What do unemployed youngsters, pregnant teens and cutting C02 emissions all have in common?

They're are among the five most popular priorities that councils have chosen to tackle under local government's revamped target regime, The MJ (July 3) reports.

The Communities and Local Government department last week unveiled the first set of targets that underpin the sector's new local area agreements. The number of local targets have been cut from more than 100 to 35 to ensure that councils focus on what matters to local people.

Despite recent speculation that the Home Office had promoted combating violent extremism as a core target, councils largely steered clear of including as a priority the anti-extremism indicator.

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BACKGROUND

• Best not start them too early

• Designs for a better future

• Councils take aim at teenagers

• What worked for me

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Top of the final list of locally agreed targets is reducing the number of Neets - 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training - chosen by 115 out of 150 councils, with cutting teenage pregnancies close behind. Two thirds of councils chose targets to provide housing, cut CO2 emissions and tackle childhood obesity.

But as with any contest, there were winners and losers. Services for disabled children were among the lowest priorities for councils, Children and Young People Now (July 2) reports. Just 23 out of 150 chose the target to improve services for disabled children.

Community Care (July 3) reports that top targets include improving the ratio of social care service users on self- directed support and the number of carers receiving reviews or assessments. Less popular are the Government's social exclusion targets to increase the numbers of care leavers, adults with learning disabilities and mental health problems and offenders in suitable accommodation and employment, education or training.

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