Objective 1: Our services
Achievement of improvement objective
Improvement objective 1
Our services and facilities: Maintain and where appropriate improve resident satisfaction with the council and the services and facilities that we provide.
Self-assessment
Achieved – we maintained and improved resident satisfaction with the council and the services and facilities that we provide.
Aspect of improvement
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General duty and continuous improvement
Strategic effectiveness
Service quality and availability
Fairness
Sustainability
Efficiency
InnovationPerformance improvement summary
10 Milestones
- 10 (100 per cent) milestones were achieved.
5 Performance indicators (target)
- 3 (60 per cent) were on target or exceeded target (within 1 per cent or better).
- 1 (20 per cent) was slightly adrift of target (between 1 per cent and 5 per cent).
- 1 (20 per cent) was adrift of target (5 per cent or more).
5 Performance indicators (trend)
- 4 (80 per cent) performance indicators showed positive change.
- 1 (20 per cent) performance indicator showed negative change.
Achievement of improvement objective 1 milestones
1. Improved our customer care
- Achieved - Increased our automated digital channels by introducing a webform for Bulky Waste collections, achieving 40 per cent shift from phones.
- Achieved - Developed a suite of customer performance measurement indicators for the Customer Hub.
- Achieved - Introduced service level agreements for the Resources and Fleet Service. Introduced customer satisfaction measured at point of contact with the Customer Hub – averaging 80 per cent customer satisfaction over the year.
- Achieved - Developed a new complaints handling procedure across Local Authorities in Northern Ireland (NI), in conjunction with NI Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO). Improved internal awareness of this procedure and provided training to over 300 members of staff involved in complaints. Complaints information is now available in the Power BI system, which provides a single view of the customer across all channels.
2. Improved key services
- Achieved - Completed the review of city centre governance and management arrangements.
- Achieved - Established city centre governance, including a new multi-agency tasking group.
- Achieved - Completed the service design project for pest control services.
3. Improved our facilities
- Achieved - Completed and opened the new Templemore Baths leisure facility and surpassed the target membership.
- Achieved - Submitted the business case for Girdwood indoor sports facility to the DfC and continued to explore funding options to help deliver the project.
- Achieved - Continued work on the draft options report to take forward the transformation of our leisure facilities as part of Phase 4.
| Performance Indicators | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 Target | 2023-24 Actual | Trend | Commentary if target not met |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer contact service level (calls answered within 120 secs) | - | 67% | 68% | 73% |
78% On target or exceeded target (within 1% or better) |
Positive change |
Not applicable |
| Percentage of customers satisfied with how easy it is to contact the council and get the service they wanted | - | - | 77% | 79% |
81% On target or exceeded target (within 1% or better) |
Positive change | Not applicable |
| Percentage of corporate complaints resolved within timeframe | 65.5% | 71.6 | 72.3% | 75% |
65.27% Adrift of target (5% or more) |
Negative change | The complaints handling procedure was changed in line with requirements from NIPSO from a three-stage process to a two-stage process. This has on shortened the escalation process and, therefore, timeframes, with an emphasis on front-line resolution, which is beneficial for customers. The compliance is therefore not comparable to previous timeframes as services are adapting to the new process and are improving on the first quarter compliance results but will become a baseline for expected improvement. |
| Number of adult and junior leisure centre monthly prepaid memberships (including swim school) | - | 23,339 | 27,582 | 30,500 |
28,884 Slightly adrift of target (between 1% and 5%) |
Positive change | Pre-paid membership continues to grow year on year and performance is exceptionally high both in terms of market penetration and market share. However, competition from a new private sector operator in Belfast that opened in January 2024, compounded with the financial crisis and corresponding decline in disposable income impacted on memberships rates in 2023-24. We are working with GLL to agree an action plan to counter the slowdown in growth. |
| Throughput or footfall – number of people using leisure centres (individual unique customer visits) | - | 2,029,310 | 2,810,202 | 3,100,000 |
3,108,894 On target or exceeded target (within 1% or better) |
Positive change | Not applicable |
Additional evidence of performance improvement aligned to objective 1
The council’s Corporate Plan sets out medium-term areas for improvement. Progress against our Corporate Plan, our effective use of resources and council value for money is monitored and reported through regular reports to committee. In doing so, we provided evidence of meeting the general duty placed upon us to secure continuous improvement in the exercise of our functions [Footnote 1].
Evidence to demonstrate that we maintained and improved the council and the services and facilities provided include: [Footnote 2]
- Increased customer satisfaction with the Customer Hub [Footnote 3] by 6 per cent from 75 per cent in 2022-23 to 81 per cent in 2023-24.
- Implemented numerous customer service improvements as a result of customer complaints.
- Identified and implemented a number of risk actions to mitigate the impact or likelihood of risks transpiring that may interrupt delivery.
- Implemented a range of audit recommendations, including the closure of a significant number of outstanding audit recommendations.
- Delivered a range of service and human resources (HR) improvement projects through our dedicated Continuous Improvement Unit.
- Undertook a variety of consultations via the council’s engagement platform Your Say Belfast (link opens in new window) to establish areas for action and improvement.
Next Steps
Improving our services is identified as a key priority in the 2024-28 Corporate Plan (currently in draft). This improvement objective is included in the Performance Improvement Plan 2024-25 as:
- We will continue to adapt and improve our services to better meet the needs of our residents and stakeholders.
Footnotes
[Footnote 1] The Local Government Act (NI) 2014 Part 12 – General Duty to Improve
[Footnote 2] Evidence as defined in:
- Circular LG 20/19 - Addendum to Local Government Performance Improvement guidance (link opens in new window) – for example: development/reviews of strategic or community plans, policy reviews, service reviews, action taken through internal audit, risk management, complaints etc.
- Section 37 of the Circular LG 21/2016 Guidance for performance improvement 2016 onwards (link opens in new window) for example: progress in introducing or completing programmes, facilities, or ways of working, as well as, councils’ annual governance, value for money and sustainability statements etc.
[Footnote 3] The Customer Hub handles approximately 70 per cent of all calls to the council and approximately 60 per cent of all customer contacts including email and web forms. It’s the main point of contact for the following services: Resources and Fleet Waste Collections, Resources and Fleet Waste Management, Open Spaces and Street Scene, Complaints, General Enquiries, Switchboard.
