Council Plan 2022/23
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This Council Plan sets out our ambitions and what we plan to achieve by 2025 for our four overarching priority outcomes: driving sustainable economic growth; keeping vulnerable people safe; helping people help themselves; and making best use of resources now and for the future.
The Council provides services used by all residents in East Sussex, including providing care and support to children, families and the elderly; maintaining the roads and providing library services; and working to boost the local economy.
The importance of these services has been highlighted even more by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the crucial support we provide for those in our county who are most vulnerable.
We will continue to address the impact of COVID-19 on local people, places and the local economy, supporting recovery and helping to tackle the longer-term consequences of the pandemic which we expect to create additional need for our support. We also know that demands on our services will continue to grow as a result of changing needs in our communities and a range of national developments which will have impacts on the Council’s services.
The details of national reforms in major, demand-led, service areas, such as adults’ and children’s social care and special educational needs and disability, are yet to be confirmed, creating significant risk and uncertainty for the future. Although we have received welcome additional national funding for 2022/23 which provides stability in the short term, there is uncertainty about the funding we will have available in future years, particularly in light of planned changes to the way this is allocated by Government. We will do all we can now to prepare for these future challenges whilst continuing to make the case for fair and sustainable funding to meet the needs of East Sussex residents and business.
Our planning for the years ahead continues to be underpinned by a relentless focus on our priority outcomes and their supporting delivery outcomes. We are committed to addressing and adapting to the impact of climate change on our county. With that in mind, we will consider the future impact of the choices we make about using resources, as well as the short-term impacts, across all that we do.
We do not work in isolation, so we will continue to work with all our partners to make sure there is a shared view of priorities and that we make the most of opportunities and resources available locally. We lobby hard to protect and promote the interests of East Sussex.
A key partner in East Sussex is the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector. The VCSE sector generates economic, social and environmental benefits to communities across the county. For every eight businesses that employ staff in East Sussex, there is at least one VCSE organisation. The vast majority of these VCSE organisations are small; they employ at least 6,000 people across the county; and their volunteers contribute a total of 9.6 million hours each year – equivalent to almost 6,000 full-time workers. The GVA (gross value added) of East Sussex VCSE organisations is at least £76m and the value of volunteering to the local economy is estimated at £110m.
The VCSE organisations are often the first to respond to the needs of communities. Organisations provide specialist support that is often not available from other providers. They take a person-centred approach, supporting people to access the different systems they need in order to be able to live an independent life. They are also providing safe, accessible, and inclusive spaces for individuals, groups and the wider community, that support inclusion and belonging.
The impact of COVID-19 on the sector was dramatic, leading to great uncertainty, but also adaptation and innovation. Although collaboration was already strong prior to COVID-19, existing partnerships have been strengthened and new ones have emerged. There is a desire amongst East Sussex stakeholders to continue the creativity and imagination that has characterised voluntary and public sector collaborations during this time. However, there is need to understand and properly resource the work of the VCSE sector, proportionate to the economic, social and environmental value of the work it is carrying out, that has never been more important.
We consider equality, diversity and inclusion impacts throughout all aspects of our business planning processes. This ensures that our planned priorities are based on a good understanding of diversity and local needs and that we identify and respond to opportunities to remove barriers and maximise positive outcomes. We monitor the outcomes for people sharing different characteristics so that we understand our impact.
We have set a number of delivery outcomes under each overarching priority outcome. These shape the Council Plan performance measures and targets that are the main tool we use to assess our progress. We also keep track of a wide range of related key data evidencing local need in East Sussex.
These help us assess our impact more fully and respond appropriately when we need to do so. We review this data when making our plans and publish them with our State of the County report each year. A selection of this information is provided throughout the plan and listed in more detail at the end.
The Council has played a key role, through Team East Sussex in the publication of the East Sussex Economy Recovery Plan. The plan sets out six missions, with each mission outlining a different way in which the economy in the county can go beyond recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and can grow and thrive while also becoming cleaner and greener.
The County Council will be updating its corporate climate emergency action plan during 2022 and, as a member of the Environment Board for East Sussex, is playing a key role in the development of the East Sussex Climate Emergency Road Map.
Our priorities
The Council has four overarching priority outcomes: driving sustainable economic growth; keeping vulnerable people safe; helping people help themselves; and making best use of resources now and for the future. Making best use of resources now and for the future is the gateway priority through which any activity and accompanying resources must pass. For each priority outcome there are specific delivery outcomes.
Driving sustainable economic growth - delivery outcomes
•East Sussex businesses are supported to recover and grow through the delivery of the Economy Recovery Plan
•The county’s employment and productivity rates are maximised
•Individuals, communities and businesses thrive in East Sussex with the environmental, and social infrastructure to meet their needs
•The workforce has and maintains the skills needed for good quality employment to meet the needs of the future East Sussex economy
•The value of our role as both a significant employer and a buyer of local goods and services is maximised
•All children progress well from early years to school leaver and into education, training and employment
Keeping vulnerable people safe - delivery outcomes
•All vulnerable people in East Sussex are known to relevant local agencies and services are delivered together to meet their needs
•People feel safe at home
•People feel safe with services
•We work with the wider health and care system to support people affected by COVID-19 to achieve the best health outcomes possible
Helping people help themselves - delivery outcomes
•Commissioners and providers from all sectors put people first when providing services and information to help them meet their needs
•The most vulnerable get the support they need to maintain their independence and this is provided at or as close to home as possible
•Through our work with others, individuals and communities are encouraged to maintain and develop local mutual support systems
Making best use of resources now and for the future - delivery outcomes
•Working as One Council, both through the processes we use and how we work across services
•Delivery through strong and sustained partnership working across the public, voluntary community, and private sectors to ensure that all available resources are used to deliver maximum benefits to local people
•Ensuring we achieve value for money in the services we commission and provide
•Maximising the funding available through bidding for funding and lobbying for the best deal for East Sussex
•To help tackle Climate Change East Sussex County Council activities are carbon neutral as soon as possible and in any event by 2050
Priority - Driving sustainable economic growth
Priority Overview
A thriving economy in East Sussex is key to the wellbeing of the county. Ensuring that local people have access to relevant training and employment, well designed local infrastructure and services, a positively managed environment and accessible cultural activities, will have a positive impact on their wellbeing, enabling them to live independently of public sector support or benefits. Supporting our economy to recover and grow sustainably will help our communities to be more resilient and our businesses to be more competitive.
1.1 Economic Recovery
Delivery outcome: East Sussex businesses are supported to recover and grow through the delivery of the Economy Recovery Plan
East Sussex Reset: The Economy Recovery Plan for East Sussex, aims to build sustainable prosperity for our businesses, voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors, and support residents to access new opportunities that drive economic recovery and resilience.
Developed by Team East Sussex (TES), the local economic growth board, in direct response to COVID-19, the Recovery Plan focuses on businesses, skills and employment in a post COVID-19 landscape. The plan also supports other activities being progressed at a local level, including climate change and health and wellbeing initiatives.
The Plan consists of six missions: Thinking Local, Acting Local; Building Skills, Creating Jobs; Fast Forwarding Business; Better Places, Fuller Lives; Cleaner Energy, Greener Transport; and The Future is Digital. The plan seeks to deliver the change that is required to both respond to the pandemic but also capitalise on the opportunities it presents. We will review the Economy Recovery Plan in 2022/23 to support work to produce an Economic Insight Analysis, which will set out our vision for how East Sussex can continue to build back better.
Trading Standards will continue to offer assistance to businesses in East Sussex to ensure they adapt and thrive in the changing regulatory regimes brought about by the UK’s departure from the EU in December 2020. We will also commit resources to provide market surveillance activities at Newhaven Port.
