Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
2 Southwark
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
3 Southwark
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
4 Southwark
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
5 Southwark
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
6 Southwark
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
7 Southwark
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
8 Southwark
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
9 Southwark
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
10 Southwark
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
11 Southwark
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
12 Southwark
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
13 Southwark
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
14 Southwark
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
15 Southwark
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
16 Southwark
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
17 Southwark
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
18 Southwark
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
19 Southwark
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
20 Southwark
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
21 Southwark
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
22 Southwark
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
23 Southwark
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
24 Southwark
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
Southwark
Area Assessment
Dated 9 December 2009
Contents
Southwark at a glance
How is Southwark doing?
About Southwark
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and
aspirations?
Priorities for Southwark
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
l
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
l
Improving individual life chances be healthy
l
Improving individual life chances be safe
l
Improving individual life chances enjoy culture
and leisure opportunities
l
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
l
A better place for people localities of mixed
communities
l
A better place for people sustainable use of
resources
l
A better place for people more and better
homes
l
A better place for people infrastruture for a
vibrant economy
l
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Southwark at a glance
This independent assessment by six inspectorates sets out how well local
public services are tackling the major issues in Southwark. It says how well
they are delivering better results for local people and how likely these are to
improve in future. If, and only if, our assessment shows that the following
special circumstances are met in relation to a major issue, we use flags to
highlight our judgements. We use a green flag to highlight where others can
learn from outstanding achievements or improvements or an innovation that
has very promising prospects of success. We use a red flag to highlight where
we have significant concerns about results and future prospects that are not
being tackled adequately. This means that local partners need to do
something more or different to improve these prospects.
Green flags exceptional performance or
innovation that others can learn from
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the voluntary and
community sector in enhancing Community Cohesion
Red flags significant concerns, action
needed
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
The local area
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. The north of the
borough has been transformed in the past ten years. The centre has some of
the most deprived communities in the country whereas the south, by contrast,
is more residential with less diversity and most people on above average
earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing and getting younger and more
diverse with people from a wide range of different backgrounds. Three
quarters of pupils in Southwark schools are from black and minority ethnic
﴾BME﴿ backgrounds. A very high proportion of people live in social rented
housing.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is not as good as the England
average, but is improving. Life expectancy is substantially lower for people
living in more deprived areas in the borough, especially males.
The next section tells you how Southwark's public services are doing in each
of their local priority areas.
How is Southwark doing?
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle unemployment in
Southwark and they are making a difference. More Southwark residents have
at least five GCSE level qualifications. The total number of young people not
in education, employment or training is going down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. However not enough young offenders go
into jobs, education or training. Partners have a number of wellestablished
schemes to get more people working and off benefits. In response to the
current recession, the partnership has focused on initiatives to support people
into employment, and encourage the growth of local businesses. Partners
have developed special initiatives such as 'Foot in the Door' and the Earn and
Learn programme to help people find work.
This is an area that we will be looking at again next year as employment
levels have been affected by the global recession.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Children and young people have good opportunities to enjoy and achieve at
most Southwark schools. However, the college is not as good. Children at the
end of their first year at school are doing better than in the past, but still not
as well as the national average. The achievement gap between those who do
best and those who do least well has reduced, which is good. The standards
reached by 11yearolds in both English and mathematics have been going up
steadily for the last few years and are now as good as the national average
and better than in similar areas.
More 16yearolds in Southwark are getting five good GCSEs, including
English and mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas.
White children do less well than pupils from other ethnic groups at 16 but the
gap is narrowing. Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep
children safe. Southwark partners know they need to improve the
achievement of looked after children and are taking a number of actions.
These include providing one to one tuition for pupils in their GCSE years and
running courses to help their carers to provide better support. Children with
learning difficulties and/or disabilities mostly do well at school.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Southwark is one of 70 Spearhead authorities where health is worst, and
receives extra funding to help tackle health inequalities. Overall, the health of
people in Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting
better. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear. Women in Southwark can now expect to
live the same as the national average, and for men the gap has been closed
from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. However many challenges exist. The overall
smoking rates in Southwark are higher than nationally although this year the
target for getting people to quit smoking has been met. Obesity is a problem
for many children in Southwark, and more teenage girls become pregnant in
Southwark than anywhere else in England.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
People are facing increasing delays in moving from hospital into a community
or residential setting. More people received direct payments to arrange their
own care but the numbers are still lower than in other similar areas. The
number of people with mental health needs using direct payments has
reduced.
Improving individual life chances be safe
Unlike other areas of London, Southwark residents don't include crime among
their top three concerns. Most types of crime are decreasing faster in
Southwark than they are nationally. In particular, gun and knife crime have
both reduced during the last year. However crime in Southwark is still higher
than in similar areas. Young people's involvement in crime is a particular
worry. More are offending for the first time and more are being sentenced to
youth custody.
Local public sector bodies are working well together to tackle particular crime
hotspots on some of the housing estates. Safety of those who travel around
and through the borough is also important for partners, for example they are
promoting safer cycling through bike events.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Increased public investment in parks, leisure facilities and libraries in
Southwark has been recognised by residents. They say they are more satisfied
with services. More adults are playing sport and taking part in recreational
activities. Many children have benefited from allyearround competitive
sports through the Southwark Community Games ﴾SCG﴿. Over £12.3 million is
being put into improving facilities: Camberwell Leisure Centre will be
modernised and the athletics track at Southwark Park will be restored.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Public sector bodies have been working together for sometime to improve
community cohesion. Southwark partners have done well to help people get
on better by being actively involved in their local communities. This is
important in Southwark because a lot of different groups live side by side.
