Our foundations for success
We will continue to ensure that we are an efficient, effective, and agile council, delivering value for money and achieving positive outcomes for the city. We will prioritise our people, continuous improvement, performance management and build on our internal foundations and key enablers for success to help us meet our corporate objectives and priorities.
To create a fit for purpose organisation, in 2024-25 we will:
Our people
Actions
- Continue to implement the People Strategy which sets out our approach to develop our workforce and improve how we lead, manage, and engage.
- Show continued visible commitment to our people by working towards and achieving Diversity Charter Mark - Gold Level.
- Update our approach to Corporate Induction and provide regular staff support, training or eLearning sessions and improve signposting to personal development opportunities for managers and staff.
- Update our learning and development policy to include a review of the PDP process.
- Continue to develop our frontline staff through the frontline development programme.
- Continue to develop our leaders and managers at all levels through our leadership development programme.
- Undertake a review of the Pilot Workstyles Policy which outlines arrangements for the hybrid working model.
- Deliver the Elected Members and Leadership Development Programme to provide dedicated support and build the capacity of our elected members.
- Review and implement our approach to individual performance management cascading gradually to all tiers.
- Explore and identify opportunities to create apprenticeships and internships across the Council.
- Continue to deliver the ‘Workplace Health and Wellbeing Strategy’ and positively impact on employees, mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
- Establish a City and Neighbourhood Services Departmental Drivers Academy to support the recruitment and retention of drivers.
Our finances
Actions
- Align the financial plan to corporate priorities including Climate, Resilience, Waste, Inclusive Growth, capital programme, fleet strategy and innovation including external funding opportunities.
- Develop and deliver a Capital Programme Financing Strategy in line with agreed capital programme.
- Implement a new finance system to reduce costs, improve compliance and support suppliers**
- Maximise income from our commercial assets to support investment in services.
- Identify and realise efficiency savings as part of the 2025-26 budget planning process.
- Establish an agreed corporate approach for identifying and maximising external funding opportunities.
Our assets
Actions
- Deliver the Asset Management Strategy including forming cross departmental Steering Group and develop ToRs for the Strategy to ensure it enables key policies, strategies and plans eg LDP, Local Area Energy Plan, BCC EV Strategy, Community growing etc.
- Develop a new longer term planned maintenance programmes based on baseline condition surveys of all assets to be commenced this year.
- Deliver the Planned Maintenance Programme for 2024/2025 across the Council asset base including commencement of Waterfront Hall Toilet Refurbishment project and refurbishment of Ormeau Park listed railings and entrance gates.
- Embed the new Asset Management System across the Council to provide a single integrated repository for asset related information; helping streamline data entry, automate processes, improve analytic capabilities, and enable the Council to examine the performance of assets and provide appropriate data and information across the stages of an asset lifecycle.
- Manage the delivery and maximise the use of all Council owned commercial assets.
Our customers
Actions
- Develop phase three of our Customer Focus Programme to enhance our services and customer experience**.
- Develop and implement a corporate guide to channel shift, which seeks to encourage and enable customers to access or interact with services through channels other than those to which they normally choose. This will draw upon the case study exemplar of Bulky Waste, using Customer Engagement and Customer Experience (CX) testing to support our approach.
- Continue to develop and support services to identify standardised Performance Indicators that represent the “Voice of the Customer” and make this information readily available to services and Chief Officers.
- Develop and implement a corporate approach that supports our response to service failure and complaint investigation. This will adopt techniques such as critical thinking and root cause analysis to enable service improvements and support customer-facing managers.
- Develop and implement an improved approach to our satisfaction measures for operational service delivery, such as Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Customer Effort (CES) and Net Promoter Scores (NPS). These measures will be available for Services to utilise for service improvement opportunities.
Leadership
Actions
- Work with city, regional and national government partners to secure investment in needed critical city infrastructure including water, waste management, energy and green spaces.
- Develop a city leadership model and approach which enables strategic issues, challenges, and opportunities to be explored and progressed as appropriate.
- Continue to work with city partners and key stakeholders to drive and deliver the key actions outlined within the Belfast Agenda (2024-2028).
- Develop approach to creating area-based community plans.
- Provide strategic guidance on innovative approaches for the city and the Council - integrated with key corporate strategies
- Support Belfast Region City Deal partners to develop Digital pillar project proposals and shared approaches.
