achievements in delivering the council plan · october november december january february march six...

Cumbria County Council

Achievements in delivering the Council Plan April 2012 – March 2013

Achievements in delivering the Council Plan: April 2012 – March 2013

2 Serving the people of Cumbria

IntroductionServing the people of CumbriaWelcome to our annual report for 2012–13. This has been a challenging year where we have faced unprecedented pressures on our budget presenting many challenges on how we use our resources and deliver frontline services against our key priorities.

Despite this we have continued to deliver a wide range of high quality services to the people of Cumbria. We deliver over 800 services to the public including looking after most of the county’s roads, running the fire service and even registering births, marriages and deaths.

We take great pride in providing the best possible service to the people of Cumbria and we think that it is important that we do all that we can to keep you informed about the council and its activities. It is after all you, the tax payer, that helps pay for these vital services to be delivered.

In this report you can read about a selection of our recent achievements. We have also included some case studies where new and innovative methods have been used to deliver services despite a climate of financial austerity.


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Our key priorities

What we are seeking to achieve for Cumbria

Our aspirations

Our underpinning aim

Challenge poverty in all its forms

Ensure vulnerable people receive the support they need

Improve the chances in lifeof the most disadvantaged

A thrivingeconomy

A world classenvironment

A great place to grow up

An independent and healthy life

An effective and efficient council



Achievement highlights

April May June July August September

Revamped Silloth Green opens to public after a million-pound Heritage Lottery Fund renovation.

Over 900 pupils compete at the Cumbria School Games across 12 different sports.

Transport minister visits the Port of Workington

to learn about the £5.7 million investment in a council-owned

container handling facility.

Cumbria’s library service wins a national award for ‘Six book challenge’.

The council wins North West employer of the year for its apprenticeship scheme.

The council awards a contract to BT for delivering superfast broadband in Cumbria.

Highways maintenance brought back in-

house to the county council to give more

direct control and flexibility over work.


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Serving the people of Cumbria cumbria.gov.uk

6 Contact community support

4 Getting second hand goods

5 Finding your nearest food bank

3 Help with housing

2 Managing your money

Ways to welfare in Cumbria Six simple steps

to getting helpand support

1 Knowing what you’re entitled to

October November December January February March

Six county council care homes achieve the dementia care Gold Standard following more than £800,000 of council investment.

County council launches new ‘Cumbria’s Promise’ for children in care – clearly explaining what children and young people can expect from the council and its partners as a child in care or a care leaver.

Alston Moors community broadband co-operative ‘Cybermoor’ wins social enterprise award thanks to key support from the council’s initiative to support Social Enterprises.

Cumbria’s last major structure to be destroyed by the 2009 floods, Camerton Bridge, was officially re-opened completing the council’s three year flood recovery target.

Britain’s Energy Coast Construction Skills

Centre enters final stage of construction.

Council announces that it has allocated nearly £900,000 in grants to community projects that will support Cumbria’s communities.

New figures released reveal that the number of people killed or seriously injured on Cumbria’s roads fell to its lowest since monitoring began in 2000.

Carlisle has 4.5 million reasons to be proud of its new CNDR road with this being the number of journeys made on it within its first year.

Council developed new ‘Ways to Welfare’ programme to help people in severe hardship or crisis obtain the help they need.

More than 96% of secondary school place applications secured their first choice this year.

The official opening of Barrow waste plant marks the start of a new era that will transform the way household waste is dealt with in South Cumbria.

Cumbria County Council’s website gained a nationally sought-after award for it being ‘mobile-friendly’ and fully accessible.

The council has been named as one of the top apprentice employers in The Guardian FTSE Top 100.

Cumbria Affordable Warmth Partnership successfully secured £357,000 from the ‘Warm Homes, Healthy People Fund’ in 2012/13. Since its launch the winter warmth campaign has helped nearly 1,000 households.

96oo


Our aspiration

We want Cumbria to be a place with a thriving economy where we challenge poverty

in all its forms.

