Achievements cited in the Nottingham Labour Party manifesto of 2000
Under Labour Nottingham is flourishing.
Creating jobs
• No 1 city for job creation in the UK. Youth unemployment cut by 27% in two years under the New Deal programme.
Our children's future
• One of the most improved education authorities in the country - £18m extra cash for our city schools. A school building repairs programme ten times greater than when the Tories were in power. Fighting crime •Although we know there are still serious crime problems here, as in every city, which we are trying to tackle, even on our record so far, we are nationally recognised as leading the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour. 10,000 `Homewatch' anti-burglary packages installed in Nottingham homes to date - no other council runs this scheme.
Caring for the vulnerable
• National award winning Social Services Department. Achieved Health Action Zone status for Nottingham.
A vibrant city
• Obtained £22.5m for our new ice arena. Produced one of the best city centres in the country. £600m of new investment revitalising our city and creating new jobs and opportunities. Regenerated the Lace Market.
A strong voice
• Attracted more grant aid than any other city in the country to rebuild our communities, fight poverty and crime and create jobs.
... and here are some of the reasons why
"Nottingham - the No 1” Nottingham Evening Post 14/3/00
• "Nottingham is the model that we should all aspire to. We want to achieve what Nottingham has achieved over the last five or six years”
Leicester Chamber of Commerce and Industry spokesman 14/3/00
• "Books for Babies has been recognised as one of the top early learning projects in the country" Nottingham Evening Post 2/12/99
• `Nottingham has generated more jobs in the past 15 years than any city outside London" Nottingham Evening Post 7/12/99
• "Test results in English, maths and science show city primaries to be the fastest improving in England" Nottingham Evening Post 8/12/99
• `Nottingham won praise from the government last year for its work in developing the city's library service" Nottingham Evening Post 8/02/00
• "Up to 40, 000 jobs could be created in Nottingham over the next ten years” Nottingham Evening Post 8/02/00
• Nottingham's anti-gang squad. "This is an innovative approach which gives the gang-busting initiative real teeth "
Nottingham Evening Post Editorial 10/01/00
"A pioneering project to tackle child prostitution in Nottingham has scooped a national award" Nottingham Evening Post 20/01/00
• "Nottingham's National Ice Centre is shaping up to be Britain's top ice sports complex" Nottingham Evening Post 22/01/00
• "The City continues to manage its financial position well" The Council's watchdog - The District Auditor
• "You continue to seek the secure better value for money from services " The Council's watchdog - The District Auditor
PROMOTING EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING
Nottingham has a flourishing university and college sector. There has also been a substantial increase in the standards in our schools.
ACHIEVEMENTS - Labour has
• Achieved the sixth best improvement in the country for the attainment of 11-year olds in literacy, numeracy and science
• Achieved the country's biggest improvement in standards of achievement at GCSE, grades A*-G
• Achieved the country's biggest improvement in secondary school attendance
• Improved by 8% the number of 16 year olds staying on in schools and colleges
• Reduced permanent exclusions in our secondary schools by 36%
• Spent over £5m refurbishing our schools
• Gained Education Action Zone status in Bulwell which means extra funding to improve standards in schools
• Reached over 3,7000 babies and their families through "Books for Babies" scheme
• Attracted over 5,500 people to summer activities based on reading, aimed at children under 8
• Set up a Homework Support Service at the Central Library and Radford Lenton Library
• Linked most city schools and every city library to the Internet
CREATING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL PEOPLE
Nottingham has a diverse and dynamic economy. Employment has grown strongly in the service sector, which includes banks, hotels and shops. Since April 1999 over 2000 new jobs in Nottingham have been announced in this sector.
Under Labour, unemployment in the city has halved in the last 5 years.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Labour has:
• Set up a one stop shop in the Meadows to provide co-ordinated employment and training advice • Worked with the local community in Hyson Green and Radford to draw up an action plan for the "New Deal for Communities" project. The action plan will bring £50m into the area to tackle unemployment, improve health and educational achievement and reduce crime
• Started working with local partnerships to connect people living on estates in Bulwell, Broxtowe and Aspley with local and city-wide opportunities for jobs and training as part of an SRB5 programme
• Helped around 450 people gain work through our City Wide Construction employment and training initiative
• Won £2m through a partnership bid, to set up an Employment Zone in the Forest, Lenton, Radford and St Ann's wards of the city to help long-term unemployed people into work
MAKING NOTTINGHAM A SAFER CITY
ACHIEVEMENTS - Labour has: • Launched the "Street Watch" scheme - 394 volunteers in 2 areas of the city report on pavement repairs, streetlights, overgrown trees and other hazards. The scheme has improved our responsiveness to problems. • Improved the safety of council owned car parks - all our city centre car parks and 2 of our Park and Ride car parks now have the AA/Police 'Secure Car Parks' award
• Improved safety on main routes into schools in response to the Government's Safer Routes to Schools initiative
• Installed traffic calming schemes across the city • Registered over 900 door supervisors in partnership with licensees and the Police, to ensure door supervisors are trained and meet required standards of behaviour
• Carried out a review of taxi and private hire vehicles, resulting in many older cars being replaced with new ones
CREATING A MORE ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK
In 1999 Nottingham was named as the UK's fastest growing city. There is over £600m of development activity currently underway in the city.
