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Mid and East Antrim Borough Council 1-29 Bridge Street Ballymena BT43 5EJ T: 0300 1245 000
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Mid and East Antrim Borough Council was established on 1st April 2015 by the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.
Council’s second Corporate Plan was launched in July 2019 and sets the strategic direction for the 201923 period. The Plan will be delivered under six strategic themes as shown in the diagram.
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 and inclusive community where people work together to improve the quality of life for all.
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.
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:
• An internal evaluation allows Council to examine its services, achievements and processes to assess how well it is meeting its agreed objectives and to refocus and re-prioritise as necessary.
• 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.
Council continues to provide high standards of service delivery, within a changing environment. In addition to the objectives set out in the Corporate Plan, Council has strived to continuously improve the way we work and deliver services.
Council 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) have been designed to ensure that progress can be continually monitored and measured on a timely basis, with appropriate action taken, where necessary.
In 2018, Council introduced an electronic performance management system which is used to monitor and report progress against the corporate objectives and KPIs against their associated targets. Performance for 2019/20 is outlined in the ‘wheel’ opposite.
The summary ‘wheel’ captures progress made against the 27 corporate KPIs and 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 6 strategic themes. For each theme, key achievements for the six month period between April and September 2022 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 six months. More detail on service specific projects is provided in Directorate business plans that are scrutinised at Audit & Scrutiny Committee every 6 months.
The results show that the majority of actions and Key Performance Indicators are on track. Of the 140 objectives and indicators, 117 are on track, 8 are delayed but progressing, 12 are not yet due and 3 have not met their targets.
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 due yet/ Not available
The KPIs showing red are as follows:
Overall summary of performance
117 targets achieved/on track 8 delayed but progressing 3 targets not achieved 12 not due yet
Our Environment Average processing time of major planning applications.
The statutory target for the processing of major planning applications (from the date valid to decision issued or withdrawal date) is an average of 30 weeks. These applications require approval from multiple statutory consultees, including but not limited to, the Rivers Agency, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and Transport NI. There are occasions when consultees are unable to provide feedback within the allocated timeframe, which can delay the approval process. Delays can also happen when applications have inaccurate or insufficient detail. On resolution, the application must go through the consultation process again.
The figure for the period covering April to September 2022 is not yet available, therefore the figure of 51.4 weeks for April to June 2022 is reported.
Good Health and Wellbeing
Reduce the gap in life expectancy for the most deprived areas in the Borough and the Borough as a whole.
Since 2014-16 there have only been slight changes in the life expectancy gap for both males and females. The Health Inequalities Annual Report, published by the Department of Health, has recently reported that the gap in life expectancy for males is currently sitting at 5.1 years and 3.9 years for females. Both of these figures are higher than Council’s annual targeted figures of 4.4 years for males and 3.6 for females.
What we will do by 2023
1. Grow, support and sustain new and existing businesses through Council and other initiatives.
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.
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.
• Between April and September 2022, Council supported almost 225 businesses, providing over 3,000 hours of one-to-one bespoke mentoring.
• The success of the LEADER Rural Development Programme was celebrated at a closure event in May 2022. The programme invested a total of £4.6million into projects that supported rural businesses, communities and villages and resulted in the creation of 70 jobs.
• The Rural Business Investment Scheme supported 42 businesses with almost £1.5million being awarded to a diverse range of projects.
• In July 2022, Mid and East Antrim’s Innovation Partnership, comprised of over 12 stakeholder organisations, launched a new initiative to fuel innovation across the Borough by delivering a series of free workshops to local businesses who were exploring new innovative ideas.
• Council were delighted to launch ‘Explore Social’, a programme
aimed at promoting the benefits of trading as a social enterprise.
• The Town Centre Property Repurposing Pilot Grant Scheme, first launched in collaboration with the Department for Communities, reopened its third call for applications. The scheme focuses on the provision of support across the three main towns within the Borough and aims at re-purposing vacant town centre commercial properties.
