Castle Point Local Strategic Partnership

In 2009 Castle Point had a population of  89,200 living in around 36,600 dwellings. The population is relatively stable but the over 55 age group is growing. Castle Point has a relatively older population where almost 1 in 4 of the population is aged 65+. The 85+ population by 2029 across Essex is expected to increase by over 75%. However, populations are expected to at least double in Castle Point, which already has the 2nd-highest proportion of older residents in Essex. Projected 35% increase from 2005-2015 2nd-highest proportion of social care users in Essex.

Migrant registration for Castle Point is the lowest of all Essex Districts. Residents from an ethnic minority background make up 3.35% of the population. This is below the national average of 13% but has increased from 1.2% since 1991.

The health of people in Castle Point is generally better than the England average, although indicators of healthy lifestyle in adults are worse than average. There are around 160 deaths from smoking each year. There are health inequalities within Castle Point by location, gender, income and ethnicity. For example, parts of the Canvey Island wards appear to be most deprived. Men from the most deprived fifth of areas have around 3 years shorter life expectancy than those in the least deprived fifth of areas. Over the past ten years, all age; all cause mortality rates in Castle Point have improved more rapidly than the national trend, especially for men. Early death rates from heart disease and stroke have remained below England rates. Smoking rates are slightly worse than average with 1 adult in 4 smoking. Levels of adult obesity, healthy eating and physical activity are worse than the national average. Obesity in adults has risen in the past year and now more than 1 adult in 4 is obese.

The overall Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 score for Castle Point is the 6th best in Essex. However, at Middle Super Output Area (MSOA) Level there is a clear north-south divide in Castle Point, with Canvey Island having pockets of nationally significant deprivation.

The economy of Castle Point is significantly underperforming thereby providing a lack of quality local employment opportunities. Castle Point has one of the smallest economies in the country ranked only 29th of 408 in terms of economic scale and contributing only 0.07% to national GVA.

The Borough also has a very low score for productivity with both low weekly earnings and GVA per head ranked in the bottom 20 local areas of 408 nationally. Between1999 and 2005, in a period of sustained national economic growth, the Castle Point economy grew by only 8%.

Unemployment rates in Castle Point are very low. However, although the Borough is experiencing a high employment rate, existing economic activity rates in Castle Point are relatively low with almost 25% of the working age population being economically inactive compared with a national average of 22%.

The Borough’s economic performance is fundamentally shaped by its industrial structure and in particular the need for growth in the knowledge based economies marked by rising levels of innovation, technology, creativity and entrepreneurship.

Many of the businesses in Castle Point are small with an average of only 6 employees per business compared with a national average of 10, low skilled and low capital enterprises with limited growth potential. Only 15% of jobs are in knowledge intensive sectors and only 20% of jobs are in the public sector. Notwithstanding these characteristics, there are high self employment rates and there is evidence of a flourishing enterprise culture.

Castle Point has the third highest level of out commuting in the East of England with 62% of the economically active residents working outside the Borough.

The Borough has three main local employment areas which are largely utilised to capacity. The quality of business accommodation is low and the poor economics of redevelopment (e.g. low rentals and high construction costs) has seen few modern premises being built.

The Borough needs to provide more space for a range of employment opportunities and create the environment for sustainable higher value added enterprises to develop.

Castle Point is a distinctive Borough located in the Thames Gateway sub-region of south Essex. The Borough covers 17 square miles (4,488 hectares) bordering the northern side of the Thames Estuary. There are four main settlements: Benfleet, Canvey Island, Hadleigh and Thundersley.

The Borough has a high quality natural environment; about 60% of the Borough lies within the Green Belt and much of this land is of high ecological and landscape value. The Borough contains six SSSIs, part of one internationally important RAMSAR site, together with areas of ancient woodland and historic landscape. Given its pivotal position in the Thames Gateway, the Borough is well placed to participate in the Greengrid strategy that encourages the improvement and maintenance of open spaces and green links throughout Thames Gateway South Essex. Key initiatives include the creation of greenways, improvement to Canvey marshland areas and improving access to places of environmental interest and the recreational, educational and health benefits that they bring.

