Performance Improvement
Part 12 of The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 sets out that all Councils are under a general duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the exercise of their functions. It sets out several Council responsibilities under a performance framework.
Improvement is defined in statutory guidance as more than just quantifiable gains in service output or efficiency, or the internal effectiveness of an organisation. Improvement for councils should mean activity that enhances the sustainable quality of life and environment for ratepayers and communities. Essentially, improvement is about making things better and our focus is on how we can deliver better services for the benefit of our residents and service users.
The diagram ‘Strategic Planning Process’ sets out our strategic planning process and demonstrates how our plans will link together, as well as each stage having its own monitoring arrangements.
Annual Performance Improvement Plan
Performance Improvement Planning is an annual process undertaken by Council and is directly linked to our overarching corporate planning framework.
This year, the Council has developed a new Corporate Plan ‘Our Council, Our Plan 2024-2028’. The Corporate Plan identifies four Corporate Priorities which will be the focus of the Council’s improvement activity over the 2024-2028 term. These Priorities were established in consultation with our local community, and have informed the content of the improvement objectives for 2024-2025.
Engagement with stakeholders, including business, residents and elected members helped to inform the content of our plan. You can view the full consultation findings here ‘Your Voice, Our Commitment 2024‘.
We also assessed our progress against our Performance Improvement Plan 2023-2024 and you can view the ‘Taking Stock Impact Report 2024‘ here. Four improvement objectives have been identified for the year ahead.
The ‘Plan Year 1: Continuous Improvement 2024-2028’ was approved by Council in June 2024 at Regeneration and Community Committee (Minutes from R&C Committee). You can view the Equality Screening and Rural Needs assessments of the improvement plan here.
We will monitor our progress and publish information on our performance against objectives before the end of September 2024 in our Annual Performance Report.
If you require any further information, require a hard copy of the Performance Improvement Plan or wish to request it in an alternative format or have any ideas for future improvement objectives, please contact:
Strategic Planning & Performance Manager, Kim Weir
Tel: 0300 303 1777Email: community.planning@fermanaghomagh.com
Annual Performance Report
By 30 September each year we will publish an Annual Performance Report setting out our self-assessment of how we have performed against our Corporate Plan commitments and our Improvement Objectives in the previous financial year.
To view the 2023-2024 Annual Report ‘Looking Back, Moving Forward: Achieving Sustainable Change Together’, please click here.
Our work on Performance Improvement is subject to audit by the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) in line with the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014. See attached downloadable Annual Performance Improvement 2023-2024 from NIAO on the outcome of our improvement audit and assessment, in which the Council was deemed to have satisfactorily discharged its duties in relation to statutory performance improvement and reporting.
If you wish to discuss the content of these documents with a Council Official please contact Kim Weir, Strategic Planning & Performance Manager.
The Council are continually striving to improve its service provision and meet the needs of its customers. If you wish to make any comments on the services provided which are listed below please get in touch:
· Waste and recycling
· Leisure and sports
· Arts and culture
· Economic development and tourism
· Community Services
· Environmental Health
· Planning and Building Control
· Off-Street Car Parking
Tell us what improvements you think Fermanagh and Omagh District Council need to make in the future? Click here to comment.