• To celebrate the reopening of The Gobbins, following its annual maintenance closure, we delivered a series of new speciality tours to encourage people back to the waters edge. Tours included: Tales of the Sea, Discover The Gobbins, The Gobbins Through a Lens, ‘Dander Aroon’ The Gobbins and Brace the Elements.
• We were extremely proud to announce that the Whitehead Railway Museum has successfully retained its status as a member of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, meaning it will continue to be recognised as one of the
21 targets achieved/on track. 1 not yet due.
Number of businesses
most important heritage sites in Europe.
• Between April and September 2022, over 6,000 people were welcomed at The Braid Theatre, Ballymena for shows ranging from stand-up comedy, to children’s theatre shows and wrestling.
• We are delighted that both Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Museum retained their 4 star grading with Tourism Northern Ireland.
• In June 2022, re-enactors from the Wartime Living History Association, put visitors through their paces with training exercises and rifle drills during the Councils celebration of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the 1st Battalion US Rangers.
• In partnership with the Irish Salt Mining & Exploration Co Ltd, Carrickfergus Museum delivered never before experienced tours of the active salt mines in Carrickfergus. These tours were hugely popular, selling out within minutes.
across business support programmes
We have engaged with 343 businesses between April and September 2022.
343 businesses engaged
With an annual target of 646, Council has already achieved 53% of its target. Businesses were engaged with across a variety of business support programmes including Business Escalator Plus, Digital Boost, Bid2Win, Digital Surge and more.
We promoted 64 jobs through the ‘Go for It’ programme between April and September 2022.
Council have made significant progress in achieving the statutory jobs target of 85 within the first six months of this financial year.
This indicator counts the number of visitors at The Gobbins, Carrickfergus Castle, Arthur Cottage, Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Museum.
We recorded 37,009 visitors between April and September 2022 at our strategic tourist attractions and are confident that we will achieve our target of 44,778 by the end of the year.
1. Deliver high quality places where people want to live, work and invest, using the Local Development Plan, regeneration and excellence in leadership.
2. Improve and sustainably manage our environment, protecting it for future generations.
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.
4. Lead by example and reduce the impact of Council services on the environment.
• Council has developed a new ‘Climate and Sustainability Policy’, giving a commitment that we will carry out activities and functions in a manner that avoids any potentially negative environmental impact.
• Council signed the Business in the Community NI Climate Action Pledge in August 2022, to set and strive to achieve ambitious GHG reduction targets and demonstrate our commitment and willingness to collaborate to address this critical issue, as part of the race to net zero.
• Council teams worked collaboratively with communities and external stakeholders from across the Borough to deliver a variety of ‘re-use’ projects. These projects were aimed at diverting waste from landfill and supporting the wider economy. Projects included ‘Circular Economy Social Enterprise Programme’, ‘Habitat for Humanity’, ‘School Uniform Scheme’ and ‘Cloth Nappy Scheme’.
• With a capital investment of approximately £150,000 and 20% funding by the NI Sustainable Energy Programme, Council completed sixteen LED lighting
projects in 2021/22, reducing energy consumption by 6,400Mwh, saving approximately 1,500tCO2e and £2.3M over the product lifecycle.
• Council continue to be accredited to ISO 14001:2015 International Environmental Management Standard across all services, with eight sites audited in August 2022.
• Over £13,000 in funding was awarded to local community groups through the ‘Live Here Love Here Small Grants Scheme’ in June 2022. This funding enables volunteers, groups and schools to undertake practical community based projects that will improve the quality of their local environment.
• In July 2022, Councils Climate Change and Sustainability team delivered a Climate Action Roadshow in partnership with Councils Environmental Health team to the Borough’s three main towns of Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne.
• We launched the ‘MEAction’ communications campaign in July 2022 to improve how we report on our climate, sustainability and environmental work to the public.
27 targets achieved/on track.
1 delayed but progressing.
1 targets not achieved.
3 not due yet.
Activities included a consistent branded theme, pulling together action on climate, sustainability, biodiversity, recycling, plastic, water, transport, energy and more.
• Council were successful in securing funding from DAERA in partnership with Ulster Wildlife for an oyster nursery to be completed in Glenarm Harbour during 2022/2023.
