wyc

havo

nd

istrict

council

Annual Report2005/06

Our visionfor Wychavon is of healthy, safe, vibrantand diverse communities, living in aclean and green environment

We aimto deliver excellent services and workwith partners to improve quality of life foreveryone in Wychavon

Contents

foreword 3

about the district 4

a year in Wychavon 6

political management 8

overview and scrutiny 10

money 11

last year’s promises 12

departmental management 14

performance indicators 16

working together 18

this year’s promises 20

contracts, feedback, thanks and contacts 23

3

ForewordThis report looks back over the last year - at what we've achieved and thethings we haven't. It also looks forward, setting out our promises for thecurrent year and plans for the future.

Last year we fully delivered 22 out of the 31 ambitious promises we set,and we aim to deliver on those not achieved later this year. You can findout more about these on pages 12 and 13. Our promises for this year areon pages 20 to 22.

We spend our time and energy on what really matters to people. We keepcosts affordable too, with just a 2.5% increase in council tax for each of thelast six years.

Following our comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) inspection inNovember 2003, where we were ranked as a 'good' council, inspectorscame back this year to visit our housing service. In just over a year wehave managed to turn the service around and are the first council in thecountry to be assessed as providing an excellent three star service that hasexcellent prospects for improvement.

Last summer, we launched our community plan update, 'Making lifesweeter for you', featured on page 18. This aims to improve quality of lifefor everyone in Wychavon by tackling the issues that matter to people.Nearly a year on, with partners, we've achieved or are on course to achieveat least 65% of the 114 actions in the plan.

The year has not been without its challenges. Along with other councilsacross the country, we've had a number of Gypsy encampments to dealwith. In August we published a newsletter to dispel the myths surroundingthe Gypsy issues we were facing. And after much debate and deliberationwe've recently unveiled our provisional plans for the lido site in DroitwichSpa, which could include a 1m deep fun pool with beach area, sunbathingterraces and a large wet play area.

We have a busy year ahead of us. We are about to start work on building ahospital and health centre in Pershoreand have made changes to our wasteservice to help reduce landfill andincrease recycling rates. But we'reboth excited to continue workingtogether with 'Team Wychavon' tomake life even better for people inWychavon over the next year.

Jack Hegarty, Managing Director & Cllr Martin Jennings, Leader

contents

photos: left to right - Broadway Tower, EveshamCrown Meadow, Salt Workers Statue DroitwichSpa, Pershore Abbey

about the district

5

Wychavon in briefSize 260 square milesPopulation 114,990Households 49,986Towns Droitwich Spa, Pershore and

EveshamVillages 100+Main Employment manufacturing, distribution,

business and public services Unemployment 1.5%Ethnicity 1.2%Deprivation Ranking 272 out of 354

Wychavon is the largest district in Worcestershire,both in terms of size and population. It differs from therest of the West Midlands, having lower levels of crimeand unemployment. A significant percentage of theworkforce is employed in agriculture 4.2%, comparedto 0.9% regionally and nationally.

Containing a mix of rural and urban communities,Wychavon covers three towns and over 100 villages,where you will find numerous places rich in characterand rural heritage including the National Trustproperty of Hanbury Hall.

Droitwich Spa is famous for having Britain's onlyinland brine spa, where visitors can still experiencethe therapeutic effects of the warm brine baths thattransformed Droitwich into a fashionable resort. Youcan also explore the town's history dating back toRoman times and walk along the once hecticindustrial canals. Investment is secured for a wealth ofredevelopment projects which will see the waterwaysand the town centre attract even more visitors andresidents to the town.

Pershore is a lively market town, popular for itselegant Georgian architecture and home to animpressive Norman Abbey. Situated on the banks ofthe River Avon you will find the historic bridge, whichbears evidence of a civil war skirmish, now a peacefulpicnic site. Visitors can enjoy the recently openedNumber 8 Community Arts Centre and popular eventsincluding the Town Carnival, Jazz Festival and PlumFayre.

The old market town of Evesham is renowned for thequality of its fruit and vegetables including Victoriaplums and world famous asparagus. Overlooking thetown centre you will see the impressive Bell Towerand the twin churches of All Saints and St. Lawrence,which together with the Almonry are all that remain ofthe Benedictine Abbey. Eastern, Medieval and RiverFestivals, Rowing Regattas and National AnglingChampionships are just some of the events which canbe enjoyed throughout the year.

