our annual report 2009

Annual Report2009

Celebrating 300 years of Samuel Johnson

Lichfield District Council

2

LichfieLd district counciL AnnuAL report 2009 LichfieLd district counciL AnnuAL report 2009

Our ambitionsWe work with our partners, such as the police and health services, local colleges and voluntary organisations, to make our district a great place to live. We do this by making it cleaner and safer, helping to develop a thriving economy, and ensuring it is somewhere everyone can reach their potential and achieve a good quality of life.


3

Our prioritiesThis was the first year of our new strategic plan which contains priorities that will take us up to 2012. Find out more about our strategic plan online at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/strategicplan

From building stronger communities, and helping people realise their potential, through to ensuring all our services are as efficient as they can be, we’ve achieved big things this year against all our nine priorities.

Find out more about our achievements inside this annual report.

Inside our annual report

4 Welcome 12Making our money work well

20A partnership effort

5Our nine priorities

14We listen to you

22Our performance in detail

6Our highlights: people, place, improvement

16 Your councillors 26 Where next?

18How the council works

29Award winning services & contact us

4


Welcome

Being one of the lowest charging councils in the country has not stopped us achieving big things.

From helping over 400 people and families to find local homes, and securing over £200,000 for children’s play areas, through to supporting over 40 young people and 200 adults to get back into work, education or training, what we do touches local people’s lives. And, with our teams out on the streets every day, clearing away over 460 incidents of fly tipping, helping to recycle over 52% of all the waste local people produce, and cleaning over 7,000 miles of local roads, what we do makes the district cleaner, greener and safer.

Turn to pages 6 – 11 to find out more about what we’ve done this year.

We’re proud that, even in today’s financial climate, our approach to reducing our costs is enabling us to deliver high quality, good value and award winning services. Whilst many people think councils are protected from financial downturns, we are in fact as keenly affected as any other business. With nearly 40% of our running costs underpinned by income, from areas like our leisure centres, car parks, planning and our theatre, sound financial management and strong business acumen are essential. That’s why we were incredibly proud, this year, when the Audit Commission told us our financial performance was sound in our Use of Resources Assessment.

At times like this, innovation and being quick to adapt are also key. We’re not afraid to change, and this year we’ve teamed up with some of our neighbouring councils to deliver some of our services, including building control, health and safety and business support. Partnerships like these will continue to help keep our costs low and achieve the things our communities tell us are important. And, our keen approach to securing additional funding has helped bring in almost £5 million into the district which is set to further improve local people’s lives.

We know that over 80% of people living here think Lichfield district is a great place to be. We also know we’re making good progress on the things that people want us to improve. From working with our housing partners to boost the numbers of lower cost local homes, to teaming up with our partners to ensure there’s more things for young people to do in the evenings and at weekends. We’re also working on plans for better shopping centres in Lichfield and Burntwood, which are top on local people’s wish list!

Next year will see us helping to invest over £3.9 million in our city centre parks, getting the planning framework right for our district, working to push climate change higher up the national agenda, as well as delivering a host of good value local services.

Please read the next few pages to see how our teams have made a difference locally over the past year and how we’ll continue to do so in the coming years.

Foreword by Councillor David S. Smith, Leader of Lichfield District Council and Nina Dawes OBE, Chief Executive of Lichfield District Council


5

We’re centred on peopleWe are working with our partners to:

• create strong and proud communities

• improve people’s health and wellbeing

• help local people realise their potential

• involve local people and partners, so we can make good decisions and achieve more

We’re focused on placeWe are working with our partners to:

• help people access a home that’s right for them and to live independently

• create and support vibrant towns and villages

• protect and enhance our environment for future generations

• attract even more investment into our district

We’re delivering more by getting even better at what we do We are a high performing, low cost council. We strategically manage our services, to make sure we deliver in the areas that mean the most to our communities. The financial climate means that our focus on reducing costs by making our services more efficient year on year, is now even more important. We work with our partners in innovative ways to achieve more and better. Overall our approach to improvement is helping us to deliver in the ways that matter to local people.

Our strategic plan for 2008 – 2012 outlines our top nine priorities that are focused on improving the lives of people who live in our district, as well as boosting the places people live, work and visit. They also recognise that by getting better at what we do, we can make a difference locally. Here’s a quick overview of our nine priorities. To find out what we’ve achieved against our nine priorities this year, read more overleaf.

Our nine priorities

6


Help people realise their potentialWe launched the first ever Burntwood Arts Exhibition which has helped local artists to display their work more widely.

Thanks to Big Draw events across the district, hundreds of kids and parents got creative making pop-up books, sketching faces and more!

We worked with the arts partnership to launch www.heartlichfield.com to help promote local arts events and raise the profile of district art groups.

Over 180 people completed 166 courses this year at Venture House, our community training centre. LearnDirect also returned to Venture House making it even easier for everyone to get learning!

Over 60 people took part in health and safety courses, floristry courses, adult learning taster sessions and more, at Mill Lane Link in Fazeley, and in Armitage with Handsacre.

Our Venture House team helped over 40 young people who either left school early, or were at risk of dropping out of school, get back into learning, training or employment.

Eleven lone parents are now one step closer to a job, thanks to new skills learned on a childcare course, as part of the Back into Work project.

Ten local volunteers gained top volunteering qualifications to help them make an even bigger difference locally.

Over 13,000 people visited the Old Mining College Centre in Chasetown, for advice, training, meetings, courses, local information and more.

Our highlights We’re centred on peopleCreate safe, strong & proud communitiesLast year saw a 15% reduction in crime in Lichfield District. From house burglary, to anti-social behaviour, the district not only feels safer, it is safer.

Local residents and agencies mucked in at a community pride event in Redwood Park. Together they filled two skips and cleared away 20 bags of rubbish.

Over 300 people took part in a lantern workshop and parade last autumn in North Lichfield. Hundreds of people also got involved in music workshops, a women’s day, batwalks and more!

We joined forces with HomeZone Living and Burntwood Town Council to fund a new Burntwood Community Development Worker.

Forward Action Burntwood has seen residents and agencies working together to improve the quality of life for people in Burntwood – from a recycling day to a health and safety event, over 250 people got involved.

A task group has been set up to help bolster the sense of community in North Lichfield, as well as tackle local issues and concerns, following a tragic event in January when a resident lost his life.

This summer the Audit Commission told us we are doing well building safer, stronger and greener communities.

Innovative campaigns, such as ‘I’ll be Des’ and Operation Talon, are helping to cut drink and youth related deaths and accidents on our roads.

More than 100 local projects entered the first ever Southern Staffordshire Regeneration Awards. Burntwood Init, which helps tackle anti-social behaviour in Burntwood through activities for young people, was a winner!

