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Following extensive consultation with the local community and key partners, Spelthorne Council has agreed to focus on these key priorities with the aim of improving the quality of life for the whole community.
Our priorities for Spelthorne are:
Community Safety
- Reduce theft of and from motor vehicles
- Tackle alcohol and related violent crime
- Crime prevention and reassurance
Young People
- Increase the level of satisfaction of young people living in Spelthorne
- Increase the number of hours/weeks young people spend in healthy activities
- Increase the satisfaction of the general population with the facilities available for younger people
Environment
- Improve local bio-diversity
- Encourage the early adoption of the Local Development Framework to help deliver the social, economic and environmental need of the Borough
- Use the Home Energy Conservation Act provisions to tackle fuel poverty issues, helping individuals improve the energy efficiency of their homes
- Boost our recycling rate to meet our statutory target
- Improve satisfaction with street scene issues
Housing
- Encourage the construction of sustainable new homes – particularly affordable homes that meet family needs
- Introduce a choice-based lettings scheme
- Increase the number of households prevented from becoming homeless
- Encourage regeneration schemes to improve the quality of housing in the Borough and to achieve integrated sustainable communities
Independent Living
- Supply meals on wheels to those that need it every day
- Provide a personal alarm service and telecare facilities to those in need
- Increase the provision of extra care housing in the Borough
- Facilitate the provision of day care activities to the frailer, older people in greatest need
- Ensure we have a concessionary fares scheme that is affordable and attractive to users
Economic Development
- Undertake initiatives to improve our unemployment rate
- Make best use of Spelthorne’s natural geographical advantages (close to London and major transport links) to improve our economic competitiveness
- Undertake initiatives that improve the employability of Spelthorne’s workforce
Healthy Community
- Encourage healthy lifestyles
- Promote positive mental health
Community Engagement
- Increase the level of influence local residents can have on decisions made that affect them
- Revitalise Ashford, Shepperton and Sunbury Cross centres through regeneration projects
Sustainable Financial Future
- In accordance with Reserves Policy maintain a minimum level of reserves in order to generate sufficient investment income to support the revenue budget
- Eliminate reliance on reserves for general revenue budget purposes
- Invest in business improvement to achieve ongoing revenue savings
- Increase the amount of income we generate
Value for Money
- Undertake business improvement reviews and implement recommendations in order to reduce our operating costs
- Actively review the use of our assets
- Improve our Use of Resources score through:
- Managing risk actively
- Improving our project management
- Increasing customer satisfaction
- Improving performance management to ensure effective service delivery
- Improving the value for money that we provide
- Increasing the value of efficiency savings from our procurement operations
- Seek out opportunities to deliver services more efficiently, effectively and with greater resilience by working in partnership with other bodies
Effective Communications
- Ensure residents are kept fully informed of our aims and what we are doing
- Ensure we produce high quality, effective publications
- Use both traditional and modern methods to maximise the range, accessibility and flexibility of our communications
- Ensure that all our facilities and services are clearly signed as provided by Spelthorne Borough Council with published contact details
Developing Staff and Councillors
- Develop, recruit and retain good staff
- Help councillors to fulfil their role and develop as community leaders
- Make best use of the Executive and Scrutiny arrangements recognising the positive role that both can play
More information on how we are performing against our priorities can be found in the current Spelthorne Corporate Plan 2008 -2011
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