Corporate Plan 2019 - 2023 | Progress Report April 2021 - September 2021
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Mid and East Antrim Borough Council 1-29 Bridge Street Ballymena BT43 5EJ T: 0300 1245 000 E: enquiries@midandeastantrim.gov.uk W: www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk
www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/corporateplan
1. Introduction
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11. Statutory Performance Indicators
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Good Health and Wellbeing
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8. Learning for Life
Learning for Life in
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Community Safety and Cohesion
Community Safety & Cohesion
Good Health & Wellbeing
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The Corporate Plan was developed to align with the Borough’s Community Plan ‘Putting People First’ and we have adopted the same vision:
Mid and East Antrim will be a strong, vibrant, safe & inclusive community, where people work together to improve quality of life for all.
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Our Environment
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Sustainable Jobs & Tourism
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Sustainable Jobs and Tourism
Council’s second Corporate Plan was launched in July 2019 and sets the strategic direction for the 2019-2023 period. The Plan will be delivered under six strategic themes as shown in the diagram.
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Our Environment
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3. COVID-19 Response and Arrangements 4. Performance Overview
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2. Mid and East Antrim in numbers
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council was established on 1st April 2015 by the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.
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1. Introduction
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Contents
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.
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is committed to reporting on the delivery of the Corporate Plan every six months. This has the following benefits:
The Corporate Plan themes have been aligned to those of the Community Plan. Note that the title of the Community Plan ‘Progress in Education’ theme has been changed to ‘Learning for Life’ to better reflect the nature of the education work carried out within Council. A ‘High Performing Council’ theme has been added to capture the internal work which is performed within Council to drive delivery of our Corporate Plan.
• It provides Elected Members with an opportunity to review the corporate objectives and key performance indicators set within the Corporate Plan. Regular reporting provides assurance that Council’s objectives are being delivered and that Council is working towards the realisation of its vision for the Borough. This ensures that the needs of local communities are being met.
• An internal evaluation allows Council to examine its services, achievements and processes to assess how well it is meeting its stated objectives and to refocus and re-prioritise as necessary.
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2. Mid and East Antrim in numbers £
Sustainable Jobs & Tourism
Community Safety & Cohesion
£448 the gross all persons median earnings in Mid and East Antrim, compared to £469 across Northern Ireland (2021).
Our Environment
Learning for Life
£57.4m the expenditure of overnight visitors to the borough (2019). £
5,040
recorded in 2020/21 a 13% reduction on previous year. is the average number of crimes per 1,000 population. This is lower than the Northern Ireland average of 50 (2020/21).
02 | Corporate Performance Report
High Performing Council
7
286,337 overnight visitor trips made to Mid and East Antrim - accounting for 5% of trips made to Northern Ireland in 2019..
registered businesses in Mid and East Antrim (2021).
6,185 crimes
44.5
Good Health & Wellbeing
Local Nature Reserves (2021).
Destination of School Leavers
78%
of households in the borough concerned for the environment compared to 78% across NI (2019/20).
Higher Education 50.3% Further Education 25% Employment 10% Training 9.2% Unemployment/Unknown 5.5% (2019/20).
56.7% of people in Mid and East Antrim felt that their cultural identity is respected by society (20182020).
80% people who stated their general health was good / very good
20%
people with a long-term health problem / disability that limits their day-to-day activities (2011).
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3. COVID-19 Response and Arrangements In March 2020, following the announcement of measures by the UK Government to tackle the COVID-19 virus, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council invoked its Emergency Plan and a number of Council services were closed with immediate effect. To ensure minimal disruption and to continue to provide vital services to our residents, Council put in place measures to guarantee many services continued to operate as normal. Additionally, some vital new services were introduced, such as the Remote Call Centre, which provided residents and business owners with advice and support on how to stay safe.
To ensure Council services were available to as many residents as possible, a number of services were digitally transformed, including live broadcast of Council and Committee meetings and the use of digital events. The Council has been able to expand on its digital offering and a number of new digital services have been established, including the new Contact Centre System, powered by Amazon Connect within Council’s Waste department.
Council expanded its business support programmes and provided vital advice and support to local businesses impacted by the COVID pandemic, running multiple online information sessions and webinars.
In September 2021, Council were awarded the APSE ‘Best Service Team’ award for its innovative COVID Confidence Scheme, the first of its kind undertaken by any Northern Ireland council during the pandemic. The scheme was launched in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2020 and to date, 661 COVID Confidence Mark awards have been issued by Council as recognition of the efforts local businesses have made to ensure all the appropriate safety measures have been taken to protect shoppers and staff alike.