The quality of the environment in town centres is an important factor in the growth and sustainability of communities. The principal town centres in Castle Point are at Canvey Island, Hadleigh and South Benfleet and each provides key local services for their respective communities. Each centre is becoming increasingly unattractive and is in need of considerable investment in both the quality of services being provided within each centre and the public realm. As a consequence the economic vitality of these centres is not being maintained and enhanced. Local town centres lose a high proportion of personal spending to other centres particularly, Basildon, Southend, Lakeside and Bluewater. The town centres in Castle Point are in need of regeneration to make them more attractive to existing residents and as places to do business.

The existing housing stock of the Borough reflects the trends of development between the 1960s and 1990s. However future demographic changes require the housing stock to adapt to meet different needs. These are particularly the needs of single and two person households rather than families. New housing provision in the Borough needs to be designed to meet the needs of these households. Many of these will be composed of people over 65 who have a lifestyle not focused around working. New stock should also reflect the increasing demand for special needs accommodation and meet the requirements of people who are less mobile or active. A particular issue for the Borough is to significantly improve the availability of housing that is affordable to local people. At 86% Castle Point has the highest level of home ownership in the country. Property prices have consistently increased over the last 20 years making it very difficult for first time buyers and locally employed people to enter the market. The Borough needs to provide more affordable housing if it is to address the imbalances that have occurred in its development since the 1960s.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published the ‘Game Plan’ document in 2003. The plan emphasises the importance of sport and exercise for the benefit of health and confirms that the total cost to England of physical inactivity is estimated to be in the order of at least £2billion a year. It states that increasing physical activity at the grassroots level can help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, strokes and obesity. As a response, the Castle Point Leisure Strategy recognises the importance of country parks, natural and semi-natural areas, both outdoor and indoor facilities, amenity green spaces and allotments in increasing access and involvement in sport and leisure to encourage the development of a healthier population, which will make fewer demands on the healthcare system. Current Indoor leisure provision in the Borough consists of seven health and fitness facilities, seven sports halls and six swimming pools the majority of which are in private or in school/college ownership. Continual investment in these facilities by their owners is to be encouraged. However it is the public facilities the Borough Council operates at The Runnymede swimming pool Thundersley and The Waterside Farm Sports and Leisure Centre on Canvey Island are where the most investment is required as the facilities are nearing the end of their operational life. Yet these are well used (over 825,000 visits per annum) and will need to grow to meet national targets on participation.

The selection of London to hold the 2012 Olympics and Hadleigh Country Park to hold the mountain biking provides a great opportunity for Thames Gateway South Essex to benefit from the event in a number of ways and to leave a legacy of sporting facilities and increased participation.

The two bi-annual LSP Community Information events provide the public with an opportunity to engage with the LSP. Over 1200 members of the Citizen’s Panel are directly invited along with previous attendees. Invitees are prompted to ask a question of the LSP and each respondent receives a personal answer to their questions. Residents can also pose questions to partners on the day. The assemblies are held on Canvey Island and the mainland of the Borough in Thundersley. All partners are also invited to attend from across the groups. The format of the Canvey Island Event is in the Market Place layout where partners hold over sixty stands to promote our work in the Borough. The Thundersley event provides for and opportunity for direct feedback on the work of the Thematic Action Groups.

The Castle Point show each year in June provides a platform for lots of partnership engagement, with a huge marquee dedicated to the work of the LSP, over 5000 people attend the show.

The Stronger Communities Group Community Breakfasts, held quarterly provide a further opportunity for residents, partners and voluntary sector groups (representative of Hard to Reach Groups) to come together.

The Employment, Skills and Business Group’s Breakfast Forum provide an opportunity for partners to work directly with the businesses in the Borough.

The newly formed Castle Point Youth Council feed directly into the LSP linking partners and Young People in the Borough through their annual conference.

The Neighbourhood Meetings are changing, with more and more partners coming along presenting and holding stalls at each of the meetings.

The Castle Point Regeneration Partnership launched the second phase of the Canvey Town Centre Masterplan process on 4 September 2009.  Nearly 3,000 people have visited the Regeneration Shop on Canvey Island since it opened in July, with 95 questionnaires completed and 500 anonymous comments recorded. These comments have helped shape three potential options for a new central shopping area – part of the Canvey Town Centre Masterplan.  Each option will be assessed against a range of criteria to judge how they meet the aspirations of the people of Canvey. The option that best meets the community’s aspirations will be selected and refined into the final Masterplan.