• Following the publication of Council’s Carbon and Environment Report for 2021/22, we are proud of share that Council has reduced its carbon footprint by 18% from 2019/20 pre-COVID year. This is due to reduced use in some buildings and services, the introduction of energy efficiency measures and electricity being generated from more renewable sources.
• In August 2022, it was announced that the NI Electric Vehicle Consortium, which Council are active members of, has been successful in securing £1,348,370 of funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) for electric vehicle charge-points in residential areas across Northern Ireland.
In 2022/23, we are monitoring the achievement of the following environmental awards: ISO 14001; Green Flag; Blue Flag; Gold Anchor Award; NI environmental benchmarking and Seaside Awards. 7/12
Between April and September 2022, Council has successfully secured 3 Green Flag awards, 3 Blue Flag awards and has received re-certification of ISO 14001 across all Council service areas. The remaining awards are not scheduled to be awarded until later in the year. It is anticipated that Council’s Gold Anchor status at Carrickfergus Marina will be assessed in November 2022.
Council currently have two live grand offers for public realm schemes. These include, Castle Street in Ballymena and Point Steet in Larne. Both projects are expected for completion early 2023/24.
£
£1,243,778
Letter of Offer recieved from DfC in December 2021.
Both project budgets were originally estimated in November 2021 and included an uplift allowance to account for the time lapse until each projects started, however, given the significant increase in construction cost, each budget estimate is being reviewed to reflect current prices. Once updated estimates are confirmed for each project, they may be subject to a business case update to review the funding decision and to determine if they remain viable.
Scores closer to 100 indicate better performance and 66% is the point at which performance is considered acceptable.
Results expected before year end.
Council’s score for the period between April 2021 and March 2022 was 76%, against a target of 66%. This was a 7% improvement on the previously recorded score of 69%.
What we will do by 2023
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.
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.
• The Mid and East Antrim Youth Support Hub continues to meet on a regular basis to discuss how to support vulnerable young people from across the Borough. Some of issues discussed include, young people who are at risk of paramilitary control, drug taking/ dealing, domestic abuse, selfharm, truanting, loneliness, alcohol abuse, anger management issues, theft and engagement in antisocial behaviour and more.
• Between April and September 2022, the Mid and East Antrim Support Hub met on a number of occasions to discuss vulnerable adults, aged between 21 – 75 years. Issues and needs discussed, included various addictions, mental health, learning difficulties, homelessness, as well as being involved in criminal activities and anti-social behaviour.
• The Policing and Community Safety Partnership continue to meet virtually and deliver on their annual action plan commitments.
• Work continues on the delivery of the Good Relations Action Plan.
In particular, progress continues on the cultural celebrations programme in partnership with a range of statutory and community partners.
• The Community Development team has facilitated the delivery of the Ukrainian Advice Centre in The Braid, Ballymena since April 2022. A range of agencies including MEACAS, Inter Ethnic Forum, the Housing Executive, Home Office, the Education Authority, Social Security, Jobs and Benefits and the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has attended the Centre, which has so far supported over 300 individual Ukrainian people and almost 50 host families.
• Council was pleased to open a third community fridge, this time in Larne. Community Fridges are a platform for sharing surplus food within a community and to reduce food waste going to landfill.
• In June 2022, the Mid and East Antrim’s Loneliness Network was delighted to launch three more ‘Chatty Benches’ to mark Loneliness Awareness Week.
• We are currently in the process of establishing a new PEACEPLUS Partnership for the new PEACEPLUS Programme 20222027. PEACEPLUS will bring almost £5m of funding to the Borough of Mid and East Antrim and will work to build peaceful and thriving communities.
• Council once again, ran the very successful School Uniform Scheme, in partnership with the Mid and East Antrim Community Advice Services and supported by Volunteer Now. This scheme was initially piloted across the Borough in July 2019 and has been a lifeline for many families ever since by providing good quality pre-worn school uniforms.