To find out more about what to do throughout thedistrict call our tourism section on 01386 565373 orlog on to www.wychavon.gov.uk

Inkberrow

Broadway

Eckington

Hanbury

Hartlebury

Overbury

J.7

J.6

J.5

J.8

J.9

Kidderminster

Bromsgrove

WORCESTERStratford upon Avon

DROITWICH SPA

PERSHORE

EVESHAM

River Avon

River Severn

M5

M42

M50M

5

about the district

6

june

ap

ril

april¤

Helped visitors follow theBlossom Trail around the Valeof Evesham

¤

Launched our ‘Reaching out toeveryone’ initiative to workmore closely with ourcommunities

may¤

Council Chairman David Noyesnominated Wychavon VoluntarySector Partnership as hischarity

¤

Received over 100 applicationsfor community grants funding

june¤

Promoted responsible dogownership through NationalPoop Scoop Week

¤

Organised European elections

july¤

Provided facilities for youngpeople by opening Eveshamskatepark

¤

Kept youngsters entertained byputting on events in our parksfrom gorillas to arts, puppets torobots

august¤

Gained Investors in Peoplestatus for the 3rd time in a row,for looking after our staff well

¤

Published 'Equal Rights forEveryone' newsletter to updateresidents on Gypsy issues

¤

Council voted to build a newHospital in Pershore

september¤

Sent out new council tax billsafter Fire Authority told to captheir share

¤

Won award for EveshamRiverside regeneration

¤

Completed Hawbridge FloodAlleviation Scheme

We dealt with...¤

335,000 visits to our community contact centres¤

135,000 council tax, benefit and business rate enquiries¤

227 homeless approaches¤

3762 responses on the Local Plan¤

180 requests for sewerage and land drainage information¤

2,175 applications for planning and 1,674 for building control

We inspected...¤

613 premises for food safety¤

431 premises for health and safety¤

130 properties to check if fit for living in¤

486 cases of breaches of planning control

july

se

pt

a year inWychavon...

a year in wychavon

7

Statementof Accounts2003-2004

WYCHAVONDISTRICT COUNCIL n

ov

october¤

Took over responsibility from thePolice for parking control on thestreets of Wychavon

¤

Opened new Crown Meadowplay area in Evesham

¤

Held 'Built in Quality Awards' torecognise good building design

¤

Received £4.6m from theHeritage Lottery Fund to helprestore Droitwich Canal

november¤

Won an award for the quality ofthe financial information weproduce

¤

Residents told us how they thinkwe should spend our budget

december¤

Got children interested inrecycling with a postercompetition

¤

Residents achieved record levelsof recycling

¤

Received positive Annual Auditand Inspection Letter from ourauditors KPMG

¤

Completed public enquiry intoLocal Plan Review

january¤

Provided support for parishcouncils in developing theirparish plans

february¤

Government inspectors checkedup on our improved housingservices - we were awarded anexcellent service with excellentprospects for improvements!

¤

We set our budget for thefollowing year with only a 2.5%council tax increase

¤

We began the process oftransferring alcohol licensingfrom magistrates to ourselves asa result of the Licensing Act2003

march¤

Promoted safe communities withour Safe and Sound campaign

We issued...¤

177 grants for disabled facilities¤

117 pieces of security equipment to the vulnerable¤

4,597 penalty charge notices for parking offences¤

967 licences, permits and registrations for butchers, streettraders, taxis, entertainment & charitable collections

We collected...¤

43,988 tonnes of household waste¤

218 stray dogs¤

47 abandoned vehicles¤

123 commercial food samples

dec

feb

oct

a year in wychavon

1 Cllr Mrs S Ealey2 Cllr M Jennings3 Cllr Mrs E Stokes4 Cllr Mrs M Rowley5 Cllr A Hardman6 Cllr G Bourne7 Cllr D Folkes8 Cllr D Noyes9 Cllr Mrs J Pearce10 Cllr P Middlebrough11 Cllr G Gopsill12 Cllr M Barratt

13 Cllr Mrs P Davey14 Cllr Mrs E Hope15 Cllr D Lawley16 Cllr T Spencer17 Cllr Mrs M Lawley18 Cllr R Seabourne19 Cllr J Wrenn20 Cllr P Wright21 Cllr Mrs A Mackison22 Cllr Mrs J Sandalls23 Cllr Mrs R Kirke

