Corporate Plan 2019-2023: 2022-2023 Year End Report

1. Introduction

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 set the strategic direction for the 2019-23 period. The Plan was delivered under six strategic themes as shown in the diagram opposite.

The Corporate Plan was developed to align with the Borough’s Community Plan ‘Putting People First’ and we 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.

Council reported on the delivery of the Corporate Plan every six months. This had the following benefits:

• Internal evaluation allowed Council to examine its services, achievements and processes to assess how well it was meeting its agreed objectives and to refocus and re-prioritise as necessary.

• Regular reporting to Elected Members provided assurance that Council’s objectives were being delivered.

This Progress Report marks the conclusion of the Corporate Plan 2019-2023.

Over the last 4 years Council has made significant progress in achieving its Vision for the Borough and a select number of key achievements are highlighted on pages 2 and 3.

The Local Government elections in May 2023 formed a new Council for the 2023-2027 term and a new Corporate Plan has been developed to set Council’s direction for this period.

This new Plan was developed in consultation with key stakeholders, including citizens, and it continues to align with our Community Plan and our Vision for the Borough.

Amplify launched to support local businesses to enhance innovation and growth potential.

Council launched its dedicated tourism website, Shaped by Sea and Stone.

The award winning COVID Confidence Scheme helped to bring footfall back to our local towns.

Community Safety & Cohesion

Cross-agency Mid and East Antrim Support Hub established to support those most in need.

The Good Relations programme developed mutual understanding and respect for cultural traditions.

Involvement in the Policing and Community Safety Partnership aimed at creating safer and shared communities.

Good Health & Wellbeing

MEA ‘Out to Play’ strategy launched to promote the importance of play.

#GetMEActive successfully launched to encourage our residents to be active.

Council awarded multiple ‘Autism Impact Award’ accreditations.

In Mid and East Antrim, 69 of the 76 schools registered in the Eco Schools programme hold either a Green Flag or certificate.

MEA4Trees has successfully planted more than 58,000 trees across the Borough.

The new Sullatober Household Recycling Centre was officially opened in May 2022.

Learning for Life

Revolutionary Hydrogen Training Academy established to develop a skilled workforce.

Multiple employability support programmes delivered resulting in over 1,500 qualifications.

Council successfully hosted the prestigious ‘Science Summer School’ with keynote speaker Professor Brian Cox CBE.

High Performing Council

Named UK Council of the Year 2023 at the iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards.

The Gobbins, Carrickfergus Regeneration Programme and i4C Innovation and CleanTech Centre significantly progressed as part of the Belfast Region City Deal.

Council’s innovative and dynamic response to the COVID pandemic ensured vital services continued to be delivered.

3. Performance Overview

Council continued to provide high standards of service delivery, within a changing environment. In addition to the objectives set out in the Corporate Plan, Council continuously strove to improve the way in which we worked and delivered our 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 were set out that provided a mechanism for monitoring Council’s performance during the period 2019-2023.

To ensure full delivery of the Corporate Plan, 25 corporate objectives were developed that underpinned our 6 strategic themes.

In addition, a suite of 27 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were designed to ensure that progress could 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 2022/23 is outlined in the ‘wheel’ opposite.

The summary ‘wheel’ captures progress made against the 27 corporate KPIs and the additional indicators that were 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 period between April 2022 and March 2023 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 year.

The results show that the majority of actions and Key Performance Indicators have been achieved. Of the 140 objectives and indicators, 100 were achieved, 29 are delayed but progressing, 10 have not achieved their target and 1 does not yet have data available.

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:

Our Environment Average processing time of major planning applications

Good Health & Wellbeing Ensure absence levels do not exceed 12 days per annum.

Overall summary of performance

100 targets achieved/on track 29 delayed but progressing 10 targets not achieved/stopped 1 not due yet/not available

Between April 2022 and March 2023, Council dealt with a number of complicated major applications that increased the average processing time to 47.6 weeks. It it worth noting that none of the 11 NI councils achieved this target.