Examples of stakeholder engagement include:

• Police Neighbourhood Action Panels
• SEENHS Patient and Public Involvement
• Castle Point Crime and Disorder Partnership – local surveys for local action – such as at King Georges Field Canvey and the Avenues Project.
• Community Clean Up Days
• Bumblebee Park Planting day
• Community Led Plans for each Neighbourhood Meeting
• Community Initiative Funding – public panel
• Highway’s Locality Panel
• Castle Point Youth Council
• Canvey Island Regeneration Consultation Open Shop

Examples of statistical analysis and local intelligence used includes: -

• Local Development Framework Deprivation Statistics
• NHS Health Report Card
• CYPSP Report Card
• Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
• CDRP Strategic Assessment
• LAA Performance Information
• Place Survey
• Tracker Survey
• Council Consultation results
• District Profile - these have been commissioned for each of the Essex Districts to inform the Integrated County Strategy and are an independent assessment of local conditions.

The Sustainable Community Strategy is currently being reviewed and refreshed and will take into account the latest intelligence in the Borough (as above). All partner’s strategic plans reflect the priorities of the Sustainable Community Strategy and therefore the LAA2 priorities that the LSP has signed up to have regard to.

In relation to all forms of cancer, female mortality rates are above the national average in Castle Point.  Castle Point has a higher percentage of the population diagnosed with coronary heart disease than the England average.

In Castle Point there are 21.61 quitters per 100,000 based on 2003/2005 data which is the latest information available; there is also a higher than average level of smoking prevalence – 24.6%.  LAA targets on smoking quitters after 4 weeks are being met.  Improving performance with educational promotions and improving processes by getting the smoking cessation service and Southend Hospital to better align.  This need came out of the Rochford and Castle Point LSP Health and Well Being Partnership group meeting.

Castle Point Borough Council secured funding in January 2010 for an outdoor gym and sports facility to help residents get into the Olympic spirit.  The new adiZone will encourage healthy lifestyles for all. Its facilities include a large outdoor gym, basketball, football, tennis wall and areas for aerobics, dance, martial arts and other activities.  The multi-sports facility, which will be in the shape of the London 2012 Olympic logo will be installed on a yet to be chosen site on Canvey Island and together with the proposed mountain-biking arena in Hadleigh, will provide Castle Point with a lasting legacy of the games. Castle Point Borough Council has already secured funding of £75,000 for the development from the adiZone Rollout Trust and a further £54,000 from Veolia ES Cleanaway Pitsea Marshes Trust. The remaining £21,000 needed will come from savings identified within existing council budgets. LSP funding has also been provided to support the employment of a Healthy Living post hosted by the voluntary sector (CAVS) with a remit to access adults at all levels to facilitate a healthier approach to lifestyle and diet with resultant impact on life expectancy.

The LSP has provided funding to support Waterside Farm and The Upbeats project, which is a Cardiac Rehabilitation Group catering for younger cardiac patients, again with the intention that through proactive qualified advice, cardiac sufferers will enhance their life expectancy.

Finally, the LSP financially supports the ‘Lymphoma Support For You’ group which supports sufferers and helps to enhance their quality of life through sound advice on a range of issues. Once again, by providing this advice and taking stress out of the lives of sufferers will impact on quality of life and life expectancy.

8.7% (6^th highest in Essex) of reception age children in Castle Point are obese.  16% of year 6 pupils are obese which is equal to the Essex average.  Castle Point’s estimated obesity rate of 26.4% is the third highest rate in Essex.

The NHS MEND Project is in place to address obesity issues.

Castle Point has above average proportions of its working age population suffering from a neurotic disorder and or depression; and it has a slightly higher average rate of MH hospital admissions and lower than average rate of MH benefit claimants.

The LSP has provided funds to support the Citizens Advice Bureau project – A Helping Hand which operates a weekly face to face financial advice service to people with mental health problems.

The Health and Well Being Partnership group within the LSP also has a mental health sub group targeting initiatives and investment by partners to support members of the community suffering with long term conditions and learning difficulties; examples of initiatives currently underway by this sub group include:

• £3m remodelling of two sheltered housing schemes.   £20K given to local resident assn and sheltered houses for immediate improvements to community safety issues e.g. better lighting, landscaping.

• Provide support/advice to six identified vulnerable people.