A thrivingeconomyBuilt by Esh Construction and project managed by Cumbria County Council, the new £7m Britain’s Energy Coast Construction Skills Centre at Lakes College has been delivered ahead of schedule and on budget.

£6.1m has been distributed across Cumbria as part the council’s rural development enterprise scheme.

50farms

diversified

93microenterprises

supported

The council has signed a contract with BT to deliver superfast broadband to 93% of homes in Cumbria by 2015 at part of Connecting Cumbria.

93% connected

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The Solway, Border and Eden LEADER Programme has allocated £12.84m to support 388 rural businesses and created 153 jobs.

Alston’s pioneering has won national recognition after its ‘Cybermoor’ project was named the first ever winner of the Social Enterprise Town of the Year award.

15000training

days

25community

projects supported

50jobs

created

Nearly 4.5m journeys have been made on Carlisle’s key new road, the Carlisle Northern Development Route, in its first year.

4.5mjourneys

Alston’s pioneering work has won ‘Social Enterprise Town of the Year’ after its ‘Cybermoor’ project was named the first ever winner of the award.

Cumbria County Council actively supports credit unions across Cumbria and in 2012/13 membership has risen and there has been an increase in savings held by credit unions in excess of £400k.

£3.1m has been invested during 2012/13 to double the container management capacity at the Port of Workington. This is part of the overall £5.7m scheme which will ‘future-proof’ the port with the ability to handle all cargo and transfers between sea, road or rail

AlstonTown of the year



Investment at Port of WorkingtonInvestment has been undertaken to double the container management capacity at the Port of Workington, which will ‘future proof’ it to allow it to handle all cargos (not just containers). It is a key step in the development of the port into a modern, multi-modal terminal which can transfer cargo between sea and road or rail.

Cumbria County Council, which owns the Port of Workington, awarded the £3.1m contract to local contractor Thomas Armstrong to develop the container handling facilities during the year.

Case studies

Carlisle Northern Development RouteNearly four and a half million journeys have been made on Carlisle’s key new road, the CNDR, in its first year. Traffic counters have shown that since the road opened on 14 February 2012, an estimated 4.416 million vehicles have been counted crossing its most popular point – the new bridge over the River Eden.

The new 5.13-mile road is also having a proven positive impact on reducing traffic flows through the centre of Carlisle. Traffic counters positioned on Eden Bridge are registering over three million fewer vehicles a year now compared with before the road opened.

Award winning Alston takes social enterprise crown A Cumbrian town’s pioneering work in social enterprise won national recognition, with Alston Moor being named the first ever winner of the ‘Social Enterprise Town of the Year’ award.

The award was collected by Sue Gilbertson from the Alston Moor community broadband co-operative ‘Cybermoor’. Sue has worked closely alongside Cumbria County Council’s Social Enterprise Partnership Manager, Rob Randell, in supporting new and existing social enterprises in the area.


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Connecting Cumbria – Superfast Broadband This year saw Cumbria County Council sign a contract with BT for the delivery of superfast broadband to communities and businesses in Cumbria.

To date the council has been successful in attracting the second largest grant award in England of £17.1 million from Government. It also secured £15.4 million from the regional development fund and a further £6.9 million from the performance reward grant. The official rollout of superfast broadband across Cumbria will be announced in 2013.

Supporting the economy The RDPE Local Action Group (LAG) programme is approaching full allocation of the £6.1 million of grant available for projects. 50 farms have been assisted in diversifying, 93 microenterprises started or helped to grow. 15,000 training days have been delivered and 25 community projects such as credit unions, social enterprises and support workers have been supported. 50 new jobs have also been created.

To date the Solway, Border and Eden LEADER Programme has allocated £5,990,963 of its £5,981,972 grant budget which equates to 101%. It has spent £4,460,786 (excluding Management and Admin costs). Spend percentages against total budget is at 73%. There is currently £497,751 of grant claims being processed at Regeneration Support Team which will increase the spend percentage to 83%. Total volume investment is in excess of £12.9m.