There were 17.21 days lost per FTE between April 2022 and March 2023. See page 15 for further details.

Good Health & Wellbeing

Creating an Autism Friendly Mid and East Antrim Borough Council with 6 additional Council staff recognised as ‘Autism Champions’.

The delivery mechanism, put in place by Autism NI, limits Council to having one official ‘Champion’ per venue. Venue staff will receive the training but not the formal accreditation. As a result, this target cannot be achieved. We anticipate having 4 additional Autism Champions by September 2023.

Good Health & Wellbeing

Reduce the gap in life expectancy between the most deprived areas in Borough & the Borough as a whole.

The life expectancy gap between Mid and East Antrim’s most deprived areas and the borough’s average is 5.7 years for males and 3.9 for females. Both of these figures are higher than Council’s targets. Full details can be found on page 15.

High Performing Council

High Performing Council

High Performing Council

Roll out Legends booking process to Ballymena and Larne as part of the service review into Community Centres.

Expand the Automated Customer Call System into an additional service area.

Using user experience feedback, redesign Council’s website (Phase 3).

High Performing Council Statutory Audit to have zero

‘Priority 1’ Audit Points.

High Performing Council Statutory Audit to have minimal audit points.

This element of the Council’s review into Community Centres has been stopped and Council staff are currently investigating other options.

Further expansion of the Automated Customer Call Centre is currently on hold, pending an investigation into a Council-wide solution.

The progression of the website redesign is currently on hold, pending a further scoping exercise.

3 ‘Priority 1’ audit points were received. Management have accepted the issues raised and have begun work to make the required adjustments.

There were 3 ‘Priority 1’, 4 ‘Priority 2’ and 1 ‘Priority 3’ findings from the statutory audit. These findings, along with management responses, have been reported to Council’s Audit and Scrutiny Committee and a commitment has been made from those responsible for governance to take necessary action.

Sustainable Jobs & Tourism

Objectives: 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.

Key achievements

• Between April 2022 and March 2023, Council provided over 6,719 local businesses with bespoke mentoring support valued at over £303,356.

• Council’s Tourism team successfully delivered 9 public workshop events at Arthur Cottage and Andrew Jackson Cottage covering a variety of themes such as ‘Folktales by the Fire’, ‘Wreath Making’ and ‘Burns Night Celebration’.

• Plans to regenerate the town of Carrickfergus moved a step closer after a funding agreement was sealed for £42m. A key strand within the Belfast Region City Deal under the ‘Tourism and Regeneration’ pillar, the Carrickfergus Regeneration is one of three projects in Mid and East Antrim that will collectively benefit from more than £80m investment.

• Through Pop Up Shop activities Council were pleased to offer 27 businesses and individuals the opportunity to ‘test trade’ in town centre retail premises.

• Working in conjunction with the museum department a new

Key Performance Indicators

Performance Summary:

Number of businesses engaged across business support programmes

We engaged with 736 businesses between April 2022 and March 2023.

736 businesses engaged

Businesses were engaged with across a variety of business support programmes including Business Escalator Plus, Digital Boost, Bid2Win, Digital Surge and more.

16 targets achieved/on track.

6 delayed but progressing.

Number of jobs promoted through business start-up activity

information panel was installed on Larne Promenade highlighting Larne’s connection with Vikings.

• Council’s Economic Development team successfully delivered 18 workshops and webinars to over 1,341 participants.

• Carrickfergus Civic Centre welcomed Tourism NI’s spectacular 360 Igloo Dome, showcasing the very best of Northern Irish tourism. Connecting visitors to the local area, the dome - which was commissioned as part of Tourism Northern Ireland’s ‘Embrace a Giant Spirit’ campaign - will stay in the Civic Centre until Winter 2023.

• Council were pleased to announce that £6m has been allocated to Carnfunnock Country Park from the UK government’s Levelling Up Fund The project will include construction of a new visitor centre which will house a retail shop, café, and meeting rooms overlooking the coastline.

