Kevin Rostance

About Kevin

Kevin Rostance was elected to Nottinghamshire County Council in June 2009 to represent the Hucknall division. He is the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health.

After his election, Kevin went on to have a very eventful first year. He was initially appointed as a Deputy Business Manager (the role formerly known as Deputy Whip) in the new Conservative administration. Shortly afterwards, he was appointed Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health, then in April 2010 he was appointed to his current position as a full Cabinet Member.

Kevin is available to meet constituents at any mutually convenient time at a suitable venue. His contact details are displayed on the left of this page.

 

Kevin's latest news...

Hucknall Town Centre Improvement Scheme wins Government approval

As part of his Autumn Statement on 29^th November, the Chancellor of the Exchequer promised £8.5 million towards the Hucknall Town Centre Improvement Scheme.  The total scheme cost is £12.375m with the County Council seeking a contribution of £8.489m from the DfT. The scheme involves pedestrianising the High Street between the South Street/Baker Street junction and the Watnall Road junction. A new inner relief road, running parallel with the High Street, will cater for the majority of the displaced traffic and will also accommodate additional local traffic generated by new housing developments. A new two-way 'bus only' link will also be constructed to connect the proposed inner relief road with the remaining portion of the High Street that carries traffic. This bus link will serve to maintain bus penetration into the town centre. The existing double roundabout at the junction of Linby Road, Station Road and Ashgate Road will be replaced with a new traffic signal controlled junction.

The Hucknall Scheme is referenced on page 21 of the HM Treasury National Infrastructure Plan 2011.

(Posted 30/11/11)

Latest news from the Adult Social Care & Health portfolio

In addition to my duties as a County Councillor for Hucknall, I am also the Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health. At most County Council meetings I present a report on latest developments within my portfolio. Please follow these links to see my most recent reports:-

November 2011

September 2011

June 2011

(Updated 16/11/2011)

Magnificent meals for older people

I recently had the pleasure of joining Nottinghamshire County Council's community meals team on their delivery rounds and got a great insight into the fantastic job they do and how the service is highly regarded by older people.

The Meals at Home Service delivers more than 1,400 servings of food to the county's elderly every day from its distribution centre in Rainworth. Food can be delivered as a frozen ready meal which just needs warming up in the microwave or as a piping hot meal ready to eat.

The service was named as a runner-up in two seperate categories at the recent National Association of Care Catering Community Meals Awards:-

• The Catering team at County Enterprise Foods, based in Worksop, was named as runner-up in the Catering Team or Individual of the Year category. This was in recognition of their range of well balanced, nutritious menus and the wide choice offered to customers;

 

• The service received a second runner-up award in the Community Meals award category for the way it raises awareness about the meals on wheels service through its marketing campaigns. 

 

The fact that other authorities use Nottinghamshire County Council's meals at home service to provide community meals in their area speaks volumes about just how good our service is. The team should be extremely proud of their achievements and this well deserved recognition.

(Posted 14/11/11)

Improved facilities for disabled children

A scheme to improve changing facilities for disabled children at leisure centres in Nottinghamshire has now been completed thanks to money from Nottinghamshire County Council’s Aiming High for Disabled Children programme.

Hucknall Leisure Centre has had its changing rooms revamped to include a changing bed, a hoist in the changing room, support rails and a pool chair. Specialist equipment has also been purchased to make sport more accessible across the county including off road wheel chairs, sports chairs, hand bikes, Inline Sledge Hockey equipment and funding for new sports clubs and sessions.

The aim is to help transform the lives of disabled children and their families across the county. We want Nottinghamshire to be a great place for all children and young people to grow up. I am delighted with the new facilities and equipment and hope that they will help young people across the County lead an active and healthy lifestyle.

(Posted 10/11/11)

Southern Cross and Council care homes 

Nottinghamshire County Council has been working with the NHS and the City Council for some time now to plan for any possible closures of Southern Cross homes. However, Southern Cross and the landlords have now announced they're going to have a planned restructuring of the service which will involve some of the landlords taking responsibility for the future service, enabling existing residents to remain in their residential homes.