1.2 Employment and productivity
Delivery outcome: The county’s employment and productivity rates are maximised
The county is an economy of micro- and small- businesses with great potential for growth. We deliver the Business East Sussex Growth Hub and a range of bespoke business support programmes to help businesses thrive and diversify, as well as grants and loans programmes to support job creation and sustainable growth.
We have increased capacity to support business through the UK’s transition from the EU and work closely with our partners to provide specialist advice, particularly in relation to exporting. Our commissioned Inward Investment service, Locate East Sussex, will continue to support existing businesses to find premises in order to grow and will work to attract new businesses to move into East Sussex, offering increased employment opportunities for the local workforce.
1.3 Local infrastructure
Delivery outcome: Individuals, communities and businesses thrive in East Sussex with the environmental and social infrastructure to meet their needs
Businesses can only thrive if they have the local infrastructure they need and access to the right skills in the local workforce. Our unique Highways contract with Costain and Jacobs is helping to maintain and improve our highway network to ensure it is safe, usable, and available to support the economy of East Sussex, while ensuring value for money for the Council.
We also coordinate street works, deliver public realm schemes and local transport infrastructure improvements to cope with the changing but increasing demand on the network. A number of infrastructure projects will continue or be delivered in 2022/23, including improvements to Terminus Road in Eastbourne, walking and cycling improvements in Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings and progressing the project to replace Exceat Bridge.
Business in the 21st century also need modern digital infrastructure. Our e-Sussex project to rollout super and ultra-fast broadband across the county has improved access to services, jobs and education, and has played a key role in enabling people to work from home during the pandemic.
Over 98% of premises have been connected to improved broadband speeds during our first and second contracts of work with BT. We will deliver the final phases of our third contract with the aim of connecting as close to 100% of premises in the county as possible. We will work with Government to support its plans to deliver even better digital and mobile infrastructure, including continuing to top-up Gigabit vouchers.
Transport for the South East (TfSE) is a sub-national transport body (STB) representing sixteen Local Transport Authorities and five Local Enterprise Partnerships in the South East of England. TfSE’s Transport Strategy, published in 2020 actively chooses a preferred future for the region and sets out a plan for how to get there. Achieving that future will require significant investment in a better transport network. Over the next year TfSE will complete and consult on the first draft of their evidence based strategic investment plan which aims to directly influence decisions about investment in our region's transport network.
We will build on the county’s economic strengths and unique characteristics to drive economic growth in sectors with the most potential to grow and provide employment. We will build on the areas where the county performs strongly, such as the creative industries and the visitor economy, construction, engineering, health and social care, and food and drink production; and look to the future to attract and retain new businesses that will provide the jobs of tomorrow.
The Council will also take on new duties and responsibilities arising from the Government’s Environment Act and together with the Sussex Local Nature Partnership and other authorities across Sussex, we will develop a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the county.
1.4 Workforce skills
Delivery outcome: The workforce has and maintains the skills needed for good quality employment to meet the needs of the future East Sussex economy
We want all local people to have the skills they need to succeed and for businesses to have access to a skilled workforce. Skills East Sussex (SES), the county’s employment and skills board will continue to bring education providers together with business, to make sure that local training offers are relevant to the local economy.
SES provider-employer partnerships deliver a range of programmes to improve careers advice for young people to: deliver retraining programmes for adults and young people via the Government's Plan for Jobs; promote and deliver work-based training via schemes such as Apprenticeships and T-Levels; and to support those adults and young people who are furthest from the workplace through careers, pre-employment and digital inclusion initiatives.
1.5 Our role
Delivery outcome: The value of our role as both a significant employer and a buyer of local goods and services is maximised
As a body with significant spending power in the county we constantly review our procurement processes to ensure they are accessible to local suppliers, maximise the use of local providers in the supply chains, and secure added economic, social and environmental benefits. We have also updated our Social Value Measurement Charter to incorporate new measures that directly address the recovery of the local economy.
The Council has been paying the Apprenticeship Levy of approximately £1m per year since 2017. We have successfully implemented a workforce-based approach and have developed a strategy and action plan to maximise our draw down of the Levy to support employing new apprentices and current staff receiving qualifying apprenticeship training.
Following the launch of the Government’s ‘apprentice incentive scheme’, the Council’s Apprenticeship Team have worked with Recruiting Managers to ensure we make the best use of the scheme across the Council. This has generated 59 new apprenticeships and has been particularly successful in supporting recruitment to certain ‘hard to fill’ posts in the Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) department. Since the expiry of this scheme in May 2022, the Apprenticeship Team have worked closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to implement new initiatives to help with recruitment. Plans include Council focused jobs fairs and week-long training courses to prepare candidates to apply for roles across the Council. These initiatives will be launched in Autumn 2022.
As part of the Hailsham Community College Expansion, just over £4m worth of social value was secured through the contract with Morgan Sindall – equating to a 46% social value commitment against the value of the contract. This included a significant commitment to spend within the local economy. The contractor has committed to employ eight apprentices during the course of the project and provide the equivalent of 128 weeks local employment opportunities to key groups such as NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and LTE (Limited Term Employment). In addition, the design has been developed to minimise embedded carbon and on site carbon and Green House Gas emissions which will be reported and monitored during the project via a Carbon Calculator.
1.6 Children
Delivery outcome: All children progress well from early years to school leaver and into education, training and employment
We want local people to have the skills they need to succeed and all children to progress well from early years through school and into education, training and employment. We will work in partnership with schools and settings, within available resources, to meet the needs of all pupils and deliver excellent educational outcomes.
We will continue to place a strong focus on our most disadvantaged pupils to ensure that they achieve consistently high outcomes. We will also work closely with every school, setting and college to secure a strong Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) offer which makes education accessible to all children in their local community school.
The Hastings Opportunity Area (HOA) continues to work with local businesses, schools, colleges and nurseries to improve the education, emotional and mental wellbeing and employment prospects of young people in the town. Examples of best practice from this programme have been embedded across all areas of our work. Moving into its fifth year, the HOA programme is focussing on creating a legacy that builds on these foundations to embed and further sustain this model of partnership working so that Hastings’ children and young people can all achieve to their full potential.
Educational attainment is negatively affected by poor rates of attendance. We will work closely with partners to secure a shared commitment across all providers to address pockets of poor attendance and reduce exclusions for all groups of children and young people. We will also develop and share best practice for encouraging attendance in the post 16 phase.
We will work with our partners, to promote post 16 participation in education and training, including provision and support for vulnerable groups and young people with learning difficulties/disabilities. Together, we will ensure that we prepare young people for work and improve their employability skills, including developing and utilising new online resources and virtual engagement activities and events, in response to restrictions imposed due to the pandemic.
The Standards and Learning Effectiveness Service has refreshed the Excellence for All strategy, September 2021. It now outlines our ambitions for 2021 to 2023 and draws on the innovation and creativity of the work that was done during lockdown on remote learning, participation, and inclusion. Our partnership infrastructure remains the key local mechanism for delivering the shared ambitions set out in this strategy. We will continue to work collaboratively to build capacity for improvement, drive innovation and ensure the very best education for all children and young people across our settings.