People in Southwark are more positive about how well people get on
together than the average for London. Many residents are involved in
voluntary and community groups and are encouraged to talk to public
partners about their needs. Large numbers of residents have attended events
organised to celebrate different communities. These include the Latin
American festival, Celebrating Peckham and Reclaiming St Georges Day.
Partners have worked well to bring people from different communities and
faiths together to develop better understanding between them and to reduce
any misunderstandings that may occur. Residents get involved in local
activities and groups to increase understanding and create tolerance such as
Reclaiming St Georges Day which was organised with local residents and
helped change perceptions of people about each other in a positive way.
Many other activities involving local people and the voluntary and community
sector are organised to enhance enhancing community cohesion in Southwark
which makes it a major strength in the area.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
There are ambitious plans to improve Southwark as a place to live with over
40 per cent of the borough currently being improved and rebuilt. Residents
can already see some results such as a new library in Canada Water, a new
park in St Mary's Churchyard, and the Spa Park in Bermondsey which includes
1,500 new homes.
Work has started on other projects like the Shard of Glass building in London
Bridge, a project that will eventually include the tallest building in Europe, and
the 43 storey Strata tower which will be finished in spring 2010 and will
provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. The largest scheme in
Southwark is at the Elephant and Castle which will cost £1.5 billion. It is not
clear when this project will be complete, as the agreement between the
Council and their commercial development partner has not yet been finalised.
We will look at this area again next year to check what progress has been
made and to see whether the recession has affected this.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies recognise how important it is to look after the
environment in Southwark. They are doing a lot of work on this but the results
are not yet clear. The Council's new building in Tooley Street meets high
environmental standards and the building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year. There are also plans to ensure that
the new developments use less water, electricity and gas.
The amount of rubbish recycled by households has been increasing every
year, though it is still too low. A new recycling centre is being developed in the
Old Kent Road to help improve this.
We will look at progress in this area again next year.
A better place for people more and
better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them. Fortyfive per cent of
council homes, over 18,000 homes, do not meet the modern standards set out
in the decent homes standard, in spite of significant investment by the
Council. The Council and its partners are taking a number of steps to increase
investment in its homes. For example, in 2008/09, they invested £73 million in
works to achieve decent homes. However there remains a significant funding
gap in order to improve the homes, partly because Southwark has decided to
improve them to an even higher standard. There is not yet an updated picture
of the condition of homes so improvement plans are not robust.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and overall tenant satisfaction with the
housing service remains low.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. There has also been some
good work to prevent people becoming homeless, but the council and its
partners will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve the numbers of
homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010.
A better place for people infrastruture
for a vibrant economy
Southwark businesses are actively involved in helping to make the borough a
better place to do business. Southwark partners have worked well to support
local businesses over the past year of recession. They have invested money to
help new businesses start up, and to encourage young people to become
entrepreneurs. They are helping small businesses improve their cash flow by
spreading their rent payment intervals more evenly and paying invoices more
quickly. Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will
be returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable
public realm
Having clean streets and having rubbish bins emptied on time are two of the
most important things for local people. The Council and its partners are
performing well in this area and resident satisfaction has improved.
Southwark's community warden service helps to reduce antisocial behaviour
on the streets of Southwark. They can tackle issues, such as underage
drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without involving the police.
About Southwark
A recent survey shows that in Southwark 77 per cent of people are satisfied
with their immediate local area as a place to live. This is higher than the
average for similar areas and lower than the national average of 81 per cent.
Southwark is an inner London borough that fronts the river Thames and is
home to extensive commerce, business and entertainment. Tourist attractions
like the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe in the Bankside area, sit
alongside some large regeneration projects such as the Elephant and Castle
﴾London's largest ever redevelopment scheme by a single borough, costing
£1.5bn﴿ and the Aylesbury Estate. The Rotherhithe and Bermondsey areas
were previously dominated by manufacturing and the docks, but have been
transformed in the past ten years with the building of over 3,000 new homes
with a mixture of private and social ownership. In the centre of the Borough,
Peckham, Nunhead, Newington and Camberwell have some of the most
deprived communities in the country, with greater ethnic diversity, more social
housing and many people on relatively low incomes although there are also
pockets of affluence. Dulwich in the south, by contrast, is more residential
with less diversity and most people on above average earnings.
The population of Southwark is growing at a faster rate than the national
average and getting younger and more diverse. The population is transient,
and a mix of mobile groups and more settled groups which has the potential
to cause misunderstanding.
In the 2001 census, 47.8 per cent of residents were from black and minority
ethnic ﴾BME﴿ and ‘white other' communities which includes people from
Ireland. Black Africans form the largest single group and Southwark is home
to the largest Nigerian and Sierra Leonean communities in the country. In
addition Southwark is home to communities of Caribbean and Irish origins as
well as smaller Chinese, Vietnamese, Latin American, Eastern European,
Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish communities. Threequarters of
pupils in Southwark schools are from BME backgrounds and over 170
languages or dialects are spoken in the schools. Southwark has historically
been a place of refuge for asylum seekers and refugees and the Refugee
Council estimates about 11,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the
borough but this figure could be much higher. It is also estimated that the
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of Southwark is higher than
the national average.
Overall the health of people in Southwark is worse than the England average.
Life expectancy is substantially lower for people living in more deprived areas
in the borough, especially males. There are high rates of teenage conceptions
and sexually transmitted infections. More than half of the children in
Southwark live in poverty.
Just under half of all households live in social rented accommodation,
compared with fewer than one in five in England as a whole and much of this
is still owned and managed by the Council. There are high levels of
homelessness in Southwark, and more than nine hundred households live in
temporary accommodation.