LichfieLd district counciL AnnuAL report 2009

7


How we measure up• 79% of people feel that local people get on

well, no matter what their background.

• 62% of people feel a real part of their local community.

• 45% of local people have taken part in some sort of voluntary activity.

• We’re tackling fuel poverty. 36% of people who claim income related benefits live in a home with a good energy efficiency rating, and only 8% live in a home with a poor energy efficiency rating.

to find out how we measure these and other performance indicators, turn to pages 22 - 25.

Improve people’s health and well beingHundreds of kids got active building dens, cooking, skating and more in local parks, thanks to our new playrangers scheme!

Over 900 children had a great time at playschemes this summer, giving parents a much needed helping hand during the holidays.

Thanks to £200,000 Big Lottery funding, hundreds of kids have been swinging, batting and playing in new and updated play areas and ball courts in Alrewas, Handsacre, Mile Oak and Redwood Park. A further £90,000 from Staffordshire Playbuilder is set to make even more improvements in Handsacre and Redwood Park.

Even more young people hung out at our weekly Aspire youth clubs in North Lichfield and Fazeley.

Nearly one million people got active at our leisure centres, which we know are well-run, efficient and popular, thanks to our leisure options appraisal which was completed this year.

We helped over 6,000 people to get the housing and council tax benefits they need.

Waterwalkerz, dance mats and sports walls were introduced at Friary Grange Leisure Centre.

Friary Grange Leisure Centre is staking its claim as a centre of biking excellence. We placed the first commercial order in the world for WATT Bikes - the same bikes the GB cycling team train on! We also hosted the British Schools Cycling Association National Roller Racing Championships.

Burntwood Leisure Centre is proud to be one of the top 100 in the country with a highly commended Quest certification.

We helped nearly 300 homes to stay warm this winter through the ‘Warmer Homes Greener District’ scheme.

We handed out over 1,000 new slippers to prevent slips and falls.

We’re helping carers to get the help they need. We published a carers’ review and supported a carers’ drop in day in Lichfield City centre this spring.

We helped the Primary Care Trust to set up a temporary health and well-being centre in the grounds of Burntwood Leisure Centre.

Undercover officers tested how easy it is for underage drinkers to buy alcohol in local bars and off licences.

www.ratemyplace.org.uk helped boost the cleanliness of restaurants, bars and more, by making it easy for customers to find out about hygiene checks. 93% of local eateries meet fundamental food safety requirements.

Involve local people and partnersWe invested over £200,000 to help support local services and events, from Relate and South East Staffs Citizens Advice Bureau, through to the Lichfield Festival and the Burntwood Wakes.

Young people have been helping our Children’s Trust Board to raise the profile of local issues from a different perspective, through events and meetings. We were proud to help young people produce DITCH, an alcohol awareness DVD, that’s being used in local schools.

We worked with partners to tackle issues as diverse as anti-social behaviour and homelessness, through to launching Speakers’ Corner and hosting a heritage weekend. We’re involved in over 10 key partnerships ranging from the Lichfield District Tourism Association through to the Safer Community Partnership. Find out more on pages 20 & 21.

We published two issues of Intouch, our highly acclaimed community newspaper.

We launched a plain English campaign to improve the written documents we produce. It’s helping to make it easier for people to find out what’s going on, and understand how to get involved.

We helped people to find out what’s going on by promoting services and stories in the local press. This year nearly 500 stories hit the papers, tv or radio, helping thousands of people to find out what’s going on.

We launched our new online consultation system www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/voiceit which helps people find out what local agencies need their views on.

Voters registered by text this year – making voting even easier!

8


More than 100 local projects entered the first ever Southern Staffordshire Regeneration Awards.

We helped 16,000 over 60s and disabled people to get their new free bus pass.

Helping people to find a home that’s right for them and to live independently We put the finishing touches to our new homelessness strategy. We helped stop 40 families from becoming homeless. 204 individuals and families have been helped to find homes through Your Choice.

We helped celebrate the quality of new buildings across the district at Lichfield’s Built in Quality Awards. We carried out over 6,000 inspections to make sure building work is safe, healthy, energy efficient and accessible. 26 dangerous buildings and structures were made safe thanks to the team. We also launched a 24/7 call out service!

Despite the recession, we’ve helped to develop 52 new affordable homes.

Our planning service is getting faster every year and exceeds government targets! We processed 78% of major planning applications in 13 weeks and 91% of minor applications, for things like conservatoires and extensions in 8 weeks.

We’ve helped to make it easier for local disabled people to live independently in their homes. We gave out grants totalling over £400,000 to install adaptations ranging from ramps and handrails, to bathing equipment. Thanks to a £60,000 grant from Southern Staffordshire Primary Care Trust, even more people are now set to benefit.

Our Sanctuary Scheme supports people who have experienced domestic violence, hate crimes, racial harassment or other violent crime to feel and be safer in their homes. This year seven homes were made more secure through the scheme.

Our highlights We’re focused on placeVibrant towns & villagesWe secured over £3.9 million pounds of Heritage & Big Lottery funding which is set to transform Lichfield’s City centre parks over the coming years.

Ever year we sweep nearly 7,000 miles of roads, footpaths and channels. Surveys show 91% are clean and tidy, and 71% of people think we’re doing a good job! We also regularly maintained over 1,400 acres of local parks and green spaces, and regularly emptied nearly 600 litterbins and 200 dog poo bins. Our hit squad responded to most reports of flytipping and litter within 24 hours.

Thousands of people got involved in helping to shape the future of the district at a series of ‘I love Lichfield District’ events. People’s views will form part of our new Local Development Framework which is set to be published in August 2010.

We launched a high profile campaign to cut fly-tipping. It included mobile advertising on our waste fleet, posters and leaflets, surveillance at hot-spots, and searches of waste carrying vehicles. Its helped to prosecute four people and caution three. We also cleared up 460 incidents of fly-tipping.

Our hard-hitting campaign to eradicate dog poo and litter from our streets led to 14 fines and 2 prosecutions!

Our Community Transport scheme proved extremely popular with bookings up over 11% on last year. We also launched a new bus and we’re extending the service into rural areas.

We worked with local high schools to help stop pupils dropping litter. New bins were installed, pupils were briefed and anyone caught dropping litter was offered the chance to help tidy up the local area instead of facing a fine. Feedback from teachers, pupils and parents has been really positive.

Last year an open space in North Lichfield was transformed into a wonderful spot for wildlife and locals, thanks to a partnership of local agencies, the North Lichfield Initiative and local people. This year, the partnership scooped a top regional award.

This spring we started patrolling our streets to make sure people park safely and well. The move is helping the police to focus on other high priority services, and as we already patrol our car parks, it made sense for us to patrol streets as well. We worked with councils across Staffordshire to launch the new service.