1.7 Planned work
Examples of planned work during 2022/23
•Alongside partners we will continue to implement the East Sussex Economy Recovery Plan to help businesses and communities recover from the impact of COVID-19 on the economy
•We will review the Economy Recovery Plan in 2022/23 to support work to produce an Economic Insight Analysis, which will set out our vision for how East Sussex can continue to build back better
•The Business East Sussex (BES) Growth Hub will continue to work with partners, including the Sussex Chamber of Commerce, to signpost East Sussex businesses to the best sources of help
•We will work to design and deliver business support programmes, taking advantage of new funding sources that may become available
•We will work with Building Digital UK to shape their Project Gigabit project to ensure East Sussex receives as much investment to support improved broadband speeds as possible
•We will aim to ensure at least 60% of the Council’s circa £400m procurement spend is with local companies
•Our Social Value Measurement Charter (SVMC) continues to ensure that social value commitments such as apprenticeships, work experience, support for local community projects and environmental initiatives are secured through Council procured contracts
•School improvement in East Sussex is delivered in partnership with schools. The Primary and Secondary Boards are at the heart of the school-led system. The boards have set priorities for the current academic year which include a focus on high quality classroom teaching and learning; closing ‘achievement gaps’ and ensuring the most disadvantaged pupils achieve consistently high outcomes; promoting a dynamic curriculum through an emphasis on consistently strong subject leadership; prioritising mental health and wellbeing support for Headteachers; along with committing to maximising attendance and minimising exclusions; improving language and communication across all phases and ensuring effective transition between phases
•The East Sussex Learning Collaborative Network is another critical strand of the school-led improvement system. This network of schools will provide a blended offer of provision for all East Sussex schools that maximises the resources and expertise of local, regional, and national providers to improve co-ordination and avoid duplication of provision in the region
•The East Sussex Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing (MHEW) Group has been set up to drive and oversee the East Sussex place based delivery of Foundations for our Future. The group will develop an East Sussex MHEW strategy and plan which will provide the strategic direction on the commissioning of services for children and young people with MHEW (up to 25)
1.8 Targets
Performance measures and targets
Take a look at the targets we have set to measure our progress against delivering the outcomes under this priority:
1.9 State of the County 2020/21
We review a wide range of data to help us understand the context for our plans and the impact we are having through our work and in partnership. We publish this data each year in State of the County – Focus on East Sussex, when we start the planning process that leads to this Council Plan.
Priority - Keeping vulnerable people safe
Priority Overview
Ensuring vulnerable children and adults are safe is one of our key priorities and responsibilities to the community.
There will always be children and adults who cannot be looked after at home by their families. Where it is clear this is the case for children, we will intervene early and find permanent or long-term placements for them through fostering or adoption where appropriate. We will be ambitious so that they can achieve their best and we will continue with effective placement planning to ensure that the right child is cared for, in the right place, for the right amount of time and at the most appropriate cost. We will also ensure that vulnerable adults are safeguarded whether they are looked after at home or somewhere else.
The pandemic has resulted in some very specific new tasks and functions for Public Health and the challenges of adapting services and responding to new and emerging needs will continue to shape much of our work; whilst also changing the role of Public Health or the challenges already identified pre COVID-19. As demand for both health and social care services continues to increase and the financial challenges facing the Council remain, we will continue to ensure a focus on prevention and early intervention.
2.1 Vulnerable people
Delivery outcome: All vulnerable people in East Sussex are known to relevant local agencies and services are delivered together to meet their needs
One of our key objectives is that there is an effective multi-agency early help and child protection system, which ensures that children and young people who are, or are likely to be, at risk of harm are identified, supported and protected. This is part of a wider multi-agency safeguarding system, underpinned by strong statutory multi-agency governance and scrutiny by the East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership.
Through the partnership network of organisations which constitute the Children and Young People’s Trust, we aim to work across health, social care, education, and criminal justice. We will work with partners in the statutory and voluntary sector to progress our priorities.
Ongoing Government funding has now been confirmed for the Supporting Families (previously Troubled Families) programme over the three years 2022 - 2025. We will also work with partners to promote a whole system, whole family approach for the planning and delivery of services. We will identify as many external funding streams as possible to sustain family support programmes and youth work.
The Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) is a multi-agency partnership, made up of statutory and voluntary partners as well as lay members, established to promote well-being and oversee Safeguarding Adults work county-wide. The SAB areas of focus are:
•Adults, carers and the local community assisting to shape the work of the SAB and safeguarding responses
•Ensuring the SAB provides strategic leadership to embed the principles of safeguarding across agencies and contribute to the prevention of abuse and neglect
•Establishing robust feedback mechanisms on safeguarding policies and procedures
•Making safeguarding personal (making sure adults are involved and consulted in the process of helping them to stay safe and agreeing goals to achieve) – ensuring these principles are central to safeguarding practice across all agencies
•Ensuring learning from reviews is effectively embedded into practice to facilitate organisational change across agencies
•Ensuring the workforce is equipped to support adults appropriately where abuse and neglect are suspected. This will include emerging themes of ensuring a trauma-informed approach to working with adults with multiple complex needs, including situations in relation to coercive control and domestic abuse, modern slavery, cuckooing, and safeguarding rough sleepers
The Council is a member of the Sussex Health and Care Partnership (SHCP), a partnership of health and care organisations working together across Sussex. The SHCP was awarded Integrated Care System (ICS) status in April 2020. The Health and Care Bill currently progressing through Parliament will put all ICSs on a statutory footing in England from July 2022. We have been working with our NHS partners in Sussex on the ICS Memorandum of Understanding to make sure the Council can participate effectively in the new arrangements, focussing on our East Sussex population.
To support this it has been agreed that ‘Place’ has a primary role in our ICS. There are three ‘Places’ within the Sussex ICS (East Sussex, Brighton and Hove and West Sussex), with the Council being a lead partner with our local NHS in the East Sussex Health and Care Partnership. Within ICSs partnerships at Place level should work together to join up services across primary care, community health and mental health services, social care and support, community diagnostics and urgent and emergency care.
Our long term East Sussex Health and Social Care Plan sets out our shared Council priorities and commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan, and our ambitions to deliver greater levels of integrated care, early intervention and prevention for people of all ages, and improve health and reduce health inequalities in our population. In 2021/22 we updated our local plans to set out how we’ll continue to develop our joint working, and to support our system’s recovery from COVID-19. This sets out our shared priorities in the coming 12 – 18 months including addressing health inequalities, our community and locality working model, joining up community health and social care and expanding support for mental health.
Health and Social Care Connect, the Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) contact centre, has continued to operate throughout the pandemic and will continue to provide a single point for information, advice and access to community health and social care services seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm, with additional temporary resources to provide Shielded Line support during periods of national or local lockdowns.
The ASCH Programme has developed further the systems already in use to enable these to be used as effectively from a home base as from the office, for those staff who are self-isolating or for periods when it is not possible to physically accommodate the full team in the office due to social distancing requirements, to ensure there is no impact on the service provided.
2.2 Safe at home
Delivery outcome: People feel safe at home
We work with partners, including health services, police, ambulance, and fire and rescue services, to ensure people are safeguarded and able to live independently and free from abuse. We will raise awareness of safeguarding issues and enquire into concerns of abuse.
We support the most vulnerable families, helping them to find ways to manage independently and cope with problems so that they can stay together where possible and achieve better outcomes for children and parents.
Early Help services support families to tackle their problems before they become more difficult to reverse. Following a review of services, we have implemented a strategy to support vulnerable families in East Sussex and help manage the demand for statutory social care. The strategy includes keywork with vulnerable families, early years family support services integrated with delivery of the Healthy Child Programme by our health visitors, and evidence-based youth work with vulnerable young people.
We also offer universal, open-access and drop-in early help services for children, families and young people where these are fully externally funded. We have a network of 16 children’s and youth centres.
We work in partnership to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse and help victims to stay safe from harm. We work with a number of partners to provide support services and raise awareness of domestic abuse across the county.
Our Trading Standards service helps to protect vulnerable people from exploitation such as rogue traders and cold callers. We also investigate food fraud, illicit tobacco and counterfeit alcohol to protect people from the increased risks associated with these. These services are provided in partnership with the police to ensure an effective level of prevention and support work is offered to the residents and businesses of East Sussex.