How well do priorities for Southwark
express community needs and aspirations?
Southwark's partners are good at listening to what residents have to say.
They use many different ways of finding out their views which help to make
sure a wide range of people are consulted. Nearly four in ten residents feel
they can influence decisions in Southwark which is higher than the average in
the rest of London.
Southwark's public services try to ask as many residents as possible about
what is important for them and what they want to change most about their
area. The Council organises a survey of residents every few years when they
interview over one thousand residents, the most recent was in 2008. The
Primary Care Trust ﴾PCT﴿ recently consulted residents on proposed changes to
health services in Southwark, and let them know the results of the
consultation at an event held at Millwall Football Club in July 2009. The
voluntary sector in Southwark is well established and takes an active part in
committees and panels that make a lot of decisions about the area. They help
people such as refugees and asylumseekers to give their views.
Public services work well together. Southwark has a history of strong
partnership working and involves representatives from business and from
voluntary groups in Southwark Alliance, the Local Strategic Partnership. This
group is good at sharing information and making plans together, rather than
separately. They have agreed on what is most important for local people and
are working towards the same targets.
Southwark's public services have asked residents what is most important to
them, and have made sure that their priorities reflect residents concerns.
Before they agreed the main targets for the Southwark Alliance, they
undertook an extensive consultation process asking many residents about
their opinions on local issues, either directly or through voluntary and
community groups. Over 50 forums, networks and agencies, including a
number of minority ethnic and vulnerable groups and Southwark Youth
Council were involved in giving their views.
In the most recent Residents Survey in 2008, people said that the things that
are most important for the Council to get right are: facilities for young people,
council housing services, local secondary schools, refuse collection and clean
streets. These are all priorities for the public services.
The public services know a lot about the social and economic make up of the
borough, and where there are particular needs and inequalities. For example,
they know where unemployment is higher among young people: the majority
of young people not in education, employment or training ﴾NEETs﴿ live in the
Peckham, Peckham Rye and Nunhead areas.
There are good plans to make improvements in some areas whilst other plans
such as how to improve housing and how to deal with health issues are
currently being updated. The public services have set themselves clear targets
so they know what they want to achieve and so they can measure how well
they are doing. These targets cover the right things. As well as the subjects
that concern you, they include issues where performance hasn't been good
enough, such as increasing the rate of recycling and reducing the number of
teenagers who become pregnant.
Improving individual life chances achieve
economic well being
The skills of Southwark residents are improving. The proportion of the
working age population qualified to at least GCSE level increased in 2007 by
seven per cent to 74 per cent, higher than the London and England figures
and most young people are getting better qualifications by the age of 19 than
they were.
Partners have set up a range of good programmes to tackle the considerable
levels of deprivation and poverty in Southwark. Many of these programmes
are well established as partners have had a focus on worklessness for several
years. In response to the current recession, the partnership has focused on
initiatives to support people into employment, and encouraging the growth of
local businesses.
Tackling worklessness is an important priority for partners and they have
developed a good plan to get more people working and off benefits. They
have set up schemes such as Southwark Works, a network of 20 employment
advisers with expertise in different service areas including health, social care,
housing, refugee mental health and offender support. So far a total of 700
people have been supported to get back into work. During 2008/09 125
people progressed into employment through Southwark Works, a further 192
people entered further education or training and 401 achieved qualifications.
During the same year, 162 people were employed through other employment
projects, 88 people started further education or training and 486 people
achieved qualifications. Following increased funding, the partnership has set
higher targets to counter the effects of the recession.
Not enough young offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public
services know they need to do more about this. The number of young people
not in education, employment or training has gone down though it is still high
compared with the rest of London. Partners recognise this and have
developed specific projects to support this group into employment. These
include targeted work with pupils with poor school attendance at age 15 and
the development of a work experience programme by Southwark College.
The number not in jobs, education or training went down to 8.8 per cent of
the age group from 10 per cent in 2007/08, easily meeting the target for
2008/09.
'Foot in the Door' brings together 1518 year olds at school or college who are
seeking parttime, weekend retail work with employers. They are given jobs
supported by short term subsidised wages. The Council has an apprenticeship
scheme which gives local young people, including many young people leaving
care, a chance to gain the experience, qualifications and skills that will provide
a solid foundation for a life of work. Apprentices benefit from work
experience and training to achieve workrelated qualifications and key skills in
literacy and numeracy.
The Earn and Learn programme has been developed using a new grant from
Government. The programme will teach new skills to 112 jobless people. Jobs
in administration, tourism, events, the environment and community wardens
will be provided by local businesses and public sector organisations.
The Council and its partners fund a number of housing associations and
voluntary and community groups to offer advice and support to get people
back into employment, especially those who need it most. For example,
Groundwork London helps disadvantaged people find placements in
horticulture or environmental organisations, and a housing association
employs advisers to work with jobless residents.
As employment levels have been affected by the global recession we will look
at them again next year.
Improving individual life chances achieve
educational potential
Most schools and other services provide good opportunities for children and
young people to enjoy and achieve, however, provision is not as good in the
college. Children at the end of their first year at school are doing better than
in the past, but still not as well as the national average. The achievement gap
between those who do best and those who do least well has reduced, which
is good. The standards reached by 11yearolds in both English and
mathematics have been going up steadily for the last few years and are now
as good as the national average and better than in similar areas. Although
there are four primary schools which are in Ofsted categories of concern, all
of these are making satisfactory progress. Children from low income families
don't do as well at school as other children of the same age but the gap is
narrowing, which is good.
