Cllr O’Neill
EMPLOYMENT is on the up in Warrington, education is improving and vulnerable people are being better cared for, according to a new report.
The borough council’s latest quarterly performance report reveals that progress is being made in a number of key areas.
These include:
Support for children and families – the council has worked with 158 children and their families to help reduce the numbers of young people into care. The council and its partners are also supporting a further 285 families as part of Warrington’s “Complex Families Programme.”
Helping older people – 92.3 per cent of older people who used the council’s reablement service are now living independently at home 91 days after hospital discharge, compared to a national and regional average of 80 per cent. The council has also trained more than 3,000 new “dementia friends” across the borough.
Education – 97 per cent of Warrington’s primary schools – and all three of its special schools – are now judged by Ofsted to be good or outstanding. At the same time, significant investment at Locking Stumps, Chapelford, Evelyn Street, Callands, Barrowhall and St Phillips primary schools is seeing hundreds of local children benefiting from new facilities.
Employment – The council’s work with partners such as the careers service and Warrington and Co has supported a reduction in the percentage of the population claiming Job Seekers Allowance which is now at 0.8 per cent, with the out-of-work benefits rate at 10.2 per cent, lower than the national average of 11.4 per cent.
Council leader Terry O’Neill said: “We can be rightly proud of these achievements, which come in the face of ongoing government budget cuts. We continue to make progress thanks to the dedication and hard work put in by council staff, our many partners and hundreds of volunteers and residents.
“There are, of course, still areas of improvement to be made, in making Warrington safer, healthier and more prosperous. We will continue to focus our efforts, striving as always to do our best for the people of the borough.”
Other key areas highlighted in the report include:
Roads and transport – The Birchwood Pinchpoint road improvement scheme was completed in June, with early analysis showing significant reductions in delays along this strategic corridor. The council has also submitted a list of priority road schemes to the Government, which could see further improvements in Birchwood, West Warrington and a number of cycling routes.
Investment – the plans for Omega, Bridge Street, Stadium Quarter, Southern Gateway, Warrington Waterfront and other key sites continue to progress, while the new, 100-hectare Cheshire Science Corridor could attract up to 20,000 jobs and 500 businesses to Cheshire and Warrington.