- Develop and agree terms of reference for governance review to ensure we continue to have effective and efficient political decision-making processes and that assurance and risk is effectively managed.
Our digital systems
Actions
- Develop and implement the new Digital Strategy focusing on:
- Digital Transformation of customer services through Service Design
- Becoming an information led organisation with a consistent approach to data and analytics
- Developing our organisational digital capability to maximise the se of our technology assets.
- Implement a new Cyber Security Programme to ensure effective security management practices and controls.
- Implement a new case management system designed to embed mobile technology and digitally transform how we plan, manage, and monitor our service delivery across the core areas of City and Neighbourhood Services.
- Procure and implement new software to support the planning, routing and visibility of our fleet of vehicle’s which will improve efficiency, increase safety and reduce carbon emissions.
Our commercial and procurement services
Actions
- Agree and implement the Sustainable Procurement Policy which will set out how we will achieve value for money on a whole life basis in terms of the goods, services, works and utilities that we purchase.
- Deliver the Commercial Strategy with a focus on:
- Providing Commercial Awareness sessions and activity for officers and Elected Members
- Reviewing and relaunching the Corporate Pricing Framework.
- Re-establish the Commercial Panel.
- Introducing Business Case process for Commercial related projects or opportunities
Our communications, marketing and external affairs
Actions
- Effectively communicate information about council services and initiatives to ratepayers.
- Enhance the council and city’s reputation locally and globally through effective communications and marketing.
- Provide an effective internal communications service that informs and engages staff.
- Maintain a high-quality accessible website which informs and engages the public.
Our Continuous improvement Journey
Actions
- Continue to deliver the agreed programme for Continuous Improvement ensuring services and structures remain fit-for-purpose.
- Complete a profiling of as-is Organisational Support arrangements to inform the wider approach to organisational support and improved quality of service.
- Address outstanding Single Status Issues where practicable for staff on BCC TandCs below Chief Officer. Finalise and agree the Pay and Grading structure for Chief Officers.
- Develop and agree the long-term Staff Car Parking Policy / Strategy.
- Agree an updated policy and resourcing model for Job Evaluations and appeals.
- Complete the implementation of Time and Attendance and self-service functionality for the ResourceLink project.
Planning and performance management
Actions
- Develop a refreshed planning and performance management framework which supports the Council’corporate, committee, departmental and performance improvement planning, and reporting.
- Develop a refreshed set of corporate performance indicators to support performance management and regular internal monitoring and reporting.
Equality and Diversity
Actions
- Continue to deliver the equality and diversity action plan including completing an ‘Inequalities Audit’.
- Continue to ensure that Council meets the needs of all through the implementation of the and Disability Action Plan.
- Continue to ensure that the Council is reflective of the community it serves through the development and implementation of the Race Equality Action Plan and Diversity Action Plan.
- Implement our gender and LGBT+ action plans and build on the existing equality and diversity awards and accreditations to demonstrate our continued commitment to equality and diversity.
We will know we are successful if:
|
Performance indicators |
Targets 2024-25 |
Direction of travel |
|---|---|---|
|
Average number of days lost to sickness absence per employee |
16.23 days |
Decrease |
|
Number of posts created / filled in the organisation |
Increase |
|
|
Number of temporary review posts in the organisation |
5 |
Decrease |
|
Percentage customer satisfaction levels (via customer hub service)** |
80% |
Increase |
|
Percentage customer contact service level (people answered within 120 secs)** |
80% |
Increase |
|
Percentage corporate complaints with improvement actions** |
90% |
Increase |
|
Percentage of invoices paid within 30 days** |
90% |
Increase |
|
Percentage of invoices paid within 10 working days** |
80% |
Increase |
|
Total useable reserves as a % of annual budgeted revenue |
Maintain |
|
|
Actual outturn as a percentage of budgeted expenditure |
+.5%/-2% |
Maintain |
|
Maintain proper arrangements to secure economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the use of our resources (as per NIAO Annual Audit Letter) |
Maintain | Maintain |
|
Number of recorded visits (hits) to council’s corporate website |
Increase | |
|
Number of followers on social media platforms |
Increase |
*Statutory performance indicators
**Performance Improvement Plan performance indicators