More 16yearolds are getting five good GCSEs, including English and
mathematics, and performance is now in line with similar areas. Southwark
has sixteen secondary schools, nine of these are academies. No secondary
schools are in Ofsted categories of concern. Overall, white children do not do
as well as other ethnic groups at the age of 16, but this is improving. The
persistent absence rate in secondary schools has gone down in 2007/08,
which is good. Overall, behaviour is good or better in almost all Southwark
secondary schools. A higher percentage of children were permanently
excluded from secondary schools last year than nationally, but there were
fewer exclusions than the national average in primary schools.
Most schools have good arrangements for helping keep children safe, and are
happy with the support they get from the public services. But not as many of
the referrals that are made to children's social care services lead to an initial
assessment as in other areas. The public services are working to make sure
partners have a common understanding of which children need to be referred
to social services. Once a child is the subject of a child protection plan their
needs are reviewed regularly. One serious case review has been conducted
between 1 April 2007 and 15 July 2009 and this was evaluated by Ofsted as
adequate.
With small numbers of looked after children in each year group, overall
attainment is likely to vary widely from year to year. Public Services know
they need to improve educational outcomes for looked after children and are
taking a number of actions. These include providing one to one tuition for
pupils in their GCSE years and running courses to help their carers to provide
better support. Children and young people who are looked after by the
Council have too many placement moves within oneyear. There has been a
fall in the number of young people leaving care who go into a job or education
or training and appropriate action is being taken to improve this.
Most children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do well at school. In
particular, at the age of 11, the gap in attainment between these and other
children has reduced.
Improving individual life chances be
healthy
Public services in Southwark recognise that tackling health problems is very
important; however this is a challenging task. Overall, the health of people in
Southwark is worse than the England average but things are getting better.
Southwark is a Spearhead area, one of the 70 areas out of 326 in England
where health is worst, and receives extra funding to help tackle health
inequalities. Southwark is one of the top 20 per cent of Spearhead areas for
improving health overall and the best in this group for improving life
expectancy.
Partners have a good understanding of what the main health problems are,
for example, heart disease is the reason for nearly a third of all deaths in the
borough, cancers account for a further quarter, and high blood pressure is the
most common long term condition in Southwark. The partners' community
health profile shows there are health differences within Southwark linked to
location, gender, level of deprivation and ethnicity. For example, men from the
most deprived areas live five years less than those from the least deprived
areas. The highest incidence of high blood pressure is in Peckham and
Camberwell.
The death rate from heart disease and stroke is broadly average when
compared to London. Life expectancy for men and women has been
improving significantly yearonyear, faster than the national rate. Women in
Southwark can now expect to live the same as the national average, and for
men the gap has been closed from 2.3 years to 0.6 years. This year, the target
for getting people to quit smoking has been met. London estimates for 2009
suggest that overall smoking rates in Southwark are lower than nationally
though more men smoke than the average.
The public services are generally good at helping children live healthy
lifestyles. Mental health services work well and a lot of mothers breastfeed,
which is good. But obesity is a problem for many children in Southwark.
Although this is improving slightly for 11 year olds, the number of overweight
5 year olds has gone up. There are more obese children in Southwark than in
similar areas and in the country as a whole. A higher proportion of teenage
girls become pregnant in Southwark than anywhere else in England. The
public services have done a lot of work on this but, despite their efforts, and
an overall reduction of 13 per cent since the starting point in 1998, teenage
pregnancies increased at the last count.
Public sector bodies know that there is a still a long way to go to improve the
health of local people and have developed a plan to reduce health inequalities
between areas and groups of people in Southwark. This concentrates on
areas where outcomes are poor such as teenage pregnancies and children
who are overweight. There is a good focus on prevention with a variety of
programmes and projects to help particular groups and communities. For
example support for people with mental health problems to improve their
mental well being through physical activity. The Council and local health
services are working together to encourage children to play actively to help
reduce the number of overweight children. Partners know that it will take a
while for the improvements to be seen
Public sector bodies recognise that lots of other factors contribute to
improving health. For example they are providing more opportunities for
people to use their leisure centres to exercise by providing free swimming to
all young people under 16.
Over the past few years they have improved their parks so more people use
them. Improvements include the upgrading of the skate park in Peckham Rye
Park where a new state of the art outdoor gymnasium has also been installed.
The plans to improve the state of housing in Southwark will also contribute to
improving the health of local people.
For people who need social care services, public sector bodies are working
together to support their independence but further improvements are needed.
Delays in moving from hospital into a community or residential setting are
relatively low but have increased in 2008/9. Although some intermediate care
to promote faster recovery from illness and prevent unnecessary admission to
hospitals is provided it has not been used as much over the past year. More
people received direct payments to arrange their own care but the numbers
are still lower than in other similar areas.
The voluntary sector is working well with the Council to provide a range of
services and advice which is helping to keep people independent.
Southwark Works, the multiagency employment programme in the borough,
provides a range of services to help disadvantaged people into employment.
There has been some success in helping people with disabilities into
employment, education and training.
The Council has reasonable arrangements to protect adults who require care
or support from harm or abuse.
Improving individual life chances be safe
The partnership has worked well together to reduce crime and most types of
crime are decreasing faster in Southwark than they are decreasing nationally.
However crime in Southwark is high when compared with similar areas and
youth crime is still a concern.
Unlike most other areas of London, residents in Southwark don't include crime
among their major concerns. Twentyseven percent of people think the police
and other public services are successfully dealing with crime and antisocial
behaviour in Southwark. This is close to the average for similar places.