Council worked extensively with local communities to support those most in need, distributing over 6,000 food parcels and awarding over £100,000 through the Community Support Grant Scheme during the first year of the pandemic. For the 2021/22 year, Council have secured additional funding from the Department for Communities to assist with ongoing COVID-19 issues that are affecting the most vulnerable people in our communities, including the Food and Essential Supplies Fund of £103.4k and the Community Support Programme top up fund of £152.6k. 04 | Corporate Performance Report
Council remains flexible in its approach to combating the pandemic, at all times following the advice of the Public Health Agency. Further details on some of the services that Council has delivered during the last six months can be found on the opposite page.
20 Education
& Training Programmes Delivered
640 Participants at MEActive Summer Programmes
5 Green Flags Awards 3 Seaside Awards 3 Blue Flags
184 local households
referred to the DfI
Affordable Warmth Scheme
3,195+ hours of one-toone mentoring delivered
ShopMEA app succesfully launched
65 Museum & heritage based events held
86
grant funding has been awarded
9 local community groups secured Live
3
435 MEActive sessions
66% of available
participants from Employability Programmes gaining employment
planters installed in
1,770 Participants at
service requests placed to Council’s Waste team
wildflower beds planted
10 recycled plastic each of MEA’s main towns
20,995
11 New
Here
Love Here funding
269
Local Businesses Engaged & Supported
23 Town
centre events held
14,252 Visitors to The Gobbins
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4. Performance Overview Council has continued to provide high standards of service delivery, within a challenging environment. Our arrangements for securing continuous improvement are set out within the Council’s Performance Management Framework which includes our annual Performance Improvement Plan and annual business plans. Within the Corporate Plan, governance arrangements are set out that provide a mechanism for monitoring Council’s performance during the period 2019-2023. To ensure full delivery of the Corporate Plan, 25 corporate objectives have been developed that underpin our six strategic themes. In addition, a suite of 27 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) has been designed to ensure that progress can be continually monitored and
measured on a timely basis, with appropriate action taken, where necessary. Council’s performance management system is used to monitor and report progress against the corporate objectives and KPIs against their associated targets. Performance for the first 6 months of 2021/22 is outlined in the ‘wheel’ opposite. The summary ‘wheel’ captures progress made against the 27 corporate KPIs and the corporate objectives that are defined at a strategic level within Directors’ business plans. In the following sections, these are explored in more detail, within each of the six strategic themes. For each
Overall summary of performance
theme, key achievements from April 2021 to September 2021, have been summarised along with a detailed analysis of the KPIs. This report focusses on significant achievements and does not provide detail on all progress attained over the last 6 months. More detail on service specific projects is provided in Directorate business plans that are scrutinised at Audit and Scrutiny Committee every 6 months. The results show that the majority of actions and key performance indicators are on track. Of the 132 objectives and indicators, 111 have already been achieved or are on track, 9 are delayed but progressing, 1 has not met the set target and 11 are not yet due.
111 targets achieved/on track 9 targets delayed but progressing 1 target not achieved 11 targets not yet due
The KPI showing red is as follows: Number of days spent on employee training. Learning for Life
An average of 0.32 days were spent on employee training versus the 6-month target of 1.5 days. The pandemic has resulted in an increase in online and remote learning. These forms of learning tend to be shorter sessions with directed reading, resulting in less recorded training time. Council are transitioning towards a more agile approach to Learning and Development, which will take the form of a Learning Platform.
i We have outlined our progress towards meeting our objectives as follows: Green | Achieved/On track Amber | Delayed but progressing Red | Not achieved/stopped Grey | Not yet due/ Not available
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Objectives: What we will do by 2023
Nicola Rowles Director of Development
Performance Summary:
1. Grow, support and sustain new and existing businesses through council and other initiatives.
Number of businesses engaged across business support programmes
269 businesses engaged
We have engaged with an additional 269 businesses between April 2021 and September 2021.
2. Position MEA as a dynamic, outward-looking region which welcomes and supports inward investment. 3. Enable entrepreneurs to deliver economic growth through partnership and other supports.
This includes participants on our Amplify Business Escalator, NIBSUP, Yes You Can, Enterprising Women, SPARK, Digital Boost, Bid2Win, SPROUT and Fresh Start Over 50s programmes.
