Comprehensive Area Assessment A new way of assessing local public services Salford Area Assessment Audit Commission Update May 2009 James Foster & Anna Crowther

We will cover Emerging Picture –Initial impressions from the Audit Commission’s work –Discussions with joint inspectorates –Using this to help shape the first CAA – proportionate/focused Next Steps –Response –Further work by regulators and local partners –Updates from inspectorates

Stage 1 AC work Presented Initial Impressions to SSP on 4 th March 09 Our work to date has focused on –Background notes/research –Inspection activity including direction of travel and APAs. –Local performance information –Key documents which you provided –Overview of LSP thematic papers Continual update - including –NIS –Place survey –Self evaluation Working towards a Joint inspectorate view Views will change over time

How well do local priorities express community needs and aspirations?

Early Positives - Partners are ambitious for the City and the diversity of its population Good understanding of local inequalities and a clear strategic commitment to addressing this issue Examples of good engagement with local residents – such as the big listening survey and future searches work Community cohesion is a clear priority - significant work has been undertaken to understand potential challenges and to inform community development activities Good understanding of the key challenges Salford faces – improving prosperity and local aspirations while tackling deprivation and inequality Clear alignment between previous SCS and LAA

How well do local priorities express community needs and aspirations? Need to develop further understanding:- Whether there is a clear understanding and response to the needs of diverse communities at a local level How engagement is helping to improve outcomes and influence the new SCS, LAA and key strategies. How partners are translating engagement and understanding into appropriate targets, action plans and desired outcomes. Scope and sustainability of engagement in deprived communities Link between local ambitions and those across Greater Manchester and beyond Response to the findings from the Place Survey

How well are outcomes and improvements needed being delivered? What are the prospects for future improvement?

Outcomes and improvements/Prospects A healthy city –Outcomes and improvement –Poor health and widespread inequalities are major issue in Salford. Health outcomes are poorer than many areas in the country and inequalities are widening. –The impact of alcohol on poor health is significant and rising – hospital admissions; binge drinking –Smoking clearly identified as the biggest reason for early death – inequalities across city –Progress being made to reduce childhood obesity –Prospects for improvement –Clear focus on tackling inequality –Good use of the LAA to add impetus to reducing obesity (healthy weight) –Increased levels of adults participating in sports and active recreation  Assessing whether the approach to tackle widespread health inequalities is sufficiently joined- up across partners  Are you making sufficient progress to address issues such as obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse? E.g. Reducing smoking prevalence for manual workers  Are you doing enough to align health spend to areas of greatest need? Potential red tag

Outcomes and improvements/Prospects A Safe City –Outcomes and improvement –Crime rates have fallen in recent years, but still high compared to other areas and significant inequalities across the city (Boothstown versus Irwell Riverside) –Some success in improving resident’s perceptions of safety – likely to receive LAA reward target –Partnership working being tested by recent rises in crime – especially burglary (e.g. Salford East) – potential red tag –Good partnership working to address alcohol related crime – including work with criminal justice system –Positive examples of work undertaken to address the concerns of specific groups within the community –Prospects for improvement –Good track record of partnership working and neighbourhood working to improve community safety  High aspirations to reduce crime – are these realistic and achievable?  Do you understand and are adequately addressing recent rises in crime across communities?

Outcomes and improvements/Prospects A learning and creative city –Outcomes and improvement –Educational attainment is improving - all schools now have at least 50% of pupils achieving at least 5 A* to C grades (2008) –Developing pathways for residents into employment within MediaCity –Positive improvements in the number of persistent school absences –40% of residents do not have a level 2 qualification and insufficient improvement in level 3+ skills –The highest proportion of incapacity claimants in GM, although previous good progress in reducing young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) –Strong cultural offer in Salford, although still opportunities to engage with all sections of the community –Prospects for improvement  Is sufficient progress being made to raise attainment to the levels needed and link residents to exciting opportunities ? Red or Green?  Inconsistent improvement trend across schools; are you doing enough to reduce inequalities between areas? E.g. Cadishead versus Little Hulton  Role of higher and further education in meeting ambitions – supporting local people?

Outcomes and improvements/Prospects A city where children and young people are valued –Outcomes and improvement –High number of children live in poverty compared to other areas –Reducing teenage pregnancy is a high priority, but not making sufficient progress to reduce high rates –Prospects for improvement –Signs of progress to improve services for looked after children and safe guarding –Inconsistent track record of reducing teenage pregnancy  Will recent progress to improve safeguarding be sustained?  Unclear whether there is joined up approach and interventions to address high numbers of teenage pregnancies  No clear understanding of equality implications of new projects such as BSF Potential red tags

Outcomes and improvements/Prospects? An inclusive city –Outcomes and improvements –Narrowing the gap is a key priority for partners – there is an extensive gap between more affluent and deprived communities –Some success in tackling inequalities - narrowing the attainment gap (though it widens as children move through the education system); and reducing levels of NEETs –Improvements in social care indicators for instance self directed care, carers needs assessments and independent living for vulnerable people –Unlikely to reach targets for communities getting on well together and community participation –Good examples of community cohesion work – examples include work with migrant communities, older people and Muslim groups –Prospects for improvement  Whether partners are working effectively to address inequalities including worklessness, reducing NEETs, tackling child poverty, supporting lone parents, and community safety  Examples of innovative partnership work to address connect local people to jobs? Potential Green?  Understanding the impact and outcomes of local community cohesion work

Outcomes and improvements/Prospects? An economically prosperous city –Outcomes and improvements –Extensive historical and on-going regeneration to existing and new communities –Track record of business growth and steady rises in employment rates, helping to close the gap with the regional and national average –Improvements in the number of self employed, 133 additional business created (Q3 08/09) –51.5% increase in Job Seeker Allowance claimants between Sep 08 and Mar 09 –Prospects for improvement –Partners are responding to the downturn, through initiatives such as flexible tenure, flexibility in mortgage products and tackling worklessness –NEET successes  Do future ambitions remain realistic and achievable?  Impact and approach to tackling the recession – worklessness; earnings – potential red or green tag  How is economic growth and recession impacting on different communities? E.g. Cadishead, Swinton and Langworthy

Outcomes and improvements/Prospects? A city that’s good to live in –Outcomes and improvements –Regeneration of estates is taking place with aim to create desirable neighbourhoods to retain and attract residents – E.g. HMR programme, although extensive overall change required –Improvements in cleanliness of public spaces including graffiti, dog fouling, litter and fly tipping, but further improvement is required –Improving recycling levels and composting levels and likely to receive full LAA stretch reward grant. –Effective use of neighbourhood management teams to support local communities –Prospects for improvement  Are you able to keep momentum in the housing market and make sufficient progress to deliver affordable, decent and a better choice of homes?  Achieving target reductions for Co2 emissions is a tough challenge. Not clear whether approach is shared across partners and balances competing ambitions  How will transport plans link deprived communities to employment, to help ensure that local residents benefit from economic success? Potential red tags

Summary Key themes from this stage of the work are –Do you fully understand and empower local communities? –Are partners making sufficient progress to address inequalities in the city? –Success in responding to the recent rises in crime –Sustainability of progress to improve children’s safeguarding –Are partners working together with the right interventions to reduce teenage pregnancies? –Impact of the economic downturn on the local economy and communities –Progress towards creating desirable neighbourhoods – accessible, safe and well-maintained? –Is there a clear understanding of sustainable development – linking ambitions regarding environment, housing, transport and economy?

Next Steps Discussion with partners about the issues raised Update us on progress Performance information – NIS, Place Survey, local information More work with other inspectorates to develop our understanding