Corporate Plan 2014 - 2017
www.bassetlaw.gov.uk
Contents 4 |
A message from the Leader of the Council
5 |
Chief Executive - Neil Taylor
6 |
Introduction to the District
8 |
Ambition 1: A Viable Co-operative Council
10 |
Ambition 2: Local Growth
12 |
Ambition 3: Quality Housing and Decent Neighbourhoods
14 |
Ambition 4: Local Living Standards
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Leader of the Council Welcome to Bassetlaw District Council’s Corporate Plan. Things move quickly in the public sector these days - budget cuts, new responsibilities, new ways of working and new expectations. This new Corporate Plan for Bassetlaw reflects these new challenges. The four main priorities we shall be concentrating on in the next three years are: A Viable Co-operative Council We need to work in different ways to survive the annual Government funding cuts Bassetlaw faces. Local Growth Jobs are at the heart of any local recovery and we want to encourage the local economy with the work that we do with local businesses. Quality Housing and Decent Neighbourhoods We will increase the supply of affordable homes in the District and reduce the number of empty homes. We will ensure that our local neighbourhoods are clean, safe and welcoming. Local Living Standards Meeting the challenge of Welfare Reform and standing up for local people with our work through the Bassetlaw Community Partnership.
These objectives reflect our renewed focus on the issues which really matter to local people, and which will have the greatest impact as we work to improve Bassetlaw for everyone that lives, works and visits the District. It’s an ambitious set of tasks, but by doing our bit and providing a voice for local people we want to show that the Council is not just here to provide a traditional set of municipal services. By working with others we can co-ordinate work with partners to achieve better results, work with local businesses to maintain jobs and increase prosperity, and help those that need support as the welfare cuts reduce standards of living. The Council is realistic about the future. We know we cannot do everything, but if we concentrate on the priorities in this plan we will do as much as we can with other partners in the public sector like the Police, the Fire & Rescue Service, the local Clinical
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Commissioning Group, the County Council and other authorities in the Sheffield City Region. Of increasing importance is the work with the private sector and the Invest in North Nottinghamshire project. We are going to achieve the best outcomes we can for all local people, both in our towns and our rural areas. Our ambition is to reposition Bassetlaw as one of the best councils in its class.
Cllr Simon Greaves Leader of the Council
Chief Executive I am pleased to introduce Bassetlaw District Council’s Corporate Plan 2014 - 2017. Over the life of our last Corporate Plan, Bassetlaw has faced up to a difficult financial situation with reductions in both funding and income. By the end of 2015 the Council will have made around £8 million in efficiencies and savings since 2008, the equivalent of £40 per person in Bassetlaw. During this time we have seen our workforce reduce by over 25%. Despite these challenges we have continued to deliver value for money services and have seen a number of successes and achievements including: • Opening of the new Savoy Cinema • Relocation of Worksop Market • Retford Enterprise Centre is fully let providing 110 Jobs • Creative Village is fully let providing 20 new businesses • Delivery of the Decent Homes Programme by our ALMO, A1 Housing • Opening or refurbishment of 15 play areas across the District • Neighbourhood plans are being drawn up for 13 areas of the District • Multi-million pound investment in Bassetlaw by Usher Martin in Worksop and Charcon Construction in Lound • Over 50,000 participants in the Bassetlaw Games and the creation of new sports clubs • Implemented a new local Council Tax Scheme
Over the next three years we will face unprecedented funding cuts from Central Government which will require a fundamental shift in our approach to how we deliver our services and our relationship with our local communities. We have to be honest about we can do and more importantly what we can’t do. As a local council with reducing resources we will no longer be doing everything we used to. This means taking an innovative approach to service delivery, managing demand for services, encouraging people to do more for themselves, and enabling Bassetlaw to develop a new model for Local Government.
As an organisation we will transform and restructure so that we move beyond just being good at efficiencies to innovative service delivery and realising Members ambitions and aspirations. I look forward to working with all our residents, elected Members, employees and partners to build the best future possible for Bassetlaw.
Neil Taylor Chief Executive
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Introduction to the District
Bassetlaw was created as a District Council in North Nottinghamshire in 1974, and is part of both the Sheffield City Region and the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnerships. We are proud of our unique location and local heritage. A major regeneration initiative will be the “Invest
We will apply this branding to a range of printed
in North Nottinghamshire” project. This project
materials, advertising, signage and website,
is literally about putting Bassetlaw on the map.
engaging with the private sector to ensure the
Bassetlaw as a District is relatively unknown to
brand is adopted District-wide.
other parts of the country and has no specific national identity aside from its municipal name. Led by the local business community we will help to create a place brand for Bassetlaw including a written proposition, key messages and new visual identity.
The brand will be used to position the District as an attractive place to work, invest, visit and live thereby increasing new business investment, increasing visitor numbers and ingreasing residents appreciation of the locality’s distinctiveness.