4. Attract more visitors to stay longer and spend more through the delivery of our tourism strategy. 5. Create a compelling tourism and economic proposition by developing and investing in our unique heritage and assets.
Key Performance Indicators
22 targets achieved/on track. 1 target not yet due.
Key achievements to shop locally. and address the skills shortages • Council have supported 269 within the sector. local businesses during the first six • The Rural Small Grants Scheme months of the year, providing over has ran for the 3rd successive year, • Council were the proud sponsor of 3,000 hours of one-to-one bespoke enabling businesses to apply for the ISPS HANDA World Invitational mentoring. financial help on items such as Golf event held at Galgorm Castle • Council have been successful in computer equipment, E-commerce and Massereene golf courses in securing over £500k from the websites, new machinery and July. The tournament was broadcast UK Community Renewal Fund to COVID-19 related business recovery to a global audience, placing Mid equipment. and East Antrim on the global stage help fund a Hydrogen Training Academy. The Academy will help as a world class golfing destination • The Invest MEA website has been and will have significant direct develop a dynamic and skilled launched to help boost investment workforce that can take full economic benefit for the borough. in the borough. The website advantage of hydrogen and Clean provides potential investors with • We are proud to support Gracehill Tech opportunities. information on major investment village’s international bid for World • Working alongside The Gallaher sites and opportunities, as well as Heritage Status from UNESCO. details of wider economic initiatives, Success would raise the global Trust and the Northern Regional College, we have established such as the BuySupplyNI portal. profile of the borough, support the local economy and would a Manufacturing Excellence • The 50+ Fresh Start Programme Academy. The Academy, the first positively impact upon education, was launched, aiming to provide of its kind, will see individuals regeneration, quality of life and civic support to those aged 50 and boost their skills and help secure pride. over who want to explore potential employment with local opportunities available to them • We have worked in partnership manufacturing companies, helping through entrepreneurship and selfwith P&O Ferries to develop an to secure the future growth of employment. “Experiences Blog”. The blog manufacturing in the borough. highlights various experiences • Council hosted a Hospitality and • We have launched the ShopMEA within the borough including Tourism Skills Breakfast to bring App, which is a revolutionary new Carnlough Bay Boat Tours, employers, training providers and marketplace platform, to help Hillstown Brewery, Trout Tours NI, employability support organisations support businesses within the Lead the Way Tours and Hot Milk together to create better linkages borough and encourage residents Forge.
Number of jobs promoted through business start-up activity
We have promoted 59 jobs through the Business Start Up programme between April 2021 and September 2021.
Target
Achieved
300 Jobs created
Sustainable Jobs & Tourism
200 120
100 0
148
193
140
124
122
94
59
15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 YTD
Despite the continuing challenges due to COVID-19, we are on track to meet the annual target of 120 jobs. This is a new, increased target for 2021/22, with the previous years having had a target of 85 jobs.
Visitors at strategic tourist attractions
This indicator counts the number of visitors at The Gobbins, Carrickfergus Castle, Arthur Cottage, Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Museum.
18,150 ticket sales
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, visitor numbers were strong with 18,150 visitors in the first 6 months of the year.
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Our Environment Objectives: What we will do by 2023
Philip Thompson Director of Operations
Performance Summary:
1. Deliver high quality places where people want to live, work and invest, using the Local Development Plan, regeneration and excellence in leadership.
3. Encourage people to value our natural environment and built heritage, by enhancing responsible access to it and promoting the benefits it offers for our health and wellbeing. 24 targets achieved/on track. 1 target delayed but progressing. 1 target not yet due.
• Over £13,000 in funding was awarded to local community groups through the Live Here Love Here Small Grants Scheme. This funding enables volunteers, groups and schools to undertake practical community based projects that will improve the quality of their local environment.
is this bringing enjoyment to local residents, it is going someway to helping reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. • In June 2021 Council officially launched its first Community Fridge at Eden Allotment Gardens in Carrickfergus. It is a platform for sharing surplus food within the community to reduce food waste going to landfill and in turn helps to alleviate food poverty.