2.3 Support services
Delivery outcome: People feel safe with support services
While we aim to help people stay safe and independent, this is not always possible. There will always be children and young people who cannot be cared for at home and with their families. Where it is clear this is the case for children, we will intervene early and find permanent or long-term, cost effective, placements for them through fostering or adoption where appropriate. Vulnerable adults that cannot cope by themselves need to have support services that are safe and of good quality; we will continue to monitor satisfaction with our commissioned services including through service user evaluations.
2.4 Health
Delivery outcome: We work with the wider health and care system to support people affected by COVID-19 to achieve the best health outcomes possible
ASCH have responded to the pandemic by adapting the way we provide support to vulnerable adults. It has been recognised that a longer term review of the ASCH model was needed to ensure that support continues to be provided while the pandemic is ongoing.
The ASCH Programme ran from June 2020 to October 2021 and developed new ways of working to ensure we can continue to meet our statutory responsibilities under the Care Act and any new responsibilities specific to the pandemic. The Programme had a number of workstreams, which covered the contact and assessment pathway and associated support functions.
The Programme has delivered a number of changes to the way we provide services, including robust infection control procedures to protect clients accessing directly provided services, guidance for practitioners on effectively communicating with clients remotely, and the provision of community hubs which supported clinically vulnerable residents in East Sussex during lockdown periods. The Department will continue to monitor closely the longer term impacts of these changes on quality and outcomes for our clients and their families.
2.5 Planned work
Examples of planned work during 2022/23
•We will continue to help prevent vulnerable people from becoming a victim of mass marketing fraud and intervene if people have already become a victim
•We will support people who have been a victim of sexual violence and domestic abuse through the specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence service
2.6 Targets
Performance measures and targets
Take a look at the targets we have set to measure our progress against delivering the outcomes under this priority:
2.7 State of the County 2020/21
We review a wide range of data to help us understand the context for our plans and the impact we are having through our work and in partnership. We publish this data each year in State of the County – Focus on East Sussex, when we start the planning process that leads to this Council Plan.
Priority - Helping people help themselves
Priority Overview
Whilst we must keep vulnerable people safe, people prefer and need to be independent. If we can encourage families and communities to work together to build better local communities, meet local need, and support individuals to stay independent, we can meet our objectives of breaking dependency, while reducing demand for services and therefore costs. Helping people to be self-supporting will become increasingly important as the resources available to public services decline.
3.1 Putting people first
Delivery outcome: Commissioners and providers from all sectors put people first when providing services and information to help them meet their needs
One of the best things we can do to support people is to focus very clearly on their needs when designing and providing services and when we make information available so people can help themselves.
Our focus is to provide people with the support they need as early as possible to help them remain healthy and independent. When they need them, our services will be provided by integrated health and care teams, meaning their care will be more efficient and personal, delivered by one system.
Our focus on providing support as early as possible should mean that people don’t need health and care services as much. But when they do, we will make sure they can get services quickly, easily and, before they reach crisis point.
We want to ensure that local people receive the right services, in the right place, at the right time. This may mean they access and use services differently. We aim to empower them with the knowledge of how to best use available health and social care services, and how to best get the support they need.
The integrated community health and social care services have implemented Discharge To Assess (D2A)/Home First pathways. The pathways are designed to avoid prolonged stays in hospital for people awaiting assessment or commissioned services to enable their discharge. Where possible D2A will aim to avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital, and where an admission is necessary, it will ensure that people are discharged as soon as is safe and practical, back to their own homes or to a D2A bed to have their assessments and services arranged outside of an acute hospital.
As part of the core services for Adult Social Care we will provide information and advice for all those seeking care and support; and provide support that reduces the need for social care in the longer term and/or prevents the need for a more expensive service.
Public Health will continue to promote, protect and improve health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. The needs and demands identified before COVID-19 will be married up with the needs and demands brought about by COVID-19 to ensure a coherent and effective future work plan.
We provide online access to information, for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families, about services and expertise available in the area from a range of local organisations, including providers of education, health and social care. It also gives families the opportunity to feed back about services that are available. We will continue to promote these schemes to ensure that people are able to quickly find information about a range of support options available in their local area.
People generally prefer to have as much control and choice as possible over the services they receive. Self-directed support offers control to clients and carers over how their care and support is provided. Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability (ISEND) has an important role to play in supporting pupils who are vulnerable to underachievement to do their very best.
The service helps improve the lives and outcomes of pupils with SEND, helping them to achieve their ambitions and become successful adults. We will carry out statutory assessments of children with SEN where there are significant barriers to learning and we will aim to secure the right education provision for those with the greatest need.
3.2 Maintaining independence
Delivery outcome: The most vulnerable get the support they need to maintain their independence and this is provided at or as close to home as possible
It is often best if people in need of care and support receive this at home, if possible, with the help of friends and family. We work to ensure that people’s homes are safe, providing access to care services, and personal budgets so that people can choose the care and support they need.
Frail adults across East Sussex can receive Technology Enabled Care Services (TECS), to help manage risks and maintain independence at home. TECS includes Telecare, which offers a range of sensors and detectors to meet different needs, such as wearable alert buttons, fall detectors and medication dispensers. The sensors can be monitored 24/7 by a local contact centre.
Environmental sensors, such as smoke alarms or flood detectors are also linked to the centre for automatic alerts. Individuals can also benefit from scheduled live or recorded telephone calls to provide welfare checks or reminders during periods of reablement.
Four Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) will continue to operate across the county, and we will work to embed them into 54 targeted schools. Our goal is to deliver high quality interventions to support children and young people who are referred to the service. We will use the learning from these schools to champion the Whole School Approach to mental health and emotional wellbeing, and work with partners to develop a cohesive offer of Whole School Approach support for all schools and colleges. Throughout the year, engagement and communication plans will improve pupil and parent awareness of the MHSTs and we will develop self-referral routes for young people in secondary schools and colleges.
3.3 Local mutual support systems
Delivery outcome: Through our work with others, individuals and communities are encouraged to maintain and develop local mutual support systems
People, families and communities across East Sussex have huge potential to thrive and to support each other. There is a substantial infrastructure of public, voluntary and community sector work across the county that can seek to help local people achieve their ambitions.
We work with partners and communities across the county to help local communities thrive and tackle some of the most difficult issues that impact on people’s happiness and wellbeing, such as loneliness.
We are working with partners across health, social care, the voluntary and community sector, and others to increase community and personal resilience in East Sussex. We aim to increase volunteering; improve and coordinate support to strengthen communities; and help individuals to improve their own health and well-being and take action to prevent disease and ill health.
As driver error contributes to over 90% of road collisions where people are killed or seriously injured (KSI), we continue to implement our £1m project to deliver behaviour change initiatives, alongside our ongoing programme of work to improve the road infrastructure. The programme has identified a number of target groups who are at the greatest risk of having a road traffic collision resulting in a KSI casualty and trials of behaviour change initiatives focusing on these groups are underway.
3.4 Planned work
Examples of planned work 2022/23
•We will increase the number of members of the Support with Confidence scheme, which provides a register of people and organisations that have been vetted and approved by us, so users can be confident in their safety, training and quality
•We will support households as part of the Government’s Supporting Families programme
•The Summerdown School, two special schools on the same campus, for children with autism and profound and multiple learning difficulties will open in September 2022
•Following the successful opening of new specialist facilities attached to mainstream schools across the county, we are looking to develop the facilities programme further over the next year and bring more capacity to local mainstream schools. Our SEN place planning strategy also identifies the need for an expansion of special school places in the north of the county
3.5 Targets
Performance measures and targets
Take a look at the targets we have set to measure our progress against delivering the outcomes under this priority:
3.6 State of the County 2020/21
We review a wide range of data to help us understand the context for our plans and the impact we are having through our work and in partnership. We publish this data each year in State of the County – Focus on East Sussex, when we start the planning process that leads to this Council Plan.
