HAMPSHIRE County Council's cabinet has heard how the council's services have improved on the majority of targets it measures its performance against. The results for 2004/05 showed that 66 per cent of performance targets for key council services, including education and social care, improved on the previous year, with a further 11 per cent staying the same. In education, primary schools have maintained high standards at key stage 1 (7-year-olds) and have improved at key stage 2 (11-year- olds) in English and maths, with schools now achieving the best ever results in those subjects. GCSE results have also improved and now show a one per cent increase across the county in students attaining five A* - C grades. Furthermore, there is a 50 per cent greater increase in attainment in the 12 target schools in deprived areas compared to the county average. The council remains a national leader in the use of direct payments which enable disabled people to have more financial independence, with 102 users per 100,000 population compared to 68 in the previous year. The social services department is on schedule to create 300 additional nursing care beds, and it is also on target with pilot schemes to prevent older people from being admitted to hospital, by helping them to live independently at home. Hampshire County Council was rated "excellent" in 2002 by the Audit Commission and has maintained its score for three successive years. The cabinet was told that the comparison with other local authority results for 2003/04 showed others are making gains as they also strive to improve their results. In order to keep its status, the council has to show that it is continually seeking improvements to services by setting stretching targets. Areas for improvement highlighted include some of the locally-set targets that form part of the county council's corporate strategy. Some of these areas which have been identified include the delivery of intensive home care, educational attainment, use of buses and specific household waste targets. Commenting on the figures, the leader of Hampshire County Council, Ken Thornber, said: "I'm delighted that we are again able to show Hampshire residents that they get value for money for our services. "We want to ensure that everyone living in Hampshire sees improved opportunities and quality of life, and we are not afraid to set targets which are tough to meet and which mean we continue to move in the right direction. "Our next challenge is to implement the key elements of the Children Act that will change the way we organise and deliver services for children."