• Over £13,000 in funding was awarded to local community groups through the Live Here Love Here Small Grants Scheme in June 2022. This funding enables volunteers, groups and schools to undertake practical community based projects that will improve the quality of their local environment.
The figures are based on annual data published by the PSNI.
1,826 incidents of anti-social behaviour were recorded between April - September 2022. This figure is a 22.4% reduction on the same period for 2020/21.
The figures are based on annual data published by the PSNI.
The figure for the period April to September 2022 is not yet available. Council continues to work with members of the Policing and Community Safety Partnership to raise awareness of the impact of hate crime.
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). Due to the COVID pandemic and subsequent lockdown restrictions, the 2020/21 Northern Ireland Safe Community Survey was conducted via telephone and had a substantially reduced sample size. The results of the survey were not broken down into Local Government area however, across Northern Ireland 73%, of those surveyed felt fear of crime had a minimal impact on their quality of life.
The figures are based on annual data published by ARK via the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey. The most up-to-date percentage of people in the Borough who reported feeling a sense of belonging to their area is 88.7% across 2018-20. 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.
% of people reporting that fear of crime has a minimal impact on their quality of life
What
1. Work in partnership with the private and community sector to develop the skills needed to support sustained economic development in the Borough.
2. Encourage our people to realise their potential through awareness, training and lifelong learning.
3. Develop a joined-up approach to the delivery of education and training programmes in schools and in the wider community.
4. Enhance opportunities for volunteering, work experience and apprenticeship programmes to develop social and employment skills.
• Schools across the Borough continue to engage with, and benefit from, Council’s Eco Schools Education Programme. Almost 80 local schools actively participated in the programme, of these, 23 (28%) have been awarded the Green Flag Award.
• Council’s Economic Development team are in the process of delivering a series of pre-employment programmes to upskill and enable residents to access employment opportunities and secure a progressive career pathway.
Between April and September 2022, nine employability programmes were delivered against a target of seven. Almost 160 individuals have participated in the programmes, of which, 54 have successfully gained qualifications, 15 have progressed to further educations and 42 have gained employment.
• Children and teachers from across the Borough were hosted by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in recognition of their environmental work at the annual Eco-Schools Green Flag Awards. Eight local schools received Green Flags,
with others being recognised as Ambassador Schools.
• The Digital Skills Programme launched in February 2022, delivering 235 course places across 26 workshops.
• The “Little Free Library” continues to be successfully rolled out across the Borough. The scheme is a worldwide phenomenon aimed at inspiring a love of reading, building communities, and sparking creativity by fostering neighbourhood book exchanges around the world.
• To continue our journey of educating local residents to become more environmentally conscious, Council delivered a ‘Climate Change Top Tips’ video for residents. The video was developed to provide tips on some small changes that could be made around the home, through travel and in the workplace, to reduce carbon footprints. The video was funded by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Climate Action Fund.
• Over five ‘Autism Friendly’ training sessions were successfully delivered to local businesses across the
4 targets achieved/on track.
Between April and September 2022, Council supported the delivery of a number of employability programmes helping the unemployed and most vulnerable to receive personal and skills development support and assistance to enter the workplace. A total of 42 participants have secured employment as a result of employability programmes.
During the first six months of 2022/23, an average of 1.39 days were spent on employee training, the vast majority of which was delivered online. Council are transitioning towards a more agile approach to learning and development, which will take the form of a Learning Platform.
Borough. These special awareness training sessions shone a light on autism, increasing understanding and awareness of the issues impacting autistic individuals and their families.
• The Hydrogen Training Academy, launched in February 2022 and led by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, has supported 41 participants within the last six months to achieve ‘Level 5: Train the Trainer KnowHy Hydrogen Production’ qualifications. The Academy is a first-of-its kind project enabling NI to fully maximise opportunities associated with hydrogen as the emerging leading sustainable energy solution, as well as supporting the development of a dynamic and skilled workforce.
• Our Management Development Programme was successfully launched with a cohort of 32 managers from across Council. The intention of the programme is behavioural change, increase psychological safety and increase people management skills. The next programme of training will commence in the new year.