Priority – Making best use of resources now and for the future
Priority Overview
This priority underpins all our activities and is a key measure of success for all our priority outcomes. It applies to all the resources available for East Sussex, not only within the Council, but across the public sector, voluntary and community sector and private partners, and within local communities. We will work as a single unified organisation to deliver our priorities; ensuring high quality, streamlined services are commissioned and developed in partnership; working to reduce demand for services and focusing on our residents and communities. We will ensure that the decisions we take are sustainable both now and for the future, ensuring they provide the best value for money and support our ambitions to become carbon neutral.
4.1 One Council
Delivery outcome: Working as One Council, both through the processes we use and how we work across services
We will ensure that we work in a unified way so that resources are focused on delivering our priority outcomes. This means minimising the cost of back-office services and directing resources to frontline services. We will focus on delivering services close to local people in the most cost-effective way possible. We will also continue to work in partnership with departments to exploit technology effectively as an enabler for providing efficient services.
Our People Strategy has been developed to help support our managers and staff to respond to the changing and challenging environment in which the Council is operating, for example, future savings requirements and the business transformation arising out of this. The Strategy is built around the four pillars of: i) Leadership and Management, ii) Performance, Development and Reward, iii) Employee Engagement and Inclusion and iv) Employee Health and Wellbeing.
In conjunction with this, a Leadership and Management Capability Framework has been developed which sets out the management and leadership expectations in support of the Council’s priority outcomes and operating principles. We are committed to the development of our workforce and embedding our People Strategy into our culture.
The impact of the pandemic has created a large-scale shift to how organisations operate and has provided an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate our planned changes to how we work in the future. We will continue to invest in enabling technology and evolve our working practices to ensure we have modern, flexible workspaces and work styles that enable hybrid ways of working, building on the success of existing flexible working options.
New working practices will drive efficiency, as well as significantly reducing carbon emissions through a reduced requirement for staff travel. We are supporting staff through this transition, including the provision of an enhanced wellbeing offer and additional resources to grow digital skills amongst our workforce. A programme of adaptations to our hub buildings is underway in order to support our new ways of working and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022/23.
A new corporate digital approach has been implemented for the collective ‘One Council’ development and delivery of the Council’s digital ambition. This is supported by the Strategic Digital Framework, with corporate and service-led initiatives taken forward as part of departmental plans to maximise the Council’s use of technology and data insights in an increasingly digital world.
4.2 Working in partnership
Delivery outcome: Delivery through strong and sustained partnership working across the public, voluntary community, and private sectors to ensure that all available resources are used to deliver maximum benefits to local people
We will work in partnership across the public, voluntary and community, and private sectors to ensure that all appropriate available resources are used to deliver maximum benefits to local people. We will be proactive in making the best use of our assets, sharing property, staff, technology and data with partners so we work as efficiently as possible, removing duplication and increasing flexibility. We will join with partners to seek opportunities to achieve better value through our procurement.
Collaboration is becoming increasing important as we move into the recovery phase of the pandemic, especially for economic recovery/development and transport and infrastructure planning.
Orbis, our partnership with Surrey County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council for some of our back-office services, has allowed us to provide efficient and resilient services while achieving savings which are being used to sustain services for residents of all three areas.
The Strategic Property Asset Collaboration in East Sussex was formed by a number of public and third sector organisations coming together in partnership, to look for opportunities to co-locate and collaborate around property, to ensure cost effectiveness and to improve the customer journey by creating more effective environments to deliver services from.
The Council has continued its partnership with West Sussex County Council (WSCC).
4.3 Value for money
Delivery outcome: Ensuring we achieve value for money in the services we commission and provide
Across all our resources, services, and partnerships we will seek to achieve the maximum positive impact to deliver our priority outcomes for people in East Sussex.
We will ensure the best value for money from our spend with third parties. In 2020/21 this spend was £431m. We are actively working to strengthen our planning processes to enable better strategic decision making in this area and maximise value for money.
We are undergoing a review of our office spaces to assess the needs of the organisation and ensure our spaces are suitable for working in a hybrid way to support increasingly flexible ways of working as a result of the pandemic. It is anticipated that this will lead to a lower requirement for dedicated office space and we will, over time, be able to reduce the cost of occupancy in our corporate buildings.
4.4 Maximising funding
Delivery outcome: Maximising the funding available through bidding for funding and lobbying for the best deal for East Sussex
We will continue to take all opportunities to raise the distinct funding needs of the Council with Government, to address the long-term fair funding needs of our services. We will work with partners to press for the best outcomes for the county, lobbying with our local MPs and with our local, regional and national partners including the South East 7, County Councils Network (CCN), Society of County Treasurers and Local Government Association (LGA). In particular, we will respond to the Government’s consultation on updating the national assessment of needs and resources on which funding allocations for councils are based.
However, the impact of any changes on our future funding is far from clear and we recognise that we are likely to face a more challenging financial position from 2023/24 onwards.
4.5 Carbon neutral
Delivery outcome: To help tackle climate change East Sussex County Council activities are carbon neutral as soon as possible and in any event by 2050
We will build on our earlier work to ensure all Council activities are carbon neutral as soon as possible and in any event by 2050. A Climate Emergency Plan has been developed and we will be working within the plan to implement initiatives that reduce the carbon footprint of the Council’s operations, using a combination of one-off investment agreed in 2021 and planned capital investment in our medium-term financial plan.
During 2022/23, we will install over 700 solar PV (photovoltaics) panels on six Council assets and carry out feasibility work to identify further sites for renewable generation. Our successful LED lighting programme will roll out to a further 10 sites. We will complete the heat decarbonisation of two sites and carry out feasibility studies of 20 further sites to prioritise projects to be programmed for 2023/24 and 2024/25.
We will also update the Climate Emergency Plan, for 2023-25, using modelling to inform and identify the most effective means to reduce carbon at the least cost.
4.6 Planned work
Examples of planned work 2022/23
•We will reduce the amount of CO2 produced from Council operations
•We will maintain or reduce the number of working days lost to sickness absence
•We will refresh the Staff Travel Plan, particularly in light of COVID-19, and evolving ways of working
4.7 Targets
Performance measures and targets
Take a look at the targets we have set to measure our progress against delivering the outcomes under this priority:
Revenue budget: gross and net
The charts below show how we will spend your revenue budget money in 2022/23, and where the money will come from (gross and net). More information on our revenue budget can be found in our financial budget summary which explains the difference between the gross and net budgets.
*Centrally Held Budgets include Treasury Management and contributions to the Capital Programme
Revenue spending
The diagrams below are a visual representation of our gross revenue budget for 2022/23. They also show East Sussex County Council spend inclusive of partnership working, where we are the lead authority. More information on our revenue budget can be found in our financial budget summary. You can also see our revenue spending data in a table.
Adult Social Care
Public Health
Business Services
Communities, Economy & Transport
Children's Services
Governance Services
Revenue data
This table shows the most significant areas of spending in our gross revenue budget for 2022/23.