Our first priority is to ensure continuity of care for the residents in the homes and we're pleased to see that Southern Cross have emphasised that their first priority is the care of their residents at this time. Homes are inspected by the County Council to ensure that the standard is maintained. This is over and above the inspection standard applied by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The County Council funds residential and nursing care services for 2,900 residents in Nottinghamshire. In addition to the 12 residential homes currently run by Nottinghamshire County Council there are more than 160 homes run by the independent sector. We have developed a fair price for care with independent sector homeowners in Nottinghamshire and have invested more than £8 million in recent years in care home fees to help to improve quality and ensure that home owners receive a fair price for the care they provide.

The Council does have to make sure that it is getting the best value for council taxpayers' money. This means the right care at the right price. As an excellent adult social care authority we're committed to working with over 300 providers of care in Nottinghamshire to ensure that people who receive services get the care and support they deserve.

(Posted 20/7/2011) 

£2.5 million boost for Supporting People

Despite local budget pressures and a reduced grant from central Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has invested an extra £2.5 million in its Supporting People programme.

Supporting People is a national programme that provides housing related support to help vulnerable people live independently. It will see its Government grant in Nottinghamshire reduced to £17.6 million this year, threatening the County Council’s previous year’s Supporting People spend of £22.5 million.

However, thanks to a new £1.5 million investment from the local NHS, plus a further £1 million diverted from the County Council budget, the Government’s allocation has been given a vital boost in Nottinghamshire. This limits the reduction in the County’s Supporting People budget to just over 10%, from £22.5 million to £20.11 million. The restricted budget reduction has also been made possible by the County Council’s decision early this year, following public consultation, to keep its savings on Supporting People to £10 million over the next three years rather than two higher reduction options of £12.5 million and £15 million.

These funding measures support feedback gained from a second, two-month public consultation on Supporting People services this year (in Feb/March), to form new proposals which went before Full Council on 30^th June 2011. These proposals ensure that:-

• Most accommodation based services continue to be funded, albeit at reduced levels;
• ‘Floating support’ services, which offer support to people in their own homes, will be delivered consistently across issues of homelessness prevention and offender, drug and alcohol, gypsy and traveller and young people’s services;
• Mental health services are reviewed and delivered more efficiently;
• Young people’s services are reviewed for greater efficiency;
• Community alarm and warden services for older people are replaced with a new short term service targeted at helping vulnerable people to remain independent in their own homes.

 

We’ve talked to those who use the services, to our District Council partners, to project providers and voluntary and community groups, including church leaders, to find ways to make savings through efficiencies. We will target the money at front line services that meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable and in greatest need.

Nottinghamshire was successful in securing Government money under Supporting People when the programme first started eight years ago but we’ve seen this central funding steadily fall by nearly £11 million since that time. We believe that after the £10 million savings have been made, the level of funding in Nottinghamshire for these services will still compare well with other Council areas.

(Posted 20/7/2011)

Council listens and acts on lunch club transport concerns

As Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health I can report that Nottinghamshire County Council has listened to community luncheon club users who were concerned about paying a new £5 transport charge. Older people who used to pay a £1 fare to get to their local luncheon club had been asked to pay an extra £4 per journey to cover costs when the Council set this year's budget in February. The Council had been challenged to find £87 million savings in 2011/12.

However, having heard the concerns of service users and providers, we have decided it would be fairer to subsidise a standard £2 transport charge for all those attending luncheon clubs. We have the opportunity to take this step because greater than expected efficiencies have been achieved elsewhere within the Council's budget. The new, lower transport charge will be introduced from 1^st August.

We appreciate that older people's budgets are particularly stretched at the moment and we know how highly many people value their luncheon clubs. We can see that the effect of this price reduction will go a long way.

(Posted 20/7/2011)

More grass cuts

Nottinghamshire County Council is increasing the number of times it will be cutting grass verges this year.

As part of this year’s budget savings it was originally intended to reduce the frequency of routine grass cutting in urban areas from six to four times a year. However, we have listened to public feedback and have now increased that frequency to five cuts. In rural areas the frequency remains at two cuts a year.

At the same time we have issued guidelines for a growing number of residents who are happy to cut the grass verges outside their homes. Again, this is a direct result of feedback from the Council’s Big Budget Conversation consultation process, when hundreds of people said they would be prepared to cut verges if it helped to release money for use on other priorities, such a repairing potholes. 

