Report to Council – 1 APRIL 2015
Councillor David Budd
Deputy Mayor and Executive member for FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE
1.Teesside Coroner's Service – Annual Report 2014
Teesside Coroner's Service has just released its annual report covering its progress in 2014. The document is the first of its kind for the area and aims to give stakeholders and the Teesside public a clear picture of how the service is working and its priorities for 2015.
The report also shows the excellent progress made following the redesign of the service in April 2014 and the introduction of modern and more customer focused ways of working.
Key measures for the Coroner’s Service include the number of completed inquests, the number of inquests outstanding and the number of inquests outstanding for more than six months.
Chart 1 shows the average time taken by the Coroner’s Service to complete inquests each year from 2006 to 2014, as well as the total number of inquests completed during each year. In 2014, 713 inquests were completed, almost twice as many as in any other year, with the average time take to complete being 8.15 months, which was lower than any other year since 2008. For deaths reported on or after the 1st January 2014, 296 inquests were completed, taking an average of 1.95 months.
Chart 1
A major achievement of the service was the dramatic reduction in the number of cases that wereoutstanding and the number of inquests that were outstanding for more than six months, as shown in Chart 2.
Chart 2
The improvements achieved in 2014 provide an excellent base on which to achieve further improvements and in 2015 the Coroner’s Service aims to:
• Maintain or further improve the timeliness of inquests.
•Successfully manage the merger of the Teesside and Hartlepool Coroners areas. The merger will increase the resilience of the service, provide an improved service to residents, streamline processes for partners and provide cost savings. The merger is subject to the outcome of Ministry of Justice consultation and a decision by the Lord Chancellor.
•Improve customer service by considering building a Coroner’s Court within Middlesbrough Town Hall which will provide a more appropriate setting for families.
• Work with voluntary organisations to provide more support to bereaved families.
• Continue to promote education and understanding of the Coroner’s Service within our community by meeting with hospital executives and consultants, junior doctors, GPs, police officers, solicitors and funeral directors.
To view the annual report in full visit
- Middlesbrough Shakespeare Festival
Archibald School is the only primary school in England that is working as a hub with the Royal Shakespeare Company. As part of the project they recently performed ‘The head that wears the crown’ at Acklam Green. This also involved Breckon Hill Primary, Newport Primary, Priory Woods Primary, and Viewley Hill Primary. Acklam Grange and Macmillan together with the Tees Valley Music Service. The performance was inspirational and deserved much greater publicity than it received.
- Rail North
As a result of work between Rail North and DfT, the recently published specification represents a transformation or rail services in the North of England. This will improve services, rolling stock, stations etc. and include a North East Business Unit. The contract will be awarded by the end of the year and will commence operation in April 2016.
The report of the electrification task force placed the electrification of the Northallerton to Middlesbrough line very high up the list of priorities for the North. This improvement will have a transformational effect on rail in the Tees Valley.
- North East Better Health at Work Awards
The recent event to celebrate better health at work showed what can be achieved by collaboration between local authorities, health, Trade Unions and business. There are benefits for all in this process and many local companies have received recognition.
- Middlesbrough is Changing
The ‘Middlesbrough is Changing’ campaign celebrates the regeneration and growth in our town. Investments totalling over £500 million are changing the town. We are sometimes reluctant to celebrate change, but we need to ensure that people in the area together with those from further afield understand what is taking place here.
Councillor David Budd
Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for Finance and Governance