• Council have worked in partnership with Ballygally Biodiversity Group, Cairndhu Golf Club, Ulster Wildlife and Belfast Zoo to successfully reintroduce red squirrels back into • To date over 50,000 trees have been Carnfunnock Country Park. The planted through the MEA4Trees species has been returned to its natural environment and enhanced programme. With plans to plant a further 36,000 trees this winter, we the biodiversity of the local area. will surpass our target of 58,000 • Council have appointed a Climate trees after only 2 years. & Sustainability Manager, who is • We successfully launched the Little Free Toybox at the People’s Park in partnership with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. Passers-by can lift a toy to play with or leave a toy for someone else to enjoy. Not only
Major awards secured and maintained
Adaption Plan. • We have published Council’s Environmental Performance and Carbon Footprint report. • Council are working to promote the borough to become a Sustainable Food Place. A 6-month consultation period with organisations and community stakeholders has been carried out and a Draft Action Plan drawn up. • We have collaborated with Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council to deliver an online Climate Change Roadshow event, aimed at raising awareness and understanding of climate change amongst our residents and businesses. The event was livestreamed to the COP26 Conference in Glasgow.
• Council have enjoyed fantastic success at this year’s “Ulster in Bloom” competition, picking up an working in partnership with Climate impressive 10 awards. A clean sweep NI to identify and prioritise actions was achieved in the Best Large Town for Council in line with the Adaption category, with Ballymena securing 1st Planning Cycle. We have developed a place, Carrickfergus 2nd place and risk register and are now working on Larne ranking joint 3rd place. the vision, aims and themes of our
12/14
We achieved 5 Green Flag awards in October 2021 at Bashfordsland Wood & Oakfield Glen, Carrickfergus Mill Ponds Shaftesbury Park & Marine Gardens, Diamond Jubilee Wood, Dixon Park and The People’s Park. In June 2021, 3 Seaside Awards at Ballygally, Brown’s Bay and Carnlough were retained. ISO 14001 accreditation was maintained across all services in August 2021. In June 2021, 3 Blue Flag awards at Carrickfergus, Portglenone and Glenarm were retained.
Key achievements • Council continue to be accredited to ISO 14001:2015 International Environmental Management Standard across all services. This ensures that Council reduces the impact of its services on the environment and improves its performance year on year.
In 2021/22, we are monitoring the achievement of the following environmental awards: Green Flags, Seaside Awards, ISO 14001, Blue Flags, Gold Anchor Awards and NI Environmental Benchmarking.
2. Improve and sustainably manage our environment, protecting it for future generations.
4. Lead by example and reduce the impact of council services on the environment.
Key Performance Indicators
Level of external investment secured per annum for regeneration projects
The Pat’s Brae public realm works in Ballymena are now complete, for which £280,000 funding was secured from the Department for Communities. Additional public realm works are progressing in Larne within 2021/22.
£
£280,000 investment YTD
‘Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’ Cleanliness Index
Scores closer to 100% indicate better performance and 66% is the point at which performance is considered acceptable.
Results expected before year end.
In 2020/21 Council achieved a score of 69%. This was above the NI average of 67%.
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Community Safety & Cohesion Objectives: What we will do by 2023
Katrina Morgan Director of Community
Performance Summary:
Number of anti-social behaviour incidents
The figures are based on annual data published by the PSNI. Early indications show a reduction on the 2020/21 figures.
1. Encourage good relations by creating vibrant, shared, and cohesive communities within the borough. 2. Improve community safety and confidence to enable people to feel safe and have a sense of belonging to their area.
6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 3,842
4,179
3,857
3,745
3,600
160
156
167
124
123
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
5,308
0 The number of anti-social behaviour incidents had 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 been trending downwards since 2006/07. However, the introduction of COVID-19 lockdown measures across 2020/21 led to an increase in the number of incidents across all eleven policing districts in Northern Ireland. The Policing and Community Safety Partnership Working Group continues to meet regularly, with a key focus on mapping anti-social behaviour hotspots and putting direct interventions in place.
3. Build the capacity of local communities to become resilient and self-sustainable. 4. Work with partners to provide support to vulnerable people who need it.
Key Performance Indicators
3 targets achieved/on track. 1 target delayed but progressing.