There have been reductions in almost all categories of crime over the past
year. Personal robbery, knife and gun crime all show good reductions
compared to 2007/08. Local information shows that overall levels of serious
acquisitive crime have dropped with burglary, robbery and theft of motor
vehicle all reducing since last year.
Youth crime is a major concern for the public services, who are working
together to tackle problems like gangs and violence with weapons. This is a
challenge. The number of first time offenders is still going up and is higher
than in London as a whole. More offenders go into custody than in similar
areas, and the number went up suddenly in 2009. Not enough young
offenders go into jobs, education or training and the public services know they
need to do more about this.
Tackling fear of crime is an important objective for local public sector bodies.
Fewer people in Southwark feel safe during the day and at night than the
average for London but things have improved. Since the Resident's Survey in
2006 there has been a 6 per cent increase in day time feelings of safety and
an 8 per cent increase in night time feelings of safety across the borough.
Particular crime hotspots have been targeted well by the Safer Southwark
partnership. For example, the Heygate estate is being redeveloped and
residents are moving from their homes there. A warden and police team now
covers the area to ensure that the residents still living there are safe. Early
indications suggest that since the programme began, crime on the estate has
reduced significantly. The Kingswood Estate is a large isolated council estate
with high levels of deprivation compared with the surrounding area. After the
murder of a teenager there in 2008, local people became very concerned
about the knife and gang culture on the estate. Public sector partners worked
well together to tackle violent crime on the estate. This led to a halving of
violent crime against young people so that the great majority ﴾77 per cent﴿ of
young people now feel safe on the estate. Most residents now consider
Kingswood estate to be a good place to live.
The award winning Crack House Protocol is a good example of how partners
are working together. Drug workers work alongside police raiding suspected
crack houses and ensure active drug users are referred to treatment and
housing services. Council enforcement officers talk to the users and explain
the consequences if the drug users do not change their behaviour. This has
helped long term addicts move away from their old lifestyle. The work has
been successful in that there are now very few crack houses in the borough.
The partnership has worked well to improve and enhance the safety of those
who travel around and through the borough. They have won a second award
for innovation in promoting travel plans to business, and also won recognition
for improving the local area for those on foot. Partnership initiatives to
promote safety have included the development of a DVD to be used in schools
targeting black children aged 914 as information shows that they are three
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on London's roads than the
average. They also organised a series of Dr Bike events where experts are
available to undertake minor repairs and offer advice on cycling, and held a
Road Safety Quiz for the Junior Road Safety Officers ﴾JRSO﴿ who help and
advise other pupils at their school on how to stay street safe.
Partners have also focused well on people who are at particular risk of
becoming victims of crime. The SERVE ﴾Southwark's Emergency ReHousing
Victims of Violence Enterprise﴿ scheme supports residents who face a serious
risk of violence due to their association with a suspect or victim of gang
related violence. It is provided in partnership with registered social landlords
and a temporary refuge and provides safe accommodation and advice. This
scheme has been recognised by the government as very good.
Improving individual life chances enjoy
culture and leisure opportunities
Residents have recognised the positive effects of increased public investment
in cultural and leisure facilities in Southwark.
Residents are more satisfied with the parks and open spaces in Southwark as
a result of considerable investment of public funds over the last few years.
Improvements include the refurbishment of Southwark Park where a replica
of the 1833 bandstand from the Great Exhibition was replaced, a new
bowling pavilion was built and a new children's play area provided.
Bermondsey Spa Gardens has been improved and more recently Burgess Park
has attracted £6 million of funding. Over four fifths of residents are now
satisfied with parks.
Seven of Southwark's parks have been judged to be welcoming, safe and
well looked after with the strong involvement of the local community. This
includes Russia Dock Woodland in Rotherhithe and Paterson Park in
Bermondsey which have been recognised for the first time, Peckham Rye,
Dulwich Parks, and Southwark Park have been recognised for the past few
years.
Investment in libraries has also increased residents satisfaction with their
services. Satisfaction with libraries has increased since 2006 and over four
fifths of users are now satisfied with the service. The Peckham Library,
opened in 2002, won a number of awards for architecture. The John Harvard
Library is under refurbishment and a new library has been built in Canada
Water. More than half of residents are using library services in Southwark.
Nearly three quarters of residents are satisfied with sports and leisure facilities
and this year more residents have used these. The number of adults
participating in sport and active recreation has increased by 3 per cent since
2006 and is now 21 per cent. This is the eighth highest in London. Southwark
Community Games ﴾SCG﴿ is now in its 6th year of operation and provides an
allyearround programme of competitive sport for children in the borough.
Over 10,000 children are regularly involved and the SCG operates in 56
primary and 8 secondary schools in Southwark. The Games are also delivered
in out of school clubs, parks and open spaces, youth clubs and on housing
estates through groups involving tenants associations, Housing Associations,
the Primary Care Trust and youth services.
Over £12.3 million is currently being invested in leisure centres, which will see
Camberwell Leisure Centre modernised and the restoration of the athletics
track at Southwark Park.
Improving individual life chances value
diversity and be active citizens
Green flag: Involvement of local people and the
voluntary and community sector in enhancing
Community Cohesion
The involvement of local people and the voluntary and community sector in
enhancing community cohesion is outstanding in Southwark. Partners have
worked well to bring people from different communities and faiths together to
develop better understanding between them and to reduce any
misunderstandings that may occur. Southwark has a diverse population with a
mixture of wellestablished communities alongside much more recentlyarrived
or transient groups. There is potential for local tension which partners are
working effectively to address.
Public sector bodies play an important part in encouraging residents to get
involved in local activities and groups to increase understanding and create
tolerance. Residents in Southwark are more active in their communities than
in similar areas. Over one in five of local people become involved and
participate in their area which is better than in London as a whole.
