COUNCIL TAX CUT
- Council Tax frozen since 2010-11.Council Tax cut for every household by 1% in 2014-15 and plans to freeze it for a further 2 years – up to 2016-17.
- Between 2010-11 and 2016-17, residents will benefit from a real terms cut in Council Tax of over 20% - a saving of £290 a year for Band D properties when adjusted for inflation.
FRONTLINE SERVICES PROTECTED
- Government austerity measures meant the council’s budget was reduced by 26% between 2011 and 2015, equivalent to £72.5 million.
- The council has met this target.
- 77% of savings were through cuts to the ‘back office’, with £1.2m saved by cutting senior management costs.
CAPITA PARTNERSHIP SAVED £165M
- Capita now provide back office and customer services - saving £125m over 10 years through efficiency.
- Customer service satisfaction up 15%, with more enquiries being dealt with at first contact.
- Joint venture with Capita to provide Developmental and Regulatory Services provides guaranteed financial benefits of £39.1m over 10 years, through cost reductions and income generation.
- In an unprecedented move – to increase transparency – the council has published both Capita contracts online.
- Re has made successful bids for additional government funding, securing £517k for flood damage to roads and £334k for pothole repairs. This has been incorporated into the Authority’s planned maintenance programme where the funds can be used to best effect.
- Further improvements in the Planning Service’s speed of decision making has resulted in the service’s ranking rising from 4th to 2nd best performing Authority overall in London (CLG Jan to Mar).
NATION'S BEST SCHOOLS
- Barnet’s schools rank amongst the best in the country – 90% of schools rated by Ofsted as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
- Barnet is in the top 5% of local authorities nationally for GCSE results.
- We have 3 of the top 5 state schools for exam results in Britain (including those ranked 1st and 2nd).
- £55m investment in primary and secondary school places – with 7,387 places created in the last 5 years.
A SAFER BOROUGH
- Overall total crime down: 3% fewer offences between August 2013 – July 2014, compared to the previous year.
- Residential burglary down: 523 fewer offences (16% reduction) in the same period.
- Robbery down: 339 fewer offences (35% reduction) in the same period.
- Barnet has the 8th lowest per capita rate of crime overall (total notifiable offences) out of the 32 London boroughs (August 2013 – July 2014).
- Barnet has the 2nd lowest per capita rate of 'Violence with Injury' offences out of the 32 London boroughs (August 2013 – July 2014).
- 85% of young offenders are in education, employment or training.
- New CCTV service – much higher specification with the addition of Automatic Number-Plate Recognition.
£10M IN ROADS AND PAVEMENTS
- £4m additional investment this year to maintain roads and pavements in 2014/15 – a top priority for residents - on top of additional investment of £3.5m in 2012/13 and £2.6m in 2011/12.
- 7.8 miles of road resurfaced and 4,544 potholes repaired last year (2013/14).
RECYCLING DOUBLED
- Recycling service brought in-house with new bins to allow residents to recycle more, with less waste going to landfill.
- Four months into the new service, total tonnages of waste diverted from landfill were 16,600 compared to 12,200 over the same period in 2012/13.
- Dry recycling is 9,240 tonnes, compared with 6,138 tonnes over the same period in 2013/14.
- Recycling rate increased from 33% to 40%.
20,000 NEW HOMES – 30,000 JOBS
- Barnet’s seven major regeneration schemes to create more than 20,000 new homes and provision for up to 30,000 jobs over the next 20 years.
- 965 new affordable homes built in 2011/12 and 2012/13.
- 2,696 private and 1,001 new affordable homes in total had been delivered in Colindale (March 2014).
- At the 4 priority regeneration estates this year, 256 new private homes and 183 new affordable homes completed by March 2015.
- Over £2m of income generated for the Council from the regeneration and development programme.
- 161 affordable homes were completed and 624 properties were brought back into residential use in the 2013/14 financial year.
£3M IN TOWN CENTRES
- More than £3m invested through the Mayor’s Outer London fund to improve access, signage and aesthetics in Barnet’s town centres.
IMPROVING CHILD PROTECTION
- Improved safeguarding by creating a single referral point for all concerns about a child or young person.
£1m ‘NEETS’ SUPPORT PROGRAMME
- The percentage of 16-19 year olds not in education, employment or training ('Neets') from 3.5% in December 2012 to 2.3% in December 2013.
- Overall, unemployment down by 24% (average of October 2011 - September 2012 to average October 2012 - September 2013).
EMPLOYMENT UP
- Jobs Seekers Allowance claims and Youth Unemployment (18-24) claims have fallen to pre-recession levels. By April 2014, youth unemployment fell by 25% (JCP).
- Overall, 7.8% of Barnet residents claim an out of work benefit compared with 10% of residents across London (NOMIS, February 2014).
WELFARE REFORM SUPPORT
- Barnet had the 6th highest number of households impacted by the Benefit Cap and set up a multi-agency Task Force supporting 92% of these households.
- Barnet has the 9th highest off- cap rate of the 29 London boroughs who started capping households in August 2013 with 42% of these households no longer capped.
- The team worked with 501 people who then started working (1/3 of the caseload) in its first year, and become exempt from the cap (local records, July 2014).
- 25% fall in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the last year.
TROUBLED FAMILIES TURNED AROUND
- Barnet Council was selected to be one of the first authorities to take part in the expanded Troubled Families programme.
- In the first phase of the Troubled Families Programmes, Barnet turned around approximately 550 of the 750 families who requested support; the 5th highest performing council in London.
CLAMPING DOWN ON FRAUD
- Barnet Council’s fraud investigators successfully detected frauds amounting to £11.9m during 2013/14.
- During 2013/14, the Council recovered 63 illegally sublet council properties after successful investigations by the corporate and anti-fraud team and a tenancy fraud ‘amnesty’ held late last year.
SATISFACTION UP
- 87% of residents were satisfied with their local area as a place to live in 2014, whilst 76% felt the council was doing a good job.
- The spring 2014 Residents Perception Survey showed that overall satisfaction with the council had been sustained and was 8% higher than 2012; significantly above the London average.
- Residents were significantly more likely to think the council was doing a better job than in 2013; making the area a better place to live and listening to the concerns of local residents.
- Compared to 2010, resident satisfaction with local services has improved. Nine services saw significant increases in satisfaction and the majority of these out-performed other outer London Boroughs - including roads and pavements, green spaces, education and social services.
ICELAND DEPOSITS RECOVERED
- The council had funds deposited in two Icelandic banks. A total of £27.4m was deposited before the financial crisis and we have now received £28.6m back.
TOP PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH
- Barnet’s public health outcomes are significantly above the England average, making it one of London’s top performing boroughs. The Municipal Journal recently ranked Barnet fourth nationally for its work on tackling health inequalities.
- Barnet is significantly better than the England average for healthy eating adults, breastfeeding and life expectancy.
- Fit and Active Barnet launched with Outdoor Gyms and Marked and measured Routes being installed around the borough.
IMPROVEMENTS IN PARKING
- 59 pay-by-card meters installed across the borough.
- 35% price reductions in many locations.
- 56 new 15-minute free split-use spaces in loading bays.
- New free parking spaces introduced in various locations, offering up to 2 hours free.