24 Cllr R Cartwright25 Cllr R Banks26 Cllr M Meikle27 Cllr J Smith28 Cllr Mrs M Mathews29 Cllr C Holt30 Cllr T Bean31 Cllr Mrs A Steel32 Cllr D B Lee33 Cllr A Dyke34 Cllr J Payne

35 Cllr P Coley36 Cllr A Christian-Brookes37 Cllr R Adams38 Cllr Mrs J Dowty39 Cllr Mrs G Amphlett40 Cllr J Grantham41 Cllr C Tucker42 Cllr M Argyle43 Cllr A Darby44 Cllr Mrs M Smith45 Cllr Mrs E Tucker

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18

19 20 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45

Our 45 Councillors represent 32 wards. Councillors represent the views ofresidents in their wards and are active in the community to make sure ourdecisions reflect local priorities. To find out more about our Councillors call ourcommittee section on 01386 565427 or log on to www.wychavon.gov.uk

15

21

Labour

Conservatives 31

Liberal Democrat 12

2

8

political management

Since 2002 the council has operated with a Leader and Cabinet similar to that ofcentral government. Our Executive Board is comprised of the Leader of theCouncil together with five other Councillor Executive Board Members. It meetsonce a month in public to make decisions on all council issues. The individualBoard Members' responsibilities are Community Partnership, Environment,Housing and Health, Planning Policy and Rural Affairs (including Equalities) andResources.

In addition we have the following other committees which regularly meet:

Overview and Scrutiny Committeereviews the work and decisions of the Executive Board, reviews all areas of the council’s work, carries out specificprojects and investigations and considers any matter, or service provided by an outside organisation, which affectsresidents of the district.

Standards Committeepromotes and maintains high standards of conduct by members of the district council and local parish councils.

Development Control Committeemakes decisions about development control matters including applications for planning permission, tree preservationorders and footpath diversions.

Licensing Committeedeals with licensing, registration and regulation of taxis, riding establishments, public entertainment venues and otheractivities.

7

6

5

10

Our Overview and Scrutiny Committee aims to improve services for the communityby investigating and monitoring our services and those provided by otherorganisations.During the year, we set up five Scrutiny Teams to carry out detailed investigations, as are set out below. The Committeehas monitored the work of these teams and made recommendations to the Executive Board based on their findings.

Performance monitoringThe team has developed a new and more efficient process to review areas of the council's performance. It now analysesthe quarterly performance monitoring information reported to the Executive Board and reports its findings. This allowsthe Committee to focus on a small number of significant issues and provides the opportunity to look at other areas thanthose already being reported.

HealthThe team's work on Disabled Facilities Grants supported aspects of the emerging Housing Strategy. The team haslobbied the government to try and change some aspects of the law, which prevents councils levying a charge onproperties to recoup costs of adapting them. The team also influenced the Executive Board in including choice basedletting in the budget for 2005/6.

Housing StrategyA 'task and finish' team looked at the formulation, implementation and likely effectiveness of the council's HousingStrategy. The work of the team included researching strategies from other councils, reviewing the comments fromconsultees and the Housing Quality Network. The team provided a detailed critique of the initial draft strategy and madea significant contribution to the final document which is the only 'fit for purpose' Housing Strategy in the West Merciaregion.

Rural transportThis team investigated and made recommendations on the provision of rural transport in the Wychavon area.Achievements to date include influencing the provision of a rural transport budget, getting to grips with identifyingdeficiencies in access to transport in rural areas, establishing an officer group to work with the county council andsuggesting the adopted theme of community transport for this year's community grants scheme. The team will continueits work including identifying gaps in transport provision and examining the work of the voluntary sector and communitytransport provision.

