6 minute read
www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk
Why?
• 1 in 22 children in Northern Ireland have a diagnosis of Autism*7 .
Autism is lifelong, and affects the social and communication centre of the brain. It affects the way an individual relates to people, situations and the immediate environment. Many individuals with autism have difficulty processing everyday sensory information like sight, smells, touch, taste and sounds*8 .
• Improving people’s health and wellbeing (and reducing health inequalities) is one of residents’ top five priorities for making the local area a good place to live*9 .
What you will see
• Continued rollout of an awareness-raising programme.
• Additional Council venues securing Autism IMPACT Awards.
• Additional Council staff recognised as ‘Autism Champions’, to advocate on behalf of individuals with autism within Council venues and events.
• Continued rollout of ‘Just A Minute’ (JAM) Awareness Training to
Council staff.
How we will measure progress
• 4 additional ‘Autism Friendly’, virtual or in-person, public awareness sessions held for businesses, Council staff or the local community by March 2023.
• At least 90% of attendees reporting that their knowledge of autism has increased following the training sessions.
• 3 additional Council-owned facilities securing Autism IMPACT
Awards by March 2023.
• 6 additional Council staff recognised as ‘Autism Champions’ by
March 2023.
• An additional 100 Council staff completing ‘Just A Minute’ (JAM)
Awareness Training by March 2023.
Who is responsible?
• Director of Community.
*7 2021, Prevalence of Autism in school aged children, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety *8 https://www.autismni.org/about-1 *9 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Household Survey 2018.
Why?
• Our services will be more effective and efficient, providing greater satisfaction and value for money for ratepayers.
• Digital transformation will lead to improved management reporting and will support better and more informed decisionmaking.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasised the need for greater flexibility in delivering online services. ICT can be used as a driving tool to minimise face-to-face scenarios and help ensure our services are more accessible.
• Our Household Survey (2018) found that 39% of residents said they would like to be able to report a problem online, 37% would like to book activities, 27% would like to buy tickets and 22% would like to pay bills*10 .
What you will see
• Continued implementation of Council’s Agile Framework, through delivery of a number of citizen-focused projects to include:
• Redesign of Council’s website, developed from user experience feedback (Phase 3).
• Expansion of the Automated Customer Call System into an additional service area.
• Implementation of the new Northern Ireland Planning Portal for Mid and East Antrim.
• Digital transformation of at least one customer-facing service.
How we will measure progress
• A minimum of 4 digital projects completed by March 2023.
Who is responsible?
• Director of Corporate Services
Improvement Objective
Grow the economy and create jobs.
Support the communities within the historic conservation area of Carrickfergus, contributing to the sustainability of the local economy.
Support our citizens’ health and wellbeing by providing quality, inclusive play and recreation facilities, and promoting safe and responsible outdoor recreation.
Improve our infrastructure to encourage electric vehicle uptake in the Borough to reduce emissions and protect the environment for future generations.
Autism Friendly Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
Improve customer engagement and service delivery by enhancing our use of information technology. What you will see
• A series of pre-employment programmes to upskill and enable residents to access employment opportunities that provide a progressive career pathway. • The promotion of new jobs in the Borough by successfully delivering the ‘Go for It’ Programme. • An effective and efficient Planning Service to maximise economic development.
• Up to 10 buildings of historical and architectural interest restored (including eight existing awarded schemes), through the Townscape
Heritage Initiative, with Council and Heritage Lottery grant assistance, by December 2022 (subject to funder approval). • The local community will have a better understanding of built heritage. • Increased inward investment and local employment opportunities related both directly and indirectly to heritage and tourism growth.
• Delivery of four replacement Play Parks across the Borough. • Three new/upgraded Multi Use Games Areas (MUGA) / kick-about areas. • A programme of training and development opportunities for people to take part in safe and sustainable outdoor recreation.
• Target of two ‘rapid’ electric vehicle chargers installed at strategic locations in the Borough by March 2023, as part of the cross-border
FASTER project (subject to a successful external funding application). • Minimum of 12 ‘fast’ chargers installed throughout the Council area by
March 2023, as part of the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), (subject to a successful external funding application). • Communications and awareness campaign to influence behavioural change toward electric vehicle use.
• Continued rollout of an awareness-raising programme. • Additional Council venues securing Autism IMPACT Awards. • Additional Council staff recognised as ‘Autism Champions’, to advocate on behalf of individuals with autism within Council venues and events. • Continued rollout of ‘Just A Minute’ (JAM) Awareness Training to
Council staff.
• Continued implementation of Council’s Agile Framework, through delivery of a number of citizen-focused projects to include: - Redesign of Council’s website, developed from user experience feedback (Phase 3). - Expansion of the Automated Customer Call System into an additional service area. - Implementation of the new Northern Ireland Planning Portal for Mid and East Antrim. - Digital transformation of at least one customer-facing service.
By when *11
March 2023
December 2022
March 2023
March 2023
March 2023
March 2023
We welcome ongoing feedback on our Performance Improvement Plan. If you would like to make any comments, our contact details are on our website www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/PIP
*11 Timescales are subject to change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Performance Improvement Plan 2022/23 aligns with the key priorities of both the Community Plan and the Corporate Plan, and outlines some of the improvement areas that we intend to focus on in the year ahead.
The six proposed Improvement Objectives for 2022/23 are summarised below, and we are keen to hear your views on them. Have we got these Improvement Objectives right (please tick)?
Improvement Objectives Yes No Don’t Know Comments
1. Grow the economy and create jobs.
2. Support the communities within the historic conservation area of Carrickfergus, contributing to the sustainability of the local economy. 3. Support our citizens’ health and wellbeing by providing quality, inclusive play and recreation facilities, and promoting safe and responsible outdoor recreation. 4. Improve our infrastructure to encourage electric vehicle uptake in the Borough to reduce emissions and protect the environment for future generations.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this consultation.
Return all questionnaires to: Corporate Performance Team, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ You can also complete the consultation online on our website: www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/consultations The deadline for responses is Tuesday 24 May 2022 at 12 noon.
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is collecting your personal information as part of the consultation exercise on our Performance Improvement Plan 2022/23. We will keep your information secure, accurate, and for no longer than necessary in accordance with data protection law. If you wish to find out more about how we control and process your personal data and protect your privacy please visit: www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/privacy-notice Are you: (please tick)
A Resident
A Business
From the Community / Voluntary Sector An Elected Member
