Briefing for candidates - 24 February 2021 www.worcestershire.gov.uk/elections - Worcestershire County Council
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Briefing for candidates
24 February 2021
www.worcestershire.gov.uk/elections
www.worcestershire.gov.uk
2
Introduction
Paul Robinson
Chief Executive
www.worcestershire.gov.uk
3 Welcome • The County • Worcestershire County Council • Strategic Leadership Team • Your role • Opportunities www.worcestershire.gov.uk
4 Worcestershire the County www.worcestershire.gov.uk
5
Worcestershire County Council
• Next Generation and Strategic Economic Plan
• Current Corporate Plan 2017 – 2021
• The way we work
• 2600 FTE with a mixture of internal and external provision
• Investing in workforce key focus
• Challenges
• financial constraints significant
• improving safeguarding children practice
• changing demographics
• innovating with fragmented health system
• Opportunities
• Fantastic lead officer team built on considerable change
• Track record of success builds confidence
• Worcestershire Pound £3.6bn
• Make a real difference – politically led
www.worcestershire.gov.uk
6 Strategic Leadership Team/ COG www.worcestershire.gov.uk
7
Your potential role
• Local Councillor = Leader of Place
• Understanding your local community and acting as a ‘go to’ person
• Facilitating local solutions to local problems – creating partnerships
for ‘people to help people’
• Working with Officers when Local Authority services are required
• Being a Corporate Parent to children in local authority care
• Support from Council to help in this critical role includes;
• induction programme and ongoing briefings
• divisional budgets
• divisional visits by Chief Executive
www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Economy & Infrastructure (E&I)
Directorate
John Hobbs Strategic Director of Economy and
Infrastructure
8
Open for Business Environment
• Major infrastructure projects • Improving Roads and Pavements
• Town Centre Improvements • Flood response, recovery and
• Digital Connectivity reduce impact (schemes)
• Reduce journey times • Waste Management
• Economic Development • Transport solutions, incl. Rail
• Gamechanger Sites • Sustainability
Health & Wellbeing Support
• Walking and Cycling • Managing the COVID-19 response
• Bridges – One Worcestershire
• Public Rights of Way • Supporting Economic Recovery
• Natural EnvironmentStrategy
• Planning
• Minerals Local Plan
• Waste Core Strategy
• Local Transport Plan (LTP4)
• Worcestershire Rail Investment Strategy
• Economic Strategy
• Sustainability
• Energy Strategy
• Carbon Management Plan
11Regulatory
Planning
• Development Management
Minerals and Waste
• Council’s own application for
infrastructure
• Highways Development
Management
Development Control
• Section 278/ 38
Environmental Policy
Network Management and
Control
12Development and Growth
• Economic Development
• Economic Recovery
• Strategic Initiatives
• Development
13Infrastructure
Rail, Highways, Bridges, Active Travel, Town Centre
Improvements, Gamechangers, digital infrastructure
(including broadband and 5G)
• Planning
• Land Acquisition
• Contracts
• Development
• Delivery
• Asset Management
14Operations
• Highways Maintenance
• Transport Operations
• Public Rights of Way
• Street Lighting
• Waste Disposal
• Streetworks/Event Planning
1516
17
Tina Russell, Director of Childrens Services and Chief
Executive for Worcestershire Children First (Interim)
www.worcestershire.gov.uk18
Statutory services
• Assessment of children in need or at risk (Family Front Door)
• Children in need of Targeted Family Support
• Children in Need of Support (S17)
• Children subject to Child Protection (S47)
• Children looked after by the Local Authority (S31)
• Care Leavers 18-25yrs
• Children with Disabilities
• Children in Private Foster Care arrangements
• Placement sufficiency to children in care “local, needs led, good
quality and choice”
• Children with Special Education Needs (SEND) – Currently
subject to a Action plan and due for re-inspection 2021
• Education sufficiency – “adequate and efficient” education
provision for Worcestershire's children
www.worcestershire.gov.uk19 Children’s Services • Worcestershire Children First are a wholly owned company of the council who deliver Childrens Services including Social Care, Education and Early Help. • Local Authorities have statutory duties for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in their local area under the Children Act 1989 legislation • Since Ofsted Judged the services to be inadequate in 2016 Children’s Social Care Services have been through a major improvement programme. • June 2019 Ofsted removed the inadequate judgement up to “Requires improvement to be good” www.worcestershire.gov.uk
20
Ofsted Inspection June 2019
• “The local authority has made considerable progress in improving the
quality of services to children and families since 2016.
