Date published: 2024-05-30 | Category: Delivering for local residents, Focusing on prevention, Giving people a bigger say, Improving people's lives, Preparing for the Future
A seventh place ranking out of 388 councils on climate action, alongside Park & Ride schemes placed second in the country for customer satisfaction, are among the highlights of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s progress on its commitments to residents over the past year.
A report on the Corporate Strategy 2023-2027 going before cabinet on June 6 brings together a year’s worth of data and points to how the council has delivered against its purpose to improve people’s lives in 2023/24.
The report comes as Bath & North East Somerset Council has been named as a finalist in the Most Improved Council category at the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards. The nomination recognises how the council has improved people’s lives in Bath and North East Somerset through delivering its Corporate Strategy.
A key priority in the Corporate Strategy is to support vulnerable adults and children. In 2023/24 it supported:
- more than 1,800 people in adult social care settings
- more than 200 looked-after children
- 2,230 children on Education, Health & Care Plans
- 141 children on Child Protection Plans
- 1,258 referrals were made to Early Help Services in 2023/24
The Community Wellbeing Hub also opened an outreach base at Bath’s Royal United Hospital to provide extra support for people being discharged, receiving 1,803 referrals in 2022/23.
To help deliver the council’s priority of the right homes in the right places, fifty affordable homes have been made available for residents.
More than 400 Ukrainian guests have been welcomed under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, reflecting the strength and generosity of local communities in Bath and North East Somerset.
Measures to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies included being the first in the country to adopt an energy-based net zero policy for new housing developments. The council also introduced emission-based parking charges in Bath to improve air quality. The council introduced the first charging clean air zone outside of London, which is having a real and positive impact on air quality locally.
The local economy has been boosted by £47m by more than 450,000 visitors to the 2023 Bath Christmas Market and there were more than a million visitors to the Roman Baths over the past year, contributing to the vibrancy of the local economy.
Councillor David Wood, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for Council Priorities and Delivery, said: “I welcome this report which highlights the scope of the council’s work and the far-reaching impact we have on people’s day-to-day lives. Our Corporate Strategy spans four years but we are measuring the council’s performance year on year, this being the first review of how it is delivering against our key objectives.
“There are continuing financial challenges that are being felt by the council and our communities, however we have successfully continued to deliver a wide range of direct services to residents that improve lives. I am particularly proud of the work we are undertaking to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.”
The report also notes that in 2023/24 the council has:
- Resurfaced 115km of highway
- Carried out 1,139 food hygiene inspections
- Processed and decided on more than 1,800 planning applications
- Planted 1,423 trees on council land
Read the Update on Progress on Delivering the Corporate Strategy 2023-2027 and Annual Performance Report 2023-2024 going before cabinet on June 6 here.
Watch the webcast here or view it on the council's YouTube channel.
The Corporate Strategy 2023-2027 was adopted in July 2023.
ENDS