One Tameside - Great Lives, Excellent Services

Download the One Tameside - Great Lives, Excellent Services Video

Text Version

Music

“It’s a really good community we’ve got here now, it really is, it’s fantastic”.

“We wanted to open a second office in the Northwest, and I didn't have to get into a 2 or 3 year lease agreement”.

Meet Roy Oldham, Leader of Tameside Council, the longest serving Council leader in the Country. Councillor Oldham’s absolutely clear about what makes a council and its communities successful.

Damn good staff, damn honest staff, decent honest folk, good council. A general perception of people is that when you come out of another borough they are aware they’re in a different one when they see the quality, and clean green and wholesome streets that we are producing.

Steven Pleasant, our Chief Executive is equally clear.

Of course excellent services are important but we believe that it’s the impact of those services on people’s lives that really matter. Tameside people don’t want us to just look back at our achievements they want us to look forward and help them create better futures for themselves and their families.

We know why life in Tameside is getting better all the time, and our successful track record was founded on strong political leadership, a talented workforce and effective working relationships with our partners, we lead by engaging others. Our people are definitely the key to sustained improvement. Everyone has high ambitions for this Borough, ambitions that are matched with real commitment, passion and pride. One thing you can be sure of is whilst we’ve come a long way we are always hungry for more.

We know successful councils change people’s lives. We also recognise that knowing what’s important to Tameside’s people is key, and six main themes drawn from extensive consultation drive both our work and the work of our key partners by Tameside’s Community Strategy. Together these local people's priorities run through the core of everything we do.

“Tameside is about better outcomes for everyone who lives and works in the borough”.

“Working for Tameside is an enthusiastic, progressive working environment in which we understand our customers and community really well”.

“Tameside is a place where high quality services are provided, there is a sense of pride and passion and a sense of belonging”.

A Safe Environment

Music

Survey after survey shows that feeling safe is people’s number one priority. Local people tell us that feeling safe matters, they also tell us what would make them feel better. And the results speak for themselves.

• All crime down by 10.1%
• Burglary down by 8.6% 
• Vehicle theft down by 19.7% 

97% of residents now say they feel safe in their own neighbourhood. These successes have created over 4 million pounds in savings. We’ve worked with our young people to make our communities safer and stronger. SPY, St Peter’s Youth gave young people something better and more productive to do.

We set up PACT, Partners And Communities Together. Key agencies, and local people work together on solutions to crime in their areas. This innovative approach drives down the fear of crime and gives people more control over their lives.

And the Caterham car scheme is helping residents concerned by misbehaving youths. We're working with key local partners and businesses including the Hyde Group. Caterham kit cars will be built by young people to prevent them being drawn into anti social activity. 

A Learning Community

Music

People in Tameside want a great future, for the first time ever Tameside pupils have achieved above the national level at GCSE with a superb 70% of pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C grades. 

Not to be outdone, Tameside primary schools results at aged 11 (Key Stage 2) are at or above the national averages again for the fifth successive year. English and Science results are again better than the national results.

Over the last 10 years more than £40 million has been spent on 14 new primary schools. We'll invest a further estimated £25 million over the next 4 years.

Alder High's been finished, and by 2011, we'll see state of the art schools at Mossley Hollins, St. Damians, the New Charter Academy and Samuel Laycock, with more to follow. Over the next couple of years, all of Tameside’s high schools will be rebuilt or remodelled in this £300m programme.

“I would like to change that we have better playgrounds and soft surfaces on the floor and better activities”.

“We would like to change the railings outside our school”.

This is more than change, it’s transformation.

A Healthy Population

Music

Like many communities in the UK, health is an issue. We face challenges, life expectancy is below the national average, so strong action is needed to help people change their behaviour.

We're investing in sports and fitness facilities around the borough including £8 million to refurbish sports facilities at Ashton, Copley and Hyde Pools and a further £3 million has been spent on the Ken Ward Sports Centre in Hattersley. And a new gymnastics centre of excellence in Longdendale is certain to earn top marks.

In fact, adult participation in sport has risen to 18.8% and there are more than 27,000 additional children and adults active in Tameside.

We’re sharing key information with Tameside and Glossop PCT, a joint strategic needs assessment. Also in partnership, Connect for Life targets fifty to sixty four year olds.

“The programme has been improved my life I feel fitter and I feel able to face the next 10, 15 hopefully 20 years of my life with a very happy smile on my face”.

"Health is Everyone’s Business" is a joint programme between the Council and the PCT and has had real impact. Our stop smoking campaign has led to a 200% increase in people quitting....that's 1,800 people supported. It means life expectancy is up by two years, so we're well on the way to better health.

An Attractive Borough

Music

Our environment matters. Having pride in where we live leads to better outcomes. Britain in Bloom is one way Tameside makes a difference.

“This time last year this event, this type of thing wouldn’t have happened we all kept behind our front doors, we said hello and that was it, now we're all out, and I'm meeting people off the estate that I’ve known live on the estate, but haven’t spoken to. We've all made some really good friends, it’s brilliant”.