• Essential steps have been taken to meet the goals in the service
improvement plan.
• Senior Leaders and elected members are ambitious for and committed to,
ensuring the well being, safety and outcomes for children in the county.
• Senior Leaders have successfully created a strengthened workforce of
stable and permanent workers who know their children well.
• As a result, outcomes for many children and their families are better, the
changes are embedded on core practice and there is evidence of a
sustained trajectory of improvement.”
• The services remain under a direction of the Secretary of State and
continued improvements are monitored by the Dfe. Ofsted are due
to re-inspect 2021
www.worcestershire.gov.uk21
The Corporate Parent
• When a child enters care, Councillors become their ‘corporate parents’
and this responsibility extends to when children leave care
• The role of “corporate parent” applies to all Councillors, not just the relevant
Cabinet Member or the party lead for children’s services
• Outcomes for children in care remain stubbornly worse than for other
children and as “Corporate Parents” we must use our authority and
influences to improve outcomes for our children and young people in care
and those leaving care.
• The role of corporate parent requires councillors to ensure looked after
children and care leavers are prioritised in planning, decision making and
delivery of services.
• This can be achieved through day to day council activities by ensuring that
implications for children in care are considered as part of decision making
as well as through the community leader role that councillors have
• There is a Corporate Parenting Board chaired by the lead member for
children service. Memberships incudes a wide range of officer and services
as well as counsellor representations for each District.
www.worcestershire.gov.ukPeople Directorate
Paula Furnival
Strategic Director of People
www.worcestershire.gov.uk23
Who are we?
Hannah Needham – Kerry McCrossan – Rebecca Wassell – Kath Cobain –
Assistant Director Head of Adults Interim Assistant Director of Public
for Communities Social Care Director of Health
Commissioning
• Libraries • Older people, • Public Health
• Archives/Archaeology learning disability and • Commissioning Commissioning
• Registrars/Coroners mental health social • Carers Network • Health and Wellbeing
• Here2Help care • Integration Agenda Strategy
• In House Social Care • Safeguarding • Quality Assurance • Joint Strategic Need
Provision • Complex Needs • Care Work as A Assessment and
• Adult Learning social care Career Public Health
• Green Spaces • Assessment and Outcome Planning
• Traveller Sites Planning
• Museums
www.worcestershire.gov.ukStrategic approach 24
Be Well and Stay Safe
WCC People’s
Directorate and Be Independent
its partners will and Connected
co-produce
ways of working
with citizens to
enable them to: Be
Supported
Be supported
“It is our priority, working with partners, to ensure Worcestershire residents are healthier, live
longer, have a better quality of life and remain independent for as long as possible.”
www.worcestershire.gov.uk3 strategic pillars of change are approved: 25
PERSON CENTRED SHAPING SERVICES SHAPING AN EFFECTIVE
APPROACH MARKET
• Develop one front door for our • All age approach • Engage to develop
residents. independence and choice
• Make “strengths” based
• Ensure strong digital offer conversations the norm • Work with partners to create an
integration framework
• Build on strengths of local • Redirect provider resources to
community assets independence and enabling • Commission for the whole
population not just those who
• Collaborative work with partners access “services”
Programme delivery 2020 / 2021 / 2022
www.worcestershire.gov.ukWe are not alone
• We are part of an extensive and complex Health
& Care System e.g.
