Corporate Plan 2024-28 - Easy Read Summary

Introduction

Ards and North Down Borough Council is a local authority in Northern Ireland that was set up on 1 April 2015. The Council serves the Ards and North Down district and delivers essential services to residents, businesses and visitors.

Ards and North Down Borough Council delivers lots of different services including street cleaning and waste collection. The Council also manages lots of parks and open spaces and works in partnership with other organisations to help improve both urban and rural spaces.

What is a Corporate Plan? 

The Corporate Plan explains what Ards and North Down Borough Council wants to achieve over the next four years (2024-2028).

The Corporate Plan tells people how the Council will work towards our vision for the future of the Ards and North Down area. We have agreed on 3 priorities that we think will help us realise this vision, and we will use the Corporate Plan to help us focus our activities on making this vision happen.

This is an easy version of our Corporate Plan. It provides a summary of what Ards and North Down Borough Council will do over the next 4 years. The full version of the plan is available on the Council's website. www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/CorporatePlan2024-28 

One Vision 

Our vision of A Sustainable Borough 

A Sustainable Borough is one where economic, environmental, and social wellbeing are interdependent and decisions that are taken are well-balanced and fair.

This means that when taking decisions, the Council should consider their economic, environmental and social impact to make sure that the decision taken does not have a negative impact somewhere else.

The Corporate Plan has 1 vision, 3 priorities, 7 outcomes, 17 strategic actions and lots of measures of success.

Three Priorities 

To become A Sustainable Borough 3 corporate priorities have been identified. The 3 priorities are ambitious, and we will need to work in partnership with other organisations to achieve them. The priorities mean we will need to consider how we equitably invest our money and resources.

The 3 priorities are:

1.   Increasing economic growth by attracting more businesses and more jobs 

2.   Reducing carbon emissions as we transition to net zero

o   Net zero means reducing emissions that are generated from using oil, petrol, gas and electricity while also trying to remove carbon from our atmosphere through activities like planting more trees

3.   Improving wellbeing through social inclusion and reducing inequality

We need to increase the amount of money available to the Council so this can be spent on achieving our priorities. This is why increasing the non-domestic rate (businesses), by attracting new businesses into the Borough, is very important.  

7 Outcomes 

To become A Sustainable Borough,we have identified 7 outcomes. The outcomes will result in:

1.    An engaged Borough with citizens and businesses who have opportunities to influence the delivery of services, plans and investment.

2.    An environmentally sustainable and resilient Council and Borough meeting our net zero carbon targets.

3.    A thriving and sustainable economy.

4.    A vibrant, attractive, sustainable Borough for citizens, visitors, businesses and investors.

5.    Safe, welcoming and inclusive communities that are flourishing.

6.    Opportunities for people to be active and healthy.

7.    Ards and North Down Borough Council is a high-performing organisation

17 Strategic Actions

Ards and North Down Borough Council's Corporate Plan has 17 strategic actions. These are actions that we will implement over the next 4 years.

Outcome 1: An engaged Borough with citizens who have opportunities to influence the delivery of services, plans and investment 

Having a Borough where citizens and businesses are consulted and engaged, will result in the provision of responsive and better-designed services. By considering how we talk with people, and how different stakeholder groups and issues require different methods of engagement and/ or consultation, we will be better equipped to make decisions that enhance economic growth, reduce our carbon emissions and improve wellbeing by reducing inequalities.

Actions to achieve Outcome 1:

1.    Proactively broadening our community, business and stakeholder engagement approach to include co-design and participation where appropriate.

Outcome 2: An environmentally resilient Council and Borough meeting our net zero carbon targets 

To meet the requirements of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, the Council must commit to a range of activities to reduce our carbon emissions and help us to transition to net zero. This is important as energy costs money and by managing our climate obligations responsibly we will help manage our costs and increase our resilience to change.

We also need to help citizens and businesses understand the impact of a changing climate and help them prepare and build resilience. To be environmentally sustainable we need to protect and enhance our green and blue spaces for both mitigation (net zero) and adaptation to climate change.

Actions to achieve Outcome 2:

2.    Developing and implementing a fully funded plan to transition Council operations towards our long-term net zero carbon targets

3.    Promoting responsible behaviours that focus on reducing carbon emissions while enabling resilience to climate change

Outcome 3: A thriving and sustainable economy 

By focusing on activities that result in sustainable economic growth, the Council will contribute to a reduction in poverty, higher living standards, better employment opportunities and greater economic security for all.

