Comprehensive Area Assessment Southend Together 27 April 2009 Laurie Fentimen Performance Specialist, Audit Commission

Comprehensive Area Assessment - what will it do? CAA is about places and people. CAA will give people a snapshot of life in their local area each year. CAA will help local services improve quality of life in their area. CAA will provide an independent view of whether people are getting value for money from their local services.

Comprehensive Area Assessment - what and who? Six inspectorates working together Organisational and area assessments Focussed on local priorities and issues Focussed on outcomes Annual reporting, continuous process

Years of Potential Life Lost

Years of Potential Life Lost - Southend Comparison within Southend Compared to all Essex

Comprehensive Area Assessment –How well do local priorities express community needs and aspirations? –How well are the outcomes and improvements needed being delivered? 10 areas for exploration To include local issues –What are the prospects for future improvements?

Area Assessment – Question1 How well do local priorities express community needs and aspirations? –Understanding diverse communities –Engagement and empowerment, including those harder to hear –Understanding local inequality –Are LAA and SCS appropriate and ambitious enough?

Area Assessment – Question 2 How well are the outcomes and improvements needed being delivered? –Progress against LAA and SCS and key national priorities –Focus on people in vulnerable circumstances and where inequality is greatest –Outcomes might cover, according to local priorities: How safe is this area? How healthy and well supported are people? How well kept is the area? How environmentally sustainable is the area? How strong is the local economy? How strong and cohesive are local communities? How well is inequality being addressed? How well is housing need met? How well are families supported? How good is the wellbeing of children and young people?

Area Assessment – Question 3 What are the prospects for future improvement? –Drawing on questions 1 and 2 – this is the key question on which we make judgements –Where necessary, look at capacity and capability to inform judgement on sustainable improvement –Red flag – current arrangements are inadequate to deliver necessary improvement. More or different action needed – with recommendations –Significant impact if not addressed –Green flag – promising innovation or successful practice – promote learning (NOT a formal judgement)

Northly District Council See a more detailed report or find out about Northlydetailed report about Northly Summary Northly District Council performs adequately. Northly uses public money adequately to deliver its priorities. The cost of some services is higher than for similar services at other councils. More action is needed to improve value for money. This year Northly has made savings on energy use and staff costs. Its council tax increase is the lowest in ten years. Priorities in Northly include increasing recycling, improving housing and having a community that get on well together. On these issues they are not improving as quickly as similar councils. The council is starting to work with local people to set priorities and develop services. But people are not kept informed about progress or what happens as a result of their input. The council is reducing anti-social behaviour. It looks after public places well Overall Northly District Council performs adequately Managing performance 2 out of 4 Value for money 2 out of 4 About CAA Methodology News Search Contact us / provide feedback National reports Search for another area Barshire Barshire “at a glance” Inspections and performance of other local services Quality of life in Barshire - the area assessment in detail Download the full report Compare with similar areas Performance data How are your local services performing? Contact your local public services

Southend – Identified issues Health Inequalities –Including mental health and suicides Educational attainment and skills Economic regeneration and recession Cohesive community (including safer and stronger)

Hospital Admissions for Mental Health problems

Obesity estimates - Adults

Qualification level of working aged adults (16 – 74)

Number of accepted homeless

Alcohol related crimes in 2007

Timeline April / May – information gathering –Meet with partner regulators –Early tagging June – interviews / fieldwork –Ongoing discussion with partners July – fieldwork / drafting –Sharing tags August – finalising information September – finalise reports –Mid September – information cut off 26 th November - Publication