• Care providers
• Worcestershire Acute (Worcester Royal & Alexandra
Hospitals)
• Health & Care Trust (e.g. Community Hospitals,
Integrated Mental Health, Learning Disabilities)
• Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
• Voluntary & Community Sector
• Carers
• Residents
www.worcestershire.gov.uk27 Public Health • Statutory duty of LA since 2013 (Health and Social Care Act 2012) responsible for improving the health of their local population and narrowing health inequalities • DPH is a Statutory joint appointment between SoS for Health and LA. • The role as an independent advocate for the health of the population and system leadership for its improvement and protection. • The Secretary of State continues to have overall responsibility for improving health – with national public health functions delegated to PHE www.worcestershire.gov.uk
28
Health and Wellbeing Board
• Statutory forum in place since
2013
• Political, clinical, professional
and community leaders from
across the care and health
system come together
• Specific aim to improve the
health and wellbeing of their
local population and reduce
health inequalities.
• Sub-Groups
• Health Protection Group
• Health Improvement Group
• Children and Young People’s
Partnership
www.worcestershire.gov.uk29
Funding and Services
• PHRFG of £30 million annually
• Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
(JSNA)
• Childrens Public Health services
including weighing and measuring
children
• NHS Health checks
• NHS Sexual health services
• Public health advice to NHS
• Health protection arrangements against
threats to the health of the local
population Local Outbreak Response
Team
• Oral public health (water fluoridation)
• Help contribute to health among the
prison population
• Emergency Planning, Crime and
Disorder/Community Safety and
Trading Standards
www.worcestershire.gov.uk30
Budget for 2021/22
Michael Hudson
Chief Financial Officer
www.worcestershire.gov.uk31 We are a billion organisation www.worcestershire.gov.uk
2020/21 Financial position 32
✓ We are forecasting a balanced budget by year end (underspend
£13k)
✓ We have received to date in excess of £80 million of Government
Grants for COVID and committed/ spent nearly £83m, including
on:
✓ Public Health
✓ Adult and children care
✓ Supporting schools
✓ PPE
✓ Meals for vulnerable
✓ We will balance from our financial risk reserve if we need to but
continue to lobby Government
www.worcestershire.gov.uk33 Overall Change 2020/21 – 2021/22 www.worcestershire.gov.uk
34 The Council’s Net Budget – 2021/22 www.worcestershire.gov.uk
Budget pressure 35 ▪ The Council’s income has grown this year but not by as much as predicted due to the impact of the pandemic. ▪ The pace of income growth is not keeping up with the increase in demand in social care. ▪ There is a need for a national, long term solution to meet the increasing pressures in demand for adult social care ▪ We await the Government’s Green Paper and 3-year Spending Review ▪ In the meantime, the Council will increase its spending to protect the most vulnerable in our society and to support Worcestershire’s economic recovery x www.worcestershire.gov.uk
36
That concludes the update
from the Senior Leadership
Team
We will now continue with slides on the election
process
www.worcestershire.gov.ukProspective Candidates and
Agents Briefing
Worcestershire County Council
Elections
6 May 2021Returning Officer • Abraham Ezekiel • Assistant Director for Legal and Governance, Worcestershire County Council • aezekiel@Worcestershire.gov.uk • 01905 843287 • 07394 422915
Meeting information • This meeting is being recorded and will be available to watch on • https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/ • Presentation slides will also be available on- line
Questions • Questions can be asked as we go through the live broadcast of this presentation by using the raised hand icon. You will then be asked to speak.