• Industry representatives from across NI gathered at Ballymena’s Ecos Hub for the inaugural HyTech NI Industry Steering Board

meeting. The HyTech initiative aims to support the development of Northern Ireland’s burgeoning hydrogen economy

• More than 12,000 individuals enjoyed Council’s Halloween events in Larne and Carrickfergus.

• An exhibition showcasing the contemporary artwork of renowned artist Seanna O’Boyle-Irvine and featuring real prehistoric objects proved a big hit with visitors to Carrickfergus Museum

• During November 2022, Council once again collaborated with local business support organisations and associated stakeholders to offer a week long diverse range of events and initiatives for Global Enterprise Week 2022.

• Aimed at supporting economic recovery through upskilling and re-skilling initiatives, Mid and East Antrim’s Pilot Hydrogen Training Academy continues to develop a learning pathway for the hydrogen economy by creating a state-ofthe art learning environment and delivering essential training on a range of hydrogen subjects.

We promoted 125 jobs through the ‘Go for It’ programme between April 2022 and March 2023.

Council exceeded its target for the number of jobs promoted through business startup activity by 47%. The figure achieved for 2022/23 was the highest since 2017/18, in which a total of 140 jobs were promoted.

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.

86,432 ticket sales

Between April 2022 and March 2023, we welcomed 86,432 visitors to our strategic tourist attractions, far surpassing our annual target of 44,778.

Our Environment

Objectives: What we will do by 2023

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.

Key achievements

• Environmental charity Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, working in collaboration with Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, provided dedicated cigarette butt bins in four locations across the Borough including, Springwell Road Car Park Ballymena, Town Hall and Main Street Larne and the Marine Car Park in Carrickfergus.

• In July 2022, Council’s Climate 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.

• Council has developed a new Fleet Strategy which focuses on reducing fleet emissions, driving efficiencies to ensure a cost effective fleet. To do this, Council adopted a ‘cradle to grave’ (sustainable) tyre management system with Michelin in which tyres are re-grooved, re-used and eventually recycled. Headline figures for 2022 include 2.3 tonne reduction of waste, 4,964 litre reduction of fuel and 20.7 tonnes of CO2e savings.

Key Performance Indicators

Performance Summary:

Major awards secured and maintained

In 2022/23, we monitored the achievement of the following environmental awards: ISO 14001; Green Flag; Blue Flag; Gold Anchor Award; NI Environmental Benchmarking and Seaside Awards.

12/12

Between April 2022 and March 2023, Council successfully secured 3 Green Flag awards, 3 Blue Flag awards, 3 Seaside Awards, Gold Anchor award, recertification of ISO14001, and Platinum status at the NI Environmental Benchmarking awards.

22 targets achieved/on track.

8 delayed but progressing.

1 target not achieved.

1 not due yet/not available.

Level of external investment secured per annum for regeneration projects

• In November 2022, Council delivered a COP27 event entitled “Helping the agri and business sector on the journey to net zero” to help raise awareness of COP27 and educate local businesses and stakeholders on the journey to net zero as well as funding opportunities within the agri and business sector.

• Council secured funding to develop a new ‘Community RePaint’ project whereby residents can drop off un-used and partially used paint tins to our five Household Recycling Centres where they will be redistributed to local community groups and schools for projects.

• In March 2023, Council joined Love Food Hate Waste for its third ‘Food Waste Action Week’ focusing on the theme of ‘Win. Don’t Bin’.

• 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.

• Council secured funding from Keep Britain Tidy’s Chewing Gum Task Force Grant to purchase two new

mobile power washers to tackle gum staining across the Borough. The funding also provided anti-gum staining signage to promote positive behavioural change.

• Council delivered Carbon Literacy Training to over 60 staff members to provide further understanding of climate change, carbon footprint, mitigation and adaptation.