Opportunities such as training on how to become a magistrate, a school
governor, or in public speaking are offered to residents. Events organised by
public sector bodies to bring people together include one of the largest Latin
American festivals in the UK, a Lesbian and Gay History Month, St Georges
Day celebration, ‘Celebrating Peckham' week, and Black History Month.
Training to help public sector staff and voluntary and community groups to
promote better understanding locally is widely offered. Up to 300 people each
year attend workshops for active citizens and other groups ﴾including Tenants
and Residents Associations﴿. New staff at Southwark Council think about
community cohesion as part of their induction programme. Training for school
headteachers and governors focuses on practical ways for schools to meet
their new duty to promote cohesion.
Partners have been working to improve community cohesion in Southwark for
some time so their approaches are well established. Initially the work focused
on Celebrating Southwark promoting understanding between people of
different faiths, different generations and different cultures. For example an
intergenerational drama, George, focusing on the relationship between a
white grandmother and her adopted black granddaughter, was used to
encourage mixed groups of residents to share their response. Over 400 people
were involved.
The Sense of Belonging is an anthology of residents' views of identity. This
was discussed at workshops, at which local residents discussed the issue of
identity, and in particular the far right branding associated with the St
George's flag. The workshops provided a safe space in which robust
conversations could be held about identity, and prejudice. An outcome of this
was the desire of participants to reclaim the celebration of St George's Day,
and what it means to be English.
Activities organised by partners have had an impact on resident's perceptions.
Reclaiming St George's Day in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey started as a way
of involving residents in preventing extremists marching in Southwark. One of
the most symbolic actions to encourage pride in the community was to reclaim
the St George's flag from the far right. A residentled group was set up to
plan a St George's day celebration to involve the whole neighbourhood.
Around 150 people attended the first event in 2006, and this has now become
an annual event with over 350 people attending in 2008. As a result resident's
views have become much more positive. The Southwark residents' survey in
2004 showed that only 42 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 51 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together against a Southwarkwide figure of 74 per cent. By 2008, this
had changed and nearly 80 per cent of people in Bermondsey and 82 per cent
of people in Rotherhithe thought that people of different backgrounds get on
well together, against a Southwarkwide figure of 86 per cent.
Partners encourage groups from different backgrounds to meet, talk and
learn about each other. For example, café conversations was set up in
response to hate crime against people with learning disabilities and used to
tackle harassment and bullying. At the first organised event twenty people
from a mixed group of people including people with learning difficulties, met in
a local cafe to talk about bullying and harassment. They found it much easier
to put across their ideas in an informal environment. Since then, a total of
sixteen conversations at cafés round the borough were jointly planned,
facilitated and hosted by the people themselves.
Partners encourage people new to Southwark to meet and talk to service
providers and existing residents. At the Southwark Day Centre for Asylum
Seekers, new arrivals hold coffee mornings and lunch time meals with groups
such as tenants' associations and the police, where they learn about living in
Southwark while the settled population understand more about why they
have left their home countries. The events have challenged misconceptions on
all sides and promoted better mutual understanding.
Partners support community projects that encourage young people to take an
active role in delivering messages to others. Reprezent 87.7FM is a radio
programme which is run entirely by young people for young people. Some 85
young people between the ages of 13 and 19 present and produce all the
radio programs to share views such as their antigun and knife crime 'Peace
on the Streets' message directly with each other.
Improving individual life chances value diversity and
be active citizens
Partners have worked well together to empower communities and bring local
people together to reduce tension. Southwark is a place where communities
generally get on well together. Nearly threequarters of residents feel that
people from different backgrounds get on well together, just below the
regional average, and nearly half of residents think that people in the area
treat each other with respect and consideration which is higher than the
London average.
Public sector bodies have good links to voluntary and community groups who
are well represented on the local strategic partnership. The chair of the
Stronger Communities Partnership works for a voluntary organisation. This
ensures that the views and needs of local people are taken into account at
key decisionmaking meetings and continues the culture of engagement
between public sector bodies and the voluntary sector which is well
established in Southwark.
Partners make good use of community development to develop stronger
communities and help communities to help themselves. Over the last 15
months, they have worked with over 700 individuals and 45 community
groups to develop a number of forums to enable communities to express their
interests. This has given public services in Southwark an excellent
understanding of the local community.
Southwark's public services ask as many residents as possible about what is
important and what needs to change the most in their local area. One
hundred community wardens talk to residents out on the streets and estates
and then take back information to the public services. Eight community
councils in different parts of Southwark meet on a regular basis to allow local
people to ask councillors, council officers and people from other public bodies
questions about services.
A better place for people localities of
mixed communities
Public sector bodies, led by the Council, have ambitious plans to improve
Southwark as a place to live. Through a number of large regeneration
schemes they want to provide improved housing, schools, health care,
transport, leisure facilities and employment opportunities. These will help
develop more varied and stable communities.
Most residents are positive about these schemes. The 2008 Residents Survey
showed that most residents knew something about the plans and thought
they would have a positive impact on Southwark.
Currently 40 per cent of the borough is being redeveloped through a number
of high profile projects. These include the rebuilding and reshaping of the
Elephant & Castle area which includes the Heygate estate, new housing
development at Bermondsey Spa, the creation of a new town centre at
Canada Water, and the rebuilding of the Aylesbury estate. These large
projects are at different stages of development. Spa Park, the centrepiece of
the Bermondsey Spa redevelopment, was completed in February 2009 and
includes an additional 1,500 homes, 500 of which will be socially rented. Plans
for rebuilding Southwark schools have been agreed and good progress is
being made.
