Benchmarking

• Benchmarking helps identify where we are performing well and where we need to improve.
  We can compare our performance with other local councils for three types of statutory performance indicators, as well as absenteeism and prompt payment performance.
  We also participate in best practice learning and a wide range of working groups.
• The data tables for the charts within this section, alongside examples of our benchmarking and best practice activities, can be found within the Appendices.

Statutory performance indicators and standards

• The Department for Communities sets statutory targets for councils in the areas of Planning, Economic Development and Waste Management.
  We also set our own internal targets to ensure continuous improvement within these areas.

• The Department for the Economy, the Department for Infrastructure, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs collate this information and publish the results.
  We also publish this information on our Performance section of this website.

• The statutory indicators are monitored through our annual business plans and Improvement Objectives.

Table: Summary statutory performance indicator results – Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (2024/25)

Economic Development

• This statutory indicator measures the number of jobs promoted through business start interventions via the Go Succeed service.
  The results are subject to quality assurance and may change.
  In 2024/25, 144 jobs were promoted in the borough through business start interventions, up from 103 jobs in 2023/24.
  Of the 11 Northern Ireland councils, 7 achieved their target.
  Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council gained top position at 85% over target, with Mid and East Antrim positioning 2^nd at 30% over target.

Planning

• Our performance for all 3 statutory Planning indicators is summarised below.

Table: Planning results – Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

Indicator: The average processing time of major planning applications

• Major planning applications relate to large-scale developments such as housing estates and commercial projects that can have a significant impact on local infrastructure, the environment and surrounding communities.
  Due to the complexity of major planning applications and the involvement of multiple external consultees, processing times are not always within our direct control.
  Input is often required from a range of statutory and external consultees including environmental bodies, transport authorities, utility providers, safety regulators and heritage organisations.
  These organisations assess traffic impact, infrastructure capacity and the protection of historical sites etc.
• Internally, we play a key role in ensuring all decisions align with policy and reflect local priorities; this includes engaging with residents, businesses and community groups.
  We have experienced considerable challenges in meeting the 30-week target over the last 6 years.
• In 2024/25, our average processing time was 45.2 weeks, and while this is a significant improvement on 2023/24, it exceeds the 30-week target and the Northern Ireland council average of 39.6 weeks. 
  During the year, we received 7 new major applications.
  With 12 applications carried over from previous years, the total number of applications under consideration was 19.
  Of these, 10 were determined (2 from 2024/25, 5 from 2023/24 and 3 from 2022/23).
• The percentage of cases processed within the 30-week target improved from 11% in 2023/24 to 20% in 2024/25.
  The Northern Ireland council average was 42.6%. Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council reported the shortest average processing time of 17.8 weeks, with 84.2% of applications processed within the target. As we move into 2025/26, 9 applications remain decision-pending, 5 from 2024/25, 1 from 2023/24, 2 from 2022/23 and 1 from 2017/18.
• To improve decision-making times, we are developing a Pre-Validation Checklist in line with legislative changes introduced by the Department for Infrastructure.
  This checklist will define the information and documentation required for each type of Planning application to ensure applications are valid and complete at the point of submission.
  This will reduce delays caused by incomplete or poor-quality submissions and will enable quicker consultee response times.
  We are also open to working with the Department of Infrastructure and other stakeholders to explore more realistic and meaningful measures of performance.

Indicator: The average processing time of local planning applications

• Local planning applications typically relate to smaller-scale developments or changes to properties such as residential extensions, minor commercial works or alterations to existing buildings.
  These applications are generally subject to a more straightforward assessment process, but efficient handling is crucial for applicants, developers and the wider local economy.

• During 2024/25, at 5.8 weeks, we achieved the fastest average processing time of all 11 councils in Northern Ireland for the 6^th consecutive year.
  This was a significant improvement on 2023/24 at 9.4 weeks, and is well below the Northern Ireland council average of 19 weeks.
  In total, 648 local planning applications were decided during the year, of which 614 were approved and 34 refused, resulting in an approval rate of 94.8%.
  Notably, 83.2% of approved applications were processed within the statutory 15-week target.
  Of the 11 local councils, 8 recorded improvements in average processing times during 2024/25. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council improved by 8.4 weeks, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council by 5.2 weeks, and Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council by 3.6 weeks.

Indicator: The percentage of enforcement cases concluded within 39 weeks

• This indicator helps to maintain public confidence in the Planning system by ensuring development activity is carried out in line with approved plans and regulations, playing a vital role in safeguarding community interests and protecting the environment.

• Enforcement cases typically arise where there is a breach of planning control.
  These may involve unauthorised building works, such as construction or significant alterations carried out without necessary planning permissions; unauthorised changes of use, such as converting a residential property into a commercial premise without consent; breaches of conditions attached to planning approvals, such as failure to complete landscaping works, or non-compliance with formal planning notices, including enforcement and stop notices.

• In 2024/25, we concluded 81.3% of enforcement cases within 39 weeks, significantly exceeding the 70% statutory target.
  Even though we have remained significantly above the target figure each year, we have noted a downward trend in performance year on year.
  We are working to understand and address the reasons for this. 

• Regionally, performance in enforcement timeliness declined during the year, with the Northern Ireland council average falling from 76.4% in 2023/24 to 70.7% in 2024/25.
  Only 6 councils met or exceeded the target, with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council reporting 97.3%, and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council both reporting 83.3%.

