South Ribble council shortlisted for top award

7:50am Saturday 5th July 2008

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South Ribble Borough Council are finalists in a prestigious award for the way it is working with South Ribble Partnership to keep local people healthy and well.

The council was shortlisted for an achievement award from leading government body the Municipal Journal, to recognise its work with others to address health inequalities across the borough.

Even though Nuneaton and Bedworth Council won the award, as finalists the council, based in Leyland, is named as one of the best six councils nationally for reducing health inequalities.

Statistics show that South Ribble has issues when it comes to homelessness, binge drinking, healthy eating, road injuries and tooth decay.

With an increasing population to serve and life expectancy on the rise, local organisations like the council and the primary care trust are well aware that their resources will be stretched in the years to come if local people don’t start to take their health more seriously.

In a bid to tackle these problems, the council has stepped up its efforts to ensure local people recognise that there’s nothing more important than staying healthy.

The council has been actively involved in helping South Ribble Partnership to deliver five groundbreaking local projects – all of which aim, among other things, to tackle health inequalities.

The projects are designed to do the following.

* support local older or vulnerable people to stay healthy at home.

* support local employees to develop a healthy workforce.

* provide joined up services for local young people.

* make local communities more accessible.

* provide positive activities for local adults with learning difficulties.

Away from its work with South Ribble Partnership, the council is working to encourage local people to take their health seriously.

An extra £7m is being spent on improving leisure facilities; local schoolchildren are accessing more after school sports coaching activities; several state-of-the-art playgrounds have been built and more are planned; more than a thousand people are being helped to make vital home improvements every year and the council is continuing to help the South Ribble Community Safety Partnership drive down incidents of binge drinking and anti-social behaviour.

Councillor Margaret Smith, Leader of the Council, said: “We’re working harder than ever to encourage local people to take their health and wellbeing seriously so it’s reassuring to know that our efforts are making a difference locally – and being recognised on a national scale as a council that cares about the health and wellbeing of local people.

“It’s nice to be named one of the best six councils nationally for our work on health inequalities, but it is much more satisfying that we are continuing to engage with an even greater number of local people who are keen to work with us to develop healthy attitudes and lifestyles for themselves and their families.”

Being recognised as among the best in the country when it comes to tackling health inequalities is a huge achievement for the council, which was nominated earlier this year to receive a Council of the Year accolade.

The council has also recently received two commendations for the way it works with Enterprise plc to deliver its waste collection service, and for the team working displayed by its Corporate Management Team.