Corporate Plan 2023-2027 & Performance Improvement Plan 2023-2024 Consultation

Foreword from our Senior Management Team

This will be Council’s third Corporate Plan. It will act as our blueprint for ensuring we remain focused on achieving our vision and purpose as well as guiding us to realise our values.

Over the last number of years, our borough has experienced considerable challengesparticularly during the global pandemic. COVID-19 challenged our communities and local businesses in ways many of us have never faced before and the long-term impacts will be felt across Mid and East Antrim for years to come.

At the same time, we could not be prouder of our communities, businesses and staff who worked tirelessly to come together and support those most in need of help. As a Council, we quickly adapted, developing innovative ways of working to ensure that our residents continued to receive vital services.

Our communities and businesses are still feeling the effects of this pandemic, and now we have the new challenge of a cost of living crisis.

The impacts of both these crises has forced Council to re-think its priorities for the coming years and this plan sets out how, along with our partners we will deliver on these priorities.

There will certainly be challenges and hurdles along the way, but by continuing to work together for Mid and East Antrim, we will create a place that everyone will be proud to call home.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Senior Management Team

Mid and East Antrim will be a strong, vibrant, safe and inclusive community where people work together to improve the quality of life for all

As the Senior Management Team of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, we would like to welcome you to our proposed Corporate Plan for 2023-2027 and invite you to share your thoughts.

A little introduction

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is proud to be a multiaward winning, ambitious and forward-thinking council.

We are providing more services to citizens than ever before. These range from responsibility for waste management, leisure and parks, to our crucial role in economic growth and investment in the borough; health, education and community safety as well as being tasked with safeguarding our environment.

Our Corporate Plan sits at the heart of everything we do. It steers our strategic direction, shapes our services and sets the performance targets against which we will measure our success in delivering our vision.

Every four years, the Corporate Plan is revisited to ensure our work meets the needs of the borough and delivers on behalf of everyone who lives, works and invests in Mid and East Antrim.

With the third term of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council due to begin in 2023, this consultation document sets out the proposed themes and objectives that will guide our work to 2027.

Our Vision

What we want from you

We are seeking your views on our proposed strategic themes and objectives for the next Corporate Plan covering 20232027, alongside our proposed improvement objectives in our annual Performance Improvement Plan 2023-2024.

Your feedback on this consultation is very important to us and we welcome your comments. All responses will

be carefully analysed and considered, to help shape this next Corporate Plan and Performance Improvement Plan.

To share your views, please see the questionnaires on pages 28-32 or complete the online surveys via

midandeastantrim.gov.uk/ consultations

Mid and East Antrim will be a strong, vibrant, safe and inclusive community, where people work together to improve the quality of life for all

How our Corporate Plan links into other strategies

Together these make up the complex strategic landscape in which we operate and are fundamental to our success.

Primarily our Corporate Plan will support the delivery of the Programme for Government –aimed at improving wellbeing for all by tackling disadvantage and driving economic growth.

Internally, the Corporate Plan connects to other council plans, including the Community Plan, the Local Development Plan and the Performance Improvement Plan.

The Corporate Plan also includes our corporate objectives and guides our annual business planning process. This ensures that everything we do is aimed at achieving the objectives and ultimately our vision for the borough.

Our Corporate Plan has been developed with guidance from a number of external and internal influences known as strategic drivers. These drivers include people, conditions and information - all introducing and supporting actions which help us define and achieve our goals.

Delivering our Corporate Plan

As a council, we have a Performance Management Framework to drive performance and continuous improvement within the organisation. Performance is measured and managed at all levels and the framework links together all the corporate planning processes that we have in place.

The following diagram demonstrates how strategic objectives within the Community Plan and Corporate Plan cascade through to the annual business plans and, ultimately, to every employee's individual work objectives.

How we got here

During the summer of 2022, Council commissioned a Residents’ Survey to gain a comprehensive understanding of the views of our residents on their:

• awareness and use of Council services, including satisfaction levels

• contact and communication with Council

• perspective of the borough as a place to live

• perspectives on Council’s priorities

• levels of health and wellbeing in the borough.

This ensured that we shaped the Plan based on what our residents felt was most important for our borough for the period 2023-2027.

We began the process of developing our Corporate Plan in April 2022, and have been actively engaging with our residents, staff and Elected Members through a variety of surveys and workshops.