The £1.3 million refurbishment of St Mary's Churchyard from a large
churchyard to a park has been successfully completed; the 43 storey Strata
tower which used to be known as Castle House, will be finished in spring
2010 and will provide 408 flats, a third of which will be affordable. Altogether
about 1,200 residential units have either been completed, are being
developed or have secured planning consent.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is an ambitious programme costing
£1.5 billion. The 170acre programme includes the creation of a new
pedestrianised town centre, market square, green spaces, new cultural and
leisure facilities such as a cinema and swimming pool and new homes and
jobs. Eightythree per cent of households on the Heygate Estate have now
been rehoused as a part of this project, allowing phased demolition to take
place from 2010. It is not clear when this project will be complete, as the
agreement between the Council and their commercial development partner
has not yet been finalised.
Work on the Aylesbury Project has recently begun. It will deliver 260 new
homes for Aylesbury residents, commercial units and an Aylesbury Resource
Centre which will provide facilities for people with sensory and physical
disabilities. The project has recently received government funding for the next
phase of regeneration. This will finance the demolition and building of
approximately 1,000 homes, as well as open spaces and additional facilities.
The foundations for the Shard of Glass building are currently being laid at
London Bridge. This is one of a number of schemes at London Bridge
Bankside, which represent £4 billion of investment to develop Europe's tallest
building, the first railway station spanning a river, as well as new homes,
offices, shops and hotels.
The recession is affecting the progress of these regeneration schemes with
less investment available from the private sector. Partners are adjusting their
plans accordingly. However, partners in Southwark have a good track record
of making places better for local people from their successful work in
Peckham and Bankside so prospects are good. We will look at progress in this
area again next year.
A better place for people sustainable use
of resources
Public sector bodies in Southwark, led by the Council, have a strong
commitment to promoting sustainable lifestyles. A number of initiatives have
been developed, however, at this stage plans have not led to measurable
outcomes. They have a good focus on reducing CO2 emissions and removing
fuel poverty. There are several innovative schemes to improve the
sustainability of new developments and to reduce use of CO2 by homes in
Southwark. However the impact of most of these cannot be measured yet.
The Southwark Sustainable Environment Partnership ﴾SSEP﴿ is a new strategic
partnership set up in September 2008 to ensure targets to reduce the local
impact on the environment are met. They are initially focusing on workplaces
which are responsible for 53 per cent of local carbon emissions and are
bringing together the top 230 emitters to agree a joint reduction target.
The Council and its partners have received money to insulate and upgrade
heating systems for council houses. This includes the replacement of boilers,
cavity wall insulation for council owned blocks over four storeys, and energy
efficiency advice to tenants and leaseholders.
The Council have set up a MultiUtility Services Company ﴾MUSCo﴿, which is
responsible for making sure the Elephant and Castle development is as
sustainable as possible. The linked heating and cooling systems are designed
to ensure no increase in carbon emissions compared to similar developments.
The sustainable water strategy will use the ground water 100 metres below
Elephant and Castle as the main source of nondrinking water. The aim is to
reduce the borough's carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes per annum, reduce
the use of treated water by 30 per cent and deliver one of the best
communications infrastructures in Europe.
The Council has moved to a new building in Tooley Street which meets high
environmental standards. The building has been designed to reduce carbon
emissions by up to 20 tonnes every year for example with automated lighting
which only operates when required; biomass fuelled heating; solar thermal
water heating; and rainwater harvesting.
The recycling rate is improving in Southwark. The rate has increased for the
seventh subsequent year running to 20 per cent last year, but this is still below
the London average of 27 per cent. Southwark have entered into a 25year
contract with a commercial partner to deliver higher levels of waste recycling.
This will include the development of a new waste facility on the Old Kent
Road, opening in 2011. This will have a number of advanced recycling options
such as a Mechanical Biological Treatment Plant to allow most waste to be
separated and recycled or used as fuel.
The prospects for reducing carbon emissions are good, as public sector
partners have clear plans in place. A number of good initiatives have been
developed by the Council and its partners to reduce their carbon footprint by
15 per cent by 2016. This includes the emitters club, 'Green Homes
Concierge', ecoschools and the Environmental Business Awards, all of which
aim to assist and encourage various local bodies to take action and focus
more on sustainability.
We will be returning to look at the progress made in the area next year.
A better place for people more and better
homes
Red flag: Delivering decent homes
Nearly half the population of Southwark lives in social housing. Over 45 per
cent of houses owned by the Council – more than 18,000 homes still do not
meet the modern standards set out in the decent homes standard. Too many
tenants are living in poor quality housing and it is not likely that this will get
better in the next two years. Despite significant investment in recent years,
the funding needed to improve all the housing has not yet been secured.
There is not yet an uptodate picture of the condition of housing so
improvement plans are not robust.
Many of the homes are in high rise blocks built in the 1960s and are expensive
to maintain. In recent years the Council and its partners have made significant
investment in improving the condition of homes but this is not been sufficient
to deliver the scale of improvement required. For example, in 2008/09, they
invested £73 million in works to achieve decent homes whereas double this
figure was required to meet their targets. They aim to increase investment
further by better contracting arrangements and the sale of buildings.
Redevelopment of some estates will also help to tackle some areas of poor
housing, leading to better quality homes for residents. But not enough has
been done so far.
There remains a significant funding gap to bridge, and over 18,000 homes are
still likely to be non decent in 2013. This is partly because Southwark has
decided, in line with the wishes of residents, to improve homes to a higher
standard. This will give more tenants new kitchens and bathrooms. However
it also means that more tenants will continue to live in poor quality housing for
longer. The lack of an uptodate picture of the condition of council housing
means that it is uncertain how much more investment may be needed and
therefore how soon the improvements can be made.