You can see a diagram of our revenue spending. You can also get more information on our revenue budget in our financial budget summary
| Department | Spending area | Revenue budget |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Social Care | Physical Support, Sensory Support and Support for Memory & Cognition | £133.23m |
| Adult Social Care | Learning Disability Support | £71.02m |
| Adult Social Care | Mental Health Support | £8.86m |
| Adult Social Care | Independent Sector | £213.11m |
| Adult Social Care | Physical Support, Sensory Support and Support for Memory & Cognition | £15.41m |
| Adult Social Care | Learning Disability Support | £7.55m |
| Adult Social Care | Mental Health Support | £3.12m |
| Adult Social Care | Substance Misuse Support | £0.48m |
| Adult Social Care | Equipment & Assistive Technology | £6.21m |
| Adult Social Care | Other | £0.32m |
| Adult Social Care | Supporting People | £5.50m |
| Adult Social Care | Assessment & Care Management | £26.80m |
| Adult Social Care | Carers | £3.35m |
| Adult Social Care | Management & Support | £22.00m |
| Adult Social Care | Service Strategy | £0.48m |
| Adult Social Care | Directly Provided Services and Assessment & Care Management | £91.21m |
| Adult Social Care | Safer Communities | £1.99m |
| Adult Social Care | Adult Social Care | £306.31m |
| Public Health | Mental Health and Best Start | £10.40m |
| Public Health | Risky Behaviours and Threats to Health | £11.67m |
| Public Health | Health Systems | £3.07m |
| Public Health | Communities | £1.28m |
| Public Health | Central Support | £2.30m |
| Public Health | Test, Track and Contain | £0.77m |
| Public Health | Public Health | £29.50m |
| Business Services | Finance | £7.67m |
| Business Services | IT & Digital | £6.78m |
| Business Services | HR & Organisational Development | £2.63m |
| Business Services | Property | £27.27m |
| Business Services | ESCC Contribution to Orbis | £8.50m |
| Business Services | Business Services | £52.85m |
| Children’s Services | Central Resources | £2.69m |
| Children’s Services | Early Help & Social Care | £76.14m |
| Children’s Services | Education & ISEND | £97.00m |
| Children’s Services | Communications, Planning & Performance | £7.58m |
| Children’s Services | Adoption South East | £1.28m |
| Children’s Services | Schools | £155.47m |
| Children’s Services | Children’s Services | £340.15m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Waste | £50.57m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Home to School Transport | £16.33m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Other Transport & Operational Services | £18.36m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Transport & Operational Services | £85.44m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Communities | £4.41m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Customer and Library Services | £6.87m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Economy | £3.91m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Highways | £15.43m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Management & Support | £6.19m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Planning & Environment | £3.83m |
| Communities, Economy & Transport | Communities, Economy & Transport | £126.09m |
| Governance Services | Corporate Governance | £4.57m |
| Governance Services | Corporate Support | £3.36m |
| Governance Services | Governance Services | £7.93m |
| Centrally Held Budgets | Centrally Held Budgets | £58.54m |
| EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL | TOTAL BUDGET 2022/23 | £921.36m |
Capital programme
Capital programme: projects in the year ahead 2022/23
The planned capital programme supports the Council's Capital Strategy to 2042/43. It comprises targeted basic need investment that supports services in the delivery of priority outcomes and is supported by a planned programme to 2031/32. It includes providing for essential school places, investments in roads and transport infrastructure, support for climate change initiatives, enhancing the life of existing assets and ensuring they are fit for purpose, as well as support for strategic investment. Details of the full current capital programme are in our financial budget summary. Below are examples of key projects that will be underway in 2022/23 at a cost of £101.9m.
Economic Growth & Strategic Infrastructure £5.7m
- £2.5m to increase the number of premises in the county that can access superfast broadband
- £1.7m to drive economic growth and create new jobs as part of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) Getting Building Fund
Community & Social Care Facilities
- £0.7m for the development of Westfield Lane to provide additional accommodation for children within the county
Highways & Structural Maintenance £35.8m
- £5.8m of one-off investment to improve the condition of our highways assets
- £30.0m on all other highways and structural maintenance
Integrated Transport Schemes £16.4m
- £4.3m towards cycling, walking and bus infrastructure, traffic management and public realm improvements across Bexhill and Hastings
- £2.2m of walking and cycling improvements in Eastbourne and South Wealden
- £2.0m for the next phase of the Eastbourne Town Centre Improvements
Schools £16.1m
- £5.7m to provide necessary school places and school access initiatives, safeguarding and temporary accommodation
- £4.2m investment for important additional school places for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
- £6.2m of improvements to school buildings
Building Maintenance & Efficiency
- The Council will invest in improvements to buildings and technology to improve efficiency and support the Council’s commitment of carbon neutrality by 2050 at the latest
Capital Resourcing 2022/23 to 2025/26
Because capital projects may take several years to deliver, we need to know how we will fund the full £346.1 million programme. Details of where this money will come from are given below.
Promoting equality of opportunity
Equality impact assessment summary report for Council Plan 2022/23
Date of assessment: 22/06/2022
Summary of findings: There are no disproportionate negative impacts on people sharing any specific characteristics. The Council Plan as a whole is designed to support our objectives to promote equality and to address known inequalities. Many services or programmes will have benefits for all people in the county, across all legally protected characteristics. The Council’s approach is to integrate consideration of equality impacts into planning, implementation and monitoring of all activities, so specific needs, assets, barriers and opportunities are assessed individually to maximise positive impacts and avoid or minimise negative impacts.
Summary of recommendations and key points of action plan: Our Council Plan priorities and delivery outcomes are designed to help address identified inequalities in outcomes for different groups in our local community and incorporate our equality objectives. We will take additional actions to mitigate against the potential issues we have identified.
| Potential issues | Mitigating actions |
|---|---|
| Identification of potential disproportionate impacts or issues relating to people sharing specific characteristics that have not been identified at this stage. | The planned work set out in the Council Plan will be taken forward through specific programmes of activity within individual directorates. Robust equality analysis will be undertaken on each planned activity, to ensure that these are designed and implemented in a way that maximises opportunities to promote equality, whilst minimising any adverse impacts. |
| Our resources do not reflect the demand for services, which may mean we will have to adjust our services to match the funds we have. | We will work closely with partners, including the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector, to make the most of opportunities, resources and links with diverse communities available locally. We recognise that VCSE organisations are often the first to recognise and respond to the needs of diverse communities and that they provide safe, accessible, and inclusive spaces for individuals, groups and the wider community, that support inclusion and belonging. |
| The population of East Sussex is changing, and people’s needs and assets change. | Priorities will continue to be defined based on local evidence of need and what works and makes a difference locally. We will continue to be democratic, open and honest in determining the best level and quality of services we can provide, within available resources, and in communicating priorities. |
| COVID-19 and the lockdowns and social restrictions have impacted some people and communities sharing protected characteristics worse. | We continue to work to understand the different ways in which the pandemic has impacted on people sharing different characteristics and to address the inequalities that have been revealed and/or worsened. Portfolio Plans and service plans identify tailored responses to identified needs. |
We will also continue to monitor our impact on outcomes for the people of East Sussex, including differences between outcomes for people sharing different protected characteristics. We will use this information to inform future business planning activities as part of our annual State of the County exercise. We will report quarterly on progress against the activities in the Council Plan, including any issues, as part of our Council Monitoring reports. We will also report on our progress in delivering the actions in this Council Plan that will advance equality as part of our Annual report, which will be published in Autumn 2022.
More information on equality and diversity can be found on our equality and diversity web page.
