FIFE Council is determined to make Fife a great place to live, work and visit.
And local people can now see how well the council is succeeding in its aims as it has just published its first Annual Performance report since the new Council was elected in May 2007.
Councillors discussed the report at a meeting of the Policy, Finance and Asset Management Committee this week and according to Council Leader Peter Grant the council is well on the way to achieving its ambitious targets.
He commented: "We set ourselves eight main priorities last year and this report shows the progress we are making against each of them. Excellent work is being done and we've a lot to be proud of. However we can't afford to be complacent and by making sure we regularly look at our performance we can see where we need to concentrate our efforts to do better."
Depute Leader Elizabeth Riches added: "Our employees are to be congratulated on some of the fantastic achievements highlighted in this report. They continually rise to the challenges that achieving these priorities involve and it's great to see real progress being made."
The council's eight priorities are:
· To improve educational attainment and achievement for all. There have been significant improvements in reading, writing and maths among the Kingdom's primary and early secondary school pupils. And following a very positive report by HM Inspectors last May, Fife's Education Service has been described as the most improved in Scotland. However there is still scope for improvement in the attainment levels of secondary school pupils at the upper secondary stages.
· To make Fife the leading green council in Scotland. Fife is the first Scottish council to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard and recycling and composting are continuing to improve. The Kingdom also holds four of Scotland's five Blue Flag Beach awards. However the council has to get better at reducing its business mileage and fuel consumption as both have shown significant increases.
· To improve local conditions for economic development. £11.5 million has been invested in Fife's Energy Park in Methil and work is nearly finished on the third phase of John Smith Business Park in Kirkcaldy. Bus stations across Fife have enjoyed major refurbishments. However work needs to be done to continue to improve performance in the processing of planning applications.
· To improve community safety. The number of reported crimes in Fife fell by 16% last year - the biggest reduction in Scotland. Fife's Community Wardens are making a positive difference in local communities and 4000 youngsters have taken part in the "Safe Drive Stay Alive" campaign. However the number of domestic noise complaints is increasing and steps will have to be taken to tackle this issue.
· To target support to vulnerable people. Fife's award winning new online Child Protection Register is helping partners share information about vulnerable children more effectively. Over 850 people were safely discharged from hospital to return to their own homes and a £40m care home replacement programme has been approved. However the council needs to do more to support older people receiving intensive care at home.
· To increase access to housing. Last year the total investment in affordable housing in Fife was a record £26 million and over £40 million was spent on improving council housing. 282 homes were completed and work started on a further 302 properties. Homelessness is being tackled through the opening of a fourth Home4Good centre in Kirkcaldy. However the council has to improve the housing repairs service, as despite housing repairs being tackled in record time, customer satisfaction is down.
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To improve sport, leisure and cultural opportunities. The council is progressing its £50m investment programme to revamp its major facilities in Glenrothes, Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy. The establishment of Trusts (e.g. Arts and Theatres and Sports and Leisure) has helped to improve services to customers - theatre visits increased by almost 10% last year for example. Fife's reputation in sport continues to grow and it is recognised as being a top local authority in Scotland for cycling. However, attendance at pools and leisure facilities has fallen this year in line with national trends and this reinforces the need for the major investments planned.
· To make Fife a top performing council. The recent Residents' Survey showed that customer satisfaction with council services is one of the highest in the UK at 80%. Planning applications can now be monitored online and the council is improving customer service through a new enquiry tracking system. However the council has to now accelerate delivery of its capital programme and deal with the number of formal complaints received which has risen slightly.
Councillor Grant is confident that the council will continue to make good progress: "We've had to make some tough financial decisions to achieve these goals and we now have a sound financial platform to help plan for the future and move forward.
"We have made a commitment to the people of Fife to provide the best services possible. By working towards these priorities Fife will become a great place to live, work and visit."
For more information contact
Peter Corbett, Strategy & Performance Manager
Tel: 08451 55 55 55 + Ext 44 09 97
Fax: 01592 583527
Contact Peter Corbett online
By Post:
Fife Council,
Fife House,
North Street,
Glenrothes,
KY7 5LT
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