You told us

71% of residents were satisfied with Mid and East Antrim as a place to live

88% of residents reported feeling very or fairly safe when outside in their local area during the day

53% felt the borough is a good area for attractions and tourism

55% felt that the borough is a good area for supporting physical activity

48% felt that the borough has a skilled and adaptable workforce

57% of respondents felt they had a sense of belonging to their area

65% felt the borough is one where people have easy access to the natural environment and built assets

51% of residents would like to see more local services to improve mental health and wellbeing

45% of residents would like to see more support services for children, families and those with disabilities

89% of residents stated that they felt recycling was either very or quite important

Our proposed plan

During consultations with Elected Members and staff, we paid careful consideration to the social, economic and environmental factors that are likely to impact upon Council as we move into the new term.

With this in mind, we are proposing that the Strategic Theme of ‘Our Environment’ become a wrap-around theme. This will ensure all our plans are considered for their environmental impact during development. Our other five Strategic Themes will largely remain unchanged.

Jobs & Tourism

Community Safety & Cohesion

Mid and East Antrim will be a strong, vibrant, safe & inclusive community, where people work together to improve the quality of life for all

Learning for Life Good Health & Wellbeing

It is our intention to deliver the same longer-term vision for the borough that is set out in the Community Plan up to 2030. This will sit at the centre of our strategic themes, as shown in the diagram below.

“We will identify ways to increase local jobs and employment opportunities plus develop our tourism offering so that we can attract more visitors to the borough and make it a better place to do business and visit.”

Jobs and Tourism

Objectives

• Position and promote Mid and East Antrim as a dynamic, outward-looking region that welcomes and supports inward investment.

• Through a variety of support programmes, grow, support and sustain new and existing businesses.

• Drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth through investing in our people, our places and our businesses.

• Create a compelling tourism proposition by investing in the development and promotion of our unique cultural, arts and heritage assets.

• Attract more domestic and international visitors to the borough to stay longer and spend more.

“We will work with our partners and local residents to create safe and inclusive communities where everyone has a shared sense of belonging and pride.”

Community Safety and Cohesion

Objectives

Work alongside partners to:

• Encourage good relations, civic pride and a sense of belonging by creating vibrant, shared, cohesive and inclusive communities across the borough.

• Build the capacity of local communities to improve resilience and self-sustainability.

• Improve community safety and confidence, enabling people to feel and be safe by providing early intervention and supporting those most at risk of becoming involved in crime.

• Provide support to vulnerable people who need it.

3,945 56.7% 160

number of anti-social behaviour incidents recorded in 2021/2022, this is down from 5,308 in 2020/2021

of people feel that their cultural identity is respected by society (2018-2020)

number of incidents recorded with a hate crime motivation in 2021/2022, this is an increase from 123 in 2020/2021

“We will support our residents to develop a sense of ambition by providing opportunities for lifelong learning.”

Objectives

• Develop the skills needed to embrace opportunities for a prosperous and more sustainable future.

• Through our various programmes, develop a sense of ambition towards achievement regardless of location, community background or socio-economic factors.

• Promote to stakeholders the benefits of creating volunteer and enhanced work experience opportunities.

• Lead by example by developing and implementing a work placement programme within Council.

• Support our staff to achieve their full potential by investing in training, development and cross Council collaborative opportunities.

“We will support our residents to improve their physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing, by providing inclusive facilities and spaces where they can be active.”

Good Health and Wellbeing

Objectives

• Deliver a coordinated partnership approach to improve the physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing of our residents.

• Ensure our residents and visitors have accessible and inclusive Council facilities.

• Enable vulnerable groups within our borough to be active, respected and supported in their community.

• Encourage our staff to use the resources and tools available to improve and maintain their physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

“We will work together to realise our potential and provide our residents and businesses with innovative and cost effective services that benefit the borough as a whole.”

High Performing and Sustainable Council

Objectives

• Take the lead on delivering both the Community Plan and the Local Development Plan, working effectively with our partners and residents.

• Increase customer satisfaction with our services through innovation and continuous improvement by proactively engaging with and listening to our staff, customers and residents.

• Using an agile delivery model and adapting to changing landscapes, be recognised as a leading council, ensuring value for money and affordability of council services, facilities and assets.

• Deliver our activities and functions in a sustainable manner, integrating social, economic and environmental factors when planning or decision-making, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

• Embed our REALISE values in our day-to-day working environment, ensuring our employees feel supported and motivated to achieve their full potential.