There is also significant activity within this sub group to improve the flow of information between the various organisations involved to knowledge of need and requirement to provide increasingly effective support to person with mental health challenges.

The CAMHS Transformation project has enabled greater alignment and joint working with the Southend area, particularly relating to children and young people with mental health issues. There is a new specification in place with CFCS to enable a more consistent and community based approach delivery of Tier 3 mental health services.   BCFPI to be implemented in the South East over the next year.

Wards where girls have lower educational achievement have a higher incidence of teenage pregnancy (particularly CI Winter Gardens, CI Central & CI West)

There is a need to maintain the first 2 quarters performance and remain within the Essex target of 11% for the prevalence rate (Chlamydia).  Screening results were - 17.9% 15 – 24 year olds screened (cumulative) – breakdown of screening for Castle Point:  Q1 = 177      Q2 = 228.

NHS South East Essex does have a Chlamydia action plan but it covers SE Essex and not just castle Point.  The plan is designed to reduce the prevalence of Chlamydia in this age group.

Castle Point has the second highest infant mortality rate (IMR) in Essex (5.6%).  This is statistically significantly higher than the East of England average (under 1 year), although not significantly different to the rest of Essex.

In Essex 10 of the 12 district councils are below the national average on infant mortality, with only one district, Castle Point, above the national average. Although the rate for Castle Point is high, the numbers are small and not statistically significant.  The South East Essex PCT has a robust Antenatal and Newborn Screening Programme in place to respond to this issue. In future the five Child Death Review Panels will monitor this area.

Breastfeeding initiation rates (the mother is defined as having initiated breastfeeding if, within the first 48 hours of birth, either she puts the baby to the breast or the baby is given any of the mothers breast milk) for Castle Point and Rochford combined information – the target is 72% and Rochford and Castle Point are currently achieving 74% performance with an improving trend to support this figure.  The data does not include SS3 postcode which is currently impossible to split out from Southend.

The incidence of measles varies hugely across Essex; Castle Point has higher than average rates (and also a low uptake for the MMR vaccine).

A grant has been given of £4 million to provide Telecare for people over 85 years of age in the county.  This will be put in place using Careline, a 24 hour switchboard which phones contacts in an emergency.  In addition monitors can be use in case taps are left on and gas can be shut off automatically.  There are also smoke alarms and bed monitors.

Castle Point has above average rate of unpaid carers (133.0 per 1,000 pop.); and the average rate of carers known to social services is 6.7 per 1,000 pop.  To help in the ongoing support for carers, the development of an information portal to increase the information flow about services in the community including voluntary sector is underway.  Contact is being made with all known carers with self-assessment form for advice/information and carers services.  There is also a voucher scheme for carers and service users etc. to access ACL carers.  This is a partner based initiative.

Castle Point (with its good rail links and proximity to London) has the highest proportion of households owning their accommodation (88%).

Households accepted as homeless and in priority need in 2005-06 were lower in Castle Point than all other districts.  Agreement has been reached to develop a ‘Multiagency Panel for Stuck Cases’, who are going around the system (at upper Tier 3) but not getting the right or sufficient support to deescalate their needs. The proposal is currently being refined for implementation.   Agencies are signed up to implementing the Stuck Cases Panel, but the implementation may be difficult particularly in a time of limited resources.

Further cross agency work is required to support the most vulnerable children and young people in the community.  Joint work is required with the Safeguarding Board to respond to the Safeguarding agenda in a multiagency way.

SEEVIC College is leading the development of the new skills campus planned for Canvey Island. The construction is due to start in July 2010 and the centre is planning to open its doors to students in the academic year of 2011.  The planning application for the proposed skills campus was submitted to Castle Point Borough Council on 18 December 2009. The current project value is £7.5 million.  The campus will accommodate learning for around 350 students including 14-16 year olds, 16-19 year olds and adults.  In 2008/9 there were 400 apprenticeships in the Castle Point area. Essex County Council is committed to apprenticeships. It estimates delivering 300 by March 2010 and will grow the programme to 1,000 in the next two to three years. The East of England has just been awarded £1.25million to support 500 more apprentices in the region.

The Teen Café Project Waterside Farm helps to address the needs of 16-18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training.

In Castle Point the proportion of adults with level 4 qualifications is half that for England.