Key achievements • The Mid and East Antrim Support diversionary support networks and initiative delivered by the Mid and Hub is now in its fourth year of interventions.. East Antrim Loneliness Network. operation and continues to provide They provided people who were not • In July, Council recommenced a vital service to our communities. “digitally connected” with an android the Conflict Transformation and The multi-agency group focuses tablet device and offered wrap Srebrenica Programme with an on vulnerable individuals across the around support including benefits aim to promote positive relations Borough, with regular sharing of checks, financial advice and access characterised by respect, where information between the partners in to other schemes in partnership with cultural diversity is celebrated and order to develop appropriate support. Mid and East Antrim Community people can live, learn and socialise Council’s Support Hub Vulnerability Advice Service (MEACAS) and the together, free from prejudice, hate Navigator continues to support Loneliness Network. and intolerance. The programme those most vulnerable, signposting is financed through the European • During July and August, Council, them to relevant support services, Union and managed by the Special in collaboration with MEACAS, such as mental health support, drug EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). successfully delivered the “School and alcohol support, Mid and East Uniform Scheme”. The rising cost • Good Relations Week, co-ordinated Antrim Agewell Partnership, food of school uniforms can be a source by the Community Relations Council, banks and other services bespoke to of emotional and financial stress was successfully held in September, the individual requirements. for many low income families. with a mix of arts, history, music, • Council have successfully rolled Almost 200 families benefited from sport and culture-based events from out the No Hate Here campaign the scheme this year thanks to the a diverse range of organisations across the borough, identifying safe donations left at the household across the region. The theme this places for people who may have recycling centres across the year was, “Brighter Days Ahead” and been the victim of a hate crime. borough. focused on celebrating the efforts Over 60 locations such as retailers, of young people in their everyday • Council have successfully rolled libraries, leisure centres, coffee lives to break down barriers to unite out a “Quiet Hour” initiative at the shops, charity shops, churches and communities and act as a catalyst for revamped multi-sensory and ability healthcare providers have all agreed peace building and cultural diversity play area in the People’s Park in to participate. in our society. Council has made Ballymena. The one hour slots • Council are continuing to manage significant progress delivering upon are specially designed for children the Mid and East Antrim Youth both the Good Relations Action Plan who enjoy playing in a quieter Support Hub. The key objective and the Policing and Community environment. During the dedicated of this scheme is to identify Safety Partnership Action Plan. times, Council works to ensure there young people in our communities is no noisy machinery nearby and • Local residents were able to stay who would be susceptible to all visitors are asked to keep sound connected during the pandemic paramilitary influence and implement levels to a minimum. thanks to the Social Inclusion Tablets
Number of incidents recorded with a hate crime motivation
The figures are based on annual data published by the PSNI.
200 150 100 50 0
Over the last five years, the number of incidents rose to a high of 167 in the year 2018/19, falling to a low of 123 in 2020/21. This may be partially accredited to the ‘No Hate Here!’ initiative delivered in partnership with Council, PSNI and the Inter Ethnic Forum to raise awareness of the impact of hate crime.
% of people reporting that fear of crime has a minimal impact on their quality of life
83% 70% 69% 74% 68% 2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
2019/20
% of people with a sense of belonging to their area
89.2% 2015-17 88.7% 2016-18 93.1% 2017-19 88.7% 2018-20
The figures are based on annual data published by the Department of Justice via the Northern Ireland Safe Community Survey (previously known as the Northern Ireland Crime Survey). Between 2015/16 and 2019/20, the percentage of people in the Borough reporting that fear of crime has a minimal impact on their quality of life has fluctuated, but remains a considerable majority. Council seeks to reduce the impact of fear of crime through supporting the most vulnerable members of the community via partner organisations such as the Support Hub, and Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership. Community safety and cohesion strategies are a high priority and are addressed in collaboration with the PSNI via the Policing and Community Safety Partnership. The figures are based on annual data published by ARK via the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey. The percentage of people in the Borough who reported feeling a sense of belonging to their area in 2018-20 was 88.7%. Although this was a slight decrease on the 2017-19 result, the target of 88% was still achieved. As is our vision, Council are continually working to provide a strong, safe, vibrant and inclusive community for all. www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk
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Learning for life
Anne Donaghy Chief Executive
Objectives: What we will do by 2023
Performance Summary:
1. Work in partnership with the private and community sector to develop the skills needed to support sustained economic development in the borough.
3. Develop a joined-up approach to the delivery of education and training programmes in schools and in the wider community.
3 targets achieved/on track. 1 target not achieved.