Council are pleased to note that it has already exceeded its annual target for the number of apprenticeship/work placement/work experience opportunities delivered. Council’s Senior Management Team are continuing to actively seek opportunities which it can provide for additional participants.
Between April and September 2022, Council delivered 22 education and training programmes to schools, businesses and community groups from across the Borough. Programmes were delivered on a variety of subjects including environmental awareness, employability skills, outdoor safety and ‘Autism Friendly’ awareness sessions.
What we will do by 2023
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.
3. Enable older people to be active, respected and supported in their community.
4. Lead by example to ensure that our workplaces are for health as well as wealth.
7 targets achieved/on track.
2 delayed but progressing.
2 targets not achieved. 1 not due yet.
• During the summer of 2022, Council’s MEActive team delivered a series of activity camps as part of our ‘MEActive Summer Programme’. Activities included Summer Camps, Summer Roadshows, MEActive Disability Camps and inclusive Family Tri Golf Days. The programme was extremely successful and attracted just over 735 participants.
• Council was pleased to support the Mid and East Antrim Loneliness Network to launch three new Kindness Postboxes to mark Loneliness Awareness Week 2022. The scheme encourages children to write cheerful letters or draw pictures and post them into a Kindness Postbox. These letters are collected and distributed to residents of our local care homes. Every card, letter, poem, picture and drawing goes a long way to brighten someone’s day.
• Dementia Action Week, delivered by the Alzheimer’s Society and supported by Council, was recognised in May 2022. The week-long programme of special
events included a meeting of the Dementia Friendly Choir, an ‘All Ages Intergenerational Event’ and two special videos which collectively received over 1,427 views.
• Council’s MEActive programme provided 387 active sessions to 2,091 participants, of which, 13% were persons living with a disability.
• Council were delighted to officially open the much anticipated skate park in Ballymena’s People’s Park. The specially designed park caters for all of the main disciplines of wheeled sport such as skateboard, BMX, scooter and inline, along with disabled access requirements.
• Between April and September 2022, almost 120 referrals were been made by Council to the Department for Communities for the Affordable Warmth Scheme. The Scheme is one of the DfC’s tools in tackling fuel poverty and is delivered by both Local Government and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to
specifically target areas of severe and extreme fuel poverty.
• Council were pleased to be awarded official membership of the UK National Network and WHO Network for activities completed for Age Friendly activites.
• Our residents continue to benefit from the collection of outdoor gyms available across the Borough. These installations offer any user an opportunity to increase their levels of physical activity and is designed to give a mix of cardiovascular, strength and toning exercises.
• Council is continuing to expand on its already successful MEAqua Academy swim programme. During the first six months of the year, the number of participants has increased by 45%, from 1,300 to 1,890.
• Councils ‘Get Out Get Active’ Programme worked with over 27 groups and organisations from across the Borough, delivering 206 sessions and attracting 210 participants.
During the first six months of the year, Council has recorded a staff absence figure of 8.69 days lost per FTE, against an annual target of 12 days. Should this trend continue it is unlikely that this target will be achieved. Council’s Senior Management Team is actively investigating to identify potential causes and to put measures in place to resolve them where possible.
Since 2014-16 there have only been slight changes in the life expectancy gap for both males and females. The Health Inequalities Annual Report, published by the Department of Health, has recently reported that the gap in life expectancy for males is currently sitting at 5.1 years and 3.9 years for females. Both of these figures are higher than Council’s annual targeted figures of 4.4 years for males and 3.6 for females.
In the first six months of the year Council received 323 applications for funding. As a result, 106.94% of the available grant support scheme funding has been awarded. The scheme has been very successful this year, largely due to the additional funding made available to celebrate HM The Late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. Projects that received Council funding included befriending projects, training and development programmes for capacity building, as well as major international events such as the SuperCup NI.
What we will do by 2023
1. Take the lead on delivering both the Community Plan and the Local Development Plan, working effectively with our partners.
2. Increase customer satisfaction with our services by being a listening and responsive council.
3. Be recognised as a leading council, delivering excellent services and facilities through collaborative working, innovation and continuous improvement.