High deprivation in terms of 2^nd-worst district in working age qualifications category; 31.7% of the working age population are qualified to NVQ level 3, compared to the Essex average of 39.3%.  

High deprivation in terms of working age skills and training, with a fairly high number of small areas in the bottom 20% in Essex.

Barbara Follett, the then Minister for the East of England was on Canvey Island on Friday 5th February 2010 to see how the Borough plans to deliver sustainable growth in the coming decade.  With many people in the borough commuting out of Canvey Island to find work, key players including Castle Point Borough Council, Essex County Council, Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership, SEEVIC College, Homes and Communities Agency, Environment Agency, East of England Development Agency (EEDA), RSPB have come together, forming the Castle Point Regeneration Partnership, and they seek to breathe new life into the area.

 Mrs Follett saw proposals for a skills centre for teenagers and adult community learners and other plans for infrastructure to support educational achievement and the promotion of skills. Other plans aim to revitalise town centres and industrial estates within the Borough.  Thousands of new homes and jobs are needed in the borough, and funding has been secured from the Homes and Communities Agency and East of England Development Agency, along with a number of other partners, to give the island a new lease of life. 

A grant of £932,000 has been allocated to provide 19 affordable homes in the Borough.  Castle Point Regeneration Partnership has received £100,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to commission a master plan for the first phase of Canvey Town Centre's redevelopment.  The master plan was developed to target investment that would bring the best and fastest results to attract inward investment from private developers.

 The next phase of the project has now been identified as a result of the initial master planning exercise and HCA has identified Canvey Town Centre as a high priority project. The project is being assessed on the proposal for £650,000 worth of capital funding to continue the master planning exercise, which will improve the environment of Canvey Town Centre and Canvey Wick.

Castle Point Borough Council has received £950,000 from the Thames Gateway Programme towards improvements for the Charfleets and Manor Industrial estates in Castle Point. The project will transform and modernise the industrial areas of Castle Point by improving access and tidying up the public realm.

To improve access to childcare for low income families - Children’s Centres are in place on Canvey Island and in progress on the mainland.  Extended Schools are increasing their core offer.

Essex CO₂ emissions, 2004 – Castle Point was the second lowest of the Essex Districts.

Castle Point Borough Council is the least deprived district in Essex in terms of access to services.

Canvey Wick is a 100 hectare brownfield site that was originally grazing marsh and was then partially developed in the 1960's as an oil refinery. Left undisturbed the site has now been colonised by an array of plants and animals and became a wildlife haven; designated as the first brown field site to be protected specifically for its invertebrates.  The HCA has supported funding of £2,564,569 to support the management of the site and protect the special wildlife interest.

Castle Point Borough Council is working in partnership with c2c and ECC to deliver £500,000 of improvements in and around Benfleet railway station to help travellers using the busy transport hub and reduce traffic congestion.  Work on the upgrade is already underway and is on track to be completed by Easter 2010.  The upgrade for Benfleet Station, one of the busiest stations on the Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness line includes:

• Improvements to the service road leading up to the station, widening of pavements to improve access, improving short term parking capacity.

• Improving cycle storage with a fully enclosed and secure cycle compound which will house 40 cycles with eight new CCTV cameras covering the area. A further 60 cycle stands will be covered, protecting the bikes from the weather.

• Up-grading bus shelters to give better protection from the wind and rain.

• Installing better signage at the station and providing key information for passengers. Four new bench seats will be provided.

• I-Kiosk with the facility for passengers to plan their on-going route and gain information on train and bus times.

• A new real-time information sign in the booking hall giving information on bus routes and which stand to catch them from.

• The bus turning circle has been improved to allow buses from Canvey Island  to wait for their timeslot.

• Improvements to Castle Point Borough Council car park, opening an alternative exit, allowing access from School Lane and exit onto the High Road to allowing passengers to be dropped off or picked up from the station and to reduce traffic congestion.

• A zebra crossing outside the Hoy and Helmet pub, on the High Street is being upgraded to a puffin crossing to increase pedestrian safety by slowing traffic down at peak times.

The percentage of unacceptable levels of litter and detritus (Best Value Performance Indicator BV199), 2005/06 – Castle Point is the fourth lowest district in Essex.

Essex KSI casualties per resident population, 2003-05 – Castle point was the lowest District in Essex and below both national and regional averages.

