Council Publishes Improvement Plan And Commits To Efficient And Cost Effective Services

Monmouthshire County Council has set its objectives for the coming year including restating its commitment that every service will be efficient and cost effective. This is the clear message in ‘Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities’, the council’s Improvement Plan for 2016-17. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Over the past four years the council has made significant reductions in spending while continuing to improve services. While financial pressures are set to continue, responses will always be shaped by public engagement and learning from the best public services in the UK and beyond. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The council has four clearly identified priorities: education, protecting the most vulnerable in society, supporting business and job creation and maintaining locally accessible services. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Improvement Plan sets five objectives that will contribute to these priorities and describes some of the things the council will do to improve over the next twelve months. The objectives are: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• We will improve at all key stages of education.
• We will safeguard people, whether young or old, while reducing dependence on social care.
• We want to enable our county to thrive.
• Maintaining locally accessible services.
• We want to be an efficient, effective and sustainable organisation

Commenting after councillors agreed the plan, Council Leader Peter Fox said: “The Improvement Plan sets our focus for delivery in the year ahead. While this is ambitious it is not unrealistic, and allows residents to clearly understand the progress we plan to make. We expect every service to be efficient and cost effective so that we can put resources into our priority areas.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Over the next year the council will be talking to residents, businesses and partners to assess wellbeing in our communities and across the county as a whole. We know that decisions made now will impact on communities for years to come. These conversations will help us develop a new set of objectives that will have a much longer term focus. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Residents can comment and download a copy of the plan on the council’s website at www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/improvement . ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​