• 33 individuals, businesses and community groups were recognised via the Mid and East Antrim in Bloom Community Awards this year.

• To mark the beginning of National Tree Week in November 2022, the Mayor joined pupils from Woodburn Primary School, Carrickfergus, at a tree planting event at the Keeran Moss restoration site.

• For the fourth year running, Council worked in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, East Belfast Mission (Restore) and local community groups to deliver a toy donation scheme. The project diverted an impressive 5.2 tonnes of toys from landfill.

During the lifespan of the Corporate Plan 2019-2023, Council has successfully secured £6,234,354 from DfC and other stakeholders for a variety of regeneration projects.

£

£6,234,354

Total funding received from November 2018.

The funding received has supported the delivery of 9 key regeneration projects including, Ballymena Public Realm Linkages, Larne Jaunting Car Sculpture, Greenvale Street Public Realm, Carrickfergus Public Realm, Lower Mill Street Public Realm, Pats Brea Public Realm Scheme, the COVID Recovery Scheme, the COVID Recovery Small Settlements Scheme and the Shared Island Fund in partnership with Waterford City and County Council.

‘Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’ Cleanliness Index

Scores closer to 100% indicate better performance and 66% is the point at which performance is considered acceptable.

72%

Council scored 72% for the period between April 2022 and March 2023 against a target of 66%.

Community Safety & Cohesion

Objectives: 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.

Key achievements

• Council celebrated Lunar New Year with a fun-filled event in People’s Park Ballymena. Residents across the Borough descended on the park to enjoy a variety of traditional Chinese crafts - such as calligraphy and lantern making, fun interactive sensory tasks, a themed scavenger hunt and the opportunity to taste wonderful Chinese tea and sweets.

• In January 2023, Council’s Good Relations Programme commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day with an evening of drama, poetry and speeches.

• Council and the Policing and Community Partnership (PCSP) worked in collaboration with the PSNI and NIFRS to encourage everyone to take responsibility for road safety. The call came ahead of Road Safety Week 2022 and aimed to highlight the dangers of speeding, and the importance of wearing a seatbelt.

• In March 2022, Council were awarded membership of the World Health Organisation Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.

Key Performance Indicators

Performance Summary:

Number of anti-social behaviour incidents

The figures are based on annual data published by the PSNI.

According to the report published by the PSNI, there were 3,404 anti-social behaviour incidents recorded in Mid and East Antrim in 2022/23. This equates to a 13.7% reduction on the 3,945 incidents recorded in 2021/22.

• Based at the newly established MEA Community Hub in Ballymena, the ‘Mid and East Antrim Affordable Food Club’ was established in October 2022, thanks to funding from the Department for Communities. The Club gives members access to food at a reduced cost alongside a wraparound service to enable them to address any challenges that contribute to their food insecurity.

• Over 30 groups have attended two separate planning workshops to help advance community development in the Larne area as part of Council’s community development initiative, “The Cluster Programme”.

• The EmbRACE programme funded by The Executive Office through Council’s Good Relations Programmes “Embrace” and “TBUC Trees” encouraged residents to attend outdoor events whilst celebrating the culture and diversity of the Borough.

• Over £13,000 in funding was awarded to local community groups through the Live

6 targets achieved/on track.

1 delayed but progressing.

Number of incidents recorded with a hate crime motivation

The figures are based on annual data published by the PSNI.

Here Love Here Small Grants Scheme in 2022. This funding enables volunteers, groups and schools to undertake practical community based projects that will improve the quality of their local environment.

• In May 2022, the Alzheimer’s Society, supported by Council, delivered another successful Dementia Action Week. 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 1,400 views.

• Carrickfergus and Greenisland Community Clusters hosted a Winter Wellness event to help local people with the current cost of living crisis. The event included representatives from the Clusters to help local people with a wide range of issues including, budgeting and debt, benefit payments, advice on energy bills, places to stay warm, mental health advice, and help with essential items such as food and cooking.