• Setting up of community Speed watch & purchase of speed camera from PRG funding
• Driver enforcement “stop check” events for seat belt use, mobile phones etc

In relation to substance misuse, particularly by young people the district has provided:

• Funding for Essex Young People’s Drug and Alcohol Service Outreach Worker
• Support through purchase of mini-bus and resources for Canvey Island Youth Project for drug and alcohol based outreach work
• Drug education resources provided to Legacy XS young peoples club
• A programme of test purchases for underage alcohol purchases
• A media campaign and bus back advertising
• Weekly visits by mobile units to local hotspots
• Funding for Carousel alcohol user group and Families Relate support group for parents of substance misusers.

Castle Point’s Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, which includes Castle Point Borough Council, the police, the Probation Service, the voluntary sector, residents and businesses, is succeeding in the war against criminals and those committing anti-social behaviour and helping residents to feel safer.  Castle Point Borough Council’s Cabinet this week welcomed the latest successes in the fight against crime, including a 20 per cent reduction in reported anti-social behaviour from September 2009 to November 2009, compared to the previous three months.  Crime levels in the borough have also been cut back by five per cent in the last quarter.  Incidents of criminal damage have been reduced by 98 in the last 12 months and remains on target for a five per cent reduction.  A new anti-social behaviour partnership task group for the borough has been set up which meets fortnightly to target hotspot areas as well as individuals. At least three targeted individuals have recently been arrested.  A recent police operation against anti-social behaviour in Canvey and Hadleigh resulted in 19 arrests and 29 intelligence reports.  Council licensing officers have visited all premises in the identified areas. Using spot tests they made 73 alcohol seizures and seven tobacco seizures from youths in and around licensed premises.  More than 200 “no trick or treat” leaflets were distributed along with letters to parents leading up to Halloween. Police reported a trouble-free Halloween on Canvey Island.  The partnership continues to support the ‘anchor handyman’ service, allowing vulnerable and elderly residents free home security items and a subsidised rate for the handyman service to help prevent the risk from bogus callers.

The prevalence of drug misuse in Castle Point is estimated to be slightly over the Essex average, actions to support this include.

• DVD and activity packs for senior and primary schools
• Development of parent / young peoples advice packs
• Week long Drinkwise campaign
• Training conference for teachers
• Continue to support the work of the Castle Point and Rochford Drug and Alcohol Reference Group

To address re-offending by adults and young people there is funding provided for a co-ordinator of the Prolific and Priority Offenders group.  A 6 month dispersal order and additional police resources are provided in hotspot areas.

In order to reduce number of first time entrants to the criminal justice system:

• 3 Firebreak courses providing young people at risk of offending with team building, communication and respect for others skills
• Supported introduction of “Red card” scheme, tiered warning system for young people committing anti-social behaviour aimed at preventing escalation to criminal activity
• Delivery of week long Crucial Crew event with year 6 pupils
• Continued support for Firebreak

To reduce serious violent crimes and assaults causing injury:

• Funding to enable bullying and anger management programmes in primary and secondary schools

To reduce incidents of domestic violence the following have been introduced:

• Sanctuary schemes – physical security measures to property allowing high risk victims to remain in their own home
• Funding for Women’s Safety Worker as part of IDAP programme
• Anti-bullying, and domestic abuse programmes in schools
• Provision of Careline for victims of domestic abuse
• Purchase of information resources for male victims
• Produce toolkits for use by professionals dealing with perpetrators or victims and for victims themselves.
• Explore additional funding opportunities for sanctuary schemes

To reduce serious acquisitive crimes the following steps are in place:

• Burglary task force with action plan to reduce domestic burglary. Actions include the purchase of redeployable cameras; training for PCSOs and NHW Co-ordinators; a media campaign; Community against burglary day and a Police operation tackling millennium burglary at borough boundaries
• Successful funding bid for £34,000 in March 09 from Home Office to reduce burglary.
• Distribution of forensic property marking kits to targeted areas
• Burglary home surveys in targeted areas
• Publicity displays at public events
• Support for local handyman service including free provision of security items such as door chains, viewers etc

To reduce antisocial behaviour the following initiatives are in place:

• Supported introduction of “Red card” scheme, tiered warning system for young people committing anti-social behaviour
• Delivery of week long Crucial Crew event with year 6 pupils