The Friarsgate Scheme was given the green light in February 2008 when the Compulsory Purchase Order was granted. Because of the recession, we’ve not made as much progress as we planned this year, but we’re hopeful the scheme will be one of the first to kick off when things pick up. We’re also hopeful that plans for Burntwood’s town centre will progress soon.

The new Garrick Square was completed, providing a great new public meeting place with benches and landscaping.

Lichfield hosted the English Historic Towns Forum and annual general meeting.

We were proud that Lichfield became a Fair Trade City in March.


9


How we measure up• 80.7% of people are happy with the local area as a place

to live.

• We helped to develop 52 new affordable homes, which in today’s financial climate is a great achievement!

• We’re still one of the fastest authorities in the country at turning around planning applications!

• 84% of people are satisfied with their recycling service.


Protecting our environment for future generationsHistoric varieties of fruit trees are set to be nurtured at a community orchard at Muckley Corner Common.

We planted over 60 trees in local communities and looked after trees and wildlife across the district.

We welcomed back a second herd of Dexter cattle onto the Anglesey Basin in Chasewater to help protect and preserve our rare heathland.

We’re confident local green and open spaces will be cared for and well maintained, thanks to our new Greens & Open Spaces Strategy.

We cut the amount of rubbish sent to landfill by 779 tonnes (or 82 London buses) and recycled an extra 103 tonnes thanks to new schemes, such as Plastic Fantastic. We recycled 52.75% of all waste we collected. Businesses also got in on the action. 240 businesses signed up to our commercial recycling scheme and together recycled over 200 tonnes of waste.

Our recycling crews emptied nearly 100,000 bins and boxes every week in all weathers - well done them!

We’re helping to cut the council’s carbon footprint – from installing motion sensors on lights, through to buying greener recycling vehicles, with EURO 5 engines.

We tested new recycling methods to make our scheme even greener.

Attracting even more investment into our districtSince 1999 we’ve helped to attract over £500 million into the district. This year we launched a new development book www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/developmentbook

We hosted a free event for local businesses to help them navigate through the credit crunch, together with our new partners Tamworth Borough Council.

We smashed box office records at the Lichfield Garrick and boosted ticket sales throughout the year! So far over 100,000 people have seen shows at the Garrick this year!

‘Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolfe?’, produced by the Lichfield Garrick Rep Company, transferred to the West End to critical acclaim.

Despite the heavy rain, we celebrated Proms in the Park in style at the Lichfield Garrick!

We launched a new tourism website www.visitlichfield.co.uk which is used by nearly 300,000 people every year to find out more about visiting our district.

The Tourist Information Centre was awarded a Silver Service Mark and voted as one of the top two TICs in the region by the Heart of England Tourist Board in November.

Over 300,000 visitor & event guides helped encourage even more people to visit our district, including our brand new What’s On guide. It’s estimated over two million people visited this year, boosting local shops, restaurants, attractions and businesses.

Visitors loved this year’s Heritage Weekend, and visitor numbers at heritage attractions soared by up to 70% compared to 2007.

10


Our highlights We’re getting better at what we do

How we measure up• 61% of local businesses are satisfied with the way we

regulate local activities – from licensing to local policy.

• 62% of people feel well informed about how council tax is spent.

• We’re getting good value for money. We’ve maintained service delivery whilst achieving over £480,000 savings since the beginning of the year.

• We’re working on cutting the number of times people need to contact us unnecessarily, for example chase unreturned calls, or because they can’t get what they need on our website.


We cut the costs of delivering our services by £480,000 this year, with limited impact on front line services.

We launched our new website, which now features a council tax checker, twitter, blogs and more. Now well over 200,000 people use it every year to find out about local information and report problems. www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/planning was also commended by the Society of IT Managers.

Well done to the Lichfield Connects team who helped nearly 95,000 customers on the telephone since April. Most callers had to wait no longer than 27 seconds to be answered, with only 3% of calls abandoned.

Our benefits team is using new technology to boost customer service and catch benefit cheats as part of a government pilot.

Our customers are now getting even better information thanks to LocalView that helps our teams to access detailed online maps of the local area.

Our recycling and street scene teams moved to a brand new hub in Burntwood. The new building is making a big difference to the team’s working environment, particularly where health and safety is concerned.

We created a new approach to street naming and numbering, which will help make sure deliveries and emergency services get to local homes on time!

Our health & safety team now provides support to Tamworth and Stafford Borough Councils, as well as Lichfield District.

We joined forces with Tamworth Borough Council to support local businesses better – from developing an online property bulletin, through to forums and www.think-local.biz

Our geographical information systems team now provides services across Stafford Borough. We also joined forces with Stafford Borough Council to deliver our new payroll service.

Our building control service teamed up with Tamworth Borough Council to ensure buildings are safe, healthy, energy efficient and accessible. This has cut costs and improved the customer services we offer – including a 24/7 call out service for dangerous structures.

We’re working with the National Fraud Initiative, to help identify fraud.

Over the last three years 200 people have been cautioned, fined or prosecuted as part of our work to help stamp out benefit fraud.

Our new online purchasing system went live, and is helping us to cut the costs of buying everyday items.

Not only are our costs down, we’re better prepared for all eventualities, thanks to the renegotiation of our insurance contracts!

We improved technical communications across the council including speeding up internet access by up to 400%.

We received an interim assessment from Investors in People, and were pleased that we are on track and clearly demonstrating our commitment to developing our team and communicating across the organisation.

We want to get even better at serving you, that’s why all our customer services team signed up this year to complete an NVQ in customer service training.

We’re getting even better at anticipating, planning for, and coping with risks. This year we reviewed over 90% of our risks to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be!

The way we send information to government departments is now even more secure, thanks to our work on the Government Connects project.

Our approach to new technology is key! It’s helping us to serve customers in ways that make sense in today’s world. From being able to use handheld devices when we’re out and about, to helping people to report problems via text and picture messages, our investments will help us to improve our services year on year.

We’re well prepared to respond to emergencies, and our team even have new emergency response gear, so they are well protected if the need arises! Local communities are also better prepared thanks to a new flood warden scheme and over 1,000 expandable flood sacks. We also contributed to the new Staffordshire flood plan.


11


Are we serving you well?We use our priorities to shape our team and our employee’s targets. We actively manage our performance through regular reviews to make sure we stay on track, and that our team members are working towards the right targets. We check our progress against national performance indicators - see pages 22 - 25.

To make sure we are serving people well, we regularly check out our customer services – from mystery shops at our leisure centres and receptions, through to surveys at our tourist information centre, and usability tests of our websites. All the feedback is fed into our team service plans to help us get better year on year.

