News

The number of councils achieving a three star rating has increased, according to the latest figures from the Commission for Social Care Inspection, writes Clare Jerrom.

Twenty councils were awarded a three star rating, compared with 16 local authorities in 2003. The number of authorities with two stars also rose from 76 last year to 82 in 2004.

Overall, 27 councils increased their rating while 11 councils had their rating reduced from last year. There were eight councils with a zero rating – the same figure as last year.

Minister for children Margaret Hodge and community care minister Stephen Ladyman welcomed the news that over two thirds of local authority social care services were performing at two star level of above.

Hodge: "Celebrate improvements"

“Star ratings are driving improvements in social care services, helping make real improvements in people’s lives locally,” said the ministers.

“Today we should celebrate the improvements in social services and care provided for those who rely on it,” they added.

Tower Hamlets Council in London has increased to a three star authority and a statement from the council said: “Transforming social services from one star to three star status in just three years is an unprecedented achievement given the level of deprivation in the borough.”

The London Borough of Southwark has increased from a two to three star authority and councillor Denise Capstick, executive member for health and social care, said their task was to “maintain this momentum and further improve the service”.

The London borough of Ealing, however, went down from a one star to a zero star authority. Councillor Martin Beecroft, the cabinet member for independent living, defended the move emphasising that inspectors found no change in the quality and standard of services to adults and children since last year’s inspection.

“Considering that we are the only zero star authority that has been found to serve most children well and only six one star authorities were found to serve either most adults or children well, we are disappointed to receive a zero rating,” he added.

Beecroft explained that it was because at the time of inspection, inspectors did not accept the council had the capacity to continue to make improvements to services.

The star ratings draw on evidence from performance indicators, inspections, reviews and monitoring information for each council, and using a set of published standards as a framework to guide judgement.

Three star authorities

Bexley
Blackburn with Darwen

Bolton
City of London
Derbyshire
Gateshead
Kensington and Chelsea
Kent
Kingston upon Thames
Kirklees
Knowsley
Leicestershire
Newcastle upon Tyne
North Lincolnshire
Somerset
Southwark
Sunderland
Tower Hamlets
Wandsworth
Westminster

Two star authorities

Barnet
Barnsley
Bath and NE Somerset
Bradford
Brent
Bury
Calderdale
Cambridgeshire
Camden
Cheshire
Cornwall
Coventry
Croydon
Darlington
Derby
Doncaster
Dorset
Dudley
Durham
East Riding of Yorkshire
East Sussex
Enfield
Essex
Hackney
Halton
Hammersmith and Fulham
Hampshire
Hartlepool
Hertfordshire
Hounslow
Isle of Wight
Islington
Kingston upon Hull
Lancashire
Leeds
Leicester
Luton
Manchester
Merton
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes
North Somerset
North Yorkshire
Northumberland
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire
Peterborough
Poole
Portsmouth
Reading
Redbridge
Redcar and Cleveland
Richmond upon Thames
Rutland
Salford
Sefton
Sheffield
Shropshire
Slough
Solihull
South Gloucestershire
South Tyneside
Southampton
St Helens
Stockport
Stockton on Tees
Suffolk
Surrey
Tameside
Telford and Wrekin
Thurrock
Wakefield
Warrington
Warwickshire
West Berkshire
West Sussex
Wigan
Wiltshire
Wirral
Wokingham
Worcestershire
York

One star authorities

Barking and Dagenham
Blackpool
Bournemouth
Bracknell Forest
Brighton and Hove
Bristol
Bromley
Buckinghamshire
Devon
Gloucestershire
Greenwich
Haringey
Harrow
Havering
Herefordshire
Hillingdon
Lambeth
Lewisham
Lincolnshire
Liverpool
Medway Towns
Newham
Norfolk
North East Lincolnshire
North Tyneside
Northamptonshire
Oxfordshire
Rochdale
Rotherham
Sandwell
Southend-on-Sea
Staffordshire
Stoke-on-Trent
Sutton
Torbay
Trafford
Walsall
Waltham Forest
Windsor and Maidenhead
Wolverhampton

Zero stars

Bedfordshire
Birmingham
Cumbria
Ealing
Isles of Scilly
Oldham
Plymouth
Swindon