Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s Assessment of Performance 2020-21 was considered and approved by the Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee on Thursday 16 September 2021.
The Chairperson of the Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee, Councillor Oonagh Hanlon said, “I am pleased to present this year’s Assessment of Performance. 2020-21 has been a year like no other and the Assessment of Performance has given us an opportunity to reflect on how we responded to the pandemic, the achievements we should be proud of and the areas for improvement we now need to focus on.”
The Assessment of Performance highlights where progress has been made over the past year. The Council worked alongside community planning partners to deliver 18,407 food parcels to the most vulnerable households across the district. Through a range of economic development programmes, the Council supported 367 local businesses and social enterprises, helped create 60 new jobs and awarded approximately £1M to assist local businesses in responding to the pandemic.
More people than ever re-connected with the natural beauty of Newry, Mourne and Down by visiting the wonderful forest parks, beaches and mountains and the Council recorded a 73% increase in visits to community trails. Through the Financial Assistance Scheme, the Council continued to support community groups by awarding £731K towards 377 local projects and whilst the statutory standards for processing planning applications and enforcement cases have not yet been achieved, performance improved during 2020-21.
However, the closure of many facilities and suspension of some services during 2020-21 has had a fundamental impact on Council operations. When compared to 2019-20, the Council recorded a 96% reduction in recorded attendances at leisure facilities, an increase in illicit dumping incidents, from 424 to 817, and a reduction in the number of community clean ups supported, from 94 to 33. The Local Environmental Auditing Management System (LEAMS) street cleanliness score for the district has also remained at 64 which falls slightly below the Northern Ireland average of 65 and the Council is prioritising plans to tackle illicit dumping, littering and dog fouling during 2021-22.
Through the Corporate Plan 2021-23 and Performance Improvement Plan 2021-22, the Council will focus on what matters most to you – improving the quality of life for all local communities and building a district we can all be proud of.
Further information on the Council’s performance during 2020-21 will be made available on the Council’s website www.newrymournedown.org/performance by 30 September 2021.