12


Making our money work wellWe’re proud to deliver good quality services, many of which are award winning. If you live in Lichfield District, you pay around £30 less a year towards district council services than the national average. And, for around £2.64* a week, we hope local people agree that not only are our services good quality, they’re great value. We’ve kept our council tax increase as low as possible this year (2.9%), which means residents will pay an extra 7p* a week or £3.87* a year towards our services.

In 2004 the Audit Commission told us we were a good council. Every year since then, they’ve told us that we spend the money we get wisely and well, and that our performance is improving. We were really proud this year to receive a high score in our Use of Resources Assessment by the Audit Commission. A good score is more important than ever in today’s financial climate.

We’re also proud that we bring in high levels of external funding, which helps us to deliver even better local services at no extra cost to our residents.

On these two pages we provide information about our finances for the year ending March 31st 2009, as well as our financial plans for the coming year – April 1st 2009 to March 31st 2010.

Key facts• We spent £11.3 million in 2008 – 2009 on local services.

• We are set to spend £11.2 million in 2009 – 2010.

• A typical household (Band D) council tax bill in 2008 – 2009 was £133. In 2009 – 2010 it is £137.

• We’re a low charging council. In 2009 the average council tax bill nationally was nearly £30 more than we charged.

Our income

For a full summary of our accounts, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/summaryaccounts2009 or call 01543 308000

A B C D E F GCouncil tax Housing

benefit grant from central government

Money from grants, fees and charges

Government settlement

Interest on investments

Use of balances / reserves

Income from commercial property

2008/2009 2007/2008


13

Our capital spending up to 2012We also invest in the district by making use of the proceeds we get from other asset sales, along with grants and other contributions.

Creating a cleaner, greener and safer district

Includes projects such as our new recycling depot.

£415,529 (18%)

Being a good place to live

Includes the funding of affordable housing.

£558,028 (24%)

Creating a better quality of life Includes providing grants for disabled people for

adaptations to their homes so they can live

more independently and projects.

£1,064,851 (46%)

Building a thriving economy Includes projects such as the Garrick Square.

£166,833 (7%)

Delivering through a joint

effort Includes eGovernment

and information. £100,000 (5%)

What services local people pay for in their council tax bill?Lichfield District Council collects council tax on behalf of Staffordshire County Council, parish councils, the fire and police services. Here’s how the money is divided:

Council /AuthorityLast year (2008/9)

This year (2009/10)

Who received what percentage of our bill?

How much each authority costs you each week

Yearly increase

Staffordshire County Council

£985.44 £1,009.61 71% £19.42 £24.17 +2.45%

Lichfield District Council £133.57 £137.44 9.7% £2.64 £3.87 +2.90%

Police Authority £166.16 £172.71 12.1% £3.32 £6.55 +3.94%

Fire & Rescue Authority £63.24 £65.73 4.6% £1.26 £2.49 +3.94%

Average parish/town council

£36.40 £36.75 2.6% 71p 35p +0.96%

Total amount payable (Band D)

£1,384.81 £1,422.24 100% £27.35 £37.43 +2.70%

Source: Lichfield District Council Tax Leaflet 2009-2010.

Our revenue spending 2008 - 2009 Our day-to-day running costs are known as revenue spending. This includes the money we get from council tax, grants and interest on our investments.

Creating a cleaner, greener and safer district

Includes recycling and waste collection,

street cleansing, litter control and

environmental health £3,391,000 (19%)

Being a good place to live

Includes leisure centres, the Lichfield Garrick,

parks and open spaces £3,607,000 (21%)

Creating a better quality

of life Includes housing

services, housing and council tax benefits £6,432,000 (37%)

Building a thriving economy Includes planning and urban development,

tourism, inward investment

£2,177,000 (13%)

Delivering through a joint

effort We’re working with our partners and community

to provide what the community needs

£1,789,000 (10%)

Ambition 1

Ambition 1

Ambition 2

Ambition 2

Ambition 3

Ambition 3

Ambition 4

Ambition 4

Ambition 5

Ambition 5

How the money we spend improves local people’s livesWe set our budget based on our five ambitions. Find out below how we’re spending the money we get in the areas we know will make a difference to people locally.

14


We listen to you

We know the services we deliver directly impact the quality of local people’s lives. We work hard to make sure the services we know matter most to local people are top class – from street cleansing, to benefits, to housing. We set clear targets for all our services and we’re always keen to find out if we’re doing things well. So how do we do this?

The new place surveyIn 2008 the government launched the new place survey. It’s great news for local communities as it’s been designed to measure improvements in people’s lives and local places, rather than processes and institutional improvement. In September, 2,700 local residents were chosen at random and received a postal questionnaire. They were asked about the local area, their public services, the quality of local information, local decision-making, how easy it is to get involved, respect and consideration, and community safety. 46% of people sent their completed questionnaire back. Find out what they told us on pages 22 & 23.

To read a full summary of people’s responses to the place survey 2008, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/placesurvey2008.

To find out how we’re planning to get better in the areas local people told us need to improve turn to pages 26 & 27, or find out more in our strategic plan 2008 – 2012 www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/strategicplan

Our omnibus surveyWe carry out an omnibus survey twice a year. On average 300 people take part in each survey. We ask a range of questions to find out what people think of our services, whether we are getting things right, and how we can improve. We cross reference responses against our place survey, to see how we’re improving, and where we need to focus our efforts. The omnibus survey also gives us the chance to ask people questions that aren’t included in the place survey. People’s views also help to shape our plans and activities throughout the year.

Customer satisfaction surveys We regularly ask for feedback from customers on how well we are providing our services. If you would like to give your views visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/goodservice or call the team on 01543 308000.

Our new local development framework & section 106sThis year over 4,000 local people gave their views as part of our work to develop a new local development framework. The framework will set out where things like housing, shopping, roads, infrastructure and more will be developed over the coming years. To find out more, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/newldf

Hundreds of people also gave their views on where we should spend Section 106 monies to benefit the local community. To find out more visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/section106

The right fitWe also meet with local people when we ask about specific services or developments – from how we can best spend money generated by new developments (Section 106 funds), through to house-to-house calls about our recycling service.

The views of local businesses and partners also help us to set our targets. Each year we host a variety of forums and face-to-face meetings to get a wide range of business views - from consultations on city centre activity, to presentations to the local tourism association.

