Andy Stewart

About Andy

Andy Stewart is the Cabinet Member for Personnel & Performance. He has many years of experience as a Nottinghamshire County Councillor. He represented the Southwell No.2 (Sutton on Trent to Bilsthorpe area) division 1974-83 and was Vice-Chairman of the Schools Committee for many years.

He became the first Member of Parliament for Sherwood in 1983 and served until 1992. He then returned to Nottinghamshire County Council to serve the Southwell division 2003-05 and was re-elected in 2005 to represent the newly created Farnsfield & Lowdham seat, which he successfully defended in June 2009.

Andy was born near Glasgow and educated at Strathaven Academy and the West of Scotland Agricultural College. He married in 1961 and then moved to his arable farm in Caunton in Nottinghamshire, which he still owns and runs with his wife Louise. They have one son, Jimmy, who lives in New York and a daughter, Marie Louise, who works in Mansfield. 

In addition to his County Council duties, Andy is President of the Nottinghamshire Association of Local Councils and was Chairman of the National Landbased Training Organisation (LANTRA) 1992-2003. He is also Chairman of the Adjudication Committee for the local Quality Parish & Town Council Scheme in Nottinghamshire.

Since taking on his Cabinet role, Andy has very little spare time but is associated with a number of football, rugby and cricket clubs. 

He is available to meet constituents at any mutually convenient time at a suitable venue. His contact details are displayed on the left of this page. 

Andy's latest Councillors' Divisional Fund awards...

Each Nottinghamshire County Councillor now has an annual fund of £10,000 to support worthy initiatives in the division they represent. The Councillors' Divisional Fund aims to make use of each councillor's 'grass roots' knowledge to identify projects, events, people and clubs that work hard to benefit and promote their local area, but often lack access to resources. Even a small amount of funding can sometimes make a huge difference. 

If you know of a deserving initiative in the Farnsfield & Lowdham division that might be eligible to receive a CDF grant, please contact me. You can click the following link to read the eligibility guidance criteria.   

Follow this link to the Councillors' Divisional Fund web page to see some of the latest projects I have been able to support.

Andy's latest news...

Orchard planted in Bleasby

A community orchard has been planted as part of the project to create a village green in the Bleasby. The project in Gypsy Lane, adjacent to the village church, will see Glebe Field become an area where the community can get together for special events and celebrations. With my support as the local councillor, Nottinghamshire County Council's Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) contributed £10,000 to the project.

The area had already undergone an archaeological dig which uncovered a number of interesting finds including building rubble and roof tiles from a 17^th Century farmhouse and clay pipes and pottery fragments dating back to the 1800s.

The orchard planting was carried out under the guidance of local horticultural expert Berg Kinsey who sought advice from specialist growers and local nurseries. She identified a range of fruit tree varieties including medlar, damson, cherry, cobnut and a number of traditional desert apple trees such as Radford Beauty and Herrings Pippin. I was pleased to help plant a number of trees, joined by local residents and the Cabinet Member for Environment & Sustainability, Councillor Richard Butler.

A village green is a wonderful asset for any village as it brings the whole community together. The people of Bleasby have really got behind this project and they are looking forward to using it for village events and bigger celebrations like the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

(Posted 23/4/2012)

Oxton play area

A new £43,000 play area is now open in Oxton. The project, funded by Nottinghamshire County Council’s Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) and WREN, was in response to a demand from local families for better and more up-to-date play facilities. The new facilities are situated on a previously under-used recreation ground behind the village hall and have replaced the worn out 1980s play equipment.

The village had seen a significant increase in the number of young children in recent years and as a result residents were crying out for recreational facilities. The vision was to provide robust, well-designed and aesthetically suitable facilities for a wide range of ages and abilities and I’m delighted this has been achieved. The play facilities include a wooden adventure trail, zip wire, climbing frames and boat swing.

Parents now have a wonderful play area to take their children and know that they are in a safe and secure environment. It is a great example of everyone working together for the benefit of the whole community.