The programme has so far contracted with projects to support 388 rural businesses, create 153 jobs, deliver 40 community and 67 tourism actions and achieve 7.035 days of training to 7.554 beneficiaries. Two Woodland Advisory Services have also been set up. It is over-achieving in almost all of its contracted output targets.

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Our aspiration

Camerton Footbridge at Great Clifton, was one of 253 structures badly damaged by the 2009 floods. This was Cumbria’s last major structure to be re-opened, successfully completing the council’s three-year flood recovery target. Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal also officially opened the rebuilt Northside Bridge.

New state-of-the-art fire engines have been purchased for Carlisle East and Barrow Fire Station to boost fire-fighting and rescue capabilities. They are equipped with a Compressed Air Foam System which used much less water and can be utilised where water is in short supply.

A world class environment

11days

The county council secured and invested over £1 million transforming the Silloth Green on behalf of the Town Council

47.4%of household waste is

now recycled compared to 32% in 2006/07

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We want Cumbria to be a place where people can live

in a high quality and sustainable environment and can move

easily and safely around the country

A new mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plant in Barrow has opened to treat household waste. The plant is a linchpin in the 25-year, £700m waste disposal contract agreed between Cumbria County Council and Shanks.

A new £6.91m green travel scheme has been rolled out across the Lake District. A fleet of 8 environmentally friendly sustainable vehicles are now available from GoLakes Travel – all of which are either zero- or low-emission.

Highway repairs continue to perform well, taking on average 11 days to fix highway faults from being first reported.

11days



Case studies

Lakes go green on travel The GoLakes Travel programme, is being delivered in partnership by Cumbria County Council, Lake District National Park Authority and Cumbria Tourism. The £6.91m programme is being funded through the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (£4.89m) and local partners (£2.02m).

The growing fleet of sustainable short-term hire vehicles being rolled out by GoLakes Travel – all of which are either zero- or low-emission. For this tourist season, there will be eight vehicles available for hire in the central Lake District’s most popular locations. It is hoped that the funding available until March 2015 will create a step change in the way people travel around the Lakes, with a lasting legacy for years to come taken up by local businesses and tourist operators.

Cumbria floods final major works completeCamerton Footbridge Camerton Footbridge, which sits over the River Derwent at Great Clifton, was one of the 253 structures which were badly damaged across Cumbria as a result of the 2009 floods. This was Cumbria’s last major structure to be re-opened after being destroyed in the 2009 floods, hitting the county council’s three year flood recovery target.

Northside Bridge The final link in a three-year programme to rebuild Workington’s bridges damaged or destroyed in the floods of 2009 was opened by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.


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Barrow waste plant opens The second phase in a revolution in the way Cumbria deals with its household waste was achieved with the opening of the new Southern Resource Park mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plant at the Sowerby Woods industrial estate in Barrow. The new plant is a linchpin of the 25-year, £700m waste disposal contract agreed between Cumbria County Council and Shanks in 2009, and follows the December 2011 opening of an identical facility in Hespin Wood, Carlisle. The plant will transform the way household waste is dealt with in South Cumbria.

Highway repairs We continue to perform well in terms of the time taken to fix highway faults at the first time of asking, taking an average of 11 days to fix a fault after it has been reported.

State-of-the-art fire appliances for Carlisle and Barrow New state-of-the-art fire appliances have been purchased for Carlisle East and Barrow Fire Station to boost firefighting and rescue capabilities. The appliances fitted with a Godiva ‘World series’ 4010 pump have the ability to pump up to 4000 litres a minute – this is almost double the capacity of the previous appliances. They are also equipped with a Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) which gives firefighters the capability to deal with incidents using much less water or be utilised where water is in short supply.


A great place to grow up

Our aspiration

We want Cumbria to be a place of opportunity where young

people are able to live happy and productive lives; a place where

young people will want to live and work in the future.

A survey of students, parents and carers using the council’s school transport service has shown widespread satisfaction, with over three quarters giving the service the thumbs up for quality and reliability.

