Shaping the Future of Swale Corporate Plan Refresh 2010 – 2013

Policy Foreword by the Leader of the Council

Welcome to Swale Borough Council’s Corporate Plan Refresh 2010-2013. This plan sets out what the Council aims to achieve for its residents over the next three years. Our aim is to be a performance led organisation that delivers excellent public services, good value for money and effective community leadership.

The plan is organised under our four corporate priorities and shows a very clear link to the Swale Sustainable Community Strategy “Ambitions for Swale”. We have done this to show how we will be working with others in the borough to have an impact locally.

Over the next three years the Council may need to respond to new and unforeseen challenges. We plan to regularly review the plan to show how well we are performing and to make changes where necessary.

3 Contents

Foreword by the Leader of the Council 3 Introduction The Purpose of the Plan 6 Swale Borough Council’s Mission 6 Our Aim 6 Our Corporate Priorities 6 Lead Responsibility for Delivery 7

Working in Partnership The Kent Partnership and Vision for Kent 9 The Kent Agreement and North Kent Agreement 9 The Thames Gateway 10 Swale Local Strategic Partnership 10 The Kent Partners Compact 10 Mid Kent Improvement Partnership 1 1 Swale/Ashford Property Partnership 1 1 Sustainability & Climate Change 1 1 Sustainable Planning & Local Development Framework (LDF) 12 Audit & Inspection 12 Business Continuity 12 Health & Safety 13

The Borough of Swale Overview 14 Population 15 Economy and skills 15 Environment and quality of life 16 A Diverse Borough 16 Deprivation 16

Community Views Making Somewhere A Good Place to Live 18 Satisfaction with local Council services 18 Feeling Informed 18 Delivery & Performance 18 Local Decision Making 18

4 Priority 1: Regenerating Swale Learning and Skills 19 Learning in Swale 19 Economic Prosperity 21 Swale’ s Economy Today 21 T ransport 23 T ransport Links in Swale today 23 Culture 25 Culture in Swale today 25 Housing 27 New homes and communities in Swale 27

Priority 2: Creating a Greener and Cleaner Swale Environmental Quality in Swale today 29 Greening The Gateway 29 Thames Gateway Parklands Project in Sittingbourne 30 Climate Change 30

Priority 3: Promoting a Stronger & Safer Community Community Cohesion 32 Healthy Living 32 Health in Swale 33 Community Safety 34

Priority 4: Becoming a High Performing Organisation Use of Resources 36 Annual Audit & Inspection Letter 36 Investors In People 36 Competency Framework 37 Corporate Commitment to Equalities 37

How We Manage and Measure Our Performance 39

Strategy Framework How we will maximise our resources 40 Medium Term Financial Strategy 42

How We Will Fund Our Activities 43

Revenue Expenditure and Income for 2010-11 44

Revenue Budget Projections 45

Capital Programme Financial Strategy Summary 46

5 Introduction

The Purpose of the Plan The Council has a key responsibility to plan for the medium to long term future of the Borough. This plan covers the period 2010 – 2013 and sets out how Swale Borough Council will deliver essential services that improve the lives of the people that live, work and visit Swale. Some of the policies and programmes being proposed will run beyond the four-year period and form part of a longer term view.

This plan provides details of how we will:  use the Council’s resources to meet local need  work jointly with a wide range of partners from several sectors to meet community priorities  develop initiatives to plan, deliver and improve services  measure the performance of our activities through clear targets and service monitoring  contribute to the delivery of Ambitions for Swale and Kent Agreement 2

In January 2009, Swale Local Strategic Partnership agreed a new sustainable community strategy “Ambitions for Swale”, which sets out the overarching vision for Swale - “to transform the economic, social and environmental prospects, so that it is one of the best places in Britain in which to live, learn, work and invest”. This Corporate Plan refresh provides a framework for the Council until 2012 within which Swale Borough Council will work and sets out how we will contribute towards the delivery of Ambitions for Swale and the vision for the Borough.

Swale Borough Council’s Mission To deliver, directly and in partnership with others, a variety of services to meet and champion the needs of the local community.

Our Aim To be a performance led organisation that delivers excellent public services, good value for money and effective community leadership.