We won the large city metropolitan borough category for the fifth year in a row and we're at the national competition representing the North-West next year. We’re keeping our green fingers crossed.

We’ve committed to the 10:10 pledge to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. Residents, schools and businesses are equally determined to help us save on two fronts – environmentally and financially.

We’re investing in first class recycling plants such as Ash Road. Our recycling rate has now reached almost 40% and we're now saving a million pounds a year in landfill charges.

And it's money that's ploughed back into more Police, free car parking for shoppers and community group projects.

Tameside is a clean borough. We've again won the Local Authority Environment Award and we've nationally recognised parks and cemeteries, boasting eleven green flags , 4 green pennants and a green heritage award. Four million pounds, helped by Heritage lottery funding, will restore Stamford Park, one of our premier parks, to its former glory.

All this makes Tameside an attractive place to live.

A Prosperous Society

Music

Tameside Works First is the council’s response to the economic downturn. The £14 million scheme, launched by the Executive Leader of the Council in April 2009, is delivering a range of projects. Refurbishment and safety work's being done at Tameside’s municipal cemeteries; schools are being repaired; aids and adaptations are being done to homes and public buildings are being maintained.

“It’s brilliant, I mean especially with the recession and the times being hard at the moment for a lot of small firms. It’s good for little firms and keeping it within Tameside, so all due to Roy Oldham for keeping it within Tameside, brilliant” - Tony Devlin, Local Contractor.

There are so many other factors to consider. Good transport links are crucial. Tameside is already a well connected place with national rail links and motorways – but things will get even better when Metrolink comes to Tameside in 2012. Work's also due to begin on two new vital by-passes in Ashton and Longdendale.

We've teamed up with the newly formed Peak Valley Housing Association, and have started a 250 million pound regeneration of Hattersley, originally a Manchester overspill estate.

The Droylsden Marina project is re-generating a former canal basin and we've reopened the historic Ashton Market in a £15 million scheme after a fire in 2004. The restoration project has even been named the Greater Manchester Building of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.

We’ve established Tameside business family, a network of support for new enterprises.

“We wanted to open a second office in the North-West and I didn’t have to get into a two or three year lease agreement with offices which was very easy, month in, month out”. - Mark Whitaker, Managing Director – Coaches4u.

Help for hard-pressed traders and small businesses is also at the heart of this crunch-busting package.

And cowboy traders are being driven out of Tameside. The Buy With Confidence scheme has seen the number of approved traders rise threefold in the last 12 months.

So Tamesiders who shop local are guaranteed buying quality services from quality traders.

Supportive Communities

Music

Our Partnerships for Older People’s Projects (POPPS) is a free community based support service that helps older people remain independent. We’re making real progress towards providing a comprehensive child and adolescent mental health service.

Listen Here, an Annual Conference brings together people with disabilities and service providers. RIQ (Really Important Questions) is an annual get-together for older residents. Engagement really is at the core of our approach working with vulnerable adults.

The Big Chat is another event for people with learning disabilities. Fun activities and even a ‘Big Brother’ chair provide opportunities for adult learners and carers to think about their lifestyles.

Lomas Court and Beaumont Place are homes for disabled people and residents worked with us to decide the design and layout of such homes.

Our Welfare Rights service continue to make sure older people receive their full benefit entitlements. This year alone they have secured an impressive £5.8 million of additional money for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people.

For the second year in succession our Adult Social Care service has achieved the highest score rating possible in every area. This is unprecedented and a glowing endorsement by the Care Quality Commission of the services we provide for older people.

The newly opened Park Café is a ground breaking scheme which has revived Bayley Hall in Hyde Park. More importantly, it's given people with learning difficulties a practical and exciting way to build their skills, knowledge and confidence and help them prepare for future employment. The scheme operates as a social enterprise providing catering facilities to the public and also supporting local producers.

Music

We've had a great year in Tameside but we don’t intend to stop. We’re hungry for more and know we can always be better.

Music

• Customer Service Excellence for the whole council - the first Metropolitan Authority in the Country
  
  
• Tameside Works First -  £14 million package of support for local businesses
  
  
• Over £375 million being spent rebuilding or remodelling our schools.
  
  
• Exam results continue to rise, 70% of pupils now achieving 5 or more A*- C grades
  
  
• Record breaking recycling rates - 40% less to landfill
  
  
• Winner North West in Bloom – 5th successive year
  
  
• 11 Green Flags, 4 Green Pennants and a Green Heritage Award for our parks and open spaces.
  
  
• Council tax increase 3rd lowest in the Country over the last 10 years
  
  
• Six Beacon Awards
  
  
• Best Adult Social Care service in the country (Care Quality Commission)
  
  
• Top performing council in the country (Audit Commission 2009)

Tameside is already a great place to live, but we're ambitious and determined to work even harder to make sure the best is yet to come.

Tameside – Best in the Country
It’s good to live here!