RBKC Direct: £50 Efficiency dividend, The Magnificent Seventh, Holland Park School - a bright new future, ContactPoint

Kensington and Chelsea has this year once again announced one of the lowest council tax rates in the country and the third lowest in London. Years of careful management have delivered great services combined with value for money. This year the Council’s prudent financial management has allowed it go even further and pay out a special, one-off, efficiency dividend of £50 to most of the borough’s 84,000 council taxpayers – a great help in these difficult times.

Residents who receive Council Tax Benefit will get the same help by way of a £50 cheque.

The Council has been awarded four stars by the Audit Commission for the seventh year in a row. Since the Corporate Performance Assessment (CPA) began, Kensington and Chelsea has always achieved the best possible rating of four stars. The Audit Commission has again commended the Council on giving council taxpayers excellent value for money. It also praised the Royal Borough for once again “improving strongly” and gave special mention to the Council’s achievements in key areas including its family and children’s services, adult social care, enhancing library facilities, crime reduction and achieving the lowest fear of crime in London.

Holland Park School is the borough’s only community secondary school. Built in the 1950s, the school building has reached the end of its useful life and the Council is moving forward  with plans to replace it with a brand new building. The new school will have full disabled access and will provide first class facilities for students, staff and the wider community.

Planning permission was granted in October 2008 and work is now underway to turn the plans into reality. It will make a welcome addition to the borough’s impressive record on providing education for all and will help build upon the success of the school over recent years.

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ContactPoint is the Government’s new database that will store contact information on all 11 million children in England up to the age of 18. It is designed to speed up communication and information sharing between interested professionals and stop vulnerable children falling through the safety net.
 
The Council has reservations about the scheme. These include concerns about the lack of publicity surrounding it and also about security and confidentiality issues.