Key achievements • Council have organised 16 webinars to provide support and guidance to local businesses within the borough, which were attended by almost 200 participants. Topics that the webinars covered included, Growing Ordinary into Extraordinary, Export Mid & East Antrim - The Export Journey, Digital Boost, Ground Yourself and Grow Your Business Base, and Core Web • Vitals - Are You Ready? • 9 Employability Programmes have been successfully delivered with participants achieving a total of 378 qualifications. • The HGV Driver Training Academy has been launched to address the skills shortages and improve employment opportunities within the borough. Participants undertake training to gain an HGV Category C license and receive employability support. Council are also working with local transport companies to ensure that participants are offered an interview for an appropriate role when they have completed the Academy training. • Council have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation and
Number of participants securing employment as a result of employability programmes
86 participants
Council are supporting 4 European Social Fund Employability Programmes helping the unemployed and most vulnerable to receive personal and skills development support and assistance to enter the workplace. In the first 6 months of 2021/22, 86 participants have secured employment as a result of employability programmes.
2. Encourage our people to realise their potential through awareness, training and lifelong learning.
4. Enhance opportunities for volunteering, work experience and apprenticeship programmes to develop social and employment skills.
Key Performance Indicators
collaboration with the Northern resources and fun interactive tasks Regional College over the next that will develop their creative and 10 years. Led by a newly formed communication skills. joint Enterprise and Innovation • We continued to promote the Eco Cooperation Steering Committee, Schools Education Programme the Council and College will work across the borough, informing together to create an enhanced schools of the many campaigns enterprise and innovation ecosystem currently being delivered, including in the borough. the Wheelie Big Challenge, the The “Little Free Library” was Big Spring Clean, Young Reporter launched at Curran Park in Larne. The for the Environment, Clean Coast scheme is a worldwide phenomenon Programme, Adopt a Spot and aimed at inspiring a love of reading, Tackling Textile Waste. A new Eco building communities, and sparking Schools Field Officer has been creativity by fostering neighbourhood assigned to Council to support our book exchanges around the world. work with the schools.
• In April, Council successfully • As everyone continued to embrace delivered the second annual the outdoors, Council delivered a Northern Ireland Apprenticeship successful Parks and Open Spaces Week. Council worked alongside Programme, including Love Parks the Department for Economy and Week, Biodiversity University and a range of partners to promote the National Play Day. A number of benefits of becoming an apprentice outdoor recreation activities were and showcasing how apprenticeships also delivered, including stand-up can work to strengthen and grow our paddleboard sessions, kayaking local business base. sessions, open water swimming safety courses and hill walking skills • Council teamed up with Young courses. Participants were able Enterprise Northern Ireland to mark to celebrate the great outdoors Global Entrepreneurship Week by whilst developing new skills and teaching primary school pupils about knowledge. key business concepts using online
Number of days per employee spent on training
In the first 6 months of 2021/22, an average of 0.32 days were spent per employee on training. The pandemic has resulted in an increase in online and remote learning. These forms of learning tend to be shorter sessions with directed reading, resulting in less recorded training time. Council are transitioning towards a more agile approach to Learning and Development, which will take the form of a Learning Platform.
Number of apprenticeship/work placement/work experience opportunities delivered by Council
0.32 days
5 placements facilitated YTD
Council has accommodated 5 university students in office based work placements. These have been facilitated across various departments whilst observing COVID-19 restrictions. Council continues to engage with the Belfast City Region Deal which includes the exploration of public sector apprenticeships.
Number of education and training programmes delivered by Council
In 2021/22 we are monitoring the delivery of 21 education and training programmes.
20 programmes in progress
Despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 20 education and training programmes were delivered between April and September 2021. These have included programmes for businesses and schools, as well as water sports sessions and a slow cooker demonstration.
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Good Health & Wellbeing
Katrina Morgan Director of Community
Key Performance Indicators
Performance Summary:
Employee attendance
1. Deliver a joined-up approach to improve physical and emotional health and wellbeing. 2. Play our part in enabling people to live longer and healthier lives, reducing health inequalities and social isolation.
MEActive coaches provided participants with a safe and COVIDsecure return to sport and physical activity, whilst focusing on emotional and physical wellbeing. MEActive Summer Camps ran for three weeks over the summer period for children aged between 6 and 12 years old, offering a welcome opportunity for outdoor fun with friends.
- Food and Essential Supplies Fund, £103.4k, to support with food and everyday items, The fund will also help build the capacity of community • We have successfully launched two food providers and implement Health & Wellbeing vans, funded by more sustainable responses to food the Public Health Agency. Trained insecurity. staff within Council’s Community - A Community Support Programme Health & Wellbeing Team have been top up fund of £152.6k, to help on the road carrying out household support residents on low incomes safety and energy efficiency at risk of financial stress, access to assessments, all in a bid to keep our food for those most in need and communities safe, warm and well. connectivity to those living in rural areas.