(Posted 20/4/2012)

Council plans to adopt a committee system

Pending approval at the Council’s Annual General Meeting on 17^th May 2012, Nottinghamshire County Council plans to exercise its new power under the Localism Act 2011 to adopt a committee system of decision-making. This will replace the current Leader and Cabinet model adopted under the Local Government Act 2000.

The rationale for a committee system is that it is the most democratic and transparent form of governance. It ensures all 67 democratically elected Councillors are able to fully participate in decision-making and shaping the policy of the Council. It ensures greater transparency in that all reports are publicly available prior to any decision being made, and all decision-making meetings are held in public.

Reports were taken to the Full Council meetings in January and March (Item 11), with final approval being sought, as stated above, in May.

(Posted 17/4/2012)

Council tax frozen again in 2012/13 

At the Nottinghamshire County Council budget meeting on 23^rd February it was agreed to freeze county council tax for a third consecutive year. With public finances under strain across the country, the council has saved £87 million so far, £44 million of which has been reinvested directly into frontline services. In the coming financial year we will spend: -

• £2.8 million more safeguarding children;
• £5.2 million more on care for older people;
• £2.7 million more on adults with mental health & learning disabilities;
• £1.4 million more on adults with physical disabilities; and
• £1 million more to support young carers.

 

 We are also committed to invest £289 million in capital over three years on:-

• Improving school buildings;
• Modernising day centres;
• New youth clubs;
• Improving libraries;
• Improved broadband services;
• Improved roads and pathways;
• New and improved bus stations.

 

Councillor Reg Adair is the council's Cabinet Member for Finance & Property. In his speech presenting the budget, he outlined the results of the council's budget consultation. In response to public feedback, we are: - 

• providing additional library opening hours at 15 locations across the county;
• holding Meals at Home charges at £3.95 for 2012/13; and
• not increasing charges for Blue Badge holders in 2012/13, unlike many other local authorities. 

 

(Posted 28/2/2012)  

Success!  The A453 gets the green light!

I am absolutely delighted by the Chancellor’s announcement that the Government is fast-tracking the widening of the A453. This is the best Christmas gift that businesses and residents in Nottinghamshire could have, bringing a £540m boost to the East Midlands economy.  

In May this year, Nottinghamshire County Council pledged £20m towards the scheme if it was bought forward. Since that pledge was made, the campaign to widen the road has garnered support from the local business community and other local councils, including a pledge of £500,000 towards the scheme from Rushcliffe Borough Council in October.

The A453 has been on the Council’s wishlist since the 1970s. At last it is going to happen and I am thrilled for local businesses and commuters alike. I want to particularly thank East Midlands Airport, Boots, RH Freight, Hardstaffs, the Nottingham Post newspaper and partner authorities for their support in this campaign.

In the five years up to October 2010, there were 185 accidents involving personal injury on just the Nottinghamshire part of the A453. The Nottinghamshire section of the road is the second most congested part of the national road network after a short section of the M25. This congestion has been costing larger businesses as much as £100,000 a year because of increased fuel usage, difficulty reaching customers, abandoned journeys and accident costs.

Finally, we can look forward to smoother and safer journeys on this vital road link through Nottinghamshire from the M1 and I am immensely pleased that the Government has listened to our determined campaign.  

(Posted 29/11/2011)

Budget Conversation underway

Nottinghamshire County Council has announced proposals for its 2012/13 budget. 

Nottinghamshire residents are invited to give feedback on the budget proposals and take part in our Budget Conversation, which is open until Friday 29^th January 2012. The results of last year's consultation led us to change some of our proposals and we will be listening very carefully once again. Please let us know your views.

(Posted 17/11/2011)

Latest from the Personnel & Performance Portfolio

In addition to my duties as a County Councillor for Farnsfield & Lowdham division, I am also the Council's Cabinet Member for Personnel & Performance. At most County Council meetings I present a report on latest developments within my portfolio. Please follow these links to see my most recent reports:-

November 2011

September 2011

June 2011

(Updated 16/11/2011)

More Nottinghamshire children eating healthy school meals

As Cabinet Member for Personnel & Performance I am pleased to report that the number of children eating healthy school meals in Nottinghamshire has climbed for the 3^rd year in a row – with more than 34,000 children now having a school lunch every day. News also out from recent research suggests the County Council’s  policy to buy local food has injected £1.6 million into the local economy.