Topics Introductions West Mercia Police Appointed Deputy Returning Officers Election timetable Qualifications Disqualifications Nominations Agents Postal votes Day of poll Counting of votes Candidates expenses
Introductions Other County Electoral Administrators also present today: Darren Whitney (Bromsgrove and Redditch) Melissa Bassett (Bromsgrove and Redditch) Katie Vass (Malvern Hills) Matthew Comber (Worcester City) Claire Chaplin (Worcester City) Elaine Dicks (Wychavon) Mike Saunders (Wyre Forest)
DC Dianne Hunt
Economic Crime Unit – Fraud Squad
West Mercia Police
01905 332283 & 07970 094437
Dianne.hunt@westmercia.pnn.police.ukDeputy Returning Officers • Bromsgrove & Redditch Kevin Dicks (Bromsgrove Chief Executive) Sue Hanley (Redditch Deputy Chief Executive) Darren Whitney (Electoral Services Manager) Melissa Bassett (Senior Electoral Services Officer) • Malvern Hills Andy Baldwin (Deputy Chief Executive) Katie Vass (Elections Manager)
Deputy Returning Officers Worcester City & Wychavon • Worcester City Shane Flynn (Corporate Director Finance) Clare Chaplin ( Democratic & Electoral Services Manager) • Wychavon Vic Allison (Chief Executive) Elaine Dicks (Electoral Services Manager)
Deputy Returning Officers Wyre Forest • Wyre Forest Ian Miller (Chief Executive) Caroline Newlands (Senior Solicitor to Council) Mike Saunders (Electoral Services Manager)
Purpose of the Briefing To provide Prospective Candidates and their Agents with information about: • the election process, up to and including polling day • the verification and count • post election responsibilities
Other Electoral events on 6 May Police and Crime Commissioner elections – All Districts District Council elections – Redditch & Worcester Parish Council elections – Wyre Forest (Kidderminster Town Council) Delayed by-elections - Wychavon
COVID-19 Expect the same public health principles that everyone should follow in all aspects of daily life: Wearing of face coverings Hand Sanitiser One way systems One out, one in at polling stations 2m social distancing
Election Timetable
Important dates
• 8 April – 4pm
▪ Receipt of nominations
▪ Withdrawal of Candidates
▪ Appointment of Election Agents
• 28 April – Appointment of Poll and Count Agents
• 6 May – Day of Poll
• 6/7 May – Verification and Count of votes
• 11 June – Return of Candidates ExpensesElection Timetable
(continued)
Other dates of interest
• 19 April – last date for registration
• 20 April – last date to apply for a new or change an
existing postal vote
• 12 April (Week commencing) – Postal vote issue
• 27 April – last date to apply for a proxy voteQualifications
Candidates must satisfy the criteria on the day they are nominated and on polling
day:
• at least 18 years of age
• British, qualifying Commonwealth citizen (with indefinite leave to remain),
national of an E.U. member state
• Also at least one of the following:
• Registered local government elector for local authority area
• Occupied as owner or tenant any land or premises in the local authority area
during the whole 12 months preceding nomination
• Principal or only place of work (including unpaid) during last 12 months in local
authority area
• Lived in the local authority area during the last 12 monthsDisqualifications
• The full list of disqualifications included in nomination pack
• If candidates are in any doubt about whether they are
disqualified, they must do everything they can to check that
they are not disqualified before submitting their nomination
papers
• The Returning Officers will not be able to confirm whether
or not candidates are disqualifiedSubmitting nomination papers
• Nomination papers must be submitted by hand by 4pm 8 April
• the nomination form
• the consent to nomination
• the home address form
• Party candidates will also need to submit, by 4pm – 8 April
• a certificate authorising the use of a party name/ registered
description on the ballot paper
• a written request to use one of the party’s emblems on the ballot
paperSubmitting nomination papers
• Make an appointment with your Local Authority
• Must be submitted in person
• Make sure the nomination papers are filled in correctly as
mistakes may invalidate your nomination
• Don’t leave it until the last date. We will be happy to carry
out an informal check in advanceNomination form information
• Include your FULL name & home address
• Optional: use commonly used names
• Description field – 3 options:
• leave blank
• Independent
• party candidates can use party name or description
authorised by a certificate issued by or on behalf of the
parties Nominating OfficerNomination form • Subscribers: 2 subscribers are required* • Must sign & print their names • Check details of subscribers against electoral register • Only ask subscribers to sign after completing the name, address and description fields on the form
Home address form part 1 • Part 1 – must be completed by all candidates • Full name, home address, qualifying address. • Form must provide name and address of witness. This must be the same person who signs your consent to nomination.