• A disused space at the ECOS nature park was transformed into a wonderful sensory garden and trail for people with a wide range of needs to enjoy. The garden includes a storytelling area, wooden fort, willow tunnel, raised beds for food growing, fruit trees and a range of sensory planting.
• The Borough’s first “Chatty Café” was officially opened and 7 ‘Chatty Benches’ were installed across the borough in conjunction with the Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network. These initiatives aim to tackle loneliness and reduce isolation by creating welcome opportunities to • talk and interact. • With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Council’s team of
10 5 0
18.32
17.08
14.05
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
10.64
5.28
5.59
2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 YTD
15 targets achieved/on track. 3 targets delayed but progressing.
Key achievements • Further funding was secured from the Department for Communities to assist Council with ongoing COVID-19 issues that are affecting the most vulnerable people in our communities:
15
There has been a gradual month on month increase in absence since April 2021, which is mainly due to an upturn in prolonged long-term absence cases. Council’s Attendance Policy continues to be implemented with regular input from Occupational Health. A continued focus remains on resilience training, and mental health and wellbeing.
3. Enable older people to be active, respected and supported in their community.
home in the slow cooker. • Following on from last year’s virtual success, Council were delighted to be able to deliver “Bike Week” in person this year. The free one-hour sessions, aimed at 5 to 14 year olds, were held in Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne in June. The theme of this year’s Bike Week was health and wellbeing, and cycling is one of the best ways for adults and children alike to get outdoors and boost their immunity, whilst improving their fitness levels. • Due to the pandemic restrictions the annual Larne Arts Festival went virtual this year. Arts and culture play a vital part in terms of health and wellbeing and this year’s festival did not disappoint with a variety of art demonstrations, storytelling, readings, music and a special virtual art trail of Larne town centre.
• Council teamed up with Larne FC to bring two nights of laughs at the Larne Comedy Festival. Some of the country’s best known comedians, including SSE Arena sell out star The “Cook Slow, Eat Well” recipe Paddy Raff, took to the stage to bring book was launched, aiming to some much needed humour after provide residents with a wide range of what has been a challenging time for healthy and low cost recipes to try at most.
Gap in life expectancy between the most deprived areas in the borough and the borough as a whole
5 Gap
4. Lead by example to ensure that our workplaces are for health as well as wealth.
20
Average days absent
Objectives: What we will do by 2023
0 2013-15
2014-16
2015-17
2016-18
Male
2017-19
Female
Since 2013/15 there have only been slight changes in the life expectancy gap for both males and females. The gap in life expectancy for males is currently sitting at 4.4 years and for females is sitting at 3.6 years.
% of available Grant Support Scheme funding awarded
66%
Council received 178 applications between April and September 2021, and 66% of the available Grant support Scheme funding for the 2021/22 financial year has been awarded to date. Some projects that have been supported include major international events like the ISPS Handa World Invitational and the Antrim Coast Half Marathon. Funding has been awarded to support local community groups in re-opening as COVID-19 restrictions have eased and also to support centenary celebrations. www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk
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Objectives: What we will do by 2023
Louise Kennedy Director of Corporate Services
Performance Summary:
1. Take the lead on delivering both the Community Plan and the Local Development Plan, working effectively with our partners.
Actual
100
50
70
89
20
10
10
0 Formal internal stage
1
External stage
We have exceeded our target of resolving at least 70% of complaints informally in the first six months of the year.
44 targets achieved/on track. 4 targets delayed but progressing. 9 targets not yet due.
Net cost of council services per head of population
This indicator is reported annually to the Association of Public Sector Excellence.
£320 2019/20 figure
The figure for 2020/21 will be reported to Council when the figures have been audited.
Key achievements
• We are the first local authority in Northern Ireland to introduce a Contact Centre System powered by Amazon Connect. The system has been implemented as our customer contact solution for Waste Services. The Waste helpdesk receives on average 106 calls per day. Since implementation, the LEX bot has addressed almost 20% of all calls. The helpdesk team are now exceeding industry standards with over 80% of all calls answered within 20 secs. The new live chat function receives an average of 150 chats per month and 53% of all chats are addressed by the automated BOT.
Average escalation rate of complaints
Target
Informal stage
3. Be recognised as a leading council, delivering excellent services and facilities through collaborative working, innovation and continuous improvement.