This is obviously fantastic news for parents across Nottinghamshire and is testament to the high quality of school meals. I am equally delighted with the news that the local economy is benefiting from our new approach.

New figures, published by the School Food Trust and the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA), show that nationally an average of 44.1 per cent of children in primary schools and 37.6 per cent of pupils in secondary school opted for school meals in the 2010-11 year, up from 41.4 and 35.8 per cent respectively in the previous year.

Figures in Nottinghamshire are above the regional average with 41.6% of primary school pupils and 31.2% of secondary school pupils having a school meal.

This means that:-

• Around 1,300 more children in Nottinghamshire had healthy school meals last year;
• More than 33,000 children in Nottinghamshire now eat a school meal every day;
• The equivalent of almost 6.7 million healthy school lunches were served up last year in the 93% of schools to which the County Council supplies a service.

 

If parents are thinking about signing up for school meals from September it's also worth noting that research shows that school meals not only have a big impact on children’s health but it also helps them to concentrate and succeed in school.

(Posted 20/7/2011)

£2.5 million boost for Supporting People

Despite local budget pressures and a reduced grant from central Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has invested an extra £2.5 million in its Supporting People programme.

Supporting People is a national programme that provides housing related support to help vulnerable people live independently. It will see its Government grant in Nottinghamshire reduced to £17.6 million this year, threatening the County Council’s previous year’s Supporting People spend of £22.5 million.

However, thanks to a new £1.5 million investment from the local NHS, plus a further £1 million diverted from the County Council budget, the Government’s allocation has been given a vital boost in Nottinghamshire. This limits the reduction in the County’s Supporting People budget to just over 10%, from £22.5 million to £20.11 million. The restricted budget reduction has also been made possible by the County Council’s decision early this year, following public consultation, to keep its savings on Supporting People to £10 million over the next three years rather than two higher reduction options of £12.5 million and £15 million.

These funding measures support feedback gained from a second, two-month public consultation on Supporting People services this year (in Feb/March), to form new proposals which went before Full Council on 30^th June 2011. These proposals ensure that:-

• Most accommodation based services continue to be funded, albeit at reduced levels;
• ‘Floating support’ services, which offer support to people in their own homes, will be delivered consistently across issues of homelessness prevention and offender, drug and alcohol, gypsy and traveller and young people’s services;
• Mental health services are reviewed and delivered more efficiently;
• Young people’s services are reviewed for greater efficiency;
• Community alarm and warden services for older people are replaced with a new short term service targeted at helping vulnerable people to remain independent in their own homes.

 

We’ve talked to those who use the services, to our District Council partners, to project providers and voluntary and community groups, including church leaders, to find ways to make savings through efficiencies. We will target the money at front line services that meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable and in greatest need.

Nottinghamshire was successful in securing Government money under Supporting People when the programme first started eight years ago but we’ve seen this central funding steadily fall by nearly £11 million since that time. We believe that after the £10 million savings have been made, the level of funding in Nottinghamshire for these services will still compare well with other Council areas.

(Posted 20/7/2011)

More grass cuts

Nottinghamshire County Council is increasing the number of times it will be cutting grass verges this year.

As part of this year’s budget savings it was originally intended to reduce the frequency of routine grass cutting in urban areas from six to four times a year. However, we have listened to public feedback and have now increased that frequency to five cuts. In rural areas the frequency remains at two cuts a year.

At the same time we have issued guidelines for a growing number of residents who are happy to cut the grass verges outside their homes. Again, this is a direct result of feedback from the Council’s Big Budget Conversation consultation process, when hundreds of people said they would be prepared to cut verges if it helped to release money for use on other priorities, such a repairing potholes. 

The guidelines highlight what needs to be considered when cutting grass near the roadside.  They can be found online at: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/roadverges

(Posted 14/7/11)

Something fishy: sustainable school meals

As many parents will know, it can be a difficult task to balance children's nutritional needs with offering meals that appeal to their tastebuds. As Cabinet Member for Personnel & Performance, I'm pleased to report that Nottinghamshire County Council's school meals service is doing this rather well and we're sourcing sustainable food products in the process.