Waste and recyclingThis team was set up to investigate the existing provision and future development of the council's waste and recyclingservices. The team concentrated its initial research on making recommendations to help us meet the recycling targetsset by government. The team’s achievements include a number of significant changes to the council's waste collectionservices, awareness raising campaigns, investigation of funding opportunities from external agencies and therefurbishment of existing and identification of new recycling sites. The team is continuing with its work and will alsoexamine how we deliver trade waste, street cleaning and respond to fly-tipping.

overview & scrutiny

11

Priority 1Coporate strategy & communications, 12 public conveniences, collection of council tax & businessrates, corporate management & democratic representation, treasury management

Priority 2Health and enforcement, health promotion, food safety, pollution, pest control, dog wardens,planning development, planning policy, planning appeals, building consultancy, land charges,heritage, licensing, 3 swimming pools/leisure complexes & sports development, parks & openspaces, refuse collection, recycling & street cleansing

Priority 3Wychavon shops, housing & council tax benefits, housing services - housing strategy, advice,homelessness, renewal, development & housing register, parking - on & off street, economicdevelopment, tourism, Wychavon town managment, concessionary fares, registration of electors &elections, grants

Service Expenditure & Income

LESS Capital charges

Revenue financing of capital expenditure

Interest and investment income

Contribution from earmarked reserves

Use of balances and reserves

Total Net Expenditure

2004/2005Exp Inc. Net.

£000 £000 £000

5,217 (778) 4,439

13,639 (2,751) 10,888

27,181 (21,940) 5,241

46,037 (25,469) 20,568

(7,378) - (7,378)

258 - 258

(2,550) - (2,550)

271 - 271

- (1,273) (1,273)

36,638 (26,742) 9,896

How do we spend our money?

money

It costs us £10.3 million a year to provide the wide range of services we deliver. Council tax funds about 40% of thesecosts, with the rest coming from central government and business rates. Once again, we've managed to keep the rise inour proportion of the council tax to just 2.5%. For every £1 of council tax we collect, just 8.1p stays with us.

We've set this year's budget based on our three priorities. The table below summarises how we spend our budget.We are using £1.3 million of our reserves and balances to help finance this year's budget. This leaves us with anestimated balance of £6.7 million at 31 March 2006. We don't have any debts or outstanding loans.

When we set the budget for 2005/6 last February, we were expecting to spend almost £18.8 million on capital projects inthe year including:

¤

Completing the development of the Waitrose supermarket in Droitwich Spa¤

Starting the new hospital and health centre development in Pershore¤

Market town initiatives and regeneration¤

Supporting private sector housing¤

Regeneration of the Droitwich Canal

Whilst we anticipate that all our projects will be completed within budget, some delays in spending may occur.To find out more about our finances call Alan Smith on 01386 565333 and ask for a copy of our council tax leaflet orStatement of Accounts or log on to www.wychavon.gov.uk

2005/2006Exp Inc. Net.

£000 £000 £000

4,876 (1,377) 3,499

13,152 (2,577) 10,575

26,476 (23,136) 3,340

44,504 (27,090) 17,414

(4,555) - (4,555)

258 - 258

(1,940) - (1,940)

693 - 693

- (1,271) (1,271)

38,702 (28,361) 10,341

12

Priority 1Aspire to be excellent

Promises achieved

¤

Set out what you can expect from frontline services through charters

¤

Implement relevant Audit Commission recommendations arising fromour performance assessment

¤

Set an affordable council tax at or below HM Treasury assumptions

¤

Take the council's message and package of support out to 50community organisations

¤

Be reaccredited for Investors in People for good people managementand implement leadership development for managers

¤

Develop existing programmes of member training in partnership withother local authorities

¤

Deliver 93% of our business using new technology

¤

Extend the range of services offered at council’s shops and increasepartners involved

Promises partially achieved

¤

Increase news stories to the media by 20% and expand our quarterlyresidents' magazine to businesses and schools to boost awareness ofour services

Priority 2 Healthy and safe communities with agood quality environment

Promises achieved

¤

To work with partners to promote improved health facilities in Evesham andDroitwich Spa

¤

Work with community safety partners to tackle anti social behaviour

¤

Fund crime reduction initiatives on domestic violence, parenting and mentoringsupport, and drug education

¤

Provide reassurance through community neighbourhood wardens and practicalsecurity equipment e.g. locks, alarms and intercoms for the most vulnerable

¤

Complete the Local Plan inquiry and publish proposed modifications

¤

Improve our play areas in parks

¤

Working with landowners, complete two flood alleviation schemes and up to ninefeasibility studies

Promises partially achieved

¤

Increase staff car sharing to the office by 50% and reduce energy use in Civic Centreand One Stop Shop buildings by 5%, to do our bit for the environment

¤

Increase recycling rates to 17%. Identify and persuade non-participating householdsto take part.