There were 134 hate crime incidents recorded in Mid and East Antrim in 2022/23. This equates to a 16.3% reduction on the 160 incidents recoded in 2021/22.

% of people reporting that fear of crime has a minimal impact on their quality of life

On 31 March 2023, the Department of Justice (DoJ) published the Research and Statistical Bulletin ‘Experience of Crime and Perceptions of Crime and Policing and Justice: Findings from the 2021/22 Northern Ireland Safe Community Telephone Survey’ (NISCTS). At 73%, the majority of 2021/22 respondents felt fear of crime has a minimal effect on their quality of life, unchanged from 2020/21. The results of the survey were not broken down into Local Government District areas.

% of people with a sense of belonging to their area

73% 83.3%

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 83.3% across 2019-21. This is a slight decrease in the reported figure of 88.7% for 2018-20. As is our vision, Council are continually working to provide a strong, safe, vibrant and inclusive community for all.

Learning for life

Objectives: What we will do by 2023

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.

Key achievements

• More than 400 Primary 6 pupils from across Mid and East Antrim took part in an innovative online Business Masterclass during which they had the opportunity to learn about what a business is, how a business communicates with their customers, packaging and branding, plus much more. Funded by Council and delivered in partnership with Young Enterprise Northern Ireland, those taking part had the chance to grasp key business concepts such as marketing and environmental sustainability through online resources and fun interactive tasks.

• Council celebrated Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week with a week-long programme of interactive and informative events. This year’s theme was ‘Apprenticeships –Tomorrow’s Talent Today’ which reflected on how apprenticeships can help individuals develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and fulfilling future.

• Over 350 secondary school students were inspired to consider careers in science and engineering

Key Performance Indicators

Performance Summary:

Number of participants securing employment as a result of employability programmes

128 participants

Between April 2022 and March 2023, Council supported the delivery of a number of employability programmes including the Hydrogen Academy, Get into Childminding, Access All Areas, Community Led Skills, Get into Retail, Health and Social Care, Female Manufacturing Academy, ‘Rise Women Returners’ and more. To date 128 participants have secured employment against a target of 140. A number of programmes were delayed awaiting funding, and hence are still ongoing.

Number of days per employee spent on training

3 targets achieved/on track.

1 delayed but progressing.

During 2022/23, an average of 3.5 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.

3.5 days

after attending the prestigious ‘Science Summer School’ event in Ballymena. The project, held for the first time in Northern Ireland, was co-founded by Professor Brian Cox CBE, and provided students with an enjoyable and challenging daytime programme of activities including interactive workshops and presentations.

• 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.

• Council’s Climate and Sustainability team continue to promote the Eco Schools Education Programme across the Borough. All 76 MEA schools are engaged in the programme.

• 1,975 young people were engaged with via a range of enterprise, skills and careers activity.

• Council’s Economic Development team delivered a series of pre-

employment programmes including Hydrogen Academy, Transport 2, Transport 3, Get into Childminding, Access All Areas, Community Led Skills, Get into Retail, Health and Social Care, Restaurant Academy Cohort 1, Manufacturing Academy Cohort 1, Female Manufacturing Academy, and ‘Rise Women Returners’. The programmes resulted in 225 qualifications.

• In August 2022, Council hosted three weeks of Biodiversity University to inspire and galvanize the Borough’s young residents to discover more about the incredible species and habitats on their doorstep and how to help these through varied fun and environmental activities.

• Our Management Development Programme was successfully launched with a cohort of managers from across Council. The intention of the programme is behavioural change, increased psychological safety and increased people management skills.

Number of apprenticeship/work placement/work experience opportunities delivered by Council

11 participants

A total of 11 placements were organised and delivered. Students attended work placements in a range of work areas including Waste, Environmental Health, Marketing /Communications, Corporate, Museum, Transport and Climate and Sustainability. Council’s Senior Management Team are continuing to actively seek opportunities which it can provide for additional participants.