4. Embed our values to ensure that our employees feel supported and motivated to realise their potential.
Our aim is to resolve any complaints received at the earliest point of contact in line with good practice.
Between April and September 2022, Council exceeded its target of resolving at least 70% of complaints informally, achieving a figure of 94%.
51 targets achieved/on track.
5 delayed but progressing.
7 not due yet.
• In the first six months of the year the Mayor and Deputy Mayor have attended 260 events across the Borough, ranging from Royal Visits in Carrickfergus and attendance at Memorial Services for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to pumpkin carving competitions in local schools and visiting citizens celebrating their 100th birthdays.
• Council continues to use its Amazon powered Contact Centre System for the management of Waste customer services, with plans in place to expand the system to other Council services. Mid and East Antrim were the first local authority in Northern Ireland to introduce a Contact Centre System powered by Amazon Connect.
• In May 2022, Council was extremely proud that our Climate and Sustainability Manager was awarded ‘Local Authority, Individual or Team of the Year’ at the UK Awards for Excellence.
• Additionally, Council were shortlisted under two categories at the APSE Annual Service Awards. In
September 2022, we were awarded ‘Best Collaborative Working Initiative’ for successfully delivering a series of circular economy and carbon emission reduction projects at a UK level.
• Council’s digital and social media reach continues on an upward trajectory. This is in keeping with our digital-first approach to communications. Currently, Council has over 30k Facebook followers, 7k Twitter followers, 4k Instagram followers and 2.3k LinkedIn connections.
• Council continues to take an innovative and forward-looking approach to how it delivers events, and where appropriate, maximises all opportunities to use events as key economic drivers. All major events during the first six months of the year have been extremely well supported and delivered overwhelmingly positive feedback.
• Following two years of being the Chair of APSE Northern Ireland, Alderman Tommy Nicholl MBE has been appointed as the new
National Chair of APSE covering the entire UK. The organisation is owned by its members and, working on their behalf, maintains and develops a network of local government officers, managers and councillors from local authorities across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
• Councils Community Planning and Development team have worked tirelessly over the first six months of this year to progress agreed actions from the Community Plan ‘Putting People First’.
• Council’s Capital team lead on the successful delivery of a number of projects over the first six months of the year, most notably the Sullatober Household Recycling Centre in Carrickfergus. This state of the art recycling facility is one of the most modern in Northern Ireland and will allow Council to process record amounts of waste for the Borough and will greatly assist Council in reaching its environmental waste targets.
This indicator is reported annually to the Association of Public Sector Excellence. £301 2020/21 figure
The figure for 2021/22 will be reported to Council once the figures have been audited.
During the summer of 2022, Council carried out a comprehensive survey of 810 local households.
53% residents satisfied
53% of residents said that they were satisfied with Council and only 19% of residents surveyed stated that they were dissatisfied with Council services. The remaining 28% stated that they were niether satisfied nor dissatisfied.
The staff satisfaction survey will be carried out in November 2022. Preparations continue for the survey to be carried out during 2022/23.
The Working Group continues to make significant progress in the development and delivery of the survey. The Terms of Reference has been agreed and a supplier selected. It is anticipated the survey will be carried out in November 2022.
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 diagram opposite.
The average processing time of major planning applications.
Major applications processed within an average of 30 weeks.
i
*¹ Year to date figures up to September 2022 are not yet available, therefore quarter one figures are reported (April to June 2022).
*² Relates to the period April to September 2022.
*³ No statutory target is set for this indicator.
The average processing time of local planning applications.
Local applications processed within an average of 15 weeks.
The % of enforcement cases concluded within 39 weeks.
70% of all enforcement cases progressed to target conclusion within 39 weeks.
The number of jobs promoted through business start-up activity. 85 jobs.
The % of household waste collected by district Councils that is sent for recycling. The amount of biodegradable Local Authority Collected Municipal Waste that is landfilled.
50% household recycling by 2022.
16,387 tonnes.
64 jobs *²
The amount (tonnage) of Local Authority Collected Municipal Waste arisings.
N/A*³