Barnet Council has been selected as a finalist for two national awards recognising the high quality of its innovative partnerships with PA Consulting (PA) and Regional Enterprise (Re) Ltd.
Hendon Town Hall
Since it joined forces with PA, the global innovation and transformation consultancy, the council has been able to supply Argenti care technology to more than 3,700 vulnerable adults in the borough.
The technology – sometimes called Telecare – is the use of sensors, mobile devices, alarms on a person or in their home to keep someone safe and independent for longer. The sensors can detect falls, gas leaks, flooding from overrunning baths and sinks, reminders to take medication, and alerts if a front door has been left open.
New equipment introduced under the partnership has included GPS watches and the Amazon Alexa device – improving the prospects of people in the social care system.
The innovative work has earned PA and Barnet Council their selection as finalists in Public/Private Partnerships category of the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards 2019. Just eight other projects nationwide have reached that stage in the running for the prestigious accolade.
Robert Turnbull, the Argenti Programme Director from PA Consulting said: “PA is proud to be helping vulnerable people from the London Borough of Barnet to live more independent lives thanks to technology. We are delighted that our work has helped the borough’s social care budget go further and help more people, too.”
Meanwhile, the joint venture Re Ltd – formed out of a partnership between the council and Capita – has become a finalist in the Innovative category of the LGC Awards. Just eight other ventures nationwide have reached this stage of the awards.
Re Ltd’s Planning Enforcement team, have been recognised as adopting a truly innovative approach to service delivery on behalf of the London Borough of Barnet. Against challenging financial conditions, the team have introduced several new initiatives, transforming a traditional planning function into a modern, forward-thinking service with a proactive approach to development.
Barnet has now become one of the most productive local planning authorities, both in terms of the number of planning enforcement cases investigated and the number of cases resulting in action being taken. Barnet was also amongst the first of the London Planning Authorities to introduce the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) to housing developments. POCA Cases brought to Barnet since October 2016 have yielded over £1m to the public purse and cases brought within 2017/18 are projected to have had a similar return.
Councillor Richard Cornelius, Leader of Barnet Council, said: “What matters is that we’re making a real difference to improving the lives of people in Barnet. As an organisation, we’re happy to work with anyone who can deliver services to the high standard that we – and our residents – expect. We’re delighted to be succeeding in these areas, and look forward to many more successes in years to come.”
The awards ceremony at which the council and its partners will discover if they have won in the two categories will be held on Wednesday 13 March.
- Barnet Council can help residents pay for the technology if they are eligible for social care funding. Contact 020 8359 5000 or socialcaredirect@barnet.gov.uk to find out more.