Performance measures and targets
Targets - Driving sustainable economic growth
| Performance measure | 2022/23 Target | 2021–2025 Outcome Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Deliver East Sussex Skills priorities for 2021-2026 | Develop 6 action plans to address the 6 Skills East Sussex priorities | Training providers are developing a curriculum which is informed by sector skills evidence and our local businesses are actively engaged in supporting training provision in the county, supporting sustainable economic development |
| East Sussex Careers Hub | East Sussex Careers Hub to support schools to achieve an average of 5 national benchmarks. Recruit a further 15 employers as Industry Champions to support all 40 schools and colleges in the county to make progress in giving young people encounters with employers and experiences of the workplace | Helping our young people and adults become aware of careers opportunities available to them, supporting sustainable economic development |
| Create a pan-Sussex visitor economy group to re-start the leisure, hospitality, culture, retail and tourism economy and enhance existing marketing vehicles | Establish Sussex Tourism Leadership Group | Grow the visitor economy by raising the visibility of Sussex, enhancing perceptions, increasing the number of visitors to the coast, increasing length of stay and spend |
| Create a prioritised list of cultural projects ready for and seeking funding over the value of £100k | Launch the list of cultural projects ready for and seeking funding over the value of £100k | Create the conditions to ensure that East Sussex benefits from one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, growing the creative economy by fostering creative start ups, upscaling creative businesses and attracting businesses into East Sussex |
| Job creation from East Sussex Programmes | 140 jobs created or safeguarded | Grow the East Sussex economy and create more jobs by supporting the growth of businesses through capital investment |
| Percentage of Principal roads requiring maintenance | 4% | Achieve and maintain a good standard of road condition across all road types |
| Percentage of Non-Principal roads requiring maintenance | 4% | Achieve and maintain a good standard of road condition across all road types |
| Percentage of Unclassified roads requiring maintenance | 14% | Achieve and maintain a good standard of road condition across all road types |
| Deliver a range of Family Learning programmes across East Sussex to provide high quality learning opportunities for parents/carers and their children to develop English, maths and language skills and to support a culture of learning in the family (subject to external funding) | 500 enrolments across Family English, maths and Language (FEML) and Wider Family Learning (WFL) programmes | Families, particularly those from areas of deprivation, have intergenerational learning opportunities and develop positive attitudes to learning |
| In partnership with funding organisations provide online learning (including skills for life and ICT courses) in libraries (subject to contract) | 70 achievements | People have access to free qualifications that support them into, or back into, work and education |
| The number of businesses and professionals receiving advice and support through training and bespoke advice provided by Trading Standards | 350 | Businesses in East Sussex are equipped to thrive, comply with the law, and are supported to “get it right first time” |
| The Council’s Apprenticeship Levy strategy supports the Council’s workforce development and training plans | Where appropriate Standards exist, to ensure apprenticeship training is available and taken up (subject to the needs of the business), which addresses skills shortages in the Council | Apprenticeships in the Council provide a positive opportunity for staff to develop and grow, enhancing the Council’s workforce and career opportunities |
| The percentage of Council procurement spend with local suppliers | 60% | Support local businesses and help drive economic growth and employment in the county through our purchasing power |
| Economic, social and environmental value committed through contracts, as a percentage of our spend with suppliers | ≥10.0% | The Social Value Measurement Charter is used to provide robust measures in eligible contracts that commit suppliers to deliver the Council’s social value objectives |
| The percentage of eligible 2 year olds who take up a place with an eligible early years provider | Equal to or above the national average | All children engage, attain and progress well from early years into education, training and employment |
| The percentage of pupils achieving a “good level of development” at the Early Years Foundation Stage |
Ac Year 2021/22 Equal to or above the national average |
All children engage, attain and progress well from early years into education, training and employment |
| Average Progress 8 score for state funded schools |
Ac Year 2021/22 ≥0.06 (ESCC outturn for academic year 18/19) |
All children engage, attain and progress well from early years into education, training and employment |
| The percentage of disadvantaged pupils achieving at least the expected standard in each of reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2 |
Ac Year 2021/22 ≥45.8% (ESCC outturn for academic year 18/19) |
The gap for disadvantaged pupils at all Key Stages is kept as small as possible so that all children attain and progress well from early years into education, training and employment |
| The average Attainment 8 score for disadvantaged pupils |
Ac Year 2021/22 ≥33.6 (ESCC outturn for academic year 18/19) |
The gap for disadvantaged pupils at all Key Stages is kept as small as possible so that all children attain and progress well from early years into education, training and employment |
| The percentage of young people meeting the duty of RPA (Raising the Participation Age) by either participating in education, training or employment with training or undertaking re-engagement provision at academic age 16 (Year 12) | 93% | Young people participate in education, training or employment with training until they are at least 18 improving their long term employment and health prospects |
| The percentage of young people meeting the duty of RPA by either participating in education, training or employment with training or undertaking re-engagement provision at academic age 17 (Year 13) | 86% | Young people participate in education, training or employment with training until they are at least 18 improving their long term employment and health prospects |
| Average Progress 8 score for Looked After Children (LAC) |
Ac Year 2021/22 No more than 0.5 points below the national average for looked after children |
Looked after Children participate in education, training or employment with training until they are at least 18 improving their long term employment and health prospects |
| The percentage of LAC participating in education, training or employment with training at academic age 16 (Year 12) | 80% | Looked after Children participate in education, training and employment with training until they are at least 18 improving their long term employment and health prospects |
| The percentage of LAC participating in education, training or employment with training at academic age 17 (Year 13) | 70% | Looked after Children participate in education, training and employment with training until they are at least 18 improving their long term employment and health prospects |
You can also download an expanded version of the Driving sustainable economic growth measures [30.4 KB] [xlsx] in an Excel table, with targets for the next three years. The download will open in a new window.
Targets - Keeping vulnerable people safe
| Performance measure | 2022/23 Target | 2021 – 2025 Outcome Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of Health and Social Care Connect referrals triaged and progressed to required services within 24 hours | 95% | Services are provided in a timely manner |
| Health and Social Care Connect – % of contacts that are appropriate and effective (i.e. lead to the provision of necessary additional services) | 95% | Monitor the number of contacts from health professionals that aren’t taken any further |
| The % of people affected by domestic violence and abuse who have improved safety/support measures in place upon leaving the service | 80% | To enable vulnerable people who have been affected by domestic violence to feel more in control of their life, and better able to make decisions to increase their safety |
| When they leave the service the % of those affected by rape, sexual violence and abuse who have improved coping strategies | 88% | Protect vulnerable people who have been affected by rape, sexual violence and abuse, and provide them with skills which enable them to be more in control of their lives and more optimistic about the future |
| Rate of children with a Child Protection Plan (per 10,000 children) |
50.3 536 children |
Children at risk from significant harm are kept safe |
| Rate (of 0-17 population) of referrals to children’s social care services (per 10,000 children) | 489 | Children at risk from significant harm are kept safe |
| Rate (of 0-17 population) of assessments completed by children’s social care services (per 10,000 children) | 517 | Children at risk from significant harm are kept safe |
| Rate of Looked After Children (per 10,000 children) |
59.8 637 children |
Children at risk from significant harm are kept safe |
| The number of positive interventions for vulnerable people who have been or may be the target of rogue trading or financial abuse | 200 | Residents of East Sussex are safe in their own home and protected from criminals. Residents are empowered to feel safe and supported to say “no” to criminals and deter and disrupt criminal activity |
You can also download an expanded version of the Keeping vulnerable people safe measures [28.5 KB] [xlsx] in an Excel table, with targets for the next three years. The download will open in a new window.
