What's happened so far?
Our priorities for improvement fall under the following
areas:
- Improving housing
- Improving services for older people
- Improving education
- Improving support for vulnerable children and their
families
- Improving council services
- Improving the environment
- A strong and prosperous economy, helping to reduce poverty
Since April 2009, we have already made a lot of progress in
delivering our priorities:
Transforming health, housing & social care
Our Council tenants have voted in favour of the transfer of the
housing stock to a new not-for-profit organisation called NPT Homes.
We consulted on the options available to improve the
accommodation of older people living in our residential care homes
and decided to move to appoint a partner who will design, build,
finance and operate four new care homes, alongside Dan y Bryn care
home.
We have reviewed, jointly with colleagues in the NHS, options
for improving care services provided where people live. We are
currently consulting on proposals to improve the cost effectiveness
of our in-house home care services and we have made a high level
commitment to integrate more of our social services with health
services where it is beneficial to service users to do so.
We have completed the first phase of the review of services
supporting vulnerable children and their families and have trialled
a new approach jointly with the police and the health service.
Transforming education & lifelong learning
- We have further progressed the first phase of our Strategic
Schools Improvement Programme, based on a set of principles to
bring about long term improvements to ensure young people across
the County Borough have the best possible start in life.
Transforming the economy, the environment and our
communities
We have
progressed our waste management arrangements including plans for
the future development of the Materials Recovery and Energy Centre
(MREC) and are getting more involved with our neighbouring
authorities on food and residual waste disposal.- We have progressed our regeneration proposals including plans
for Coed Darcy, the Port Talbot Centre/Docks, Neath and Pontardawe
Town Centres and the new University Campus on Fabian Way.
- We have continued to support the economically and socially
excluded, through drawing down European funding and other
programmes such as the Western Valleys Strategic Regeneration
Area.
Transforming the Council as an employer and how we do
business
- We have introduced a new pay and grading structure for
employees, which makes sure there is equality between men and
women.
- We have produced a Workforce Strategy to help deal with the
challenges we are facing, which includes a review of working
practices which are no longer appropriate. This strategy will also
contribute to the avoidance of compulsory redundancies.
- We have undertaken a number of systems reviews of services that
have delivered qualitative service improvements and quantifiable
savings.
- We have launched a new Digital TV
Information Channel, funded by the Welsh Assembly
Government.
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Last Updated: 20.09.2010 at 17:55