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This project will shape Bassetlaw’s future, attracting a minimum of 15 new businesses by June 2015, helping to redress the current low business stock, low level of enterprise and low level of business investment into the area.
One of our main challenges relates to the economic prosperity of our District and increasing the productivity of local people. We are working to maximise the benefits from the City Region and address barriers to growth such as low skill levels.
North Nottinghamshire’s location served by the M1 and the A1, plus the proximity to Robin Hood Airport, means that Bassetlaw is in a pivotal position between South Yorkshire and the Nottingham City conurbation. With a population of over 113,000, Bassetlaw comprises the towns of Harworth, Retford and Worksop and the large villages of Carlton in Lindrick, Langold and Tuxford as well as smaller parishes and settlements in more rural locations.
As part of the national deficit reduction plans, all councils have faced, and continue to face, significant financial challenges. By 2017/18, after nearly a decade of austerity, Bassetlaw will have lost over £4.2m, or 37% of its Government funding. These changes are not all bad, they act as a stimulus for change and re-evaluation of what we do and how we do it. As a result, Bassetlaw is undergoing a significant change in its approach to the way it supports local people with the services it provides. Some examples of this are: • We have plans to share our buildings with other parts of the public sector such as the Police in Retford, and the Department for Work & Pensions in Worksop. • We are investing in new technology to provide more services online to improve local peoples’ access to them and also reduce costs. • We are working with all the public sector across the District in the Bassetlaw Community Partnership to maximise the synergies between the Police, the Fire & Rescue Service, the County Council, the local Clinical
Commissioning Group and other local groups such as Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire. • We are working more closely with Bassetlaw’s Arms Length Management Organisation and providing more joint services as part of the new contractual arrangements with A1 Housing. • We are completely reviewing the Council’s services in a comprehensive Corporate Organisational Review. • We are looking at a new emphasis on how the Council operates – with less direct provision and more work with citizens and local groups, such as Bassetlaw Community & Voluntary Service which has reviewed all third sector funding. We have campaigned on welfare issues, and a fair deal for local residents on public transport and energy matters. • We have undertaken wide ranging reviews of how we deliver services to ensure we provide maximum efficiency. • Bassetlaw is committed to developing a positive future despite the year on year deteriorating financial situation; one where citizens, partners and staff work together to improve the District and create a confident and ambitious place. We want all members of the community to be able to play an active part in building this future. Put simply, this is about everybody doing their bit and everybody benefiting. As part of the next phase in Bassetlaw’s development, the new Corporate Plan for 2014/15 to 2017/18 targets what we want to achieve and our aims are set out over the following pages. We want to be clear about what we want to achieve. There are four key ambitions that have been identified as essential to help us to achieve our goals for the community.
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Ambition 1: We need to deliver against the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan and Value for Money Strategy to meet the challenge of funding reductions year after year by central Government. Our aim is to provide high quality services and improve customer satisfaction for the services we provide. The main themes include:
Getting the basics right
Drive improved business performance with more flexible ICT systems
New delivery models and place based working
Priorities:
1. • • •
A Resilient Local Authority We will: Maximise the use of the Bassetlaw’s assets for the benefit of the wider community, integrate our services with other parts of the public sector, and earn additional income to support our services through sharing our buildings. Reduce our costs by delivering against the Council’s ICT Strategy and widen access to our services for local people. Comprehensively review all our services to respond to reducing Government funding levels and ensure they are fit for purpose in the 21st Century.
2. Working Towards A Co-operative Council We will: • • •
3.
Support all our communities through campaigning on their behalf to improve local prosperity and alleviate poverty. Act as an advocate for the community with other service providers e.g. rail providers to improve local transport links. Develop our standards and ethics through a number of supportive initiatives including our Living Wage commitments and the adoption of Social Value Contracts which will support local businesses in the way we buy the goods and services we use.
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Increasing Pride In The District We will:
• • •
Promote the District through events; support and encouragement to local groups and individuals’, and the celebration of local achievements (such as the Bassetlaw Achievers Awards, the Bassetlaw Sports Awards, and North Nottinghamshire Business Awards); and matched capital funding for community initiatives. Improve confidence and aspiration within the District by working with local schools and the Bassetlaw Youth Council to ensure young people’s issues are reflected in the Council’s priorities and actions. Encourage local people and voluntary and community groups to play a role in improving their local communities and neighbourhoods through the work of Bassetlaw’s Rural Conference; the adoption of Neighbourhood Plans; elected Members’ development and support; and joint funding initiatives.
A Viable Co-operative Council
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Ambition 2: We want Bassetlaw to be a productive place to invest in where business and enterprise thrive, where local people have the opportunity to gain high skilled employment and increased wage levels.