Breaded pollack and chips is now our second most popular dish after the weekly roast. On the new spring/summer menu, fish and chips (which are oven-cooked simply using sunflower oil) feature every three weeks. On the alternate weeks the children will enjoy salmon fish fingers and tuna en croute.

We started using pollack five years ago as a readily available white fish alternative to cod and haddock. The children don’t even notice the difference and it’s become a firm favourite on the menu. As well as being sustainably sourced, it’s great that we’re able to rekindle demand for one of our native fish species.

Nottinghamshire County Council buys just over 20 tonnes of the white fish each year as part of its commitment to only buying supplies from fisheries which support sustainable fishing. When Nottinghamshire County Council became the first local authority in the country to achieve the Food for Life Partnership’s Silver Caterers Mark for all our schools, part of this was achieved by becoming Marine Stewardship Council accredited, ensuring that all our fish comes from sustainable stocks.

As well as the 20 tonnes of breaded and uncoated pollack fillets bought by the Council over the past 12 months, it also bought over 13 tonnes of sustainably sourced salmon fish fingers and 36 tonnes of line caught tinned tuna.

The Council is serving 1,000 more meals a day in schools now compared with a year ago. To take a look at the new spring/summer traditional choice menu, go to:-

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/lw-schoolcatering-currentmenus.htm%20

(Posted 1/6/2011)

Council Budget 2011/12   

At the Nottinghamshire County Council Budget Meeting on 24^th February 2011 I joined my Conservative colleagues in voting to freeze Council Tax for a second successive year. In doing so, I approved £4.1 million of changes to the Council’s original budget proposals in direct response to the outcomes of the Big Budget Conversation. Extra money has now been found from reserves for the Supporting People programme, grant aid to voluntary groups, libraries, country parks and welfare rights advice.

With less formula grant funding from the Government, Nottinghamshire County Council has to find more than £80 million of savings in 2011/12 by reducing management and administration costs and reviewing expenditure on non-essential services. Just over half of this is being reinvested to meet growing demand for our most vital services, including: -

• £15 million more for specialist foster care placements;
• £6.3 million more to look after adults with acute learning disabilities and mental health needs;

• £2.8 million more on children’s social workers;

• £2.8 million more on services for older people;
• £1.5 million more to care for adults with physical disabilities; and
• £1 million more for young carers.

 

The budget was approved at the Council meeting by 34 votes to 29.

(Posted 28/2/2011)

Gritter Twitter

Nottinghamshire County Council will now be advising the public of when the county’s roads will be gritted, using Twitter. During the cold weather last winter there were a number of calls to the Council’s Customer Service Centre asking when the roads would be gritted. Now people can sign up to the Council’s Gritter Twitter feed to receive the latest gritting alerts.

In an age of social networking and 24-hour news, the Council recognises the need to give people ‘live’ information that will help them plan their journey. You can sign up to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nottscc

(Posted 11/11/2010) 

Improvement Programme latest 

At the full meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council on 21^st October I joined my Conservative colleagues in supporting the recommendations for action contained within the Nottinghamshire County Council Improvement Plan Progress Report.

The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Martin Suthers set out the financial challenges facing local authorities across the country and stated that Nottinghamshire County Council needed to save £150 million over the next three years.  

He said this would require savings of £69 million in 2011/12, to be achieved through a series of major initiatives including reprioritisation of services, improvements in business management and a review of property owned by the Council. 

Of this £69 million, it is intended to reinvest £39 million largely in services for our most vulnerable service users. The council has faced a 59% increase in children’s social care referrals over the last year and a 25% increase in the number of children in care over the last two years.  

For Children and Young People, a proposed reinvestment of £22.5 million will provide:-

• more specialist foster placements for children

• more support to young carers
• more children’s social workers
• development of free school transport for secondary school children.

