Reasons for Decision
Kent County Council are
proposing changes to the Kent Community Warden Service (KCWS) as detailed in
their Consultation document and questionnaire found in appendix 1 to the
report.
The KCWS is a discretionary
service that provides a proactive and visible service to improve residents’
quality of life and allow their communities to thrive. The proposed changes
are driven by KCC's financial challenge, which requires savings of £1 million
by 2024-25. This would entail a reduction of 32 warden posts and two
management posts, and a change in the allocation of wardens across the
county.
The proposed changes aim to
retain the service’s wide remit, objectives, and community-based approach,
but with fewer wardens and less coverage. The service will continue with six
teams covering two districts each, with a minimum of three wardens per team
plus a team leader. Additional wardens (14 under the proposed reductions)
will be placed within teams based on need using the proposed Geographical
Allocation Policy (GAP), which uses a variety of data and information to rank
wards according to need.
The consultation is running
for 12 weeks from 12 July until 3 October 2023. The feedback from the
consultation will be presented to Members of the Growth, Economic Development
and Communities Cabinet Committee in January 2024 for their consideration and
recommendation.
What impact might the proposed changes have in
Maidstone specifically
Maidstone is currently
covered by one team, which comprises one team leader and 13 wardens
distributed across Maidstone and Tonbridge & Malling as detailed in the
table at 2.6 below.
Areas covered
|
Area type
|
Allocated?
|
Aylesford, Burham, Eccles
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Bearsted
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Borough Green and Wrotham
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Boughton Monchelsea, Chart Sutton and Loose
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Coxheath
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Ditton
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
East Malling
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
East Peckham and Hadlow
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Harrietsham and Lenham
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Headcorn
|
Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Marden and Staplehurst
|
Towns / Villages / Civil Parishes
|
Warden allocated
|
Snodland and Holborough
|
Towns
|
Warden
allocated
|
Under KCC’s proposed
changes to KCWS, this team would be reduced to one team leader and three
wardens with additional wardens allocated according to need using GAP.
This means that many areas in Maidstone that currently have a warden allocated
to them would lose their warden while some areas without a warden may
gain one. The document does not specify which wards in Maidstone would be
affected by these changes as it depends on the use of GAP.
Given high levels of deprivation and other issues in East
Kent there is a concern that most warden resources will be deployed
there.
The reduction of wardens in
Maidstone could affect support for residents, especially those who are
elderly, vulnerable, isolated or have complex needs. It will also affect
partnership working with other organisations such as Community Protection
Team, Kent Police, Parish councils, community groups, schools, health
services, and Kent Fire and Rescue Service.
The document invites
residents and stakeholders in Maidstone to share their views on how these
changes could impact them or their organisation; what they would like KCC to
consider or put in place if wardens need to be withdrawn from an area; what
alternative sources they would turn to if they lose their warden support; and
any suggestions on how else the service could make savings.
The KCWS in Maidstone offers
a range of support to the community, playing an integral role in supporting
some of the most vulnerable people in the community, providing vital
information, directly or through vulnerability meetings to statutory services
on mental health, self-neglect, and general welfare concerns. The combination
of their uniform and absence of enforcement powers creates a unique offer
that builds trusted relationships and get through the barriers that other
services find challenging. They also help free up hospital beds by helping
vulnerable people return home and access support services, reducing the
burden on acute NHS services. including providing knowledge and advice on local
services, assisting with engaging hard-to-reach residents, providing
one-to-one support to clients, and supporting community safety and engagement
initiatives.
Amongst our concerns as an
authority is that while this may result in short-term savings, it is likely
to have significant impacts on public funding in the long term due to
increased demand for acute services rather than the care and support the
service is currently able to provide. It will also displace current support
onto agencies who may not be resourced or may get resistance from being able
to support individuals or communities. This will include our Community
Protection Team, Housing Teams, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System
and acute services like Mental Health and Social Services.
The information provided in
the consultation identifies that nearly 50% of those supported by wardens
were helped to access services via social prescribing by the wardens. The
report identifies that there are other services available to support
individuals who need it. This statement conflicts with their acknowledgment
of the need for support for vulnerable people to access services; a role the
wardens actively provide.
There is also concern that
recent changes to the role of Police Community Support Officers may
exacerbate the loss of KCWS as it unlikely that Beat Officers, particularly
at current resourcing levels, will be able to support communities and
vulnerable individuals in the same way. This is further aggravated by the
impact of the financial crisis on the charity sector where the reduction in
funding streams is seeing services reduce or even stop.
Data gathered in relation to
serious violence shows that periods of poverty have significant impacts on
communities with violence more prevalent in those individuals who are
deprived key services during times of crisis. The reduction of services at
this time is very likely to impact on levels of violence in the next 10-15
years.
A further concern is that if
the proposed measures are introduced the level of demand on the reduced team
could be very overwhelming. The existing KCWS service is embedded within
local service delivery and a smaller team may be ineffective due to an
unreasonable demand. This might impact on the service further due to high
turnover or sickness within the officers that remain.
The timescale provided has not allowed for Maidstone
Borough Council to undertake a consultation of its residents. The KCC
Consultation has been shared with all elected Ward Members and Parish
Councils for them to engage with or encourage their communities to respond.
The Housing, Health and Environment Policy Advisory
Committee considered the matter on 7 September 2023 and recommended that the
recommendation be approved.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the matter
on 19 September 2023 and recommended that the matter be approved, subject to
amendments to the response including; that a robust covering letter be sent
with the response, that KCC should be implored to proactively secure alternative
sources of funding for the service and to amend the response to question 7a
to include the service’s positive impact to young adults, particularly those
that are vulnerable. The responses within appendix 2 have also been
strengthened in tone in response to the comments made.
|