We use all this feedback to help us improve our services, as well as to shape our plans and strategies to ensure we are heading in the right direction, and doing what counts.

to find out more about how to get involved and give your views, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/voiceit


15


16


Your councillors

Cllr R. Bamborough

Chase TerraceCllr M. Humphreys Chase Terrace

Cllr S. Tranter Chase Terrace

Cllr P. Atkins

ChasetownCllr J. Emery Chasetown

Cllr D. Constable Highfield

Cllr M. Holt

HighfieldCllr D. Isaacs

SummerfieldCllr S. Norman Summerfield

Cllr J. Allsopp Boley Park

Cllr B. Diggle

Boley ParkCllr J. Eagland Boley Park

Cllr M. Bland

ChadsmeadCllr M. Fryers Chadsmead

Cllr B. Bacon

CurboroughCllr N. Bacon

CurboroughCllr J. Walker

CurboroughCllr T. Finn

Leomansley

Cllr I. Jackson

LeomansleyCllr D. Love

LeomansleyCllr G. Boyle

St. JohnsCllr D. English

St. JohnsCllr J. Wilks

St. JohnsCllr B. DerrickStowe

Cllr B. Constable All Saints

Cllr H. Fisher

All SaintsCllr R. Campbell Boney Hay

Cllr R. Heath Boney Hay

Cllr K. Humphreys

Burntwood CentralCllr B. Rigby

Burntwood Central


17


Burntwood Area

Lichfield Area

Rural Area

Cllr T. MarshallArmitage w. Handsacre

Cllr M. TittleyArmitage w. Handsacre

Cllr C. McEwan

Bourne ValeCllr T. Hill Colton & Mavesyn Ridware

Cllr B. Adams Fazeley

Cllr T. BrookesFazeley

Cllr I. Lewin

FazeleyCllr E. Bayliss

HammerwichCllr V. Richards

HammerwichCllr I. Pritchard

Kings BromleyCllr L. Flowith Little Aston

Cllr J. Powell Little Aston

Cllr C. Ablitt Whittington

Cllr A. White

Whittington

Cllr P. Hogan Alrewas & Fradley

Cllr M. Stanhope

Alrewas & FradleyCllr M. Wilcox Alrewas & Fradley

Cllr R. Cox

Armitage w. HandsacreCllr C. Greatorex

StoweCllr D. Smedley

Stowe

Cllr R. Hancocks

ShenstoneCllr D.S. SmithStonnall

Turn overleaf for more details about how the council works.

Cllr N. Roberts

LongdonCllr P. BennionMease & Tame

Cllr E. Fleetwood Mease & Tame

Cllr M. Ellis

Shenstone

A local earTo contact your councillor, visit www.lichfieldc.gov.uk/councillors or call 01543 308000 to ask for contact details.

18


Full councilThe council is a sovereign body that is attended by every councillor. It sets the ambition, focus and priorities for the council, as well as approves its strategies and policies. It holds to account the work of the cabinet and overview & scrutiny committees. It also reviews the work of the regulatory committees, sets the council tax level and agrees the budget.

The full council is led by Cllr David. S. Smith, Leader of Lichfield District Council.

The cabinetMuch like central government, where politicians take special responsibility for key areas of service, certain local councillors take special responsibility for key local services – from recycling and waste to health and housing. The role of the cabinet is to deliver the council’s focus and priorities by devising and implementing strategies and policies. During 2008/09, these were:

Cllr Matthew Ellis

Cllr Colin Greatorex

Cllr Louise Flowith

Cllr Val Richards Cllr Ben Adams Cllr Neil Roberts Cllr Margaret Stanhope

Deputy Leader with responsibility for Organisational

Development, & the Lichfield Garrick

Finance, Revenues &

Benefits

Operational Services, including recycling

and waste

Leisure Community, Housing &

Health

Development Services

Democratic & Legal Services

Planning committeeHelps to uphold the character of the district and manage development and economic growth in a sustainable way. The planning committee makes decisions on planning applications, enforcement notices and also contributes to planning and development policies. It is chaired by Cllr Ian Pritchard.

The regulatory & licensing committee Helps to keep the district safe and clean. It looks after the licensing of premises and covers environmental health, regulatory issues such as food safety, health & safety, and pollution control. It is made up of 15 councillors and is chaired by Cllr Ken Humphreys.

Standards committeeThis committee exists to help promote and uphold high standards of probity and behaviour across all areas of the council’s activity, as well as the activity of local parish councils. It is made up of five councillors, two independent people and is chaired by Mr R Elwood.

How the council works

Our constitution sets out how the council works. It also details how decisions are made and what procedures we follow to make sure decisions are fair, transparent and our councillors are accountable to local people. To find out more visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/constitution


19


Audit committeeThis committee ensures we are managing our risks in the best possible way and have the relevant controls in place. The committee is made up of five councillors and two independent experts and is chaired by Cllr Ian Lewin.

Employment committeeThis committee oversees functions relating to employment matters, from employment terms and conditions, to recruitment and selection, through to health and safety issues. The committee is made up of 11 councillors and is chaired by Cllr David Smedley.

Advisory panels & forumsWe have advisory panels that provide views, advice and guidance to the cabinet on local issues focusing on place. These are:

Burntwood Panel Disability Partnership Panel Parish Forum

Rural Panel Arts Partnership National Non-Domestic Rates Forum

Lichfield City Panel

Keep in touchWe aim to publish the details of all council meetings on our website at least 5 working days before the meeting takes place. Many meetings are open to the public. To find out more visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/meetingsandminutes

How we check we’re on trackCouncillors involved in overview & scrutiny committees review the decisions of other committees and panels, as well as key areas of the council’s work. At the beginning of each year a special set of overview & scrutiny committees and panels are formed to review the work each team has planned for the coming year. This helps us to make sure that individual teams remain true to the overall ambitions and focus of the council, and that key targets are met in a cost effective way.

There are four specific overview and scrutiny committees:

People & partnership committee Checks we are building the strong relationships we need to deliver joint services. It focuses on issues that matter to local people, such as quality of life and leisure services.

Health panel Looks at the way health services are delivered in our district.

Environment & development committee

Questions whether we are developing the district in the right way, and managing any growth effectively and in a sustainable way.

Strategic committee Checks we’re heading in the right direction and that we’re on track to meet our financial and performance targets.

20


Safer community partnershipThe Lichfield District Safer Community Partnership brings together over 30 agencies from community based volunteer organisations, such as Neighbourhood Watch, Victim Support, Connexions, Age Concern, The Prison Service and more. These organisations come together to work with key statutory bodies such as the police, councils, fire and health providers to help lower crime and the fear of crime across the district. The partnership’s plan is available at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/safercommunities

Joint operations groupThis group brings together the council, police, fire service, trading standards, neighbourhood watch, youth services and more. It meets regularly to look at crime trends and prevention, and to develop operations to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. This year the group was praised by the Audit Commission and we’ve been working with neighbouring authorities to share our learning.

Linking up with voluntary and community work The Lichfield Compact is an agreement between the statutory, voluntary and community sectors that sets out our joint commitment, expectations and provides a framework for how we work together. We continued the good work this year and welcomed new members on board.

