How the council is delivering a better Brighton & Hove for all
We've released information about how we're delivering our vision to create a better Brighton & Hove for all.
A report which went to the recent (Thursday 5 December) Cabinet committee outlines the progress and achievements the council has made to deliver its Council Plan, plus the challenges it faces in the future.
The report is divided into the 4 key priorities we've set to deliver our vision. They are:
- A city to be proud of
- A fair and inclusive city
- A healthy city where people thrive
- A responsive council with well-run services
Achievements and challenges
The report then shows what’s been achieved on each priority, and the challenges and areas of focus for the council.
Councillor Tristram Burden, Cabinet member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Service Transformation, said: “Our vision is to deliver a better Brighton & Hove for all where everyone can thrive as part of a healthy, fair and inclusive city.
“This report clearly shows that, after just over a year and a half in office, we’re creating the city our residents deserve and that we’re passionately committed to deliver.
“There are some fantastic achievements around the cost of living, safer streets and electric vehicle charging, as well as more homes and better homelessness prevention.”
Councillor Burden added: “Yes, we have further to go, and much more to achieve, but we know the challenges we face, and how to meet them head-on.”
The report highlights the 4 priorities and what the council says has been achieved plus the challenges.
A city to be proud of
What we've achieved
- Keeping the city active with over 850,000 attendances at our leisure facilities
- £3m investment in safer streets and footways
- Inspected more than 695 miles of highways and treated weeds where needed
- Named the council with the best electrical vehicle charging coverage in UK outside London
Challenges and areas of focus
- To limit the spread of tree diseases
- To improve the reliability of refuse and recycling collection and reduce the number of reported missed collections
- To increase recycling rates
A fair and inclusive city
What we've achieved
- Last year saw the highest number of homes delivered (1,075) across the city since 2013. A quarter of these are affordable homes.
- £7 million approved by Cabinet for the Thriving Communities Investment Fund to invest in the voluntary and community sector plus grassroots activities in the city
- Almost 2 in 3 (64%) of homeless prevention cases successful, supporting residents into settled accommodation
Challenges and areas of focus
- To increase the number of routine housing repairs
- To improve building and fire safety of council homes
- To reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation
A healthy city where people thrive
What we've achieved
- Children’s services rated outstanding by government watchdog Ofsted
- Every council-run childcare provider rated good or outstanding by Ofsted
- Launched schools counselling pilot to build on the schools’ wellbeing service
Challenges and areas of focus
- Additional and increasing demands for adults’ and children’s services
- Falling school pupil numbers present significant challenges for school placements and budgets
- Issues for the council’s public health team include mental health needs, drug-related deaths and deaths by suicide
A responsive council with well-run services
What we've achieved
- Savings of £1.2 million through an organisational redesign
- The council’s legal team named legal service of the year
- Improvements in the council’s BME, disability and LGBT staffing levels
Challenges and areas of focus
- To improve telephone and digital response times of council tax service
- To develop better financial sustainability
- To reduce the number of staff sickness days