The council has invested over £12 million to revamp four schools in Carlisle and Penrith as part of the ‘Transforming Learning’ programme to help meet the growing demand for school places.

Of 4,486 applicants for secondary school places, 96% have secured their first preference and 99.5% were offered either their first or second preference.

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Cumbria’s Looked After Children are doing significantly better in their exams than average. For Key Stage 2 (Year 6) 71% of Looked After Children in Cumbria achieved Level 4 or above in English and maths compared the 50% national average.

The council was named North West Apprentice Employer of the Year in a high-profile award beating off 1,500 private and public sector organisations. The council was also included in the Times Top 100 companies to work for as an apprentice.

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) Year 6 pupils in Cumbria have secured major improvements in attaining Level 4 in their Key Stage 2 examination results.

A scheme to help children learn a brass musical instrument started in September. Brasstastic is

for children aged 7 to 11 living in the Barrow area.

Students at William Howard School in Brampton can now tutor their fellow pupils and assist parents who don’t speak English as their first language.

YoungInterpretersProgramme

71oo

57% 57%

43%

English Maths English & maths

in 201112% The council’s

adoption team found new families for 38 Looked After Children in 2012/13 and was amongst the best in the country for the percentage of children waiting for families who were adopted.



Case studies Exam success for Cumbria’s Looked After Children Figures released by the Department for Education show Cumbria’s Looked After children doing significantly better in their exams than the national and regional averages.

• For Key Stage 2 (Year 6) 71% of looked after children in Cumbria achieved level 4 or above in both English and Maths compared to 50% of all looked after children nationally.

• At GCSE level (Key Stage 4) 25% of looked after children gained five or more GSCEs at grades A*–C including English and Maths, compared to 15% nationally.

• 42.5% achieved 5 or more GSCEs at grades A*–C in any subject, almost 6% above the national average.

• In total 40 young people looked after by the council were eligible to sit their GCSEs in Cumbria.

Improved exam results for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller childrenGypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) children in Cumbria have secured major improvements in their Key Stage 2 examination results. In 2012, 57 per cent of year six GRT pupils gained level four in English, 57 per cent in maths and 43 per cent achieved level four in both English and maths. This is a huge improvement compared to the 12 per cent attaining level four in both English and maths in 2011. Level four is what is expected by the time a child leaves primary school.

To help improve results for GRT pupils Cumbria County Council’s Traveller Officer – based in the council’s Virtual Schools and Equalities learning team – works with Traveller children, Traveller communities, schools and other partners to promote attendance and inclusion in schools and raise awareness of the learning needs of Traveller children.

Young interpreters help pupils and parents Students at a Cumbrian secondary school have become young interpreters so they can tutor their fellow pupils and assist parents who don’t speak English as a first language. William Howard School in Brampton has teamed up with Cumbria County Council’s Virtual School and Equalities Learning team to deliver a young interpreters programme. The programme equips students with the necessary skills and resources to help new pupils overcome some of the language barriers they may face when starting at a new school, often in a new country.

Schools revamped and expanded Work has been completed on revamping Brook Street and St Cuthbert’s schools in Carlisle and St Catherine’s Catholic Primary and Brunswick Infants schools in Penrith. This work is part of Cumbria County Council’s investment of more than £12 million in increasing school places in Carlisle and Penrith to meet growing demand. It has seen 176 extra reception class places created at primary schools across Carlisle this September in an initiative called ‘Transforming Learning’.

County Council wins award for work with apprenticesThe council was named North West Apprentice Employer of the Year in a high-profile award which saw more than 1,500 organisations competing nationally in nine categories. The council was recognised for its work in developing the numbers, range and levels of apprenticeships for young people in Cumbria during the last twelve months and progressing them into employment through effective workforce planning.


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Adoption updateThe council’s adoption team found new families for 41 looked after children in 2012/13 and was amongst the best in the country for the percentage of children waiting for families who were adopted.