ACHIEVEMENTS
A Labour City Council has:
• Produced an Urban Design Guide to ensure new developments and open spaces are attractive and safe • Introduced the UK's first `Travelwise Centre' in partnership with the County Council, the Highways Agency and the BBC.
• Worked with bus companies to provide new bus shelters with raised kerbs, to provide accessible buses on some routes and to provide bus lanes on priority routes
• Gained national and European recognition for our work with over 30 local employers on developing commuter plans, which encourage employees to leave their cars at home and try new methods of transport
• Carried out a review of air quality in the city • Launched 'Streets-ahead' in Clifton, Wilford and Abbey wards of the city - street lighting, grounds maintenance, street cleaning and minor road repairs are now delivered by a co-ordinated area team, so that these services can better respond to local needs
• Introduced Area Environment Officers to work with local residents on improving street services • Won `Loo of the Year' for Greyhound Street public toilet for the 9th year in a row
• Won the Regional Britain in Bloom competition (we were unable to enter the national or European competitions this year because we won the European Entente Florale Gold Medal in 1998)
• Purchased environmentally friendly electric vehicles which were part-funded by the Energy Savings Trust • Opened 4 new local housing offices in Bilborough, Sneinton, Hyson Green and Bulwell Hall to improve access to housing services
• Brought around 80 privately owned empty properties back into use • Started to bring in the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme within the council to ensure that we become more environmentally friendly in delivering our services
IMPROVING THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF LOCAL PEOPLE
For many people, Nottingham offers an excellent quality of life with good social and medical facilities. The Queens Medical Centre for example, has an international reputation.
ACHIEVEMENTS - Labour has:
• Won the Government's Social Care Excellence Award for inter-agency working with young people involved in prostitution
• Worked in partnership with NCH Action for Children to implement the Sure Start scheme, which supports families with children under 4
• Recruited extra foster carers through a local campaign • Set up a leaving Care Team to provide support for young people leaving care up to the age of 21 • Reduced waiting times for Occupational Therapist assessments • Gained Health Action Zone status, which is a national initiative to bring in new ways of improving health in Nottingham
• Promoted the `Look Lively' family fun day with the Boots Company on Highfields Parkin July, to encourage healthy lifestyles
• Brought in the `squirrel' campaign in primary schools to encourage children to eat school meals
• Developed a Nottingham Funeral scheme providing a low cost quality service for local people
MAXIMISING LEISURE AND' CULTURAL` OPPORTUNITIES
Nottingham is a regional centre for cultural and leisure opportunities. It has a vibrant city centre, a flourishing multi-cultural artistic life, major sporting venues and a range of local community facilities.
ACHIEVEMENTS - Labour has:
• Gained a £22.5m Sports Council grant for the Ice Arena • Gained Heritage Lottery funding for £l.1m of improvements to the Arboretum • Worked with the African Caribbean community to promote the successful `Caribbean Carnival' in August 1999
• Launched the `Asians into Football' community project • Presented `Positive Images' a programme of 256 events and activities representing many different communities in Nottingham in almost every library, with funding from East Midlands Arts
• Gained pilot funding for the `Millennium Volunteers' programme, for young people aged 16-25, which has so far attracted 123 volunteers
HOUSING AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Labour believes that having a dry, warm, secure and affordable home is the foundation stone upon which a decent quality of life can be built. Nottingham's Labour Council has continued to provide a housing service for the people of Nottingham which is recognised as one of the best in the country.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Labour is committed to a high quality, responsive and efficient housing service. For this reason, under Labour Nottingham City Council has:
• Reduced the level of council properties empty at any one time to 1.62% • Extended the "back-to-back" initiative to over 50% of all lettings • Reduced the average re-let time to three weeks • Strengthened the work of the Anti-Social Behaviour Team by increasing the number of Notices Seeking Possession served and enforced and through the use of CCTV
• Installed 10,000 burglar alarms in council homes on a rent-added basis
• Continued the popular rent-added central heating and windows schemes
• Replaced a further 23 Tarran bungalows
• Refurbished the Woodlands Complex and Gayhurst Green
• Opened four new housing offices in Sneinton, Bilborough, Hyson Green and Bulwell Hall
• Brought around 80 empty private sector properties back into use
• Completed 241 bungalows within the Bungalow Building Programme
• Reduced the use of B&B temporary accommodation by homeless people by 90%
• Set up Urban Management Areas in 3 area of the city, to both improve the stock of older housing and provide a comprehensive management service through new offices in each area
Energy Efficiency
ACHIEVEMENTS
In the last three years Labour has:
• Improved central heating in 1,566 council houses
• Upgraded the district heating system in St Anns and the Victoria Centre Flats
• Completed the renovation of all elderly persons homes heating schemes
• Saved 12,772 tonnes of carbon dioxide
• Completed 6781 cavity wall insulations
• Promoted 5179 energy efficiency grants
COMBINED FIRE AUTHORITY
ACHIEVEMENTS
Labour has:
• Replaced a wide range of fire fighting and IT equipment • Provided substantial money for Best Value requirements, Community Fire Safety initiatives and Competency-Based Training to upgrade fire-fighting skills
• Been awarded the highest Blue grading by the Home Office on its Millennium plans • Set up new "in-house" Occupational Health Service for its employees • Refurbished Stockhill Fire Station
[Added to web site 2005-01-11]
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