90% of complaints and information requests resolved at informal stage 30

94.7% calendar days

of payments made within

Top performing Council in two of the three statutory indicators for planning

“We will work alongside our residents and businesses to develop a positive and caring attitude towards the environment through education and empowerment.”

Objectives

•

•

• Support local communities to create an environmentally resilient and sustainable borough.

• Invest to improve and develop our parks, open spaces and built heritage ensuring they meet the needs of citizens and visitors and promote the considerate use of all spaces.

• Lead by example and reduce the impact of Council services to improve and sustainably manage our environment, protecting it for future generations.

Statutory Performance Indicators

Within each of these areas, a number of Performance Indicators have been set, as outlined in the table opposite.

Our arrangements to meet these statutory indicators are through the delivery of our services in Planning, Economic Development and Waste.

We closely monitor the delivery of our Statutory Performance Indicators to ensure they are progressing in line with our targets. They are also outlined within our annual business plans.

We publish our performance against the achievement of our targets on our website every three months at midandeastantrim.gov.uk/ improvement

In addition to the improvement areas identified by us, the Department for Communities (DfC) also sets targets for councils in the functional areas of Planning, Economic Development and Waste.

Performance Improvement Plan

Each year we develop a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to improve delivery of our services throughout Mid and East Antrim. This is part of the framework put in place by The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 to support continuous improvement in the delivery of council services.

For us, “improvement” is not limited to gains in service output or efficiencies. It is about focusing on the issues that are important to our citizens and customers, helping us achieve our vision of improving the quality of life for all. Details of our proposed Improvement Objectives for 2023-2024 can be found in the table opposite.

Improvement Objective

What we will do

By when

• Deliver various programmes to encourage entrepreneurship and employability

• Provide support programmes to businesses within the borough

• Deliver an effective and efficient Planning service to maximise economic development.

• Enhance Ballymena and Larne town centres through public realm improvement works

• Promote clean and attractive towns and streets across the borough

• Develop Implementation Plans for delivery of the Town Centre Investment Strategies for Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne

• Support the historic conservation of Carrickfergus, contributing to the sustainability of the local economy.

Supporting MEA citizens’ health and wellbeing by providing quality, sustainable, inclusive opportunities to use parks and open spaces to encourage and promote regular, safe and responsible use

• Deliver our Fixed Play Investment Strategy, to replace a number of play parks across the borough

• Deliver three new or upgraded Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs) or “kick-about” areas across the borough

• Work with the community to provide more opportunities to enjoy the borough’s green spaces and participate in environmental projects.

Working

Improving

Improving customer engagement and service delivery by enhancing the Council’s use of information technology

• Build an Autism Friendly Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

• Work with our partners to progress the delivery of the Age-Friendly Action plan for Mid and East Antrim

• Support the development of a borough-wide “Landlords’ Forum”.

• Install a target of 3 “rapid” electric vehicle chargers (50kW, 80% charge in 20 minutes) at strategic locations across the borough as part of the cross-border FASTER project

• Install a minimum of 12 “fast” chargers (22kW, charge in 1-2 hours) across the borough as part of the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS)

• Assist with and promote a communications and awareness campaign to influence behavioural change towards electric vehicle use.

March 2024

March 2024

March 2024

• Continue the implementation of the Council’s “Agile Framework”, through the delivery of a number of citizen-focused projects.

March 2024

December 2023

March 2024

Growing the economy and creating jobs

Revitalising our towns through regeneration initiatives

in partnership to support our residents, particularly those who are vulnerable

infrastructure to encourage electric vehicle uptake in the borough to reduce emissions and protect the environment for future generations

We’d like to hear your views on our new Corporate Plan

We are proposing to include the following strategic themes and objectives in our Corporate Plan for 2023-2027. Full details on each theme can be found on pages 12-23 of this consultation document. Please tell us if we have got these themes right.

Have we got our Strategic Themes right? (Please tick)

Theme Have we got it right? Your Comments Yes No Unsure Jobs and Tourism Community Safety and Cohesion Learning for Life Good Health and Wellbeing High Performing and Sustainable Council

Objectives

Jobs and Tourism

• Position and promote MEA as a dynamic, outward-looking region that welcomes and supports inward investment.

• Through a variety of support programmes, grow, support and sustain new and existing businesses.

• Drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth through investing in our people, our places and our businesses.

• Create a compelling tourism proposition by investing in the development and promotion of our unique cultural, arts and heritage assets.

• Attract more domestic and international visitors to the borough to stay longer and spend more.