Targets - Helping people help themselves
| Performance Measure | 2022/23 Target | 2021-2025 Outcome Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Road Safety: Deliver targeted cycle training activities to vulnerable road users | Deliver Bikeability training to 4,000 individuals and complete 80 Wheels for All sessions | Improve the confidence and skills of cyclists by delivering cycle training to cyclists through targeted Bikeability training sessions delivered at Schools and training centres across the county |
| Road Safety: Implement infrastructure schemes on identified high risk sites/routes to improve road safety | Implement 22 Safety Schemes | Reduce the number of crashes and casualties at identified high risk sites/routes sites through the implementation of infrastructure improvement schemes to improve outcomes for residents, businesses and visitors to East Sussex |
| National outcome measure: Proportion of working age adults and older people receiving self-directed support | 100% | Adults are able to take control of the support they receive |
| National outcome measure: Proportion of working age adults and older people receiving direct payments | ≥31.5% | Adults who require support are able to live as independently as possible |
| Number of carers supported through short-term crisis intervention | 390 | Carers are supported when they most need it enabling them to carry on in their caring role |
| Number of people receiving support through housing related floating support | 5,000 | Adults can maintain their independence |
| Percentage of respondents who strongly agree or agree that the professionals who are involved in organising and providing their care communicate well with each other and share information to make sure their support is the best it can be (Listening To You) | ≥56% | Through joint and partnership working as part of the East Sussex Health and Care Partnership and Sussex Integrated Care System ensure all available resources are used to deliver maximum benefits to local people and achieve value for money |
| Number of providers registered with Support With Confidence |
360 (10% increase on 2021/22 outturn) |
Increase the options for people who need support ensuring vulnerable people are given effective reliable support to help maintain their independence |
| The proportion of people who received short-term services during the year, where no further request was made for ongoing support | >90.5% | Provide effective early intervention to ensure people are given the support they need as quickly as possible, this will also reduce the need for more expensive intensive interventions at a later date ensuring the most effective use of resources |
| National outcome measure: Achieve independence for older people through rehabilitation / intermediate care | >90% | Provide effective early intervention to ensure people are given the support they need as quickly as possible; this will also reduce the need for more expensive intensive interventions at a later date ensuring the most effective use of resources |
| Through the Drug and Alcohol Funding streams, commission services that sustain the development of the recovery community in East Sussex | Commission services | The rates of people entering recovery from drug and alcohol misuse are maximised and the stigma associated with misuse is reduced |
| Percentage of EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plans) annual review meetings where the child gave their view and/or participated | 85% | Children and young people with SEND participate in decisions to ensure that their needs are understood, and they are supported to achieve their potential |
| The proportion of respondents to the feedback surveys who agree that things have changed for the better as a result of getting targeted support from the 0 – 19 Early Help Service | 80% | The services provided are making a difference to the lives of service users |
| Number of households eligible under the Government’s Supporting Families programme (our Family Focus Programme) receiving a family support intervention | 1,350 | Families supported by a whole family approach to achieve their goals and the Council is able to maximise payment by results claims |
| Number of new service user interventions started through One You East Sussex as part of the Integrated Lifestyle Service | 5,000 | Support people (particularly those with multiple lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet and low physical activity) to make changes to improve health outcomes and reduce their risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease |
| Improved targeting of NHS Heath Checks | 35% uptake rate by eligible patients from IMD1 (baseline 38.4%) | People understand their future risk of developing vascular disease and make changes to their lifestyle, or receive additional clinical advice and support to reduce their risk |
You can also download an expanded version of the Helping people help themselves measures [30.4 KB] [xlsx] in an Excel table, with targets for the next three years. The download will open in a new window.
Targets - Making best use of resources now and for the future
| Performance Measure | 2022/23 Target | 2021-2025 Outcome Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Number of working days lost per FTE (Full Time Equivalent) employee due to sickness absence in non-school services | 9.10 | To maximise the use of resources and improve staff and customer wellbeing |
| Deliver the Property Asset Investment Strategy | Outline Business cases brought forward against at least 2 priority projects | Our Property Asset and Disposal Investment Strategy will explore income generation from property, optimise capital receipts and promote economic growth across the county |
| Review use of corporate buildings | Implement workstyles adaptations in 3 office hubs and review the impact | The Workstyles review will determine the future use of our corporate buildings to better utilise space and enable new ways of working. Once fully embedded this will lead to reduced cost of occupancy in our core corporate buildings |
| Reduce the amount of CO2 arising from County Council operations | 34% reduction on baseline year (2019/20) emissions (emissions not to exceed 8,206 tonnes CO2e) | A reduction in the amount of CO2 arising from Council operations is recorded on an annual basis, thus reducing the cost of energy to the Council and shrinking the carbon footprint in line with our carbon budget |
| Progress on implementation of Carbon reduction schemes | 10 low energy lighting schemes, 10 solar PV schemes and 2 decarbonisation of heat schemes implemented | A series of carbon reduction schemes are implemented to support our commitment to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint and support a more sustainable approach going forward |
You can also download an expanded version of the Making best use of resources now and for the future measures in an Excel table [24.7 KB] [xlsx], with targets for the next three years. The download will open in a new window.
State of the County data
We review a wide range of data to help us understand the context for our plans and the impact we are having through our work and in partnership. We publish this data each year in State of the County – Focus on East Sussex, when we start the planning process that leads to this Council Plan. A selection of this data is listed below. Unless otherwise stated the data refers to 2020/21. Where possible official national statistics are used for comparison with the England average.
Driving sustainable economic growth
| Measure | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of working age residents (16-64) with a level 4 qualification or above (includes degrees, Higher National Certificate, Higher National Diploma and others) |
34.9% (Calendar Year 2021) |
43.1% (Calendar Year 2021) |
| Percentage of working age residents (16-64) with no qualifications or qualified only to National Vocational Qualification 1 |
20.2% (Calendar Year 2021) |
16.0% (Calendar Year 2021) |
| Annual gross full-time earnings, median average (residence based) | £30,949 | £31,480 |
| Percentage of working age population (16-64) in employment | 75.0% | 75.1% |
| People claiming unemployment benefits (JSA and Universal Credit) percentage of population 16-64 year olds at March | 4.1% | 4.2% |
| New business registration rate per 10,000 people over 16 | 55.9 | 70.4 |
| New houses built, total completed / total affordable | 1,549 / 290 | - |
| Average Attainment 8 score per pupil state funded secondary schools | 45.3* | 46.8* |
| Average Progress 8 score for state funded secondary schools | -0.06* | -0.03* |
| Percentage of pupils who achieved a 9-5 pass in English and maths GCSEs | 41.7%* | 43.4%* |
| Average point score (APS) per entry for A levels (16-18 year-olds) | 32.11* | 32.87* |
| Attainment of A level students (age 16-18) average point score (APS) per entry, best 3 | 30.00* | 32.89* |
| Attainment of A level students (age 16-18 ) % achieving grades AAB or better at A level, of which at least two are in facilitating subjects | 9.6%* | 14.1%* |
*Data for the academic year 2018/19. It has not been updated because exams were suspended in 2020 and 2021.
Keeping vulnerable people safe
| Measure | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|
| Rate per 10,000 (aged 0 –17 population) of Looked After Children | 57 | 67 |
| Rate per 10,000 (aged 0-17 population) of children with a Child Protection Plan | 49.2 | 41.4 |
| Number of children who ceased to be looked after adopted during the year ending 31 March | 27 | - |
| Percentage of people (65 and over) who were still at home 91 days after discharge from hospital | 89.2% | 79.1% |
| Suicide rate per 100,000 of population three-year average |
12.7 (2018-20) |
10.4 (2018-20) |
| Hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries in children aged 0-14 years, rate per 10,000 resident population | 99.8 | 75.7 |
Helping people help themselves
| Measure | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of children aged 4-5 years with excess weight (overweight or obese), by postcode of child |
23.0% (2019/20) |
23.0% (2019/20) |
| Percentage of children aged 10-11 years with excess weight (overweight or obese) by postcode of child |
32.0% (2019/20) |
35.2% (2019/20) |
| Percentage of adults (aged 18+) classified as overweight or obese |
62.6% (2019/20) |
62.8% (2019/20) |
| Long-term support needs of younger adults (aged 18-64) met by admission to residential and nursing care homes, per 100,000 population per year | 14.4 | 13.3 |
| Long-term support needs of older adults (aged 65 and over) met by admission to residential and nursing care homes, per 100,000 population per year | 501.1 | 498.2 |
| Proportion of older people aged 65 and over who received reablement services following discharge from hospital | 2.0% | 3.1% |
| The outcome of short-term services: sequel to service: proportion of people who received short-term services during the year, where no further request was made for ongoing support or support of a lower level | 89.0% | 74.9% |
| Emergency hospital admissions due to falls in people aged 65 and over per 100,000 | 2,314 | 2,023 |
| Number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads |
339 (Calendar Year 2021) |
- |