Assessment of Performance 2016-17 Approved

The first ever Assessment of Performance for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council was considered and approved by the Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee on 14 September 2017.

The Chairperson of the Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee, Councillor Terry Hearty said, “Producing an Assessment of Performance is a statutory requirement for all district councils, as set out in the Local Government Act (NI) 2014. The Assessment of Performance gives elected members the information they need to manage and scrutinise performance, and ensure that the Council is making a positive difference and improving the quality of life for all our local communities”.

The Assessment of Performance recognises the investment of £36m allocated to Newry and Downpatrick Leisure Centres, both of which are scheduled to open during 2017-18.  The assessment also highlights that the Community Plan for Newry, Mourne and Down has also been published and that the Council continues to work with key partners across the statutory, voluntary and community sectors to improve the quality of life for all.

The Council also performed well against the performance indicators and standards which are set by central government.  The Council promoted 192 jobs through business start-up activity, exceeding the Government target by 24%.  Since 2015-16, the percentage of household waste the Council recycles has increased by 1.2% and the amount of biodegradable municipal waste that is sent to landfill has reduced by 69.7%.

The Council also continues to deliver the objectives within its Corporate Plan 2015-19.  The Council has hosted and supported a range of tourism events which generated around £9.5m for the local economy, and contributed to an increase in visitor numbers and spend across the district.  The public realm schemes in Newry and Warrenpoint are now complete and the Council awarded £652k to community groups through its financial assistance scheme.

The Assessment of Performance also recognises areas for improvement for the Council. For example, the Council did not meet the statutory standards for processing major and local planning applications and enforcement cases for the past two years.  However, since 2015-16, the Councils performance in processing local planning applications has improved by over 11 weeks and the number enforcement cases which are processed within 39 weeks has increased by 2%.

Looking forward, the Council has outlined what the Council will do during 2017-18 to address the issues which matter most to local communities through its Performance Improvement Plan.