¤

Secure partnership funding and start the Droitwich Canal project

Promises not achieved

¤

Start building the Pershore Hospital and health centre

¤

Designate at least one new local nature reserve

¤

Set out an action plan to improve Evesham leisure centre

¤

Publish timetable for Droitwich Brine Spa redevelopment

Last year's Annual Report set out our promises for 2004/5. Here we set out, under each of our three priorities, whether we achieved them or not. Despite setting ambitious targets,we have fully delivered 22 out of the 31 promises, 4 were partially delivered and 5 not delivered although we have made progress and plan to complete them during 2005/6.

last year’s promises

13

Priority 3 Reaching out to everyone

Promises achieved

¤

Give £120k to community groups for worthwhile projects that link tocommunity plan priorities

¤

Establish outreach youth and low-income panels to help build awarenessand improve services for these groups

¤

Develop a clear set of housing priorities through a new housing strategy

¤

Help people in housing need by piloting support with rent deposits

¤

Consult and progress Evesham and Pershore High Street improvementsto detailed design stage

¤

Fund partnership action plans to improve quality of life in Droitwich Spa,Evesham and Pershore

¤

Work up a solution to help tackle rural transport problems with the countycouncil

Promises not achieved

¤

Deliver the Pershore skatepark, with the support of the town council

mmunities with ament

ved health facilities in Evesham and

tackle anti social behaviour

estic violence, parenting and mentoring

y neighbourhood wardens and practicalnd intercoms for the most vulnerable

blish proposed modifications

flood alleviation schemes and up to nine

y 50% and reduce energy use in Civic Centre do our bit for the environment

and persuade non-participating households

e Droitwich Canal project

health centre

reserve

am leisure centre

a redevelopment

of our three priorities, whether we achieved them or not. Despite setting ambitious targets,elivered although we have made progress and plan to complete them during 2005/6.

last year’s promises

We have around 340 staff. Managing Director, Jack Hegarty, has overall responsibility for the management of the council. We operate with a flat management structure and eight individualservice units.

Community Services - Phil Merrickis responsible for many of the “essential” services such as refuse, recycling and litter collection and public toilets aswell as other services which add significantly to the quality of life such as parks, arts, sports and youth development,economic development, tourism, rural and town regeneration and community development support.

Corporate Projects - Brian Norfolkis responsible for the development and management of the council’s major projects, providing strategic management ofleisure services, supporting other units in maximising community benefits from section 106 negotiations and themanagement of on and off street parking enforcement.

Environmental Services - Steve Jorden is responsible for environmental health and engineering issues. It covers food safety, health and safety, licensing, dogwarden, pest control, environment protection, land drainage enforcement, flood alleviation and engineeringconsultancy.

Legal & Support Services - Ian Marshall provides legal advice, services and direction for the council, support for all 45 Councillors and their meetings, officeservices at the Civic Centre and manages the town centres’ CCTV system.

departmental management

Planning Services - Gill Collincovers five key areas: building consultancy, development control, corporate database team, heritage and policy plans.The service is responsible for all aspects of building regulations, dangerous structures, planning applications,enforcement and appeals, land charges, geographical information systems, street naming and numbering, national landand property gazetteer and conservation as well as tree preservation orders and the Local Development Framework.

Resources - Sonia Rees (Deputy Managing Director)provides a range of professional back-office support services including accountancy, audit, exchequer, IT, organisationaldevelopment, payroll, personnel, procurement, property, risk management and treasury management services.

Revenues, Housing & Democratic Services - Liz Dydesplit into three key areas: the revenues section bills and collects council tax and business rates, administers housingand council tax benefit and detects and prevents fraud. The housing section works with a wide variety of partners toenable access to good quality affordable housing and where appropriate enabling support to be provided. Democraticservices provides a wide and diverse range of services from e-government, through one-stop shops to reprographics.

Strategy & Communications - Fiona Narburghprovides council wide direction and strategy. Our main activities are driving improvement, performance management,communications, consultation, community planning, community safety, equalities and diversity.

departmental management

photos: left to right - Phil Merrick, Brian Norfolk, Steve Jorden, Ian Marshall, Gill Collin, Sonia Rees, Liz Dyde, Fiona Narburgh

16

One of the ways we monitor how we performis through the use of national performanceindicators. The government requires allcouncils to collect data on areas such aswaste, planning, benefits and housing,enabling us to analyse our performance incomparison with all other district councils.