Community Safety and Cohesion

Work alongside partners to:

• Encourage good relations, civic pride and a sense of belonging by creating vibrant, shared, cohesive and inclusive communities across the borough.

• Improve community safety and confidence, enabling people to feel and be safe by providing early intervention and supporting those most at risk of becoming involved in crime.

• Build the capacity of local communities to improve resilience and self-sustainability.

• Provide support to vulnerable people who need it.

Learning for Life

• Develop the skills needed to embrace opportunities for a prosperous and more sustainable future.

• Through our various programmes, develop a sense of ambition towards achievement regardless of location, community background or socio-economic factors.

• Promote to stakeholders the benefits of creating volunteer and enhanced work experience opportunities.

• Lead by example by developing and implementing a work placement programme within Council.

• Support our staff to achieve their full potential by investing in training, development and cross Council collaborative opportunities.

Comments

Comments

Comments

Have we got it right?

Have we got it right?

Have we got it right?

Have we got our Strategic Objectives right?

Good Health and Wellbeing

• Deliver a coordinated partnership approach to improve the physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing of our residents.

• Ensure our residents and visitors have accessible and inclusive Council facilities.

• Enable vulnerable groups within our borough to be active, respected and supported in their community.

• Encourage our staff to use the resources and tools available to improve and maintain their physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

High Performing and Sustainable Council

• Take the lead on delivering both the Community Plan and the Local Development Plan, working effectively with our partners and residents.

• Increase customer satisfaction with our services through innovation and continuous improvement by proactively engaging with and listening to our staff, customers and residents.

• Using an agile delivery model and adapting to changing landscapes, be recognised as a leading council, ensuring value for money and affordability of council services, facilities and assets.

• Deliver our activities and functions in a sustainable manner, integrating social, economic and environmental factors when planning or decision-making, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

• Embed our REALISE values in our day-to-day working environment, ensuring our employees feel supported and motivated to achieve their full potential.

Comments

Our Environment

• Deliver the Local Development Plan in line with Council’s climate and sustainability commitments.

• Empower, educate and work in partnership with our citizens and local businesses to progress towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

• Invest to improve and develop our parks, open spaces and built heritage ensuring they meet the needs of citizens and visitors and promote the considerate use of all spaces.

• Support local communities to create an environmentally resilient and sustainable borough.

• Lead by example and reduce the impact of Council services to improve and sustainably manage our environment, protecting it for future generations.

Comments

Comments

Have we got it right?

Have we got it right?

Have we got it right? Yes No

We’d also like to hear your views on our annual Improvement Objectives

We are proposing to include the following Improvement Objectives in our Performance Improvement Plan for 2023-2024. Full details on the objectives can be found on pages 26-27. We are keen to hear your views on these projects.

Have we got our annual Improvement Objectives right? (Please tick)

Our Objectives

Growing the economy and creating jobs.

Revitalising our towns through regeneration initiatives.

Have we got it right? Your Comments Yes No Unsure

Supporting MEA citizens’ health and wellbeing by providing quality, sustainable, inclusive opportunities to use parks and open spaces to encourage and promote regular, safe and responsible use.

Working in partnership to support our residents, particularly those who are vulnerable.

Improving infrastructure to encourage electric vehicle uptake in the borough to reduce emissions and protect the environment for future generations.

Improving customer engagement and service delivery by enhancing the Council’s use of information technology.

And finally a little bit about you.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this consultation questionnaire.

What to do next

Please return completed questionnaires to:

Corporate Plan Consultation

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council 1-29 Bridge Street Ballymena BT43 5EJ

Online submissions

You can also complete the consultation online at our website: midandeastantrim. gov.uk/consultations

Returns deadline

The deadline for responses is Tuesday 04 April 2023

Ongoing feedback

If you would like to comment on our Strategic Themes and Objectives or suggest an area for improvement at any time throughout the year, please email us at: performance@ midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Data protection

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is collecting your personal information as part of the consultation exercise on our Corporate Plan 20232027 and Performance Improvement Plan 2023-2024. We will keep your information secure, accurate, and for no longer than is necessary in accordance with data protection laws. If you wish to find out more about how we control and process your personal data and protect your privacy, please visit midandeastantrim.gov.uk/ privacy-notice

2023-2027 Consultation

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council 1-29 Bridge Street Ballymena BT43 5EJ

Tel: 0300 1245 000 enquiries@midandeastantrim.gov.uk www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Other formats

If you would like this publication in an alternative format, such as large print, or another language, please email communications@midandeastantrim.gov.uk