Citizens' Panel Festive Event 2004

On the evening of December 9th 2004 we held the third annual Festive Event here at County Hall in the Council Chamber. Over 50 Worcestershire residents selected from the Worcestershire Citizens' Panel, various community groups and organisations attended.

The evening, opened by Diane Tilley Head of the Chief Executives’ Unit, and hosted by the Chief Officers Management Board, consisted of a locally produced buffet, Electronic Voting, a Question Time Session and an Open Discussion Forum.

The evening began with a presentation -'You Said - We Did/Didn't' which covered what we have done in response to Citizens' Panel survey results, and if we have not done something, why. Click here to view the presentation.

Click here to see results from E-voting, the Question Time session and Open Forum.

Also view photos from the evening! - click here

Question Time and Open Forum

Attendees were invited to submit questions prior to the event and read them out on the night. This not only allowed us to manage people's questions efficiently, but also ensure a full and accurate answer could be given by the relevant Chief Officer. The Question Time session was also followed by an Open Forum with questions taken from the floor.

Q - You asked us...

Do we make a profit from the sale of recyclable materials and how is it spent?

A - We said...

Waste disposal costs are increasing, the market value of recyled goods fluctuates, and actual income is very small.  District councils are responsible for collecting household waste, and the county council is responsible for disposing of it. (Richard Wigginton - Director of Environmental Services)

Q - You asked us...

Why is public transport so underused in this county, and are there any plans to improve this?

A - We said...

There is a perception that public transport is underused, but this is largely because people tend to see large buses with few people on them.  A new strategy this year is to use smaller vehicles in rural areas so services can still be provided, but the service is more efficient.   

The county council can’t control the bus companies – they are independent commercial operators, who receive subsidies from the county council for less popular/commercially unviable routes.  

Work is underway to set up a consistent concessionary fares scheme across the county to make it easier for people on low incomes to access public transport.  At the moment, schemes vary from district to district and the situation can be confusing.  It is a legal requirement to provide a cheaper fares scheme for older people, but this could possibly be extended to support others on a low income too.

There are lots of ideas being developed to encourage more people to use public transport – here are some ideas the citizens panel identified at the event:

• ·Better timetable information/communication
• ·Make buses more accessible
• ·Make buses more trustworthy by running to time

(Richard Wigginton - Director of Environmental Services)

Q - You asked us...

How is the county council planning to deal with greater care demands from the ageing population?

How is the county council dealing with the need to recruit more home care workers?

A - We said...

One of the county council’s main priorities is services for older people, but at the moment we are £11 million underfunded.  

Our strategy is to support people to live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, and so great investment is being made in more home care packages tailored to meet the needs of individuals.  Our focus is on preventing people from becoming seriously ill and having to be admitted to hospital, which can often diminish confidence and independence.

We have a number of prevention teams who visit people in their own homes, and we plan to set up more of them.  Last year there were 55 delayed discharges from hospital, and this year this was reduced to 22 because of the dramatic increase in intensive home care support packages now available.  We hope to reduce this figure to nil.

The difficulty in recruiting home care workers is a real worry, and a number of actions have been taken to address the problem, including roadshows, jobfairs, the making of the ‘because of you’ video which celebrates the work of home care workers etc.  There are plans to work closely with schools with a view to marketing the roles to younger people.

(Jennie Bashforth - Director of Social Services)

Q - You asked us...

What steps are being taken to reduce traffic caused by herefordshire waste disposal vehicles?

A - We said……

Now that herefordshire council has introduced a new kerbside recycling scheme and a reclamation site in their own area, there is less of a need for vehicles to come into the county.  Planning consent has now been given for a waste treatment site in herefordshire, so once this is built, there will be an even greater reduction in landfill and vehicles coming to worcestershire.

(Richard Wigginton - Director of Environmental Services)

Q - You asked us...

If the stock in malvern library will be replenished following recent refurbishment?

A - We said...

Malvern library is now bigger as it is also a one stop shop. It will have more books and computers during 2005.  The number of books being lent is generally decreasing, and by improving the quality of the book stock, we hope to encourage more customers, and a general increase in the use of the library.  We would like to thank our customers for their patience while refurbishment works have been carried out.

(Trevor Norton - Director of Corporate Services)

Q - You asked us...

There is an increasing number of children not speaking english as their first language in worcestershire schools, and the funding to support them will drop by 40% in april 2005 – what will happen?

A - We said...

The county council has made a formal complaint about the fact that our government grant has been cut in this area.  We are trying to find other resources to provide support, and plan to give money to schools directly to address the issue.

(Julien Kramer - Director of Education)

Q - You asked us...

Are there plans to increase cultural awareness training in schools?

A - We said...

The county council has good quality training materials and professional development opportunities for teachers, which it promotes in schools.

(Julien Kramer - Director of Education)