Michaelston Community College - 28 per cent saving on CO2

In the last three years a total of 66 separate energy efficiency projects have been completed in 53 council buildings as the council works towards cutting CO2 emissions and reducing energy bills.

Examples include loft and cavity wall insulation, heating controls, pool covers on swimming pools to reduce heating and ventilation costs and motor controls on pool pumps and ventilation fans.

Compared to 2005-06 the council has seen around a 12.5 per cent reduction in energy use and CO2 emissions for all buildings, receiving energy efficiency measures, falling by 11.6 per cent. This equates to an annual saving of £264,126.

There have been some shining individual examples of reduction in C02 emissions at Llanishen High School (18 per cent). Llanishen Leisure Centre (21 per cent), Michaelston Community College (28 per cent) and Willcox House (22 per cent).

Cardiff Council has made a commitment to reduce 60 per cent of the authority’s carbon emissions from non domestic buildings and waste by 2018 and is the first local authority in Wales to set such an ambitious target. Further measures such as insulation, heating controls, lighting upgrades and replacement of inefficient hot water systems, are set to be implemented in schools.

The Council is now looking at future carbon reduction initiatives and strategies to achieve existing and future carbon reduction targets.

It has joined the 10:10 campaign which aims to achieve a 10 per cent in UK carbon emissions in 2010 and is looking to becoming involved in the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme which aims to give incentives to improve energy by directly rewarding energy savings.

Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman, said: “Cardiff Council is making excellent progress in reducing its carbon emissions. This is a hugely important project as it not only is vital for the environment that we meet our targets but in doing so the council will make significant efficiency savings at the same time.

“While we have short-term targets this is very much a long term project and, for example, the UK Climate Change Act has set targets for local authorities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. Public sector organisations currently account for approximately five per cent of the UK’s overall carbon emissions – equivalent to around 21 million tonnes of CO2 and the Council is fully committed in working towards meeting our targets and tackling this major environmental challenge.”

The warning comes following reports that unsolicited calls have taken place across Wales and the UK. During the call residents are asked for their bank account details so that they can receive a council tax refund due to overpayment.

The Cardiff team are keen to stress that they would never make unsolicited calls to householders or ask for their bank account details over the phone. Council tax rebates can only be received once an official council tax form has been completed by householders. Those due a refund will also be given written notification from the council.

Executive Member for Finance and Service Delivery Cllr Mark Stephens, said: “I would urge residents to be guarded when receiving any calls that ask for bank account details over the telephone. Unfortunately there are unscrupulous people out there who want to scam people out of their money and the tactics they use are very convincing.

“The council tax team are on hand to help those who may have any questions about the scam and they can be contacted via Connect 2 Cardiff on 029 2087 2087.”

Cardiff Council’s Pensioner Reduction Scheme is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and is beginning this week. There is no need to apply for the reduction or contact the council as the money will be allocated to council tax accounts which meet the correct criteria.

To be eligible for the scheme, the person concerned must be:

• liable to pay council tax in respect of a chargeable dwelling which was their sole or main residence on November 1, 2009
• one of the persons liable must have reached the age of 60 or over by November 1, 2009
• he or she must be in receipt of partial council tax benefit as at November 1, 2009

Where two or more people are jointly liable for council tax, they will be eligible for the reduction if one or all of them meet the criteria.

Following implementation of the scheme, any money remaining from the Welsh Assembly Government’s allocation to Cardiff will be used in conjunction with Age Concern. Both the council and the charity are proactively encouraging take-up of benefits in pensioner households and these funds will contribute to that scheme, between November 2009 and February 2010.

Executive Member for Finance Councillor Mark Stephens said: “I am delighted Cardiff is able to work with the Welsh Assembly Government to adopt the Pensioner Reduction Scheme. We are committed to giving extra help to the households most in need and the council has worked hard to ensure this is the best and most appropriate discount plan to offer.”

Achievement of the award is being seen as an important step in ensuring Cardiff continues to develop as one of the best places to live in the country and provides a real opportunity for a range of agencies working across the city to improve the health and well being of local people.

The Council, with NHS and partners recognised that good health is our greatest asset and together they identified the Healthy Cities approach as the way forward to create a healthier Cardiff. Applying for ‘Healthy City’ status was supported by Cardiff’s Proud Capital Vision Forum, with the Cardiff Health Alliance acting as the lead partnership.

The application involved a range of partners working together to develop a portfolio for submission, outlining existing and new projects being run across Cardiff, designed to improve everyone’s health and tackle the health inequalities experienced by some members of the community. However, this is not something the Council and Health Service can do alone.Everybody and every organisation need to be involved and share the responsibility for good health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle

In achieving designation as a Healthy City and becoming part of the WHO European Healthy Cities Network, Cardiff Council has pledged that health will be a key part of the Council’s agenda.