We couldn’t achieve everything we aspire for our communities on our own. We believe that the best approach is to work together with local people, our partners, businesses and agencies. These pages outline the key partnerships we are involved with, although there are many more that are not listed:

A partnership effort

A common local goal The Lichfield District Strategic Partnership delivers on the district’s community strategy, which aims to make measurable improvements to the quality of life for people who live in, work in, and visit Lichfield District. It helps public bodies, such as the police, the council, and voluntary organisations, work better together. It also gives an important platform to local people and groups, where they can raise issues that are important to them and their communities.

Our local area agreementWe work closely with our partners to drive forward the district’s local area agreement, which defines a set of agreed targets shared by the council, the police, fire service and county council. These include getting more children involved in sports, developing more retail and office developments, more nature reserves and improved satisfaction levels with parks and open spaces. Our local area agreement also sees us working together to reduce crime, the fear of crime, litter and environmental damage.

Service level agreements with local voluntary organisationsBy providing funding to established and well respected voluntary organisations, we can achieve key elements of our ambitions, without growing our organisation. To ensure these organisations deliver what we need them to, we set up service level agreements. This year we invested over £200,000 in nine organisations to provide services across the district on our behalf. These included Citizens Advice, Lichfield Festival, Relate, Erasmus Darwin House and Burntwood Wakes.


21


We’re support and are proud to be members of a number of community partnerships including:

north Lichfield initiative The North Lichfield Initiative was established in 1996 to pursue the social and community regeneration of the wards Chadsmead, Curborough and Stowe in North Lichfield. The Initiative is a partnership that draws together a broad range of statutory bodies, voluntary agencies, community groups and local residents.

fazeley & district initiative Local residents established the Fazeley & District Initiative in 2005 with the support of Homezone, the Town Council and Lichfield District Council. It brings together local residents and agencies to improve the area.

older people’s forum Helps to raise and test out solutions to issues that are important to local older people, in partnership with local agencies and regional partners.

disability partnership panel Helps to raise and test out solutions to issues that are important to local disabled and less able people, in partnership with local agencies and regional partners.

We’re also part of a number of leading local and county-wide partnerships and projects:

staffordshire food Group We’re proud to lead the development of www.ratemyplace.org.uk on behalf of the Staffordshire Food Group. The website offers a customer friendly food hygiene rating service, that allows customers to find out about the hygiene and cleanliness of local restaurants, bars, schools and other food establishments. Through an easy to understand star rating system that can be accessed through www.ratemyplace.org.uk, on www.ratemyplace.mobi, or on the doors of local establishments, customers can make an informed choice about where to eat.

staffordshire connects All Staffordshire authorities work together as part of Staffordshire Connects to invest in shared technology that can improve service delivery on the ground. By working together, not only do we get better value, we share learning and help each other avoid common pitfalls.

Business Matters We lead a regional project that aims to make it easier for businesses to deal with the public sector and local authorities. Through the project we have partnered with Business Link to look at how improved business support can be delivered. As part of this we are also trying to cut red tape for businesses by working with other agencies on improved enforcement and inspection.

southern staffordshire partnership Our economic development partnership helps to shape the strategic and economic growth across southern Staffordshire districts. The partnership includes private sector businesses, universities, the Learning & Skills Council, Business Link, the Regional Development Agency and the Government Office of the West Midlands.

Lichfield district tourism Association As a key tourist destination, tourism is vital to our economy. We’re delighted to work with local businesses to increase the number of visitors to our district and boost local tourism, as well as encourage more local people enjoy local facilities.

townsafe partnership We work closely with Townsafe, the voice of traders and businesses in Lichfield City centre. Townsafe helps to identify a range of issues from community safety, to environmental, to improvement plans for the city centre. It also provides the successful StoreNet Radio system, and works with agencies and the police on local initiatives – from a scheme for lost children, to promoting and selling hanging baskets to city traders. We helped Townsafe to launch www.e-voice.org/cityspeak and continued to help publish its well received newsletter. We also supported its annual business awards.

think Local To encourage local businesses and agencies to buy from local companies we helped to develop www.thinklocal.biz, which is now being developed across Staffordshire.

22


What’s important to people and what it tell us about our performance.We constantly check what people feel makes our district a good place to live, and where we need to focus our efforts. this helps to tell us where we’re doing a good job, because we know what we do has a big impact on how positive people feel about living here. if we’re doing a good job, more people feel happier living in our district, which is why we were pleased that in our recent place survey 80.7% of people told us they like living here!

In our surveys we ask people to tell us what they think makes somewhere a good place to live. We also ask local people to tell us the top five things that need improving locally. By comparing the things that are most important to people, to the things people want us to improve, a clear picture emerges. It tells us where we, and our partners, are doing a good job and need to continue what we’re doing, and where we need to do even more.

Our recent survey told us that the majority of people view low levels of crime, clean streets, affordable housing, good health services, local parks & open spaces, education provision and access to nature as the top things that make somewhere a good place to live. However, the things people told us they want us to improve locally were activities for teenagers, shopping facilities, roads and pavements and traffic congestion. find out more below:

What makes somewhere a good place to live?A low level of crime has been at top spot since January 2006. Good shopping facilities and clean streets are also consistently in people’s top five. But the question is - are we helping our communities to achieve what’s important?

Top in September 2008 Most important

Top in February 2008 Most important

Top in January 2006 Most important

Low level of crime 63% (-1) Low level of crime 64% (+15) Low level of crime 49%

Health services 51% (+29) Clean streets 36% (+11) Affordable decent housing 49%

Clean streets 46% (+10) Shopping facilities 29% (-19) Shopping facilities 48%

Education provision 34% (+21) Community activities 27% (+18) Health Services 45%

Shopping facilities 33% (+4) Affordable decent housing 23% (-26) Activities for teenagers 39%

Affordable decent housing 32% (+9) Health services 22% (-23) Job prospects 34%

Parks & open spaces 31% (+2) Road and pavement repairs 22% (+14) Facilities for young children 32%

Access to nature 26% (+17) Parks & open spaces 19% (+2) Clean streets 25%

Public transport 25% (+15) Activities for teenagers 19% (-20) Wage levels/Local cost of living 21%

Activities for teenagers 23% (+4) Facilities for young children 18% (-14) Cultural facilities 19%

The information in brackets represents the percentage change (+/-) since the previous survey. We use feedback to help shape our services plans, so we can target the areas local people care about the most.

Our performance in detail

The information on these pages is taken from the omnibus surveys that took place in February 08 and January 06, and the place survey that took place in September 08.