The guidelines highlight what needs to be considered when cutting grass near the roadside.  They can be found online at: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/roadverges

(Posted 14/7/11)

School buildings investment

I am delighted to report that Annie Holgate Junior, Holy Cross Catholic Primary and Annie Holgate Infant & Nursery and Children's Centre in Hucknall are amongst the schools set to benefit from the first phase of Nottinghamshire County Council's new £100 million programme to refurbish and improve school buildings.

At the Annual General Meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 19^th May, the Cabinet Member for Children & Young People's Services, Councillor Philip Owen set out the full Schools Capital Refurbishment Programme List, covering three years up to 2014.

In line with the "Three R's" set out by the Government for school building works (Refresh, Refurbish, Re-use), Nottinghamshire County Council has set the criteria to prioritise the schools most in need of improvements for the first year. The condition of roofs, external walls and windows, electrical arrangements and mechanical issues such as boilers have been considered. 

More in-depth surveys of the schools in the first year list will take place from June and works on a small number of schools will begin during the summer holidays. The Council started a review of school buildings across the county following the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

The County Council will be funding around £30m of the programme with the remaining money coming from the authority’s Government grant for school maintenance.

(Posted 1/6/2011)

New countywide handy persons scheme

As Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health I'm pleased to report that a new countywide handy persons and adaptations service was launched in April by Nottinghamshire County Council, meaning older people's prospects for getting small jobs done around the home just got a whole lot better.

Whether it's fitting a curtain rail, replacing a door lock, fixing a dripping tap or installing grab rails and half steps to aid mobility, the new service will help maintain properties, prevent falls and support older people to stay in their own homes.

This subsidised service is available to all those living in Nottinghamshire with a disability or over the age of 60. For just £10, users will get either up to four hours' work from a local handy person (materials used are charged at cost) or the installation of up to £250 worth of adaptations (equipment is provided at no cost to the service user).

Victims of burglary can have their homes made secure if they live in one of the county's 14 priority areas. Free home safety checks are also available to those living in these areas, with smoke alarms fitted where needed.

The service uses local traders from the Council's Buy With Confidence Approved Traders Scheme, ensuring the local economy benefits from the Council's investment in the scheme. In all cases the balance is paid to the trader by the Council.

The County Council co-ordinated scheme is funded by the county's seven District and Borough Councils, NHS Nottinghamshire County, NHS Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and Nottinghamshire Police, as well as the Council.

Available countywide since 1^st April, the handy person's service was first piloted in Ashfield and Mansfield in October 2009, before being extended into Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood last autumn.

Anyone wishing to use the handy persons and adaptations service should call the County Council's Customer Services Centre on 08449 808080.

(Posted 1/6/2011)

Party in the Park 25^th June in aid of Help for Heroes 

I'd like to encourage as many people as possible to attend the NG15 Party in the Park in aid of the Help for Heroes charity. At Hucknall's only outdoor one day music festival you will be able see the 'one and only' Chesney Hawkes and some fantastic local artists including a certain 'Phil Rostance & The Marshall Band'.  

As with last year, Pearson's fun fair will be in attendance in addition to a host of other stores and attractions, making it an ideal family day out. The venue is The Rolls Royce Sports Fields on Watnall Road (Rolls Royce Gate One). Doors open at 2 p.m. with a 10 p.m. finish. More information and ticket details can be obtained from the event website: http://www.partyinthepark.info/

(Posted 1/6/2011)

Hucknall's Citizen of the Year: Cyril Thomas

As Nottinghamshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health I'm delighted to congratulate this years 'Hucknall Citizen of the Year' award winner Cyril Thomas for his fantastic contribution to the community. He received this honour at the Pride of Ashfield Civic Awards, as reported in the Hucknall Dispatch.

Cyril is an active member of numerous community groups and lives on Greenwood Vale. Born in Gloucestershire, he spent his early life working as a fireman and on the railways and then served in the Royal Air Force. After meeting his future wife, Rita, he moved to Hucknall in 1953 and went on to work for Raleigh and then the National Coal Board workshops.

Rita sadly died ten years ago, but Cyril found support through the Hucknall Retired Members Association, of which he is now Chairman. He contributes a lot of his time to helping older people in the Hucknall area and it is  quite right that he be recognised for the fantastic work he has done and continues to do.