What's being done in response?
The Audit Commission will be carrying out housing support work in
Southwark. This will help to identify weaknesses in service delivery and will
come up with a series of proposals to help the Council and its partners make
improvements.
A better place for people more and better homes
A very high proportion of people in Southwark live in council housing and
housing is the second most important issue for them according to the 2008
Residents Survey. Southwark is making good progress on developing new
homes and tackling homelessness. It is also improving the way it manages its
homes, but performance is still weak in some important areas. Although the
Council is making significant investment in improving the condition of its
homes, nearly 18,320 did not meet the decent homes standard at March 2009
and this number will increase in the next few years.
The quality of housing management is now improving, but from a low base.
There have been some recent improvements in the time taken to relet empty
council homes and tenant satisfaction with repairs. However, performance is
still comparatively weak in these areas and tenant satisfaction with the overall
housing service remains low. The collection of rent is also poor, resulting in a
significant loss of income.
Southwark and its partners are making good progress in developing new and
affordable homes, though, as in other areas of London, these are unlikely to
meet the needs of a rapidly growing population. A large number of homes will
be provided through the planned regeneration programmes, with a target to
provide 2,453 new affordable homes over the next three years. However,
much of this development will replace poor quality social housing, which
means fewer additional homes will be built. The partnership knows that
current plans will not meet the need for more homes, and has a number of
initiatives to reduce demand by preventing homelessness and helping people
stay in their homes.
The Council and its partners are doing some good work to prevent people
becoming homeless, but they will have difficulty in meeting the target to halve
the numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation by 2010. A
housing options centre to help and advise people with housing need opened in
2007, and the prevention of homelessness is now among the best in London.
As a result, the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation
has fallen from a peak of 1,367 in 2009/08 to 909 in March 2009.
A better place for people infrastruture for
a vibrant economy
Southwark partners have a good understanding of the local business sector
and, led by the Council, have made efforts to support local small businesses in
the recent recession.
Supporting business is an important priority in Southwark. The majority of all
businesses in the borough are small businesses and a high proportion of local
businesses are in areas that are vulnerable to the recession such as finance,
insurance and hospitality. The public sector bodies are working closely with
employers and have set up an Enterprise partnership to lead on creating a
vibrant economy. This is chaired by an independent, businessled company,
Better Bankside, one of three Business Improvement Districts in Southwark. .
Other members include the London Development Agency, the Learning and
Skills Council and Southwark Chamber of Commerce.
Southwark partners understand that the economy will suffer as the recession
bites and have worked well to support local businesses in the past year. They
have invested money to help new businesses start up, and to encourage
young people to become entrepreneurs. They are also working with people
from communities who do not normally engage in business. For 2009/10,
investment has almost doubled to continue the work that's already started
and to make sure there is support for businesses which may have difficulties.
The partnership aims to support over 764 local businesses and create 161 new
businesses in the borough.
A Supply Southwark Group is helping local businesses use opportunities to
supply services to the public sector. The Council's economic development
team is running workshops for suppliers to explain how they can be included
on the approved list of businesses. The Council is planning to hold 'Meet the
Buyer' events for construction contracts where small local suppliers can meet
with larger suppliers to form alliances and improve their chances of bidding for
contracts.
Southwark partners, particularly the Council, are also taking positive steps to
support the finances of small businesses. The Council has speeded up its
payment times for services from 30 to 20 days. It is helping small businesses
which are eligible gain rates relief and it is spreading the payment intervals for
commercial rent payment more evenly. This will allow any rent due to be paid
monthly instead of quarterly.
Since the economy has been affected by the global recession, we will be
returning to look at this again next year.
A better place for people a liveable public
realm
Having clean streets and having their rubbish bins emptied on time are two of
the most important things for local people according to the Residents survey
of 2008. This is also an area where the Council has made some big
improvements. Residents have recognised these improvements and
satisfaction levels are the highest they have ever been. In 2008 over four fifths
of residents were satisfied with the refuse collection, over four fifths were
satisfied with the provision of recycling, and over three quarters were satisfied
with the street cleaning.
Improved rubbish collections, a 24 hour street cleaning service, an education
programme about the impact of litter and a robust approach to enforcement
mean Southwark now has the fourth cleanest streets in London.
Southwark's community warden service makes an important contribution to
reducing antisocial behaviour on the streets of Southwark. It patrols every
secondary school at the end of the school day, distributes crime prevention
literature and property marking kits. During 2008/09, the wardens have
become the first local authority officers in Greater London to be accredited by
the Metropolitan Police. This gives wardens the power to tackle issues, such
as underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, on the spot without the
Area Assessment Publication Version Dated 9 December 2009
involvement of the police.
For the past three years Southwark has achieved a Silver Gilt award in the
London in Bloom competition. The competition judges horticultural
achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
CAA looks at how well local public services, working together, are meeting the
needs of the people they serve. It's a joint assessment made by a group of
independent watchdogs about the performance of local public services, and
how likely they are to meet local priorities. From 9 December you will find the
results of Comprehensive Area Assessment on the Oneplace website
http://oneplace.direct.gov.uk/
Alternative formats If you require a copy of PDF documents in this site in
large print, in Braille, on tape, or in a language other than English, please call:
0844 798 7070
Audit Commission, 1st Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4HQ
Telephone: 0844 798 1212
Fax: 0844 798 2945
Textphone ﴾minicom﴿: 0844 798 2946
www.auditcommission.gov.uk
25 Southwark