Waste Management

• The results for all three statutory waste management indicators are summarised below. Figures are provisional, pending audit and verification by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Indicator: The percentage of household waste collected by council that is sent for recycling

• As a council, we have collected more than the minimum 50% household recycling standard every year since 2017/18.
  Levels of household recycling can be impacted by household behaviours, holiday periods and seasonal waste generation.
  In 2024/25, at 50.73% household recycling rates in the borough were on par with the previous year at 50.4%.
  As with 2023/24, there was a marked reduction in recycling figures in the second half of the year from October to March compared with April to September.

• Borough household recycling figures do not compare unfavourably with other council areas.
  Whilst our recorded figure of 50.73% is slightly below the overall Northern Ireland Council average of 50.93%, Mid and East Antrim ranks 5^th in terms of performance against other councils, up one place from last year.

• The Council made the decision in April 2025 to harmonise recycling collections across the borough.
  A new fully co-mingled collection service will be rolled out in 2026/27.
  This will mean that for the first time since the formation of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council the same system will be in place across Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne areas.
  Based on in-depth comparison of systems available, the co-mingled system was judged to be most cost-effective in terms of introduction and most likely to enable the Council to meet its medium to long-term household recycling targets.

Indicator: The amount (tonnage) of biodegradable local authority collected municipal waste that is landfilled

• Biodegradable waste includes textiles, organic (food and green garden waste), wood, paper and cardboard. In 2024/25, the amount of biodegradable waste collected that was sent to landfill decreased to 13,611 tonnes, down 10.3% from the previous year and reverses a trend of 4 consecutive rises in the borough since 2019/20.
  This is lower than any year since 2019/20.

• The amount recorded in 2024/25 is also lower than the 16,387-tonne allowance set by the Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme, which was in place until 2019/20.
  Until clarity is provided on this indicator, we continue to use this allowance as an internal target.
  Practices are in place to help reduce the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill, such as organic waste and dry recycling kerbside collections, textile and wood disposal services, and various communications campaigns.

Indicator: The amount of local authority collected municipal waste arisings

• This indicator relates to the total quantity of waste collected from households, businesses and institutional sources (recyclable and non-recyclable).
  No statutory standard is set for this indicator as we are required to collect waste presented at the kerbside, household recycling centres and commercial waste.
  In 2024/25, there was a modest increase in the volume of collected municipal waste arisings to 75,880 tonnes, up 1.4% from 2023/24.
• Various activities are in place to positively influence environmental practices within the borough, as outlined within our Corporate Plan (2024-2028) and Climate and Sustainability Action Plan (2023-2027).
  A number of programmes were delivered to support local communities and promote reuse, including the School Uniform Scheme, Christmas Toy Container Scheme, Community Fridges, Community Re-Paint Scheme, and Spectacle Reuse Scheme.

Absenteeism

• Sickness absence levels across the United Kingdom have reached their highest levels in a decade (Source: CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work Survey September 2023).

• Levels of sickness absence within Local Government continue to be higher than within Central Government (Source: Northern Ireland Audit Office). This gap increased from 10% in 2018/19 to 37% in 2022/23.

• In Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, in 2024/25 17.18 days were lost per full-time equivalent employee.
  This is similar to recent years but up 4% on last year. Mental health related absence continues to be the main reason for sickness absence.

• The latest comparable data with other councils in Northern Ireland is for the 2023/24 financial year, when the average rate of sickness absence across all councils was 16.77 days.
  We ranked 6^th highest in terms of performance at 16.46 days, climbing 3 places from the previous year.

• 60% of our staff experienced no sickness absence during 2024/25 and 85% of all sickness absence was long-term i.e. 20 continuous working days or more.
  This indicates the high level of absence relates to a small number of long-term sickness absences, rather than a large number of frequent short-term absences. 
  Factors relating to long-term sickness absence include staff experiencing delays in accessing initial NHS consultations, diagnostics and treatments, and severe health events and diagnosis among staff. 

• A review into sickness absence within the Council was completed during the year, with the agreed recommendations due to be delivered by March 2026.
  Actions will focus on promoting a strong attendance culture, prevention and early intervention, long-term absence, and measuring and analysing impact.

• A dedicated role has been established for a short-term period to focus on compliance with the Council’s absenteeism policy.
  This will include equipping managers to fulfil their attendance management responsibilities, and more frequent monitoring and reporting on sickness absence to senior management.

• An Employee Inclusion and Wellbeing Officer role has also been established to develop and implement an employee wellbeing action plan.
  This will improve the capability of line managers to support people’s mental health and will enhance employee wellbeing support.

• We also provide an Employee Assistance Programme which includes confidential counselling support, and a Health Cash Plan which offers financial assistance towards diagnostics, treatments, and counselling.
  There are 13 Mental Health Champions within the Council who have been trained in Mental Health First Aid, and 2 wellbeing hubs are also in operation.

Prompt Payments

• Prompt payments relate to the length of time it takes us to process and pay our suppliers.
  During 2024/25, 76% of invoices were paid within 10 working days, exceeding our internal target of 60%.
  This is our highest performance within the last 6 years.
  A total of 94% of invoices were processed within 30 calendar days, surpassing our target of 80%, and our highest result since 2021/22.

• Compared with other Northern Ireland councils, our 94% 30-day compliance ranks among the top performers, on par with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
  Only 2 councils achieved a higher percentage, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council at 96% and Mid Ulster District Council at 100%.

• Only 6% of invoices were paid outside the 30-day timeframe, a significant improvement on 2023/24 at 19% and 2022/23 at 13%.
  This reflects a series of targeted actions during the year, which enhanced our ability to process payments efficiently, including integration and optimisation of our financial management system and inclusion as an indicator within our Corporate Plan 2024-2028.

Internal Benchmarking