(Posted 1/6/2011)

Council Budget 2011/12   

At the Nottinghamshire County Council Budget Meeting on 24^th February 2011 I joined my Conservative colleagues in voting to freeze Council Tax for a second successive year. In doing so, I approved £4.1 million of changes to the Council’s original budget proposals in direct response to the outcomes of the Big Budget Conversation. Extra money has now been found from reserves for the Supporting People programme, grant aid to voluntary groups, libraries, country parks and welfare rights advice.

With less formula grant funding from the Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has to find more than £80 million of savings in 2011/12 by reducing management and administration costs and reviewing expenditure on non-essential services. Just over half of this is being reinvested to meet growing demand for our most vital services, including: -

• £15 million more for specialist foster care placements;
• £6.3 million more to look after adults with acute learning disabilities and mental health needs;

• £2.8 million more on children’s social workers;

• £2.8 million more on services for older people;
• £1.5 million more to care for adults with physical disabilities; and
• £1 million more for young carers.

 

The budget was approved at the Council meeting by 34 votes to 29.

(Posted 28/2/2011)

Gritter Twitter

Nottinghamshire County Council will now be advising the public of when the county’s roads will be gritted, using Twitter. During the cold weather last winter there were a number of calls to the Council’s Customer Service Centre asking when the roads would be gritted. Now people can sign up to the Council’s Gritter Twitter feed to receive the latest gritting alerts.

In an age of social networking and 24-hour news, the Council recognises the need to give people ‘live’ information that will help them plan their journey. You can sign up to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nottscc

(Posted 11/11/2010)

Improvement Programme latest 

At the full meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 21^st October I joined my Conservative colleagues in supporting the recommendations for action contained within the Nottinghamshire County Council Improvement Plan Progress Report.

The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Martin Suthers set out the financial challenges facing local authorities across the country and stated that Nottinghamshire County Council needed to save £150 million over the next three years.  

He said this would require savings of £69 million in 2011/12, to be achieved through a series of major initiatives including reprioritisation of services, improvements in business management and a review of property owned by the Council. 

Of this £69 million, it is intended to reinvest £39 million largely in services for our most vulnerable service users. The council has faced a 59% increase in children’s social care referrals over the last year and a 25% increase in the number of children in care over the last two years.  

For Children and Young People, a proposed reinvestment of £22.5 million will provide:-

• more specialist foster placements for children

• more support to young carers
• more children’s social workers
• development of free school transport for secondary school children.

  

Our Adult Social Care & Health services are under similar pressure, with 500 extra people aged over 80 and 4,000 extra people over the age of 65 in Nottinghamshire every year. Our proposed reinvestment of £13 million in 2011/12 will provide: - 

• the care and support services necessary to meet this increased demand
• more support for adults with physical disabilities
• more support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs
• extra resources for independent sector care.

 

I joined my Conservative colleagues in arguing that Nottinghamshire County Council must live within its means and ensure frontline statutory services are maintained.

(Posted 5/11/2010) 

Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health

I was delighted in April to be appointed Nottinghamshire County Council's new Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health. This is a very demanding portfolio, given the ever growing demand for adult social care services and the current financial challenges facing local authorities and the nation as a whole. The way we deliver our services has to change if we are to continue meeting the needs of the most vulnerable people in our county. These changes have to be explained clearly and consulted upon widely, and I fully understand that service users and their families will have concerns and questions that need to be addressed. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require information - my contact details are shown on the left of this page.

I am very proud of the services provided in Nottinghamshire. The decisions I take with my Cabinet colleagues will seek to ensure we make the best possible use of this authority's resources (i.e. your money) to provide a responsive service to people across Nottinghamshire.  You can see below the additional money we are already investing in adult social care and health and children's services in the County Council Budget 2010/11.  

(Posted 5/7/2010)

Improvement Programme

Like every council in the country, Nottinghamshire County Council faces ongoing, significant and unavoidable increases in demand for key services. At the same time, it faces an unprecedented and long-term reduction in the resources available to it. Present forecasts are that the Council must reduce its current expenditure by at least £88m, or 18% of its revenue budget, over the next three financial years. Most of this reduction will be used to fund increased demand in other service areas. £30m of reductions have already been identified for 2010/11, leaving a further £58m to be found in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

In the past, reductions have been achieved through a process of allocating savings targets across departments. However, the scale of the financial challenge is now such that a more strategic approach is needed to achieve reductions in a structured and consistent way.