The graph on the right shows how we havetracked our performance over the last fouryears by showing the proportion of indicatorsin the top, middle and bottom performinggroup of councils.

Every year the government reviews the indicators we are required to report on, therefore it is not always possible todirectly compare our performance year on year.

The following graphs show our performance over time against some key performance indicators and how we compareto the top and bottom 25% of all district councils. Full details of all performance indicators are included in the AnnualReport Appendix available at www.wychavon.gov.uk or call Alan Smith on 01386 565333.

Percentage of council tax collected (BV9) We have maintained an above average performancecompared to other councils for the percentage of counciltax we have collected in the year. There has been a slightdrop in our collection rate for 2004/05 as a result of notbeing able to take any recovery action for three months dueto the capping of the Fire Authority and subsequentrebilling.

Percentage of invoices paid on time (BV8)The introduction of a new system for paying bills has had asignificant impact for the last year. We have now addressedsoftware issues and we are working with each service unitto speed up payments that are just missing the 30 daystarget.

2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2004/052003/0480%

84%

88%

92%

96%

100%

Percentage of business rates collected (BV10)Collection rates have remained at 98.3% and we are hopingto increase this through continuing to promote the use ofdirect debit and on-line payments as well as looking atalternative ways of improving collection during 2005/06.

Top 25% of all district councils in England

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Middle 50% of district councils in England

Bottom 25% of district councils in England

2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04

2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2004/052003/0495%

96%

97%

98%

99%

100%

2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2004/052003/0495%

96%

97%

98%

99%

100%

Our Performance Top Quartile Performance Bottom Quartile Performance

performance indicators

How we compared to others

17

Number of days lost due to sickness absence (BV12)A reduction in long-term sickness has helped us to exceedthe government set target. We have trained all managers insickness absence management and we are developing anew policy to ensure sickness absence remains low.

Average time to process new benefit claims (BV78a)We have sustained high performance for this indicator andthe average number of days taken for new benefit claimshas remained low in comparison with other councils.

Electronic service delivery (BV157)We have consistently performed above the top 25% ofauthorities for this indicator, and are on target to achieve100% by the end of 2005/06, in line with our e-governmentstrategy.

Number of kilograms of waste collected per household (BV84)Successful waste minimisation campaigns have helped us inreducing the amount of waste collected compared to a nationalincrease of 3%.

Percentage of household waste recycled (BV82a)The loss of recycling done by a third party company at theend of 2003/04 had a major impact on this indicator. We’vemade new changes to the waste collection serviceincluding the introduction of household glass recycling inSeptember to improve our recycling rate.

2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2004/052003/046789

1011121314

2001/02 2002/03 2004/052003/0420%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2004/052003/04253035404550556065

2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2004/052003/044%6%8%

10%12%14%16%18%20%

2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2004/052003/04350kg

375kg

400kg

425kg

450kg

performance indicators

18

Launched last summer, our community plan update, 'Making life sweeter for you', runs until June 2006. The plan's aimis to improve quality of life for everyone in Wychavon by tackling the issues that matter to people.

'Making life sweeter for you' is a partnership plan, put together by organisations working in Wychavon including WestMercia Police, South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, Community First, Worcestershire County Council and our threeLocal Strategic Partnerships (LSPs).

Nearly a year on, with partners, we've achieved or are on course to achieve, at least 65% of the 114 actions in the plan.Here are a few of the highlights:

¤

To reduce crime and help people feel safe, we've carried out crime risk assessments, fittedsecurity equipment in vulnerable people's homes, increased the effectiveness of neighbourhoodwatch schemes and reduced deaths and injuries from fire. Partnership working on communitysafety is having a real impact, with crime down 9% in Evesham, 14% in Droitwich Spa, 20% inPershore and 13% across the whole district.

¤

We've made the environment better by helping 40 parishes carry out community litter picks,improving entrances to Abbey Park in Evesham, repairing and improving roads and pavements andintroducing a landlord scheme offering free insulation measures and grants to make homes moreenergy efficient.

¤

To ensure quality jobs and opportunities, we've provided mopeds to help people in isolated ruralareas get to training or work opportunities, delivered 60 affordable homes and given more than 100grants to help disabled people in their homes.

