properties. The Lewisham Welfare Reform Group, consisting of representatives from the Council and all housing and registered providers in the borough, meets regularly to share information and good practice in relation to the impact of bedroom tax and other welfare changes. The group is also attended by representatives from Job Centre Plus and the South East London Housing Partnership; and officers from the Council’s housing strategy team and housing benefit team. Universal credit Before the cap was introduced, Lewisham worked closely with those households likely to be affected, providing tailored support packages around budgeting, sustaining tenancies and accessing employment or work‐focused training. Support continues to be provided and is focused around: Budgeting support: referring residents to Lewisham Credit Union and providing support for budgeting for households whose loss is relatively minor and who may be able to manage the shortfall in benefit through other means. Employment support: referring residents to local employment services so they can find work, become eligible for working tax credit and thereby become exempt from the cap. Housing support: using Discretionary Housing Payments for immediate problems (on the condition that claimants make efforts to get into work and/or find a cheaper property), arranging early engagement with landlords so a compromise on rent can be achieved and helping residents move to cheaper accommodation either in the social or private rented sector. Under‐occupation The amount of benefit that a person can receive Universal Credit aims to simplify the benefits system by bringing together a range of benefits into a single, streamlined payment. Lewisham took part in a national pilot testing the role local authorities might play in supporting residents to make the transition to Universal Credit. The pilot team developed a triage and support model that aimed to identify needs and then improve residents’ ability to manage a monthly budget, pay rent, get online and find employment by offering holistic face to face support. Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark have also been selected by the Department of Work and Pensions as a joint trialling and testing site for the Local Support Services Framework. This national project will extend the approach developed in the Universal Credit pilot across boroughs and between local authorities and the job Centre. 37