Braintree District Council has published its first quarter performance report, looking back at key achievements from 1st April to 30th June in areas such as affordable homes and community safety
Some of the council’s successes include:
- Improvements to Halstead and Witham town centres have taken a crucial step forward with the appointment of a contractor to carry out the works, which is planned to start later this year.
- As part of the council’s £1million investment to support residents with the cost-of-living crisis, £98,951 has been provided to Braintree Area Foodbank to develop its offer to Braintree residents, ensuring those who need access to food and essentials the most receive this support. This includes enabling additional open days for a food collection service in Braintree and recruitment of more staff to deliver food parcels and increase deliveries in rural areas of the district.
- 77 affordable homes were delivered in the first quarter and is well on its way to achieving the target of 250 affordable homes by March 2024.
- 10 Councillor Community grants have been awarded totalling £6,080, helping to support local voluntary and community groups and initiatives.
- As part of the Witham Safer Streets programme, the launch of a Dog Watch scheme took place with over 200 visitors and 65 people signing up to become guardians for the local area, providing a growing network of dog walkers and owners to communicate with police and actively report anti-social behaviour concerns. Braintree District Council will be launching a number of activities over the next year to support improving people’s perception of safety in Witham.
- A business networking event was held at the Plaza Enterprise Centre where speakers from various sectors shared information on grants, business support, cyber security, green accreditations, sustainable transport and health and wellbeing in the workplace for local businesses.
- The first engagement event has taken place to help drive forward Levelling Up across the rural parts of the district, hearing from those living and working in the rural areas to understand the key issues affecting communities and develop a plan of action that provides real impact.
- 309 fly-tips were cleared within 24 hours of being reported. Braintree District Council continues to take a proactive approach to fly-tipping, investigating all reports received and issuing fixed penalty notices or prosecuting where possible.
- 53 cases of homelessness were prevented through various interventions by the council’s housing team. Working in partnership with local organisations and charities, support continues to be provided to support those who are/are at risk of rough sleeping, rough sleepers through their transition from the streets and into sustainable accommodation, access mental health services, emergency beds and funding to help rent deposits.
Cllr Kevin Bowers, Cabinet Member for Resources and Performance at Braintree District Council, said: “This report is an opportunity to reflect on the council’s recent performance and I am proud of the achievements that have been highlighted which have been possible thanks to the hard work of all our dedicated teams. Despite facing some challenging financial pressures and providing increased support during the cost-of-living crisis, we have been able to maintain and, in most areas, improve the level of services we offer to residents. It’s important we keep setting standards high and we will continue to look at our priorities and plans for the future, delivering essential services that matter to our residents and businesses.”
The report is reviewed and updated quarterly to understand and measure the council’s performance, including finance, to support the delivery of corporate priorities within its Corporate Strategy 2020–2024.
The report can be viewed here.