CARMARTHENSHIRE’S PERFORMANCE CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

Figures released by the Local Government Data Unit show that Carmarthenshire continues to improve in over half the measures.

The county is now joint fifth highest in Wales for overall performance measured against 40 key indicators.

Carmarthenshire had the best result in Wales for the percentage of municipal waste sent to landfill, and scored 100%, along with some other authorities, for three measures:

• Carers of adults offered an assessment or review
• Remaining in contact with 19-year-olds, who were formerly looked after
• Eligible and relevant children who have pathway plans

The authority was top, along with some other councils, for scoring 0% in two measures:

• Pupils aged 15 who leave education or training without an approved external qualification
• Pupils in local authority care who leave education or training without an approved external qualification

The county was worst in Wales for the percentage of looked after children who had three or more placements during the year, scoring 14.9%.

This has been attributed to a rise in challenging teenage placements; a senior practitioner has now been appointed to support teenage and complex placements for challenging children.

It was also worst for the number of additional affordable housing units provided at 8%. This was based on 2014/15 data, and a plan has already been put in place to deliver over 1,000 affordable homes by 2020.

Out of 40 measures, 57.5% have improved, 17.5% have remained constant, and 25% declined. Carmarthenshire was joint sixth highest for improvement in the measures compared to other Welsh authorities.

Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole said: “It is reassuring that Carmarthenshire continues to perform well in most measures, and that we are continuing to improve in over half.

“We try especially to focus our efforts on those things that matter most to local people such as looking after vulnerable adults and children, education and our environment.

“However, we acknowledge that there are areas where we need to do better, and we have actions in place to address these.

“I would like to thank the staff for all their hard work and commitment which ensures that Carmarthenshire remains a high performing authority for its residents.”