¤

We've improved health by putting on exercise classes in Pershore and Drakes Broughton, trainingto help reduce accidents in the home and giving patients with mental health problems access to ateam of health professionals and counsellors.

¤

Contributing to vibrant communities, we've completed 17 school travel plans, elected youngpeople to the Worcestershire Youth Cabinet, extended the services on offer at Community ContactCentres and expanded our programme of arts activities.

We're closely monitoring progress on 16 actions to make sure we stay on track. These include new walking the way tohealth routes, the healthy schools programme, building Pershore hospital and health centre and the Sharelink vehiclescheme.

There are a handful of actions we're not on course to achieve in the timescales in the plan, although we will be able todeliver some of these over a longer time period. These include installing CCTV cameras in Broadway, a communityrenewable energy scheme, exercise on referral programmes, Evesham and Pershore High Street improvementschemes.

To find out more about our community plan, read the punnet-sized version of 'Making life sweeter for you' and 'tastingthe difference' newsletters, call Rob Mace or Cherrie Mansfield on 01386 565517 or 565508 or e-mailcommunityplanning@wychavon.gov.uk.

good services, good value

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June 2004

working together

19

Our LSPs are partnerships of community, voluntary, public and business organisations working together to meet localneeds. There are three LSPs in Wychavon, based around our main towns and the surrounding rural areas. They have akey role in helping deliver our community plan. On this page we highlight some of the things they've achieved orsupported during the last year:

Droitwich Area LSP¤

successful year long pilot Royal Rides hospital transport scheme, now set to continue for the foreseeable future¤

funding for a new multi sports court at Crowle and self-esteem and team building programme for Westlands FirstSchool pupils

¤

training to help improve the skills of the workforce, particularly aimed at industrial estates in and around the town¤

feasibility study to establish the viability of a proposed 'green necklace' of footpaths around Droitwich Spa¤

'Just imagine' event involving community representatives, parishes and public agencies in identifying key prioritiesand needs for the area, the LSP is using the outcomes to develop a strategy for the next three years

Evesham Area LSP¤

award-winning riverside regeneration project¤

new footpath linking the town and riverside and circular walks¤

minibus link from town centre to Country Park¤

unemployment study of Evesham's 'west ward' and business awareness and development seminars¤

initiatives promoting the Vale of Evesham including a 'Discovering Evesham' guide and websites focusing on localfestivals and events

Pershore Area LSP¤

opening the Number 8 Arts and Community Centre at the start of December¤

well-used youth shelter in Eckington and a youth co-ordinator based at the Riverside Centre, Pershore¤

Village Lynx transport scheme, serving five clusters of villages around Pershore¤

regenerating the rear of Pershore High Street¤

renaissance of Pershore’s southern gateway including new railings and re-landscaping of Partridges meadow andorchard

To find out more about the Droitwich Area LSP call Cherrie Mansfield on 01386 565508 and call Lew Hammond on01386 565518 to find out more about the Evesham and Pershore Area LSPs.

working together

photos: left to right - Royal Rides hospital transport scheme, Evesham regeneration, Number 8 Arts & Community centre

On the next three pages we set out our promises for this year under each of ourthree priorities and the associated goals from our five year strategy.

Priority 1 - An excellently run council

Goal 1. Continue to improve resident satisfaction with our services¤

Meet and monitor our service charters and response times to letters, calls and emails¤

Keep up the pace of our whole council by focusing on service improvement and bettering our service performancestandards

Goal 2. Use our money effectively and efficiently¤

Achieve 2.5% efficiency, keep service quality high and council tax affordable¤

Secure one new joint service delivery success with neighbouring councils (shared services)

Goal 3. Consult & communicate with residents¤

Circulate to all homes an updated A-Z of district and county services ¤

Run topical media briefings and increase news stories by 10% ¤

Take the council's support presentation to a further 25 community groups

Goal 4. Develop our staff & Councillors to give their best to residents¤

Achieve accreditation for developing our Councillors with the West Midlands Local Government Association'sMember Development Charter.