• During the pandemic a wide range of Digital Transformation Projects have been implemented. In April, a new text notification service that will be used to reduce the level of administration involved in the application process for Wellbeing Funds went live. The new system sends text reminders to applicants for submission of relevant documentation.
Our aim is to resolve any complaints received at the earliest point of contact in line with good practice.
2. Increase customer satisfaction with our services by being a listening and responsive council.
4. Embed our values to ensure that our employees feel supported and motivated to realise their potential.
Key Performance Indicators % resolved
High Performing Council
Places and Agile Delivery. A new ‘Visitor Pass’ system has been successfully rolled out in Council’s Ardeevin building. The new system allows visitors to digitally alert Council staff of their arrival to reception, therefore removing the need for paper based sign-in. In the event of an emergency that would involve an evacuation of the building, the system will send a text alert to all ‘signed in’ visitors instructing them of what to do. Additionally, the system also allows greater COVID-19 compliance via a built-in COVID questionnaire. • Council received silver in the UK Council of the Year category at the iESE Awards, which celebrate and share the most innovative practice in transforming local public services. The award is presented to councils that are deemed outstanding in terms of transforming their services and creating opportunities. Mid and East Antrim was also the bronze winner of the Community Focus Award for our Community Hub.
• The Agile Delivery Team are working • Council were shortlisted for 3 APSE (Association for Public Service to deliver key projects under the three pillars of Agile People, Agile Excellence) Awards. In September
2021, we were awarded the APSE Best Service Team award for our innovative COVID Confidence Scheme, the first of its kind undertaken by any Northern Ireland council during the pandemic. The COVID Confidence Scheme was launched in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2020 and to date, 661 COVID Confidence Mark awards have been issued by Council as recognition of the efforts local businesses have made to ensure all the appropriate safety measures have been taken to protect shoppers and staff alike. • During June 2021, Autism NI formally awarded Council the prestigious ‘Autism Impact Award’ in recognition of the Council venues going ‘above and beyond’ to create accessible and ‘autism-friendly’ environments. Venues that have been awarded include: - Carnfunnock Country Park - The Gobbins - The People’s Park - Carrickfergus Amphitheatre - Larne Leisure Centre - Seven Towers Leisure Centre
Customer Satisfaction
In Autumn 2018, Council carried out a comprehensive survey of 775 local householders.
88% residents satisfied
88% of residents said that they were satisfied with Council. We are considering cost-effective ways of effectively measuring customer satisfaction in the future.
Staff satisfaction
Council commissioned Investors in People to run an online staff engagement survey in Spring 2018.
Follow up survey due before year-end.
Plans are in place to establish a working group in conjunction with Trade Unions, in order to discuss the development and implementation of a whole staff survey. It has been agreed that the survey will be carried out by an independent consultant. www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk
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Statutory Key Performance Indicators Objective:
In addition to the improvement areas identified by us, the Department for Communities also sets statutory targets for Councils in the functional areas of Planning, Economic Development and Waste. Our arrangements to meet these are through the delivery of our statutory services. They are outlined in our annual business plans, and in our Performance Improvement Plan. We closely monitor our progress against the Statutory Performance Indicators to ensure we are progressing in line with our targets. We submit our results to the Department for Infrastructure, the Department for the Economy and
the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) every three months. Reports are then issued comparing our performance against all 11 councils. We publish the results on the Council website every six months at www.midandeastantrim. gov.uk/PIP Our latest results are summarised in the following diagram.
*¹
*²
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Corporate Performance Report
Year to date figures up to September 2021 are not yet available, therefore quarter one figures are reported (April 2021 to June 2021). Relates to the period April 2021 to September 2021.
Indicators
Targets
The average processing time of major planning applications.
Major applications processed within an average of 30 weeks.
23.4 weeks *¹
The average processing time of local planning applications.
Local applications processed within an average of 15 weeks.
8.2 weeks *¹
The % of enforcement cases concluded within 39 weeks.
70% of all enforcement cases progressed to target conclusion within 39 weeks.
89.2% *1
The number of jobs promoted through business start-up activity.
120 jobs.
59 jobs *2
The % of household waste collected by district Councils that is sent for recycling.
50% household recycling by 2021/22.
54% *1
The amount of biodegradable Local Authority Collected Municipal Waste that is landfilled.
16,387 tonnes (2021/22).
3,508 tonnes *1
The amount (tonnage) of Local Authority Collected Municipal Waste arisings.
N/A.
21,553 tonnes *1
Results