Number of education and training programmes delivered by council

41 programmes delivered

Between April 2022 and March 2023, Council delivered 41 education and training programmes to schools, businesses and community groups across the Borough. Programmes were delivered on a variety of subjects including environmental awareness, employability skills, outdoor safety and ‘Autism Friendly’ awareness sessions.

Good Health & Wellbeing

Objectives: 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.

Key Performance Indicators

Employee attendance

COVID-19 was still prevalent during 2022/23 with the highest number of absence incidents being attributed to the Chest and Respiratory category. In addition, continued issues with staff being unable to access medical consultations and treatment has contributed to longer absence durations with many on waiting lists with no imminent prospect of accessing medical care, as well as a number of ongoing employee relations matters and absence associated with these. This combination of factors has led to elevated levels of absence during the year.

Gap in life expectancy between the most deprived areas in the Borough and the Borough as a whole

• Council rolled out the successful ‘Plot to Plate’ programme thanks to funding from the Northern Healthy Living Partnership. Up to 30 local residents attended the free sessions which focussed on cookery skills, nutrition, physical activities and life skills.

• Council’s Community Health & Wellbeing Team produced a culinary cookbook packed full of tasty recipes and delicious treats. The cookbook was developed to highlight the benefits of using an air fryer as a low cost energy alternative.

• 48 business representatives received free accredited ‘Basic Life Support Training’ delivered by a qualified and experienced instructor from ‘One Stop Safety Training’.

• 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.

• During the summer of 2022, Council’s MEActive team delivered a series of activity camps to over 735 participants as part of the ‘MEActive Summer Programme’

• Council were delighted to officially open the highly anticipated skate park, in Ballymena.

• The fitness suites, in each of the Borough’s leisure centres, benefited from refurbishment, including the installation of brand new fitness equipment.

• The best in local sport was celebrated at the annual Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Sports Awards

• Utilising the inherent resilience and capacity within communities postCovid, the Community Health and Wellbeing team worked closely

with the Grants team to rapidly roll out a Warm Space Grant Scheme in response to the cost-of-living crisis. The scheme successfully provided £12,500 of grant funding to 25 local groups, delivering at least 75 sessions, in addition to Warm, Safe and Well community support spaces to vulnerable residents.

• Mid and East Antrim’s Learn to Swim Academy, MEAqua splashed back into action with an expanded programme of swimming sessions providing over 300 sessions to over 2,000 swimmers per week across the Borough, for people aged 3 to 73.

• Following £297,700 funding from the Woodland Trust’s Emergency Tree Fund, Council was delighted to work in partnership with the Woodland Trust to deliver an exciting ‘Climate Canopy’ project. The project aimed to boost green spaces to help with residents’ health and wellbeing.

In March 2023, the Department of Health published the Health Inequalities Annual Report 2023. Male life expectancy in Mid and East Antrim’s most deprived areas was 72.8 years, 5.7 years less than the borough’s average (78.5 years) and 1.3 years higher than Council’s target of 4.4 years. Female life expectancy in the Borough’s most deprived areas was 78.4 years, 3.9 years less than the Borough’s average (82.3 years) and 0.3 years higher than Council’s target of 3.6 years.

% of available Grant Support Scheme funding awarded

During 2022/23, 458 grant applications were received. The Queens Platinum Jubilee Grant was incredibly successful, with 80 successful applications receiving a total of £80,654. Additional projects that received funding included, the Dalriada Festival, street parties for the jubilee, equipment grants for sports clubs, and a number of Elite Sports Competitors through the Jonathan Rea Bursary.

High Performing Council

Objectives: 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.

Key achievements

• 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 more than 30,000 Facebook followers, more than 7,000 Twitter followers, more than 4,500 Instagram followers and more than 3,000 LinkedIn followers. Council reached more than 3million people on Facebook alone over the past year.