¤

Review and improve our decision-making structures, codes of conduct and how council meetings are run

Goal 5. Expand the use of technology to provide easier access to our services¤

Implement online licensing, planning and recruitment applications¤

Improve our website and make it easier to use for visually impaired, for businesses and young people and increasehits by 10%

this year’s promises

Priority 2 - Healthy & safe communities with a goodquality environment

Goal 1. Work with partners to improve people's health and create better local health facilities¤

Get Pershore Hospital and health centre under construction ¤

Build community support for health and leisure facilities at Abbey Road, Evesham and play our part in improvinghealth facilities in Droitwich Spa

¤

Develop our role in reducing smoking and alcohol consumption

Goal 2. Reduce crime and fear of crime through partnership and community based working¤

Expand the areas patrolled by community safety wardens and use mobile CCTV in response to community concerns¤

Install 100 items of security equipment free of charge to vulnerable residents through the 'safe and sound' scheme ¤

Run anti-bullying programmes in high schools

Goal 3. Promote appropriate development and protect the environment¤

Run community training sessions on Parish Plans to share good practice¤

Publish our Statement of Community Involvement for our next Local Plan¤

Make the Droitwich Canal Project a reality by securing planning permission and doing environmental works

Goal 4. Create opportunities and encourage people to get involved in leisure activities¤

Create children's water play opportunities in Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Pershore¤

Pilot summer half price swims for children in our three leisure centres¤

Support six arts events in rural areas and three summer party in the parks events ¤

Run a sports development programme and deliver 400 coached sports events attended by 6,000 young people

Goal 5. Minimise waste and increase our recycling rates¤

Increase recycling rates to 21% by increased investment in our recycling services¤

Introduce new campaigns on the benefits of waste reduction and recycling to increase participation

this year’s promises

Priority 3 - Reaching out to everyone

Goal 1. Create vibrant, inclusive communities and help vulnerable people¤

Target £120k community grants to worthwhile projects¤

Fund additional outreach work for victims of domestic violence

Goal 2. Help meet housing needs & find innovative ways to provide affordable housing¤

Deliver 50 affordable homes ¤

Replace the confusing 'points system' for the housing register with a customer choice system

Goal 3. Create a diverse & thriving economy & regenerate our towns¤

Pilot a project to reduce street signs and clutter¤

With partners, regenerate the rear of Pershore High Street to open up river access and create more parking¤

Significantly progress enhancement proposals for Evesham and Pershore High Streets

Goal 4. Help meet transport needs throughout the district, especially in rural areas¤

Provide additional support to voluntary sector transport schemes¤

Complete our review of rural transport and implement agreed initiatives

Goal 5. Provide activities for and engage with young people¤

Deliver the Pershore skatepark ¤

Run citizenship sessions in high schools¤

Extend text messaging to three more council services

present promises

23

Statement on contractsWe are required to include a brief statement on contracts that all individual contracts awarded during the past year involvinga transfer of staff comply, where applicable, with the requirements in the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in LocalAuthority Service Contracts. We have not awarded any such contracts, so no statement is included.

FeedbackIf you have any feedback about this report or need more copies call Alan Smith on 01386 565333 or emailalan.smith@wychavon.gov.uk

Thanks...to everyone who has provided photos and helped with the production of this annual report, in particular Lynn Stevens, AngelaTidmarsh, Helen Keegan, Rob Simmonds, Cherrie Mansfield, Rob Mace, Anne-Marie Darroch and Katherine Wagstaff.

This document and its performance appendix are also available on our website at www.wychavon.gov.uk

How to contact usPhone us on...General enquiries : 01386 565000Planning enquiries : 01386 565565Benefit / council tax / business rate enquires : 01386 565130

Log on to us at...www.wychavon.gov.uk

Visit us at...Pershore Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive.01386 565000Mon - Fri : 9am to 5pmSat : 9am to 12.30pm

Droitwich Community Contact Centre, High Street.01905 794272Mon - Fri : 9am to 5pm Sat : 9am to 12.30pm

Evesham Community Contact Centre, Abbey Road.01386 443322Mon - Fri : 8am to 8pmSat : 9am to 5pmSun : 10am to 4pm

contracts, feedback, thanks and contacts

Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth DrivePershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1PT

WYCHAVONDISTRICT COUNCIL

Copies of this report can be made available in larger print, Braille or audio cassette on request.Call 01386 565333If you need help with understanding this report in your own language, contact Ethnic Access Link 01905 25121designed by Wychavon District Council’s Graphics Unit. June 2005printed on recycled paper