23


Since January 2006 activities for teenagers has been at the top spot of people’s wish lists. Whilst we have made great strides in providing activities for young people, we know we still need to do more, as 43% of people surveyed also feel teenagers ‘hanging around on the streets’ is an issue in our communities. Better shopping facilities has also been in the top five since January 2009, which is an area we are working to improve in Lichfield and Burntwood.

Please improve in September 2008

Most important

Please improve in February 2008

Most important

Please improve in January 2006

Most important

Activities for teenagers 55 (+2) Activities for teenagers 53 (-8) Activities for teenagers 61

Shopping facilities 33 (-2) Road and pavement repairs 35 (n/a) Affordable decent housing 42

Road and pavement repairs 32 (/ ) Shopping facilities 32 (+4) Shopping facilities 28

Low level of traffic congestion 28 (-2) Low level of traffic congestion 30 (n/a) Facilities for young children 28

Public transport 27 (-1) Public transport 28 (n/a) Cultural facilities 23

Low level of crime 24 (/) Low level of crime 24 (n/a) Clean streets 22

Clean streets 22 (-1) Clean streets 23 (+1) Community activities 12

Affordable decent housing 21 (+1) Affordable decent housing 20 (-22) Parks and open spaces 11

Sports & leisure facilities 21 (+2) Job prospects 19 (n/a) Sports & leisure facilities 12

Facilities for young children 20 (-2) Facilities for young children 18 (-10) Low level of pollution 3

What do we need to improve?

To see a full run down of our performance indicators, read our annual performance tables 2009 www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/performancetables2009

24


Where we are performing well

Here’s a quick snapshot of where we are performing well, against the new national indicators in 2008. We’ve also included some other key local indicators and results of our surveys to give a more complete picture:

People

• 80.7% of people like living here (NI 07), which is higher than the national average. 79% feel people from different backgrounds get on well together (NI 01).

• 62.9% of people feel a sense of belonging in their community (NI 02), which is higher than the national average.

• The majority of people feel they are treated with respect in their community (Place Survey 08).

• Only 21% of people think a lack of respect is an issue, compared with 31% nationally (NI 23).

• In the Place Survey people are asked to tell us how healthy and well they feel. People in our district topped the national average with 78.5% of people happy with their personal health (NI 119).

• We get money to people who need it quicker every year. This year we reduced the time it takes us to process claims by 1.5 days (NI 181).

• 90% of residents feel safe out and about during the day and 57% after dark. This is up on 2006, when 79% felt safe in the day and 33.5% felt safe at night (Place Survey 08).

• We helped to prevent 40 families from becoming homeless (Local indicator).

Place

• We helped to develop 52 affordable homes (NI 154).

• We were really proud to boost the amount we recycle again this year – now 52.75% of all waste local households produce is recycled (NI 192).

• We were also proud to cut the amount of waste we sent to landfill by over 2% (NI 191).

• 85% of people are satisfied with our waste & recycling service (Place Survey 08).

• Surveys show 91% of our streets are clean and tidy and 71.1% of people think we are doing a good job (Place Survey 08).

• 60% of people are happy with how we keep public land clear of litter (Place Survey 08), which is higher than the national average.

• 93% of all local food establishments meet fundamental food safety requirements, making our district a safer place to eat and visit (NI 184).

• We’re still one of the fastest authorities in the country at turning around planning applications. 78% of major applications were determined within 13 weeks and 91% of minor applications, for things like extensions and conservatories, were determined in 8 weeks.

• Over 70% of people are satisfied with local parks and open spaces, nearly 51% are satisfied with our theatre facilities and 47% with leisure facilities (Place Survey 08).

Improvement • Our external auditors scored us

highly in how we use resources, particularly when it comes to value for money – we scored 3 out of a possible 4!

• We’re proud that over 73% of local people think they are treated fairly by the council and our partners, beating the national average (NI 140).

• 52% of people are satisfied with how the council runs things, which is higher than many councils. 62% of people feel well informed about how council tax is spent (Place Survey 08).

• 61% of businesses are satisfied with our regulation services (Place Survey 08).


25


People

• Whilst over 74% of people don’t think anti-social behaviour, including drunk or rowdy behaviour and drug taking, is an issue locally (NI 17), nearly 70% of people feel parents need to take more responsibility for their children (NI 22). Our surveys consistently show people want us to increase activities for young people.

• Whilst we’re inline with the national average, only 26.3% of people think the police and local council are dealing with concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour well (NI 27). Only 21.2% think the council and police fully understand local concerns.

• Whilst we are more or less in line with the national average, only 13.3% of people have been involved in local decision making (NI 03), and only 22% have volunteered in the past 12 months. These are things we are keen to boost.

• 82.3% of over 65 year olds are satisfied with where they live (NI 138), but only 29.2% think they receive the right amount of support to live independently in their homes (NI 139). Both these are just below the national average, and things we want to improve.

Place

• Only 24.2% of adults feel they can influence decisions affecting their local area, which is 4% below the national average.

• Only 38% of people are satisfied with local bus services, compared to 55% nationally (Place Survey 08).

• Over 33% of people want to see better shopping facilities developed locally (Place Survey 08).

Improvement • Nearly 37% of people think

the council gives good value for money. This is higher than most councils nationwide, but we want it to be even higher.

• We estimate that 18% of calls we get are unnecessary – for example customers chasing unreturned calls, or because they can’t find what they need on our website. We’ve started measuring this and we want to reduce it (NI 14).

Performance indicatorsThis year the government launched a new set of national indicators. The indicators are set to give a clear picture of local improvement across us and our partners, backing up our joint working through our local area agreement.

To see a full run down of our performance indicators, read our annual performance tables 2009.

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/performancetables2009

Where we want to improve

Here’s a quick snapshot of where we need to improve:

26


Our strategic plan helps to give us a clear direction that everyone - councillors, staff, residents and partners - understands. It is also helps us to prioritise what we do, so that we can deliver on what matters most locally, whilst also achieving national targets.

We have just completed the first year of our new strategic plan and we’re pleased that we have delivered on the majority of our action points for 2008 - 2009.

Overleaf is a quick snapshot of some of the things we are planning for 2009 - 2010, together with our partners.

To find out what we plan to deliver up until 2012, read our strategic plan or visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/performance

Our strategic plan 2008 - 2012


27

Statutory notesThere were no contracts awarded during 2008/09 for which the code of practice on workforce matters was applicable. Should any circumstances arise then the council shall apply the code of practice as applicable.

People• Cut anti-social behaviour linked

to pubs and bars by up to 5%.

• Hold over 150 activity sessions for local people at the Old Mining College in Chasetown.

• Run ten community based projects, from clean-ups, to workshops, to action days across the district.

• Get more children swimming and active with our holiday Splashtastic scheme.

• Help even more people to give up smoking through smoking cessation workshops.