• Mid and East Antrim Borough

Council was named UK Council of the Year 2023 at the Improvement and Efficiency Social Enterprise (iESE) Public Sector Transformation Awards.

• Council’s Community Planning and Development team have worked tirelessly over the year to progress agreed actions from the Community Plan ‘Putting People First’.

• To mark the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort, Council hosted a wide range of family friendly events and initiatives -

Key Performance Indicators

Performance Summary: 46 targets achieved/on track. 12 delayed but progressing. 5 targets not achieved.

Average escalation rate of complaints

Our aim is to resolve any complaints received at the earliest point of contact in line with good practice.

Between April 2022 and March 2023, Council exceeded its target of resolving at least 70% of complaints informally, achieving a figure of 88%.

Net cost of council services per head of population

This indicator is reported annually to the Association of Public Sector Excellence. £285 2021/22 figure

The net cost of council services per head in 2021/22 was £285, an improvement on the 2020/21 figure of £310. The figure for 2022/23 will be reported to Full Council once the figures have been audited.

ranging from big screen broadcasts, to community grants and activities for local schoolchildren.

• Council’s Capital team led on the successful delivery of a number of projects over 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.

• In September 2022, Council were shortlisted under two categories at the APSE Annual Service Awards and was awarded ‘Best Collaborative Working Initiative’ for successfully delivering a series of circular economy and carbon emission reduction projects at a UK level.

• 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. Almost 30,000 people attended Council’s various major events between

April 2022 and March 2023. Corporate-run events have noted an approximate 30% attendance increase since pre-Covid, and feedback is overwhelmingly positive in terms of the provision of positive experiences and value for money.

• To ensure continuous improvement, Council officers have pro-actively participated in various working groups and best practice visits these have included participation in the Strategic Alliance, the Local Government Performance Improvement Working Group, the regional Environmental Health NI including subgroups, the Building Control Northern Ireland Standards Panel and many more.

• In February 2023, Council was pleased to once again mark Democracy Week. Celebrating democratic heritage and values across the Borough and beyond, the week-long programme of events included talks, an exhibition, a Council roadshow and fun-filled outings such as a democratic table quiz and a democratic heritage bus tour.

Customer Satisfaction

During the summer of 2022, Council carried out a comprehensive survey of 810 local households.

Complete

The survey found that 53% of residents indicated they were satisfied with Council services, with 19% indicating they were dissatisfied. The remaining 28% stated that they were niether satisfied nor dissatisfied. The results were used to shape the new Corporate Plan 2023-2027.

Staff satisfaction

The ‘Listening to Staff Survey’ was completed between November and December 2022. Complete

The results of the ‘Listening to Staff’ survey have been carefully analysed and numerous focus groups have taken place with the Interim Chief Executive, Senior Managemet Team and Council officers to establish a way forward.

10. Statutory Key Performance Indicators

The Department for Communities (DfC) also set statutory targets for councils in the functional areas of Planning, Economic Development and Waste.

Our arrangements to meet these targets 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 NI councils. We publish performance updates on our website every 3 months at www.midandeastantrim.

gov.uk/PIP

Our latest results are summarised in the diagram opposite.

Indicators Targets

The average processing time of major planning applications.

Results

Major applications processed within an average of 30 weeks.

*1 Due to the ongoing issues with the implementation of the NI Planning Portal this data is unavailable. The most recent data quoted is from Q2.

*² The final waste figures for 2022/23 will be audited and publicly released by NIEA in December 2023. Until verified these figures can be used as a strong indicator of performance.

*³ No statutory target is set for this indicator. We set and monitor our own internal target each year.

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.

At least 70% of all enforcement cases concluded within 39 weeks.

The number of jobs promoted through business start-up activity.

At least 85 jobs.

125 jobs

The % of household waste collected by district Councils that is sent for recycling.

At least 50%

The amount of biodegradable Local Authority Collected Municipal Waste that is landfilled.

The amount (tonnage) of Local Authority Collected Municipal Waste arisings.

N/A*³