Performance Indicators and Standards
Performance Indicators and Standards
Each year, the Council collects information which allows us to assess our performance in meeting our Improvement Objectives, statutory performance indicators and standards, and our self-imposed indicators and standards.
We also compare our performance with previous financial years, and where practicable, with the financial years of other councils.
Improvement Objectives
We develop our Improvement Objectives each year based on an evidence-based understanding of local needs and our capacity to meet those needs.
Our objectives align with the Council’s longer-term vision for improvement, and care is taken to ensure that each objective is:
- Legitimate – It makes a demonstrable contribution to one or more aspects of Improvement defined in the Local Government Act (NI) 2014.
- Clear – It sets out the visible improvements citizens can expect.
- Robust – It has defined terms of success.
- Deliverable – It has established links to individual service programmes and budgets.
- Demonstrable – It is capable of being supported by objective evidence.
We publish our Improvement Objectives within our annual Performance Improvement Plan.
Statutory Performance Indicators and Standards
The Department for Communities set statutory indicators and standards for councils in the functional areas of Planning, Economic Development, and Waste Management.
These indicators are incorporated into our Improvement Objectives, where possible.
We report our results every three months to the relevant government bodies, and summarise them within our Performance Improvement Plan update reports, which are published on our website.
Self-Imposed Performance Indicators and Standards
Our self-imposed performance indicators and standards are set out within our Corporate Plan, and reinforced through our annual business planning process.
Our Corporate Plan aligns with the Community Plan for the borough, ensuring the longer-term vision for the area is supported.
Our performance against each of these three types of indicators is analysed in detail in the pages that follow.
Improvement Objectives
Continuous improvement remained at the forefront of our agenda in the 2023/24 financial year.
As an organisation and as a community, the year brought many challenges, including a cost-of-living crisis, surging inflation, and tightened financial conditions.
These challenges hit particularly hard, as we continued on our recovery from the pandemic.
Based on extensive stakeholder engagement, we developed our Performance Improvement Plan for the year.
The plan focused on enhancing our citizens’ health and wellbeing, particularly for those who were vulnerable.
It sought to improve employment outcomes, and to provide support to help our businesses start-up and grow.
The plan also focused on regenerating our town centres, and attracting visitors into them.
It aimed to enhance service provision within our community centres through the provision of full-fibre broadband, and to support the development of the electric vehicle charging network.
The Plan was agreed by the Full Council on 12 June 2023.