• Alley closures at anti-social behaviour hotspots
• Theatre in education programme in secondary schools
• Targeted poster campaigns and high visibility patrols at key times i.e. Halloween
• Third Avenue Community Initiative - Multi agency action group tackling issues in geographical area of most concern, improvements included clearing litter more effectively, fire proof litter bins, gating, eviction of persistent troublemakers, parent support, high profile underage drinking operation, covert surveillance, out of hours noise reporting, dispersal order, new NHW scheme
• PRG funding for new Teen Café at Waterside Farm
• PRG funding to rollout programme of further alley closures and fencing
• Support for air training corps to recruit members in problem areas
• Continuation of Neighbourhood Action Panels, made up of members of the public and other agencies, designed to identify issues in a particular area and problem solve solutions
• Removal of graffiti from community buildings

To reduce the fear of crime Castle Point Borough Council is: -

• Fitting 2000 purse snatch chains at beat surgeries and public events
• Supplying of personal alarms to vulnerable residents
• Attending public events and LSP assemblies promoting work of CDRP and giving crime prevention advice
• Introducing a community messaging system
• Funding an Essex Watch co-ordinator to continue to develop Neighbourhood Watch and introduce new schemes such as Speed watch in the borough
• Training  PCSOs and NHW Co-ordinators on 3VP scheme – identifying vulnerable people property and places
• Attending Council Neighbourhood meetings to promote work of CDRP, distribute personal alarms, purse chains, advice etc

There are relatively few issues in the Crime Prevention and Reduction area relating to racial incidents, the BME and equalities. The CYPSP seeks to ensure access to all groups.

In Castle Point, Children’s Services were mapped through an audit process. This information was used to identify gaps for the LPF commissioning process.   Greater awareness of Family Information Service and Essex life to ensure all local agencies are using this as their key information sharing portal.

In Castle Point the percent of the population doing at least 3 days a week x 30 minutes moderate participation (all adults), 2005/06 – is below the National and Essex averages

Provision of parks and open spaces is an issue for Castle Point. For several years the Canvey Island Skate Park committee has been working with young people to create the park at Waterside and the community project is now complete. The first two phases were completed in 2006 and the final four ramps have now been installed, completing the £130,000 project.  The skate park is a tribute to all the hard work put in by local youngsters, Essex County Council, Castle Point Borough Council, Essex Police, Canvey Town Council, Veolia, the Council’s waste management company and Legacy who will manage the park.  The completion of the skate park is being marked by a celebration with displays of skating and break dancing. The Integrated Youth Services Youth Bus will be there together with representatives from Castle Point Youth Council

The Parenting Sub Group has shared information on parenting programmes, courses and support packages. A parent pathway has been developed and agreed at a local level.

Support is delivered and commissioned in the locality including Family Support Workers, Trouble Tree, TASCC, children’s centres, family learning, and holiday activities. 

A Grandparents as Carers project has been commissioned, to support grandparents who are the primary carers.  Media releases are to be issued to the press over the next 4 months to raise awareness of the support that is available to parents and carers.

Good progress has been made with the Extended Services Core Offer with 100% achievement on Canvey Island and clear action plans in the other LDGs to achieve the Full Core Offer by 2010 (largely based on enabling wider access to childcare).

Children’s centres are developing well, with a recent joint launch of the 3 on Canvey Island. A further 3 are in the development phase and have been commissioned to existing providers in the area (CAVS) – these will be designated by March 2010. The outreach workers are beginning to provide co-ordinated support for the under 5s and their families. The recent extended schools capital programme recommended by the CYPSP panel complement the children’s centre planning, which will ensure that there are high quality community access points to extended services through schools throughout the Districts by March 2010.

Nurture Group training has been commissioned by the CYPSP and provided for schools in the area. Nurture Groups are being implemented successfully in the area and are having a significant impact on the pupils that attend – as well as transforming the whole school in terms of ethos and the way it is being managed.

There has been limited local involvement in the Family Information Service (very centrally managed).  Capacity is required to co-ordinate, quality assure and train all agencies and partners in parenting programmes and support. The CYPSP have identified the need for a dedicated, time-limited, Parenting    Co-ordinator to undertake these functions. This will be commissioned through the Extended Services Start Up and Sustainability funding (subject to funding availability).