  

Our Adult Social Care & Health services are under similar pressure, with 500 extra people aged over 80 and 4,000 extra people over the age of 65 in Nottinghamshire every year. Our proposed reinvestment of £13 million in 2011/12 will provide: - 

• the care and support services necessary to meet this increased demand
• more support for adults with physical disabilities
• more support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health needs
• extra resources for independent sector care.

 

I joined my Conservative colleagues in arguing that Nottinghamshire County Council must live within its means and ensure frontline statutory services are maintained.

(Posted 5/11/2010)

Improvement Programme

Like every council in the country, Nottinghamshire County Council faces ongoing, significant and unavoidable increases in demand for key services. At the same time, it faces an unprecedented and long-term reduction in the resources available to it. Present forecasts are that the Council must reduce its current expenditure by at least £88m, or 18% of its revenue budget, over the next three financial years. Most of this reduction will be used to fund increased demand in other service areas. £30m of reductions have already been identified for 2010/11, leaving a further £58m to be found in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

In the past, reductions have been achieved through a process of allocating savings targets across departments. However, the scale of the financial challenge is now such that a more strategic approach is needed to achieve reductions in a structured and consistent way.

At the County Council meeting on 25^th February 2010 the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Martin Suthers gained approval for a new Improvement Programme to deliver these aims, called ‘One Council - One Business - One Plan’. This will involve an estimated investment of £21 million over five years to deliver total aggregated savings of over £200m over a five year period.

The Improvement Programme will include: -

• a complete overhaul of the Council’s approach to procurement

• implementation of an integrated Business Management System and changes in processes

• rationalisation of the Council’s property portfolio and improvement in flexible ways of working

• a fundamental review of all services followed by a comprehensive programme of organisational redesign

• departmental improvement programmes that deliver service-specific developments and

• the Chief Executive’s own programme to deliver improvements in partnership working, communications and organisational development. 

 

The aim of ‘One Council-One Business-One Plan’ is to drive out inefficiency, target resources, minimise the impact on service delivery and create an organisation that is fit for purpose and financially sustainable in the long term. 

(Posted 8/3/10)

New Stategic Plan

Nottinghamshire County Council's new Strategic Plan 2010-2014 sets out our promise to the people of Nottinghamshire; our priorities for the next four years; and how we aim to support the people of our county to be aspirational, independent and to share with us responsibility for the future.

This Plan complements the wider Nottinghamshire Sustainable Community Strategy which is the collective plan that outlines how organisations in the county will work together to promote and deliver a better Nottinghamshire.

Our plan is ambitious. It is a plan based on what local people tell us they want, and what they want to see happen. The success of our plan relies on us working well together with local people and organisations. Whilst we face challenging financial times, nevertheless we have opportunities to promote and deliver a better future for Nottinghamshire.

(Posted 8/3/10)

Gritting

The exceptionally cold weather which affected Nottinghamshire and most other parts of the UK between December and February led to unprecedented pressures on local authority gritting supplies. Nottinghamshire County Council possessed stockpiles far exceeding Government recommendations and was able to keep its priority routes gritted even when other councils had exhausted their supplies. The biggest difficulty was obtaining replacement supplies, given the exceptional pressure on the two national companies who supply the country’s salt. 

Taking these events into account, it was agreed at the recent County Council budget meeting to increase the gritting budget by £50,000 for 2010/11. It is also intended to use 6mm rather than 10mm salt, which will improve spread rate and increase our gritting capacity still further. 

(Posted 8/3/10)

Employee Terms & Conditions

Nottinghamshire County Council employees have been informed about proposed adjustments to their terms and conditions which will bring this authority into line with other councils and help to address the significant budget challenges inherited by this new administration.

Next year the council is facing a total budget shortfall of around £33 million due to:-

• increasing demands for our services from our customers

• a freeze in Council Tax to reduce the tax burden on local people

• a reduction in Government funding of at least £6million from 2011 onwards

 

These are tough economic times with the authority facing further predicted budget shortfalls of £32 million in 2011/12 and £20 million in 2012/13. Difficult but necessary decisions will need to be made to ensure this authority moves forward on a strong financial footing, providing Nottinghamshire taxpayers with value for money services and protecting the long-term interests of our employees.

(Posted 22/10/09)