Our Corporate Priorities We have set four interrelated corporate priorities that cover the entire Borough of Swale, which includes the urban areas of Faversham, Sheppey and Sittingbourne and a signif cant rural area. These priorities will direct what the Council does between now and 2012 and provide a framework for all Council policies.

Swale Borough Council’s Corporate Priorities 1. Regenerating Swale 2. Creating A Cleaner and Greener Swale 3. Promoting A Safer and Stronger Community 4. Becoming A High Performing Organisation

6 Lead Responsibility for Delivery The following table shows the lead responsibility for delivery against the corporate priorities. The Leader of the Council has an important role; he is the most senior political member of the Council, takes a lead on decision making, directing strategic policy and budget setting and will agree an Executive with specif c portfolios. The Chief Executive is the most senior off cer of the Council and is responsible for strategic management and direction of the Council. Therefore, the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive will have overall responsibility and will make a signif cant contribution to the delivery against all priorities.

Corporate Priority Lead Offi cers Regenerating Swale Regeneration Director Creating A Greener and Cleaner Swale Regeneration Director Safer and Stronger Communities Regeneration Director Becoming A High Performing Corporate Services Director Organisation

7 The following diagram shows how the Corporate Plan f ts into a broader framework and how it impacts on the Council services and staff.

The Council in all its considerations has an over-riding commitment to ensuring that health and safety is of paramount importance in any of its future plans and therefore the principal consideration of health and safety is implied in the delivery of its corporate priorities.

8 Working in Partnership

The Kent Partnership and Vision for Kent Swale is a district within a two-tier local government system, and in 2007, the Kent Commitment was signed between district authorities (including Swale) and Kent County Council to enhance the effectiveness of the existing two-tier system.

To support joint working between the organisations responsible for leading strategy and delivering services in Kent, the Kent Partnership has been established as the countywide local strategic partnership. The Kent Partnership’s long-term aspirations are set out in Vision for Kent, which focuses on the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of Kent’s communities over a 20 year period. Vision for Kent was f rst produced in 2002, and updated in 2006. Vision for Kent is important for Swale because it informs the priorities and activities of a range of organisations which are frequently structured on a countywide, rather than a district or local level. Ambitions for Swale links with Vision for Kent by providing specif c local knowledge and priorities to ensure that initiatives developed at a county level benef t local people and have local involvement. The strategic themes of Vision for Kent and Ambitions for Swale are closely aligned with those of our Corporate Priorities.

Swale Borough Council Priorities Links To “Vision for Kent” Themes Success Economic Everyone For Learning Care & Well-being Improved Health, Excellence Environmental Communities & Safer Stronger Life Enjoying Moving KentKeep Homes QualityHigh

Regenerating Swale Creating A Greener and Cleaner Swale Safer and Stronger Communities Becoming A High Performing Organisation

The Kent Agreement and North Kent Agreement The Kent Agreement supports the priorities set out in Vision for Kent, by identifying a series of targets agreed between Kent partners and the Government. Achievement of the targets is linked with the opportunity for local partners to negotiate increased f exibilities from the Government, so that future services and priorities can be best tailored to local needs, and success in achieving the agreed targets will lead to more direct f nancial reward. The second Kent Agreement (KA2) was negotiated in 2007/08, with targets intended to be challenging, but achievable. Given the greater extent of the challenges facing Swale than Kent as a whole, there will need to be even greater effort locally to ‘close the gap’ with the rest of the county.

Within North Kent (covering the districts of Dartford, Gravesham and Swale, plus the Medway unitary authority), the local authorities, together with SEEDA (the regional development agency) and other partners have entered into a commitment to a new Multi-Area Agreement focused initially around skills, economic development and transport. The local priorities for all these areas are identif ed in Ambitions for Swale.

9 The Thames Gateway The Thames Gateway is Europe’s largest programme of physical, social and economic regeneration, stretching from central London to North Kent and South Essex. Within Swale, Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey are incorporated within the Thames Gateway’s boundaries, ref ecting the scale of housing and employment growth that these areas will see over the coming years, and their regeneration needs. Associated with this, Government funding linked with the Thames Gateway agenda is contributing to the provision of major infrastructure, especially at Sittingbourne and Queenborough and Rushenden. Less directly, the expansion of employment in neighbouring areas, such as Medway and Kent Thameside, will increase the range of opportunities available to Swale residents.

