10:44am Thursday 10th December 2009
AN independent review of local authorities has rated Thurrock Council as “adequate” but highlighted two areas in the borough which raise “significant concerns”.
While the Government’s Comprehensive Area Assessment says the Tory run council is meeting “minimum requirements”, Thurrock has incurred two red flags.
The areas which have raised the concern and need action are community cohesion and improving educational standards and aspirations in the borough.
The report homes in on low adult skill levels. It states: “Adult skill levels in the borough are considerably below the national average.
"A high proportion of adults of working age have no qualifications.”
It also says that education standards for young people are low: “The education standards of children and young people remain low from when children are in primary school through to when they are 19.
“Some young people and their families have low expectations of what they can gain from school or college.
“This particularly applies to young people from white working-class families who perform less well at school compared to other groups.”
The report adds that while the council is “taking action” to raise aspirations, the rate of improvement is “slow or not sustained”.
The report on community cohesion highlights that only 54 per cent of Thurrock residents feel that people from different backgrounds get on well together.
It says of the figure: “This is low, the lowest in the East of England and one of the lowest in the country.”
Forty-seven per cent of residents in Thurrock think that not treating one another with respect and consideration is a problem.
It goes on to say that “few people feel they can influence decisions locally with some wards showing particularly low levels of engagement.”
The only authority in the country to get three red flags was Warrington.
Other authorities with two red flags were Barking and Dagenham, Leicester, Suffolk, Knowsley, Oldham, Trafford, Cornwall, Worcestershire, Doncaster, Leeds, and North East Lincolnshire.
Thurrock was not awarded any green flags for exceptional performance or innovation.
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