Performance Improvement Plan 2025-2026 document p2
Duty to Improve
Under the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014, councils have a duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the exercise of their functions.
Improvement means an activity that enhances the sustainable quality of life and environment for ratepayers and communities.
It means more than gains in service outputs, efficiencies, or internal effectiveness.
For each financial year, councils must set Improvement Objectives, and have in place the arrangements to achieve them.
Arrangements to Secure Continuous Improvement
Our arrangements to secure continuous improvement are outlined in our Performance Management Framework.
This framework drives performance at all levels within the organisation by linking our corporate strategies, aims and objectives to each employee’s individual work plan.
These arrangements are audited by the Northern Ireland Audit Office each year.
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The Community Plan - “Putting People First” (2017-2032) |
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The Corporate Plan (2024-2028) |
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The Performance Improvement Plan |
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Business Plan |
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Employee Personal Development Plan |
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Developing our Performance Improvement Plan
We held a public consultation on 3 proposed Improvement Objectives from 17 January to 4 April 2025. These objectives were based on our understanding of local needs and an assessment of our ability to meet those needs.
- Draft Objective 1
- People: We will work with partners to improve the lives of citizens.
- Draft Objective 2
- Place: We will maintain and improve our local areas.
- Draft Objective 3
- Planet: We will reduce our environmental impact and improve sustainability.
A survey was conducted in the Council’s leisure centres, and within Ballymena, Carrickfergus, and Larne town centres.
The survey was also published online and displayed at our main reception areas.
We asked people “do you agree with us pursuing this objective?”, and gave examples of the types of actions we could take to achieve them.
The survey also asked, “if the Council could make any improvement to positively impact on your life or environment, what would it be?”.
The consultation was promoted to citizens, staff, Elected Members, community groups, voluntary groups, Section 75 groups and local businesses.
An Easy Read version of the consultation document was also published.
145 people responded, and all 3 objectives received over 90% support.
We also reviewed and considered a wide range of information sources when developing our Improvement Objectives, including:
- The results from the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Citizen Survey (2022).
- Regional statistics, such as data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, the Northern Ireland Executive, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
- The Programme for Government NI – “Doing What Matters Most” (2024-2027).
- The Mid and East Antrim Community Plan – “Putting People First” (2017-2032, and 2022 review).
- The Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Corporate Plan (2024-2028).
- Findings from previous public consultations on the Council’s prior Performance Improvement Plan and Corporate Plan.
- A review of legislation and statutory guidance.
- Self-analysis from our annual Performance Self-Assessment Reports, audit results (Northern Ireland Audit Office), and business plan performance.
- Benchmarking with other councils.
- Engagement and feedback from the Council’s management and officers.
A summary of our research findings, along with feedback from the public consultation, is provided on the following pages.