A thriving economy will also encourage greater investment by other businesses into the Borough, which in turn will help to increase our non-domestic rate base, which in turn will enable us to then support environmental and social wellbeing activities.

 Actions to achieve Outcome 3:

4.    Supporting the growth of key business sectors by focusing on business support, employability skills and required infrastructure.

5.    Prioritising economic growth within the low carbon sector.

6.    Helping people maximise their lifelong potential by increasing their skills, knowledge and employability.

7.    Participating in partnerships to improve connectivity (e.g. digital) across the Borough.

Outcome 4: A vibrant, attractive, sustainable Borough for citizens, visitors, businesses and investors 

Any activities that result in a vibrant, attractive and sustainable Borough will create social, environmental and economic benefits for all our stakeholders. A focus on developing and enhancing our natural, built and coastal heritage and encouraging others to enjoy the assets within our Borough will help us become a sustainable visitor destination.

A sustainable visitor destination is one where tourism operators, communities and individuals understand the economic, social and environmental impacts of tourism and make the right choices to ensure that everyone benefits.

Actions to achieve Outcome 4:

8.    Developing the cultural, natural and built heritage assets of the Borough.

9.    Working with businesses and communities to enhance and promote the Borough as a sustainable visitor destination.

Outcome 5: Safe, welcoming and inclusive communities that are flourishing 

A sustainable community is one where people feel safe and welcome and where prosperity is inclusive of everyone. The Council must strive to create communities that reduce inequality and increase social inclusion, as prioritising these will contribute to reduced community tension, conflict and anti-social behaviour.

The resulting safe communities will lead to improved well-being, increased aspirations and enhanced economic growth. This can be achieved through creating public spaces that foster social interactions, community engagement and improved wellbeing.

Actions to achieve Outcome 5:

10. Working in partnership with statutory agencies to promote safe communities and improve good relations.

11. Working in partnership with citizens to help develop and promote culture and diversity.

12. Developing sustainable communities by creating safe public spaces that encourage social interaction and help to improve wellbeing.

Outcome 6: Opportunities for people to be active and healthy 

Focusing resources and delivering services that contribute to active, happy and healthy citizens and employees will contribute to a better quality of life for everyone.

The wider determinants of health include the diverse range of economic, environmental and social factors that influence a person's mental and physical health. Happiness is also important for health, and it can be cultivated by helping people engage in activities that also take care of their physical and mental wellbeing.

Actions to achieve Outcome 6:

13. Improving physical and mental wellbeing for all abilities.

14. Encouraging active and sustainable travel.

Outcome 7: Ards and North Down Borough Council is a high performing organisation 

When the Council is performing at its most efficient and effective, its staff, citizens, customers and residents will all benefit. 

Ensuring our resources (physical, human and financial) are fit-for-purpose will be fundamental to the success of the organisation and the Borough.

Actions to achieve Outcome 7:

15. Delivering high-quality, cost-effective services that meet    people's needs

16. Ensuring that all people have fair access to Council services

17. Attracting, keeping, developing and supporting skilled and motivated staff.

Measures of success 

To help the Council measure the impact of what we do, we have identified activities (Strategic Actions and Measures of Success) that we will undertake over the next 4 years.

Every year each service unit in the Council writes a service plan. This explains what activities that service will deliver. Service plans, and the activities within them, will focus on the Corporate Plan outcomes and priorities.

Ads and North Down Borough Council will check our strategic actions to see if we are making progress towards our 7 outcomes. We will also check if we are making progress towards our 3 priorities.

We will report what we do to the Elected Members of Ards and North Down Borough Council via Council meetings. We will put information on our progress and impact onto our Council website www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk

Our Engagement Platform

The Borough is full of vibrant communities, each contributing valuable ideas that will shape the area's future.

To amplify these voices, the Council has introduced Citizens Lab, an online engagement platform. In addition to in-person conversations, surveys and public information sessions, residents from across the Borough can propose ideas, share comments, engage in topic debates, respond to surveys, and express their views on new projects.

You can sign up to this engagement platform via Our engagement platform - Ards and North Down Borough Council