Ashfield District Council celebrates strong progress on corporate plan delivery

The report, presented to Cabinet today, outlines a strong performance for the period April 2024 to March 2025, with:

• 88% of performance measures achieving or exceeding targets or within 10% variance.
• 85% of indicators showing improvement or maintaining performance compared to the previous year.
• 96% of actions on track, with 65% already completed.

Key Achievements Across Strategic Priorities

Health and Happiness

• Over 1.7 million leisure centre visits, an 8% increase year-on-year.
• £6.1 million in social value delivered through leisure contracts since 2022.
• £1 million secured from Arts Council England for the Ashfield Creates programme.
• 1,094 tenants supported with welfare and money advice, a 15% increase in two years.

Homes and Housing

• Over 100 new affordable homes delivered in two years, with 60 more under construction.
• 727 families prevented from becoming homeless, a 78% increase since 2022/23.
• Upper quartile tenant satisfaction ratings in national benchmarking.

Economic Growth and Place

• 17% increase in town centre footfall over two years.
• Major regeneration projects progressing, including the Sherwood Observatory Planetarium and the ADMC.
• Over 11,000 visits to the new Planetarium since opening.
• £1.3 million invested by local businesses through the Ashfield Accelerator.

Cleaner and Greener

• Retained 7 Green Flag Awards for parks.
• Planted 2,462 trees and nearly 9,500 sqm of wildflowers.
• 6% reduction in fly tipping and over 3,600 free bulky waste collections.
• New sustainability measures implemented across council buildings and leisure centres.

Safer and Stronger

• £476,000 secured for community safety and crime prevention.
• 62 CCTV cameras now in operation, more than double in three years.
• 65 domestic abuse interventions delivered, and a second DA support worker appointed.

Innovate and Improve

• 5% reduction in customer service phone calls and 10% increase in online payments.
• 23,000+ residents registered on the Ashfield 24/7 portal.
• Council website ranked in the top 100 nationally for accessibility.
• £350,000 in savings delivered through service reviews.

The Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) praised Ashfield District Council for its ambition, strong financial position, and commitment to continuous improvement. The CPC team commended the Council for going “above and beyond” in delivering against key recommendations and fostering a strong performance culture.

Ashfield District Council remains focused on delivering for its communities. The Council continues to monitor performance rigorously and adapt to ensure it meets the evolving needs of residents.

Cllr Jason Zadrozny, Leader of the Council said: “This report is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, partners, and community. We are proud of the progress made and remain committed to delivering great services and outcomes for the people of Ashfield.”