Islington a model borough, new report shows (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Islington a model borough, new report shows

January 18, 2010 2:45 PM

Bridget Fox with Council leader Terry Stacy

The new Government assessment of all local authorities in the UK has shown that under the Liberal Democrat administration, Islington is performing well and is setting a national example on running an effective and efficient council, responding to the recession, and addressing climate change.

The Government published the results of the new "Oneplace" assessments of public services in local areas last month. This brings together the views of six independent inspectorates: the Audit Commission, Care Quality Commission, Ofsted, and Her Majesty's Inspectorates of Constabulary, Prisons and Probation. The new report probes into issues affecting the local area, and measures the performance of public services.

Islington's Liberal Democrat Council, which won top rating from the Audit Commission last year, continues to improve according to the report. The council was judged to be performing well in all areas, and one of the best authorities in the country for 'managing resources' - getting the most out of the council's staff, land, buildings, and natural resources.

The report describes Islington's response to the recession as "strong and swift", and praised the help provided by the council to the borough's most disadvantaged and deprived neighbourhoods. Particular praise was given to the council's work to help people access debt advice and get affordable credit through the Credit Union.

Islington's highest accolade came for work on Climate Change, and was given a prestigious 'green flag' to indicate that Islington's performance and innovation sets an example that others can learn from. The report also describes Islington as a good example of how the national target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 can be reached. Islington's plans for local heat and power generation, the Climate Change Partnership of over 155 local organisations, home insulation schemes, and the £4m Climate Change Fund were all highly praised.

Liberal Democrat Council Leader Terry Stacy said:

"I'm really pleased that our hard work to turn Islington around from the disaster of a council we inherited from Labour has been recognised again this year. I am particularly proud that we are described as national leaders in some of our priority areas, like making the council more efficient, helping Islington emerge strongly from the recession, and putting the environment at the heart of everything we do.

"We know that we've still got a lot of hard work left. Although we've built more new affordable homes than our neighbouring boroughs, seven percent of homes in Islington are still overcrowded. And the assessment is right to say that although Islington is now a safer place, there are still challenges for dealing with the impact of crime and antisocial behaviour on our community.

"Despite these challenges ahead, we've won recognition that Islington is getting better - and has a bright future."