Cardiff Council Executive Member for Health, Social Care and Well Being, Councillor John Dixon, said: “Joining the Healthy Cities Network isn’t recognition that everyone in Cardiff is now healthy – it’s a promise that physical, mental and emotional health is a priority for all of us. It brings together all of the strands of work of the Council – economic, environment, social and education – and integrates them with the work of the Health Service, the Police, the voluntary and private sectors.

We plan to start the Healthy City programme by addressing the issue of obesity through the Healthy City. Obesity is potentially the next big killer, which can leave people with chronic health problems like diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, as well as increasing risks from heart disease and strokes. Our answer can’t be to just treat people through the NHS and send them home again, but rather to design our city, educate people and provide opportunities that stop people developing these problems in the first place.

That means that whatever services we plan and deliver both individually, and together, we have to have an eye on what the effect will be on improving the health, and reducing health inequalities in the city.”

”I am delighted that Cardiff is the first city in Wales to achieve WHO Healthy Cities status. This gives us an opportunity to share what we learn with other Welsh Councils; the achievement will send out positive messages, and will enable us to share our ideas and experiences across Wales and Europe.”

David Francis, Chair of the new Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said “The UHB would be taking an active role in supporting the work that will now get underway as part of the Healthy City programme.

The University Health Board has put the health and well being agenda at the heart of the business. Our focus isn’t just on providing treatment and care when people fall ill. We need to work with partners to improve everyone’s health, encouraging people to adopt healthy lifestyles and prevent them becoming ill.

Achieving Healthy City status is testament to the dedication and hard work of a committed group of people who are genuinely striving towards improving the health and well being of everyone in Cardiff. This recognition is no mean feat and now provides us with an exciting platform from which to move forward, building on our successes to-date.”

Dr Stephen Monaghan, Local Public Health Director for Cardiff, NPHS, commented “Cardiff is a tale of ‘two cities’, being home to some of the least and most deprived wards in Wales. We know that it can be more difficult for communities and individuals who experience economic and social disadvantage to make healthy lifestyle choices and we hope that the Healthy Cities approach will provide us with a really exciting opportunity to work together to create healthier places for the people of Cardiff to live, work and learn.”

Dr. Tony Jewell, Chief Medical Officer Welsh Assembly Government said “I am delighted by the news and feel that local authorities across Wales will be keen to learn best practice from this initiative. It is the kind of development which supports our aspirations for “Our Healthy Future” strategic framework and Health Challenge Wales”

The Healthy Cities status will be officially launched in January; the event will bring together key organisations to develop a Healthy Cities plan for the city.

The WHO Healthy Cities programme was launched in 1986 and aims to encourage local governments, with partners and communities, to engage in health development though policies and innovative projects. The programme places special emphasis on health inequalities and encourages local government to factor health implications into economic, regeneration and urban development.

Individuals can learn more about good health and seek advice on local activities from: www.healthchallengecardiff.co.uk

Proud Capital Vision Forum

The Proud Capital Vision Forum is a strategic partnership structure, established to take forward the Proud Capital Community Strategy 2007-2017 and to deliver the city’s vision. The Forum membership includes representatives of public, private and voluntary sector organisations and is chaired by the Leader of the Council.

Cardiff Health Alliance

The Cardiff Health Alliance is the key strategic health and social care partnership in Cardiff with local authority, health services and voluntary sector membership. The Cardiff Health Alliance provides the leadership for the development of the Health Social Care and Well Being Strategy and other health, social care and well being programmes including Healthy Cities and Health Challenge Cardiff.

Cardiff Council has made it very clear in all press releases that the new partnership will not involve any Council staff being transferred to the private sector.

Instead TCS will bring its global technical expertise and private sector commercial know-how to support a major change to the way in which the Council’s technology infrastructure supports its day to day operations and facilitates improved service delivery to the citizens and communities of Cardiff.

TCS Lucknow Campus

The company will work closely with the Council’s ICT Service to help deliver more efficient systems and ensure both parties benefit from an exchange of knowledge and experience.

Councillor Mark Stephens, Executive Member for Finance and Service Delivery, said: “These reports in the media are very disappointing and completely inaccurate as we have been very specific since this contract was signed that there will be no job transfers. Many reports are describing this as an ‘outsourcing deal’ but that is simply not the case. This is very much a partnership to ensure staff both here and in TCS learn valuable new skills from each other.”

Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) (BSE: 532540, (NSE:TCS)), is a software services and consulting company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It is India’s largest provider of information technology and business process outsourcing services. The company is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange of India.

TCS is part of one of India’s largest and oldest conglomerates, the Tata Group, which has interests in areas such as energy, telecommunications, financial services, manufacturing, chemicals, engineering, materials, government and healthcare.