Praise for council’s school transport serviceA survey of students, parents and carers using the council’s school transport service has shown widespread satisfaction, with over three quarters giving the service the thumbs up for quality and reliability. According to the survey:

• 74% of parents/carers were satisfied with the home to school transport service provided for their child. This included punctuality, standard of driving and safety, attitude of the driver, cleanliness of the vehicle, and the behaviour of other children on the bus or taxi.

• 87% of parents/carers said they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the way the council dealt with their application for school/college transport.

• 85% of children were either very happy or happy using the service. For the minority saying they weren’t happy, the behaviour of others using the service was the main reason cited.

• 87% of respondents said that they had no problem in obtaining home to school transport information, with the majority receiving the information from the school or college.

AcademiesThe county council is providing four new Academies through its review of secondary school provision in Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle and North Copeland. The programme has provided new schools for 5000 pupils at a cost of £110 million. An additional £40 million was invested in the overall secondary review programme that provided improved facilities for a further 5000 pupils.

Musical Cumbria Brasstastic, which started in September 2012, is made up of primary school children between the ages of seven and 11 who are learning a musical instrument as part of Cumbria Music Service’s (CMS) ‘First Access’ programme. The children, who are in the early stages of learning brass instruments, come from various schools in Barrow and the surrounding area to gain experience and play alongside other young brass enthusiasts.

The Cumbria Youth Orchestra teamed up with nationally-renowned conductor Alice Farnham, primary school children from around the county and other musicians to perform a celebration of the music of Saint Saens, Benjamin Britten and up-and-coming London-based composer James Redwood. Primary school children worked with Cumbria Music Service (CMS) on their element of the concert and their individual showcase performance. Around 150 of these children will be performing in Carlisle and 140 in Ulverston.

School place applications successMore than 96 per cent of applicants, who applied by the closing date for secondary school places in Cumbria, have secured their first preference. Figures revealed that out of 4,486 applicants across the county applying for Year 7 secondary school places starting in September 2013, 96.08 per cent were allocated their first preference and 99.51 per cent of parents were offered either their first or second preference (provided the latter was given).


Our aspiration

An independentand healthy life More than 30 different charities, third-sector

organisations and other groups successfully bid for the grants to deliver the new Neighbourhood Care Independence programme (NCI), which is being managed by the Cumbria Community Foundation.

There has been an extra £1 million invested in mental health prevention activity through the Life Matters project. During the project’s first nine months there have been over 1,700 support contacts and activity sessions delivered.

This winter nearly 800 households were helped thanks to the Cumbria Affordable Warmth Partnership. As well as launching ‘Taking the Brrr out of Cumbria’ campaign, the partnership secured £357k to help people in Cumbria stay warm by supplying grants and repairing boilers.

1340people benefittedfrom assistivetechnology

1,340 people in Cumbria have benefitted from new ‘assistive’ technology to help them maintain independence at home – an increase of 37%.

Grants of £867,000 have been awarded to projects that will support people who need extra help so they can remain independent and in their homes.

1700 contacts & activity

sessions

The council invested £95,000 to expand Homeshare, where young people live with older people, for reduced rent in return for help around the home.

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We want people to enjoy an independent and healthy life and to be safe from harm, with more control over their lives and

a say in the decisions which affect them.

The number of people killed or seriously injured on Cumbria’s roads has fallen to its lowest level since monitoring began in 2000. There were 55 fewer accidents than last year and 50% less than 2000.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service scooped the Heart Safe Public Sector Organisation of the Year prize at the 2012 UK Heart Safe Awards. This prize recognised the investment in life-saving equipment and staff training to provide a Heart Safe environment for their employees and communities.

Six of Cumbria County Council’s care homes achieved the gold standard in dementia care after £800,000 of council investment.

Heart Safe

Award

The council has developed a new ‘Ways to Welfare’ programme to provide information, advice and support to help people who fall on hard times.

50%fewer accidents






3 Help with housing










3 Help with housing







Ways to Welfare programmeIn April 2013, crisis loans and community care grants ended as part of wider changes to working-age welfare and benefits. Cumbria County Council has developed a new programme to provide information, advice and support to people who fall on hard times. The new ‘Ways to Welfare’ programme will help people, who find themselves in severe hardship or crisis, to navigate the support available in their area.

