Children's services -

Children in care are failing to gain the GCSEs they need because Wiltshire Council has missed its targets.

While in 2010/11 there were 16 per cent of children attaining five A* to C grades, a target of 20 per cent the following year was not only missed, but the figure decreased to just four per cent.

Care leavers trying to get into suitable education, jobs or training were also failed. In 2010/11, there were 65.7 per cent of leavers in one of the three sectors but the council only achieved 39.5 per cent the following year, missing its target of 68 per cent by a long shot.

Adoptions being made within 12 months of a decision being made that adoption is right for a child were also lower than planned. The council set itself a target of 90 per cent of cases but only achieved 68 per cent.

Julia Cramp, a children’s services director, said: “These statistics relate to a small number of children and young people with very complex and challenging needs.

“We are working with our partners to continually strive to improve the way we help them.

“This was recognised in the latest Ofsted report which stated recent changes had ‘a positive impact on improving educational inclusion, attendance, progress and attainment’.”

The council has now set new targets for 2012/13. It says that it predicts the number of children in care getting five A* to C grades at GCSE or equivalent will be 14 per cent, while the same cohort of care leavers in suitable education, jobs or training has already increased to 58 per cent since the report was published.

Employment -

A pledge to create 6,000 new jobs in the county is not yet being met by Wiltshire Council, which has failed its latest target on employment.

In order to create that number of posts by March 2015, the councils needs to stimulate 1,500 new posts every year up to the deadline date.

Only 991 new jobs were created in 2011/12 so the shortfall has been rolled forward into next year’s target.

The figures have emerged from the council’s annual update on its four-year business plan, in which it has failed to meet its targets in ten key areas.

Of the jobs that have been created to date, the council says 189 of these came from apprenticeships, while in Westbury 50 Wales and West Utilities jobs were formed and 300 posts were created by paper bag manufacturer Welton, Bibby and Baron.

Council bosses will be relieved that their target to safeguard 8,000 existing jobs by March 2015 has been met, mainly helped by the securing of 2,500 defence training jobs at RAF Lyneham.

Defence Technical Training will provide training for all three armed services in aeronautical engineering, electro-mechanical engineering and communications and information systems, creating a sustainable future for the Lyneham area.

The council believes it will also ultimately reach its aim of creating 6,000 new jobs because 33 companies have indicated they will create around 2,950 posts between them over the next 12 months.

Leader of the council Jane Scott said: “We are aware of the target but as you can see there are many jobs in the pipeline.

“We have been working with many different companies to deliver new posts but they do not happen over night.”

Referring to the ten missed targets, Coun Scott said: “I think when you are a large, diverse and complicated organisation you are going to meet some targets while others will slip and those are the ones you work on. If all of your targets are being met and you see green boxes everywhere then perhaps your targets are not high enough.”

Wiltshire Council also met or exceeded some of its other targets. It is well on the way to meeting its target of building 1,800 affordable homes by March 2015.

It has also increased the county’s recycling rate from 41.4 per cent to 42.9 per cent, aiming for 50 per cent by March 2015.

The level of waste going to landfill has dropped from 37.5 per cent to 36.6 per cent, on course for a target of 25 per cent.

Roadworks -

The cost of road repairs that are still waiting to be done has soared to £43.5million, despite a pledge by Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott to make it her administration’s top priority.

That figure is an increase of £1.5million on the previous year’s figure, which flies in the face of a failed target to reduce the county’s huge road repair backlog by ten per cent.

On February 29, Coun Scott vowed to make the county’s potholes a priority at a budget-setting meeting of councillors.

She told councillors: “We know that maintaining our roads remains a priority for local people. Our recent survey and public budget consultation forums highlighted that this area continues to be a priority.

“I am pleased to announce that last year we maintained an additional 290 kilometres of roads and we filled 1,200 more potholes than the previous year, and I will announce shortly the additional investment we propose to make this year.”

Referring to the repairs backlog, Coun Scott said yesterday: “This has come as a result of two bad winters but we had a commitment to invest more money in highways and we are doing this.

“There will be almost an extra £1million in 2012/13.”

In a report to councillors, the council’s head of performance, Paul Mountford, said: “The increase in the backlog of highways maintenance is mainly because of the effects of recent winters on the unclassified minor road network.

“Although the winter of 2011/12 has been less severe, the two previous winters caused extensive damage to the roads which is still emerging.

“A large programme of works is planned for 2012/13 to address those sites most in need of treatment.”

Parking -

Car parking revenue in Wiltshire has become so low that parking attendants are not being replaced when they leave the council.

Wiltshire Council’s updated business plan shows that the increases in parking charges in April last year have dramatically affected its income.

As less people use the car parks the burden on the council’s budget has increased.

The car parking services team spent £1.215million more than it had budgeted for at the year end in March 2012.

Councillor Jon Hubb-ard, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, who opposed the recent car parking fees rise, said: “The spiral of failure continues. Not only do we have a large deficit due to this irresponsible charging policy but more jobs are being cut. We can expect more misery for residents as anti-social parking gets worse.”

Council bosses will take some comfort from news that the latest loss is £185,000 less than previously thought.

Top 10 failures - Council's missed targets

* Increase in children in care receiving high quality placements.

* More children in care get A*-C GCSEs.

* Care leavers in suitable education, jobs or training.

* Timely adoptions.

* Help create 6,000 additional jobs by March 2015.

* Reduce roads maintenance backlog by 10 per cent by March 2015.

* Reduce time callers to council kept on phone.

* Alcohol related hospital admissions.

* Health inequalities in men.

* Health inequalities in women.