Council's work on poverty praised (From Warrington Guardian)

Council's work on poverty praised

THE audit commission has praised Halton council's work tackling poverty.

A team of inspectors from the Audit Commission judged the council's work to be of a good, two star standard with promising prospects for improvement.

Recent council innovations include the Benefits Express, a mobile, doorstep service to deal with benefits claims, concessionary travel for those aged over 60 and a low fare bus service that connects deprived neighbourhoods with major employment sites on the other side of the borough.

Julian Farmer, Audit Commission relationship manager, said: "The council has a good knowledge of the extent of poverty and deprivation in the borough and there are numerous examples of proactive work to address these complex issues.

"The council has also shown it is willing to take tough decisions and tackle difficult problems. It has radically overhauled its advice services by moving them from individual departments to one-stop shops and has now set up a call centre."

Tackling poverty and deprivation is a priority for Halton Borough Council. The borough suffers from multiple deprivation and is ranked as the 18th most deprived borough in England and Wales.

Ten wards are in the top 10 per cent most deprived in the country and 54 per cent of the population live in these wards.

Deputy leader of Halton Council Cllr John Swain said: "This is a pleasing report which recognises the amount of work the council, along with its partners in the Halton Partnerships and the voluntary sector, has done to try and alleviate the effects of poverty and deprivation."