Council and Democracy >> Corporate Plan
Corporate Plan
This page contains the following information about our Priorities and the Corporate Plan:
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Introduction
In this area you can find out what we want to achieve over the 3 years up to 2012/13. Our plans reflect local and national issues and were developed with local people and our partners in a wide ranging consultation. You can also see how we set annual priorities to make sure achieve those plans.
During 2010/11 we will keep finding ways of reducing our costs further, improve our efficiency and maintaining good quality services. We will keep offering local people the opportunity to influence our decision-making and how we deliver our services through regular consultation.
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Our Priorities for 2010/11
Priority 1: Doing everything we can to soften the impact of the economic downturn on the town's economy and residents' lives
We will do this by...
- Supporting projects that protect employment and help sectors with longer term growth potential for when the economy improves
- Supporting projects that get people into training and jobs and stop young people falling into unemployment straight after leaving school
- Constantly looking for new investment in the town's infrastructure to help safeguard employment during the economic downturn
- Maintaining our investment programme so we keep improving housing in the town
- Working closely with our partners to offer residents and visitors good leisure and cultural facilities
Specific targets include:
- Using the extra funds given to our town in recognition of our regeneration needs to provide support and training to get local people into employment; provide financial advice, loans and help in managing debt; supporting local businesses to retain jobs and new businesses to start up or relocate to Hastings
- Returning 15 long term 'empty' (ie over 2 years) dwellings to residential use
- Providing opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy physical activities and adopt healthier lifestyles through programmes such as 'Active Hastings'
- Agreeing and implementing our Cultural Regeneration Strategy which aims to maximise benefits from the investment in the cultural life of our town eg the Jerwood Gallery and the Stade Improvements, and transform our town into a major cultural destination on the South Coast
Find out more about how we're achieving this priority on our regeneration pages and our business pages.
Priority 2: Working closely with our partners to make the town clean and safe
We will do this by...
- Working with key partners on safety issues, particularly in the town centres
- Continue improving our rubbish and recycling service and street cleanliness
- Maintaining and enhancing our high quality open spaces for all to enjoy
Specific targets include:
- Helping to improve public safety and the atmosphere of the town centre by working with partners to reduce alcohol and drug related anti-social behaviour
- Helping to improve the local environment by taking enforcement action to combat envirocrime such as noise nuisance and dog fouling, and improve public awareness of action taken to address these important quality of life issues
- Further improving the cleanliness of our streets focussing on litter, detritus, graffiti, fly posting
and fly tipping
- Working with East Sussex County Council and other partners to ensure Hastings is as well prepared as is reasonably practical for the demands of winter weather
- Continuing to improve the quality of our Parks and Open Spaces by maintaining their cleanliness and safety, this will be recognised by renewed Green Flag awards and improved public satisfaction
Find out more about how we're achieving this priority on our community safety pages, our recycling pages and our open spaces pages.
Priority 3: Making sure we're efficient, customer-focussed and a good organisation to work for
We will do this by...
- Improving administrative efficiency and value-for-money
- Improving the quality and effectiveness of all our communications with customers
- Becoming a better employer by dealing with issues like internal communications which are often raised in staff surveys, and striving for a workforce that better reflects our local community
- Doing all we can to soften the blow of reduced income and increased costs on our organisation
- Keep providing essential services and doing the things we must do by law, at or above minimum requirements, for our staff and customers
Specific targets include:
- Involving our staff in improving the way we do business, and looking for ways to do it better and cheaper, either by ourselves or by joining up with other organisations
- Improving customer service and communication with local people by preparing to introduce a contact centre in 2011/12
- Implementing new ways for you to tell us what you think about what we do by using new social media and electronic technology
- Looking after the health, safety and welfare of our staff and ensuring their skills are updated and
used to deliver good quality services
Find our more about how we're achieving this priority on our council and democracy pages and our finance pages.
Priority 4: Promoting equality and an inclusive, supportive community
We will do this by...
- Encouraging mutual respect between diverse groups and facing up to prejudice
- Improving our understanding of different groups living in the local community and making sure our service delivery is sensitive to these differences
- Helping local people to influence decisions about the area they live in
Specific targets include:
- Ensuring we provide better services by increasing our sensitivity and responsiveness to people's
differences and implementing our Single Equalities Scheme
- Implementing the actions in our Community Cohesion Plan to give people opportunities to realise their full potential; to increase mutual respect and understanding between communities, and helping people to take part in civic life (understanding their rights and responsibilities, influencing decisions and taking part in democracy)
- Continuing to provide opportunities for children to develop skills through play by continuing the regular programme of activities
- Assisting 40 households to access private rented sector housing through the Council's 'Letstart' service in order to prevent homelessness
Find out more about how we're achieving this priority on our community cohesion pages.
Priority 5: Tackle climate change and make Hastings more environmentally sustainable
We will do this by...
- Reducing the environmental impact of our activities and buildings
- Lead work with our partners to reduce CO2 emissions across the town
- Maximise the employment and regeneration potential from sustainable initiatives
- Encourage alternative transport, for example: by supporting a network of cycle routes throughout the town
Specific Targets include:
- Achieving our 10:10 carbon reduction commitment to reduce our CO2 emissions by 10%
- Protecting and managing our seafront and working with partners to implement flood protection measures
- Working with European partners to invest £500,000 in the town to support climate change adaptation activities
- Increasing our recycling rates and working with local people to stop the rise in the amount of waste going to landfill
- Completing the installation of new cremators and mercury abatement equipment at the Crematorium to
improve our service and meet new emissions targets
Find out more about how we're achieving this priority on our generation green pages.
Priority 6: Establishing a culture of openness throughout the council
We will do this by...
- Publishing online details of all payments for supplies over £500
- Publishing online all background papers to committee reports
- Publishing the salaries of council chief officers
- Aiming to place alternative options before residents in public consultations
- Ensuring as much Council business as possible is conducted in public
- Inviting representatives of the community or those with expert knowledge to take part in council working parties and to make presentations to committees
Specific targets to be confirmed
Find out more about how we're achieving this priority on our consultation, finance and meetings, agendas, reports and minutes pages.
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Efficiency and budgets
All councils are required to measure and report efficiency savings they have achieved since 2009. An efficiency saving occurs when the cost of an activity falls, but its effectiveness is not reduced. This has helped us to keep your Council Tax as low as possible. The following figures show the value of efficiency savings we expect to achieve by the end of March 2010:
- Saving by March 2009: £1,762,000
- Saving by March 2010: £2,705,000
- Saving for each band D dwelling: £93
- National average for similar authorities: £41
Each year we are assessed by the Audit Commission on our use of resources and given a score. In
January 2009 we scored 3 out of a possible 4 for Use of Resources and in particular a score of 3 out
of a possible 4 for our work providing Value for Money. This means we are performing "consistently above minimum requirements - performing well."
You can look at our annual budget in our finance pages.
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Download the 2010/11 - 2012/13 Corporate Plan
You may find it useful to read our help before downloading information.
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Annual Report 2008/9 - A Big Step Forward
Every year we will produce an annual report for our shareholders, you. This highlights what we've done during 2008/9 based on what you've told us you care about most. This is the first time we've published an Annual Report and we'd really like to know what you think about it. Have we told you enough or are there other things we could include next time? Please read A Big Step Forward and use our feedback form to tell us what you think.
Download 'A Big Step Forward'
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Previous Corporate plans
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Contact Information
Please contact us for further information or advice on any matter relating to the Corporate Plan.
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This page last updated: 30/06/2010