Case studies Homeshare expands across CumbriaCumbria County Council invested £95,000 in the expansion of Homeshare, where young people live with older people, for reduced rent or free accommodation in return for help with basic tasks around the home and companionship.

Age UK Carlisle and Eden has been commissioned by the council to set up a scheme for the whole of Cumbria following a successful pilot project in Eden.

New service to support people with dementiaA new county-wide service to help people with dementia and their carers was launched jointly by Cumbria County Council and NHS Cumbria. The new Dementia Adviser Service, provided by Alzheimer’s Society, will help local people with dementia and their carers to help navigate them to local information and find relevant support groups in the area. There are more than 7,500 people with dementia in Cumbria, with numbers expected to rise to just over 10,000 by 2021. With numbers set to grow, there will be an increased need for access to local dementia services.

Six of Cumbria County Council’s care homes struck gold for standards in dementia care. The six homes, all administered by Cumbria Care, have seen more than £800,000 of council investment which has raised the homes’ interior design and decor to dementia gold standard awarded by the UK’s leading researchers into dementia – the University of Stirling.

Road SafetyThe number of people killed or seriously injured on Cumbria’s roads has fallen to its lowest level since 2000, when monitoring began. The figures, released by the Cumbria Road Safety Partnership (CRSP), reveal that there were a total of 30 fatalities and 164 people seriously injured in 2012, totalling 194 – this is less than half the 493 incidents in 2000 and down from 249 in 2011.






3 Help with housing










3 Help with housing






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Independence ProgrammeGrants totalling £867,000 have been awarded to projects that will support people in communities across Cumbria who need extra help to remain independent.

More than 30 different charities, third-sector organisations and other groups successfully bid for the grants to deliver the new Neighbourhood Care Independence programme (NCI), which is being managed by the Cumbria Community Foundation.

The grants, which have been funded by Cumbria County Council and the county’s new NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, will be used to deliver a range of activities, such as befriending services and support for people who return home from hospital from April this year.

We continue to support people for longer to maintain their independence in their own homes, with reductions in the number of admissions to long term residential care (with 761 admissions compared to 799 for calendar year to December 2011). This reduction was achieved despite the challenge of an ageing population. There has been an increase in use of assistive technology across the county with 1340 people utilising this (as at 31/12/12) to help maintain independence at home – an increase of 37% compared to previous recorded period.

Affordable WarmthThe Cumbria Affordable Warmth Partnership was successful in securing £357,000 to help people in Cumbria stay warm in the winter.

The bid for the extra Warm Homes Healthy People Fund money was made by the Cumbria Affordable Warmth Partnership which is made up of Cumbria County Council, the Cumbria Community Foundation (CCF), Age UK, NHS Cumbria and a number of other voluntary and statutory organisations.

Investment in Mental Health Prevention There has been an extra £1 million invested in mental health prevention activity. This has evolved into the Life Matters project, which now has 24 independent organisations delivering a wide range of activities and mental health support countywide. During the first nine months of the project, there have been over 1700 support contacts and activity sessions delivered.

Fire Service scoops national awardCumbria Fire and Rescue Service scooped the Heart Safe Public Sector Organisation of the Year prize at the 2012 UK Heart Safe awards. This award celebrates an outstanding public sector organisation that has invested in life-saving equipment and staff training to provide a Heart Safe environment for their employees and communities.


We will prioritise services, targeting our resources where they

are most needed. We will re-engineer services to find more effective and efficient ways to do things and put

our customers at the heart of everything we do.

Our aspiration

An effective and efficient council

Cumbria County Council is now delivering its library service using new and innovative ways. New models include book drops and library link as a way to meet the changing needs of customers and to be more efficient.

Our Highways Services have successfully been brought back in-house without service disruption

and with core service continuity maintained.