Swale Local Strategic Partnership The Swale Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) is a grouping of local representatives from across the public, private, voluntary and community sectors who come together to help ensure the overall economic, social and environmental well being of our area and provide sustainable communities. In January 2009, the Swale LSP agreed a new sustainable community strategy Ambitions for Swale.

Swale Borough Council Priorities Links To “Ambitions for Swale” Priority Themes Learning for Ambitions Prosperity for Ambitions Inclusion & Safety for Ambitions for Health Ambitions Environment for Ambitions Ambitions for Culture Transport forAmbitions & Communities forAmbitions Homes

Regenerating Swale Creating A Greener and Cleaner Swale Safer and Stronger Communities Becoming A High Performing Organisation

Partners involved in Kent Agreement 2 are still developing targets, especially at district level, and the proposed Multi Area Agreement for North Kent is still in the early stages of development. The Swale Local Strategic Partnership will continue to develop targets for each of the thematic chapters under Ambitions for Swale to enable us to monitor improvement effectively.

The Kent Partners Compact The Kent Partners Compact is a partnership agreement between the Voluntary & Community Sector and the public sector in Kent. It provides a jointly agreed framework of principles to guide future working relationships, for mutual, purposeful and positive benef t for the Kent community. Swale Borough Council is keen to encourage closer working and co-operation between the partners and supports the Kent Compact shared values of:

• Openness • Trust • Common purpose • Honesty • Confidence • Leadership • Accountability • Objectivity • Effective • Integrity • Understanding communications • Respect • Transparency • Listening

10 The following principles form the basis for a compact way of working. They are the shared values that all partners are committed to working towards.

All partners will share information with each other with proper respect for confidentiality All partners are protocols and the Data committed to the Protection Act All Partners accept that importance of promoting both sectors are equally equality of opportunities important and will for all people, regardless respect and appreciate of race, age, disability, the rich diversity of gender, sexual roles and objectives of orientation and belief other Compact partners Kent Partners Compact Ways of Working

Public agencies All partners acknowledge recognise the that differences may independence of the VCS arise, however, all are and its right to campaign All partners committed to resolving and to challenge the acknowledge the disagreements within the policies & practices of different constraints partnership in a decision makers under which they each constructive and work, for example legal respectful manner & constitutional requirements on the public sector, and Charity Commission obligations for the VCS

Mid Kent Improvement Partnership Swale Borough Council has joined Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Ashford in the Mid Kent Improvement partnership (MKIP). The Partnership aims to explore opportunities for sharing services where it is appropriate to do so. Its objective is to identify opportunities where the councils can share services together to achieve greater eff ciencies. It mirrors steps that some other authorities have already taken in east Kent. Six areas have been identif ed for examination within MKIP – Audit, Printing and Graphics, Legal, Revenues and Benef ts, Human Resources and ICT. A series of reviews will be making recommendations about the future delivery of these service areas.

Swale/Ashford Property Partnership Since January 2009, Swale Borough Council and Ashford Borough Council have developed a joint property partnership to improve the delivery of property services across both Boroughs. In Swale this will particularly focus on improving the strategic management of the service.

Sustainability & Climate Change The Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change is a bold commitment made by local authority signatories to do something about reducing their carbon footprints. By signing up to the Nottingham Declaration a Local Authority is committing not only to reduce their own emissions of greenhouse gases, but to act as a catalyst to other organisations in their areas to promote awareness of climate change and reduction in overall emissions.

11 Swale Borough Council signed up to the Declaration on 21 November 2007, and in doing so acknowledges the increasing impact that climate change will have on our community during the 21st Century and commits to tackling the causes and effects of a changing climate on our Borough. We are currently working with the Carbon Trust as part of the Carbon Management Programme which aims to deliver a carbon saving of 20% across our operations over the next 4 years. More recently we have also begun to work with the Energy Savings Trust on a one to one programme to address the carbon emissions of housing, transport and communities, both of these initiatives represent a signif cant step forward in meeting our Nottingham Declaration commitments.

