Green flags signal exceptional performance
Birmingham has been awarded two Green Flags for tackling climate change and meeting the housing needs of citizens respect as part of the country’s first Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) - putting the city in the top 7% in the country.
Green flags are awarded when it is judged that there is exceptional performance or outstanding improvement in a specific area of work which others could learn from.
The CAA replaces the previous form of inspection carried out on English councils, which was known at the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).
The assessment judges an area’s services in two ways. The area assessment focuses on the prospects for better results and outcomes on local priorities for citizens, whilst the organisational assessment looks specifically at how the local council is performing.
It was in the area assessment that Birmingham’s partners were awarded two Green Flags, one for tackling climate change and reducing CO2 emissions, the other for working in partnership to meet housing need.
In terms of the effort to tackle climate change, inspectors said Birmingham stood out as one of the few places that had set out long term strategies (to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% on 1990 levels by 2026) and targets to make a positive difference on the agenda.
The city was also praised for improving the quality and choice of housing on offer to citizens, including those who are homeless. Partnership work with housing associations such as St Basil’s and Family Housing Association was cited as being an example for other areas of the country to follow.
However, it was not all good news. The city also received one Red Flag for the issue of helping people to live independently. Red Flags are for given for significant concerns and where action is needed.
Cllr Paul Tilsley, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council and chair of the Be Birmingham local strategic partnership, welcomed the findings of the area assessment of the CAA.
He said: “We welcome the Audit Commission’s findings and are pleased that our effort to improve the lives of Birmingham citizens has been acknowledged with two green flags.
“We also note the areas that have been highlighted for improvement, and as the report says, we have a determination and focus to address under performance, so will be putting every effort into gaining more green flags next year and losing the one red that we currently have.
Sophia Christie, chief executive, NHS Birmingham East and North and one of health and social care’s members of the BB executive board responded to the Red Flag outlining that the city had come a long way in the last few years, however it was not good enough. She added: “We have introduced a range of new services in the last year, including dedicated joint rehabilitation facilities, more rapid social care assessment and funding approval and hospital convalescent beds run by community health services, which are now making a real difference to positive patient experience and length of stay. We need to ensure this steady improvement continues and recent successes are sustained and become consistent across the city.”
In the organisational assessment, Birmingham City Council was given an overall score of 2 out of 4, which is also known as “performing adequately”.
To read the full version of the CAA click here
To read the summary version of the CAA click here
To compare national CAA results on the new Oneplace website click here
To read the full version of the CAA click here
To read the summary version of the CAA click here
To compare national CAA results on the new Oneplace website click here
ENDS
Notes
- Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) reported on how well a council was performing overall compared to other councils in England.
- From 2009, the CPA has been replaced by the CAA. The CAA provides an independent assessment of how well people are being served by their local public services including councils, health, police and fire & rescue services, working in partnership to tackle the challenges facing their communities.
- Be Birmingham is the local strategic partnership for Birmingham that brings together partners from the business, community, voluntary, faith and public sectors to deliver a better quality of life in Birmingham.
- 63 authorities with green flags - only 10 with 2 or more. Suffolk (3), Westminster, Oldham, Nottinghamshire, Kent, Kensington, Devon, Camden, City of London and us!
- 46 authorities with red flags (11 with 2 (inc Leeds) 1 with 3 (Warrington))
For further information contact Natascha Bowett on 0121 675 7820. Email natascha.bowett@birmingham.gov.uk