The main themes include:
Invest in North Nottinghamshire project
Sheffield City Region Combined Authority membership
Priorities:
1. A District That Maximises Its Potential
We will:
• • •
Work with partners such as Sheffield City Region, the Skills Made Easy Programme and North Notts College to improve the skills of young people in the District. Ensure that any new developments provide and contribute to the infrastructure of the area to the benefit of local communities. Introduce a programme to encourage local apprenticeships, both within the Council and through support to other employers within the District.
2.
Driving The Local Economy We will:
• Develop a Bassetlaw Growth Plan to promote a range of measures to encourage enterprise, improve business resilience and increase the local business base. • Attract new business to Bassetlaw through the “Invest in North Nottinghamshire” project. • Maximise our property portfolio to increase our business base and opportunities for new and expanding businesses
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Work with the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership on issues relevant to Bassetlaw
• Seek to maximise the local benefits from schemes from both the Sheffield City Region and D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnerships. • Deliver on the aspirations of the Local Development Framework which is now at the Site Allocations stage.
3.
Bassetlaw As A Destination We will:
• • •
Work with others to develop a high profile for Bassetlaw. Develop and lead on an improved tourism offer in the District with other partners such as “Experience Nottinghamshire”. Develop and implement a coherent Night Time Economy policy to license premises responsibly and encourage family enjoyment of our towns and villages.
Local Growth
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Ambition 3: Councils influence a unique and important part of our lives – the quality of life for local people, the homes people live in and their local surroundings. The Council and its partners will use the resources available to deliver new and affordable housing, bring back empty properties into use, provide specialist housing for those with care and support needs and prevent homelessness. The main themes include:
Finalising the Decent Homes programme
Maintaining the standards of housing quality and repairs
Priorities:
1.
Quality Housing In The District
We will:
• • •
Ensure that housing in the District is of a high standard through our work with local developers and A1 Housing, Bassetlaw’s Arms Length Management Organisation. Increase the supply of affordable homes in the District through work with social housing providers, and the financial capacity identified in the next 30 year HRA Business Plan. Reduce the number of empty homes in the District with proactive work on problem sites and work with private sector landlords plus other partners to maximise the Council’s New Homes Bonus.
2.
Maximum Benefit For Tenants And Local Communities We will:
• •
Build 28 new council houses in the District, such as those at Harworth and end the local use of post war Airey Housing. Make the transition from the Decent Homes programme to a Decent Neighbourhoods programme with a joined up approach with key stakeholders to ensure Bassetlaw is a place of choice to live.
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Encouraging and supporting private homeowners
•
Develop and promote new programmes to help tackle fuel poverty.
3.
Local Neighbourhoods That Are Clean, Safe and Welcoming We will:
• • •
Develop a Decent Neighbourhood Standard for the District which will enhance the quality of life across all communities. Work towards achieving Green Flag status for Langold Country Park and The Canch in Worksop and strive to improve King’s Park in Retford to be one of the top parks in the region. Take tough enforcement action against anti- social behaviour and environmental crime to defend the interests of the responsible majority within the community.
Quality Housing and Decent Neighbourhoods
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Ambition 4: Life is getting tougher for people financially, and people in Bassetlaw suffer from poor standards of health which impacts on their standard of living and the choices they can make. As a Community Leader the Council will provide a voice for local people and offer advice and guidance which positively supports their life prospects. The main themes include:
Preparing for the introduction of the Department for Work & Pension’s Universal Credit system
Preparing for the new system of Individual Electoral Registration and allowing people to have their say at election time
Priorities:
Increasing awareness and advice for hard to reach parts of the community
Improving health education and advocacy
• Take a community lead on tackling inequalities with local health on the Nottinghamshire’s Health & Wellbeing 1. Meeting The Challenge of Welfare Board. Reform • Co-ordinate the work of the Bassetlaw We will: Community Partnership which brings together all the public sector, and voluntary • Work with the Department for Work & and community organisations in Bassetlaw Pensions to maintain access and assistance to maximise the outcomes for local people for people, particularly in the preparation for through four themes: Aspire, Healthier, the introduction of the Universal Credit Prosper and Safer. system in 2017. • Working with the local Clinical • Ensure that people have access to well Commissioning Group and Bassetlaw co-ordinated advice and information Hospital to develop a joint working services through shared services with other approach to dealing with residents’ health public sector agencies. needs. • Support local people and prevent them falling into hardship as a consequence of the Government’s Welfare Reform changes through work with the 2Shires Credit Union, the Council’s funding to the Bassetlaw Citizen’s Advice Bureau, and Hope Community Services.
2.
Standing Up For Local People We will:
•
Develop a series of service and advice centres across the District to minimise service exclusion for people in some of our more rural communities that cannot easily travel, or who have limited access to the internet.
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Local Living Standards
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