News

• Merton only council to achieve upgrade from zero rating
• Director launches attack on star ratings system

For full list of star rating changes - see below

A dozen councils were upgraded in the refreshed star ratings, which were published by the Social Services Inspectorate, writes Sally Gillen.

But of those, only one of the 10 local authorities given a zero in the first set of ratings, published in May, had improved enough to get one star this time around.

Merton council, which was placed on special measures in February 2001, has been upgraded for improving its children’s services, which have gone from serving no children well to serving some well.

None of the four councils – Coventry, Walsall, Birmingham and North East Lincolnshire – which have had help from performance action teams, the private companies drafted in to turn around the worst-performing councils, have improved enough to get a star.

And overall the number of councils given a zero rating has risen from 10 to 12, as Windsor and Maidenhead, Waltham Forest and Bedford fell from the one-star band.

All of those given three stars first time around remained at the top, joined by new additions Kent, Kingston upon Thames and North Lincolnshire, but the three councils awarded two stars in the first ratings – Somerset, Wiltshire and Bradford – fell to one star.

Wiltshire, which had been judged as serving some adults well with promising prospects for improvement, is still considered to be serving some well, but is now showing uncertain prospects for the future.

Bradford, which had previously been was serving most adults and children well, is now only serving some well.

The majority of councils – 75 – have been given one-star.

Changes to local authority star ratings:

Moving up:

Two star to three star:

Kent

Kingston Upon Thames

North Lincolnshire

1 to 2 star:

Bath and North East Somerset

Camden

Herefordshire

Leeds

Medway

Rochdale

Stockton on Tees

Tower Hamlets

0 to 1 star:

Merton

Moving down:

No three stars down to two

2 to 1 star:

Bradford

Somerset

Wiltshire

1  to 0 star:

Bedfordshire

Waltham Forest

Windsor and Maidenhead

To read the full list of star ratings click here