Home address form part 2 • Part 2 – to be completed if you don’t want you home address made public on notices and the ballot paper • Relevant area – this is the County area you live in, e.g Worcestershire • Sign and date
Consent to nomination form Must include: • name and address • which area standing in • confirmation of qualification(s) that apply (at least 1, but select all that apply) • date of birth & signature • witness’ name, address and signature • dated no more than one month in advance last date for submission of nominations (don’t get your months mixed up !)
Certificate of authorisation Party candidates must have written permission to use the party name/description from the Nominating Officer (or a person appointed to act on their behalf) The certificate may: • allow the use of the party name or a particular description
Emblem request form • Party candidates can ask for an emblem to be printed on the ballot paper • Emblem request form must be submitted by 4pm on 8 April
Election agent Responsible for the proper management of your election campaign; particularly its financial management Notification of appointment must reach the DRO by 4pm – 8 April Form is included in nomination pack You will become your own agent by default if none is appointed
Other agents Other agents can be appointed to attend postal vote openings, polling stations and the count on your behalf. Forms will be sent for you to enable you to notify the DRO
Electoral register
/absent voting lists
• Access by candidates – once you officially become a
candidate:
• earliest, on last date of publication of notice of election
(29 March) if you, or others declared yourself a
candidate
• once you or others have declared yourself a candidate
after this date / date you submit your nomination
papers
• Make written request to the E.R.O. – forms are
included in your nomination pack.Access to electoral register / absent voting lists Only use data for permitted purposes! • to complete the nomination form • to help you campaign • to check that donations/loans are permissible
Postal Votes • Electoral Commission Postal Vote form • https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am- a/voter/voting-person-post-or-proxy/voting-post
Polling day Polling stations open from 7am to 10pm Office open 6.30 am to 10pm for queries or problems relating to the administration of the election
Verification and
Counting of votes
Receipt of ballot boxes at close of poll
Local counts from Friday 7 May
• Worcester City _ verification Thursday evening & Friday with the Count on Saturday
• Redditch Borough – Verification Thursday evening with Count starting later on Friday
• All other Areas – Verification Friday followed by the Count
• Candidates, election agents, counting agents and one other person appointed by the candidate
(spouse or person in lieu of) are entitled to attend.
• Limit to number of counting agents will depend on the final number of candidates and due to
health and safety and social distancing rules due to Covid-19
• Entrance to counts will be by ticket only for security reasons
Count HQ at County HallSpending issues
Candidate spending • Defined as certain expenses ‘used for the purposes of the candidate’s election’ from the date they officially become a candidate • Responsibility of election agent • Limit on expenses: • £806 + 7 pence per elector in division on register • reduced for joint candidates
Candidates’ spending returns • Returns due 35 calendar days after result of election – even if a Nil return • Returns made public by Returning Officer • Sample of returns may be reviewed by the Electoral Commission • Failure to submit an expenses return is a criminal offence • No spending will be reimbursed
Nomination packs • https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/
Local Nomination information • Bromsgrove - https://www.bromsgrove.gov.uk/council/elections/current- elections.aspx • Redditch - https://www.redditchbc.gov.uk/council/elections/current- elections.aspx • Malvern - https://www.malvernhills.gov.uk/about-your- council/voting-and-elections • Worcester - https://www.worcester.gov.uk/councillors- democracy/elections • Wychavon - https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/elections • Wyre Forest - https://www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/the- council/elections-and-voting.aspx
Contacts
• Elections offices
– Bromsgrove and Redditch
• elections@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk Tel: 01527 881421
– Malvern
• elections@malvernhills.gov.uk Tel: 01684 862212
– Worcester
• electoralservices@worcester.gov.uk Tel: 01905 722530
– Wychavon
• elections@wychavon.gov.uk Tel: 01386 565162
– Wyre Forest
• electoral@wyreforestdc.gov.uk Tel: 01562 732762EC Contacts • Electoral Commission contacts • infoengland@electoralcommission.org.uk • Electoral Commission Party Finance • pef@electoralcommission.org.uk • 0333 103 192
Any Questions
Thank you
You can also read