At the County Council meeting on 25^th February 2010 the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Martin Suthers gained approval for a new Improvement Programme to deliver these aims, called ‘One Council - One Business - One Plan’. This will involve an estimated investment of £21 million over five years to deliver total aggregated savings of over £200m over a five year period.

The Improvement Programme will include: -

• a complete overhaul of the Council’s approach to procurement

• implementation of an integrated Business Management System and changes in processes

• rationalisation of the Council’s property portfolio and improvement in flexible ways of working

• a fundamental review of all services followed by a comprehensive programme of organisational redesign

• departmental improvement programmes that deliver service-specific developments and

• the Chief Executive’s own programme to deliver improvements in partnership working, communications and organisational development. 

 

The aim of ‘One Council-One Business-One Plan’ is to drive out inefficiency, target resources, minimise the impact on service delivery and create an organisation that is fit for purpose and financially sustainable in the long term. 

(Posted 8/3/10)

New Stategic Plan

Nottinghamshire County Council's new Strategic Plan 2010-2014 sets out our promise to the people of Nottinghamshire; our priorities for the next four years; and how we aim to support the people of our county to be aspirational, independent and to share with us responsibility for the future.

This Plan complements the wider Nottinghamshire Sustainable Community Strategy which is the collective plan that outlines how organisations in the county will work together to promote and deliver a better Nottinghamshire.

Our plan is ambitious. It is a plan based on what local people tell us they want, and what they want to see happen. The success of our plan relies on us working well together with local people and organisations. Whilst we face challenging financial times, nevertheless we have opportunities to promote and deliver a better future for Nottinghamshire.

(Posted 8/3/10) 

Kevin's latest Councillors' Divisional Fund awards...

Following a decision taken by Council on 19^th May 2011, each County Councillor now has an annual fund of £10,000 to support worthy initiatives in the division they represent. 

The Councillors' Divisional Fund aims to make use of each councillor's 'grass roots' knowledge to identify projects, events, people and clubs that work hard to benefit and promote their local area, but often lack access to resources. Even a small amount of funding can sometimes make a huge difference. 

If you know of a deserving initiative in the Hucknall division that might be eligible to receive a CDF grant, please do contact me. You can click the following link to read the eligibility guidance criteria.   

Here are some of those I've been able to help so far: - 

Rolls Royce Leisure Junior Football Club: to purchase new kit

Rolls Royce Leisure Association: to support local youth cricket

Hucknall Sports YCFC: to provide kit for the junior team

Rotary Club of Hucknall: to provide a stage and equipment for the 'Party in the Park' charity event

Broomhill Junior School: to run their Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) project

AIDS Shine Foundation: to assist local youngsters to work with the AIDS Shine Foundation in South Africa

Hucknall West Safer Neighbourhood Committee: to help with the purchase of some new safety equipment

Hucknall Cricket Club: to support child and youth cricket

Puppies Animal Rescue: to help meet running costs and appeal for volunteers

Carers in Hucknall Group: to help with the cost of room hire

St John Ambulance: to help  purchase new uniforms for the local brigade 

Papplewick and Linby Cricket Club: to help support youth provision

Literacy Volunteers: to assist with their charitable work in the Hucknall area

Hillside Primary & Nursery School: to buy a 'Polytunnel' for their school garden project

The Thursday Club: to cover the cost of trips for members

John Godber Centre: to assist with day to day running costs

2^nd Hucknall Brownie Unit: to assist with running costs  

Hucknall Tourism & Regeneration Group: to cover the cost of promotional material

The National School Hucknall: to assist with their Young Enterprise Scheme

3^rd Hucknall Scouts: towards their campaign to purchase a minibus and a trailer for scout and guide use

4th Hucknall Guides: to assist with running costs of the group

 

Kevin's committees...

In addition to my duties as Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health, I also serve on committees including:-

Appeals

Personnel

Full details of council committee meetings can be found in the Council Diary.