As a result of a shared pension service with Lancashire County Council, the council is now saving £600,000 per year and customer satisfaction has rocketed to 98%.

£600ksavings per year

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Through Better Places for Work and other

efficiency measures, the council has reduced the number of offices, sold

surplus buildings and renegotiated rents so far saving £5 million.

For the third year running, Cumbria County Council has agreed a budget that will result in no increase in the county council’s share of council tax, which helps protect Cumbrians through a difficult economic period.

Cumbria County Council’s website gained a nationally sought-after award for it being ‘mobile-friendly’ and fully accessible.

After a major retendering exercise for bus operators of scheduled buses, school transport and special education needs

and disabilities transport in Eden and South Lakes, the council has saved nearly £1.5 million, while protecting the services.

0%increase

Our new customer strategy focuses on four principles to

ensure we can respond to the demands of our customers.

Make it easy for our customers

Use customer feedback to improve our services

Treat people with dignity and respect

Take responsibility

SOLD



Case studies

Budget freezes council tax while delivering £24.5m in savings Cumbria County Council agreed a budget which will see no increase in the county council’s share of council tax from April 2013 to March 2014. It is the third consecutive year that the county council’s share of council tax has not increased.

The cumulative impact of the county council’s decision to keep a firm lid on council tax rises throughout the last four years has helped protect Cumbrians through the economic downturn.

Highways Services transferred back Our Highways Services have successfully been brought back in-house, without service disruption and with core service continuity maintained.

Award for council’s mobile friendly websiteAs part of an ongoing commitment to improve access and usability of the website for the people of Cumbria, the council’s web development team introduced a mobile-friendly version of the county council website last summer.

ICT professionals SOCITM granted the site ‘M’ status, making Cumbria one of only five county councils in the country to hold the award. The value of this development is supported by a recent survey that shows half of all Cumbrians who have internet access use a mobile phone to connect to the web.

Bus service efficienciesA major retendering exercise for bus operators of scheduled buses, school transport and special education needs and disabilities transport in Eden and South Lakes saw interest from an increasingly competitive bus operators’ market.

This resulted in annual savings of nearly £1.5 million for Cumbrian taxpayers – meaning bus users are getting the same or similar services for much less. In many cases small Cumbrian operators have won business from larger operators, giving a significant boost to the local economy.


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Better Places for Work Through the Better Places for Work programme and other efficiency measures, we have reduced the number of offices we occupy, and by selling surplus buildings and renegotiating rents have saved in excess of £5 million.

Pensions Following the creation of a shared service between Cumbria County Council and Lancashire County Council on pensions the council has delivered a first class service to over 13,500 pensioners as well as delivering savings and efficiencies in excess of £600k in 2012/13.

Better opening hours for local libraries Cumbria County Council has sought out alternative models for the delivery of library services that meet changing needs. The aim has been to deliver the same, or improved service for less money and generating greater community involvement.

The consultation exercise that the council undertook, including with the public and community groups, has resulted in a number of emerging ideas for the modernisation of service delivery.

Library links and book drops are utilised as a means of providing isolated communities with increased access to library services.

Community Librarians allow services to be taken to heart of communities giving access to hard to reach and disadvantaged groups.

These initiatives are allowing increase of access to library services within communities and their success is inspiring other communities to take interest.

National award for Cumbria’s library serviceCumbria’s library service celebrated a podium finish thanks to a national bronze award for its annual Six Book Challenge. The Six Book Challenge is aimed at adults who are not confident about reading – the idea behind it is to help people get into reading, in many cases for the first time.

Cumbria’s library service held its most successful challenge ever in 2012, with 69 people starting the challenge and 55 completing it – an overall completion rate of 80 per cent.

Cumbria’s library service was also cited as an example of best practice, by the Reading Agency, for its work in supporting people to complete the 2012 Six Book Challenge, including monitoring, data returns and the evaluation process.

Translation servicesIf you require this document in another format (e.g. CD, audio cassette, Braille or large type) or in another language, please telephone 01228 606060.


achievements in delivering the council plan · october november december january february march six...

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