£340m for councils meeting tough local targets

OLDHAM council chiefs will be able to cash in a share of a multi-million pot — if they reduce serious crime, tackle booze-fuelled admissions to hospital and halt obesity in young children, the Government has said.

The local problems form part of 28 targeted priorities that council chiefs want to address.

In addition, reducing the number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, training or employment, stopping smoking and dealing with perceptions of anti-social behaviour feature on the list.

But today the Government announced that councils making significant improvement in their chosen areas stand to gain a share of £340 million.

Local Government Minister John Healey said: “Millions of pounds are up for grabs if councils up their game, hit their targets and deliver what they promised.

“We’ve slashed the number of local targets by two-thirds so that areas can get on with the job of meeting the toughest challenges in their communities.

“Whether it’s improving health or making local streets safer, this cash encourages new ways of working and more commitment to improving local services.’’

The new local targets — called Local Area Agreements — were drawn up after consultation with agencies at the sharp end of providing services to the public, such as police, health and social workers, Jobcentre staff and highways.

The agreements were part of a shake-up of targets aimed at devolving power to local areas and are meant to identify the specific priorities that will most improve the quality of life of residents and reflect their individual challenges and circumstances.

Progress will be tracked by independent auditors and results published, so any failure to improve can be identified, and local authorities and service providers held to account by local people.

The baselines and target levels used to calculate reward grant will be confirmed in March for most indicators.