• Help people get back into work or education, or just to improve their life skills, through training in the community and at Venture House, our community training centre.

• Help even more people to stay warm in their homes by working with our partners to provide good value and free home and loft insulation.

• Help thousands of local children to have a great time this summer on our playschemes and through our new play rangers scheme.

• Help carers to get the support they need by hosting awareness raising events.

• Help prevent more families from becoming homeless by processing all applications we receive even faster. Work with private landlords to ensure local rented accommodation is up to standard. Help to deliver over 40 new affordable homes.

• Help even more people in villages and rural areas to get out and about with our community transport scheme.

• Help people get the money they need by processing benefits claims even more quickly.

• Work with our partners to respond to, and help limit, the impact of swine flu on the local community.

• Support the launch of UChoose, a new housing service, that will help local families find homes that are right for them.

• Get young people out and about with Saturday Init, our mobile skate park, and work with young people on plans for a new permanent skate park in the city.

Place• Redevelop the park on Shortbutts

Lane to feature improved natural play areas, a bmx track, new seating, improved planting, better playing pitches and more.

• Invest funding generated through new developments in the city centre and across the district, and encourage local groups to access this funding for local projects.

• Renovate Chasewater dam to ensure its long-term stability and protect and enhance the local wildlife.

• Ensure our district is developed in a sustainable and positive way in the future, by finalising our local development framework.

• Work with our partners to help launch the second only Speakers Corner outside of London.

• Keep our district free of dumped litter and rubbish by continuing our hard line on fly-tipping and littering.

• Encourage more and more people into our district through hosting successful events like Proms in the Park and the much loved Heritage Weekend. This year we’ll work closely with our partners to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Johnson.

• Invest over £3.9 million Heritage Lottery and Big Lottery funding in the restoration of our historic city centre parks.

• Work with our partners to help open a new community hall in Darwin Park.

• Help even more people to enjoy local cultural activities through the creation of a cultural strategy for the district incorporating public art, music, drama and dance.

• Foster a series of green energy projects linked to the award winning Chasewater Green Park initiative.

• Help encourage local development by processing all planning applications even faster.

• Help boost local shops through initiatives like What’s On, a new city guide and free Christmas parking.

• Maintain top quality retailer interest and continue to develop our plans for shopping developments in Lichfield City & Burntwood town centres.

• Help restaurants to stay clean and safe across the district and Staffordshire with www.ratemyplace.org.uk

Improvement• Make our recycling service even

greener and deliver a better service to our residents, by introducing a blue bin recycling collection service. Get even more businesses recycling.

• Invest over £600,000 in our partners to help deliver improved local services, from citizens’ advice to the Lichfield Festival.

• Build strong links with nearby councils to deliver joint cost effective and high quality services – from recycling and business development with Tamworth Borough Council, to health and safety and mapping services with Stafford Borough Council.

• Help train flood wardens in flood prone areas across the district, and ensure robust plans are in place to respond to any future flooding.

• Hot on the heels of West End success, continue to boost the income and reputation of the Lichfield Garrick as a theatre of regional and national acclaim.

• Raise the profile of our social media web developments and increase the number of customers using our website and our national ratings.

28



29

We’re proud to provide award winning services!We added more to our list this year. Here’s a quick round up of our award from recent years:

• Service Mark Silver Award - Tourist Information

• Chartermark - Building Control

• Beacon Council Award - Waste & Recycling

• Beacon Council Award - Transforming the delivery of services through partnerships

• Chamber of Trade & Commerce Business Award for the Best Local Community Centre – Friary Grange Leisure Centre

• Chamber of Trade & Commerce Business Award for the Best Entertainment or Arts Attraction – The Lichfield Garrick

• Staffordshire University Diversity Awards: Raising Aspirations

• Office of the Deputy Prime Minister local e-gov award – Working with Business

• Association for Public Service Excellence Award – IT procurement

• M4I Innovation Award – The Lichfield Garrick

• Green Apple Award – The Lichfield Garrick

• Burntwood Leisure Centre – Highly Commended Quest Award

30


Who else provides local services?

In Lichfield District there are three councils serving your area: Staffordshire County Council, Lichfield District Council and your local parish council. It’s not always easy to know which council provides which service, so here’s a handy guide that outlines who does what:

Lichfield District Council

Staffordshire County Council

Your Parish Council

• Sport, leisure & recreation

• Parks

• Arts and tourism, including Lichfield Garrick

• Housing advice

• Housing and council tax benefits.

• Local plans

• Planning and building control

• Environmental health

• Waste & recycling collections

• Street cleaning

• Licensing and inspections of food, taxis etc

• On street parking and car parks

• Collection of council tax and business rates

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk

These services cost on average £2.64 per week

• Children and life long learning including early years and youth services

• Adult and social care

• Public health

• Highways & transport planning

• Community safety

• Trading standards

• Libraries, museums & art galleries

• Waste disposal

• Registration of births, marriages & deaths

• Economic development & tourism

Staffordshire County Council, County Buildings, Martin Street, Stafford, ST16 2LH

Tel: 01785 223121

www.staffordshire.gov.uk

These services cost on average £19.42 per week

Parish council’s services vary, but their responsibilities can include:

• Parish social and recreational facilities

• Open spaces

• Local museums

• Seats and bus shelters

• Allotments

• Community halls

• Markets

• Local matters such as: planning comments, twinning, Christmas lights, supporting local clubs and organisations.

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/myparish to find details of your parish council

These services cost on average 70p per week

If you would like this booklet in another format please call 01543 308000.


31

How to contact us

If you are online, visit our award winning website that’s crammed with information and top features such as:

• www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/reportit where you can report problems such as fly tipping or dog fouling and much more.

• www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/doit where you can check whether you might be eligible for housing or council tax benefits, or order a new brown bin and much more.

• www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/planning where you can find out about recent planning applications in the district.

• If you’re not online, our Lichfield Connects team is available Monday – Friday between 8.45am and 5.15pm on 01543 308000.

• Or, why not pop in and see us in our Lichfield Office in Frog Lane, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6ZB or in Burntwood Library at Sankeys Corner.

Please give us your views

We hope you’ve found this annual report easy to read and that it gave a flavour of the services we provide and how well we’re doing. We tried to squeeze in as much detail as possible, but of course it’s not been possible to fit everything in, so we’ve added more to our website www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/annualreport

If you don’t have internet access, you can request a copy of our annual report by calling 01543 308000.

We want to improve how we share information with you and we’d like to hear your views on this booklet, as well as how our services measure up. Write to me, Nina Dawes, Chief Executive, or email [email protected]

We’re proud to be restoring our city centre parks

our annual report 2009

Documents

district cleaner

annual report2009celebrating

council works29award

waste local people

year weve

annual report4 welcome

health services

young people