Sustainable Planning & Local Development Framework (LDF) The government has made clear the importance it attaches to planning as a key function of local government. Some of the headline changes to development planning place land use and spatial planning centre stage. Notably: the description of the LDF as a key vehicle for delivery of the sustainable community strategy (Ambitions for Swale), the change to spatial planning (with its function of co-ordinating and integrating the actions of the authority, partners and other agencies across a geographical area), the emphasis on vision, objectives and strategy, which parallels the expectations of community strategies, the renewed emphasis on community engagement, and changes in the process intended to make it more inf uential. There are formal requirements to consider alternative strategies or solutions, the political implications of how alternatives are handled, and the examination into soundness, which demands robust evidence. In addition, the Government has signalled the importance it places on LDFs for how LSPs will work and the future of community strategies.

Audit & Inspection Like all public sector organisations the Council is subject to a wide ranging and stringent external inspection regime where judgements are made on how well the Council is managed, how resources are used and performance overall. Over the last year our strategic housing and regeneration services have been subject to external inspection. Our strategic housing inspection was rated as poor with promising prospects for improvement; our regeneration service was rated as fair with promising prospects for improvement. The council has put in place comprehensive improvement plans to address the weaknesses identif ed in both areas.

From 1 April 2009 a new framework for the independent assessment of local public services in England comes into effect - this is known as the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA). CAA will provide an independent assessment of how well people are served by their public services. CAA will have two main elements - an area assessment and an organisational assessment. The area assessment will focus on how well local public services are delivering better results for local people against locally agreed priorities in our case the Kent Agreement 2. The organisational assessment will combine a judgement on value for money in how we use our resources with a judgement on our service performance.

Business Continuity The Council have established business continuity plans to provide business recovery as a result of any failure or event disrupting the delivery of functions and services of the Council. The plans identify the critical functions provided and set out a framework for the prioritised recovery of services. Further work is underway to ensure that Business Continuity Plans are embedded within the Authority and that they are regularly tested, reviewed and updated. This will be particularly important following any signif cant change to the organisational structure or buildings.

12 Health & Safety Swale Borough Council is committed to ensuring compliance with all health and safety legislation, regulations and guidelines. The health and safety of the Borough community and the Council staff is one of the principal considerations of the Council.

13 The Borough of Swale

This section of the corporate plan draws heavily on the analysis presented in Ambitions for Swale as the issues identif ed are equally as relevant to Swale Borough Council as they are to the Local Strategic Partnership. Moving Swale to a position where it performs better than the national average on most measures will require concerted effort over the long-term; incremental change will not be suff cient to bridge the gap, and the economic climate is likely to be particularly challenging, at least in the short to medium term.

Overview Partly located within the Thames Gateway growth area, Swale has a prime location, within 40 miles of London and the Channel ports, but set in the Kentish countryside. It is a diverse Borough, containing three distinct areas in the form of Sittingbourne, Faversham and the Isle of Sheppey, as well as an extensive rural hinterland.

Swale at a Glance Area 364 sq km Population 130,300 people Main Urban Areas Sittingbourne 41,600 people Faversham 18,200 people Minster on Sea 16,600 people Sheerness 11,600 people Main Industries • Manufacturing • transport and logistics • tourism • land based industries 14 Economic transition has seen many challenges for Swale. These have contributed to a loss of traditional employment and skills, poor educational attainment and the deepening of pockets of severe deprivation. Overall, Swale has the second highest level of deprivation of all the twelve districts in Kent.

Swale is still undergoing this economic transition, and national and international economic diff culties will accentuate the challenges facing the Borough. The strategy promoted in Ambitions for Swale therefore focuses on the continuing need to address the consequences of economic change and to ensure that we remain resilient and successful in identifying new opportunities for growth.

Swale has a growing population, with increasing demand for new homes, jobs and services. This is positive, as it shows that Swale is a place in which people want to live and bring up their families – but it also poses a challenge in ensuring that growth is accompanied by new amenities and services and is environmentally sustainable. Growth and regeneration must also benef t the whole community and help to overcome the inequalities that exist across the Borough.

Within the Thames Gateway, Swale is unique in the diversity and quality of its natural environment. The Borough contains internationally protected wetlands on Sheppey, part of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and an extensive coastline linked with a rich maritime heritage. However, Swale has environmental challenges particularly as a result of its industrial legacy and especially in its urban areas. Most signif cantly, over the coming decades, Swale will need to manage the long term process of climate change, which will inf uence all aspects of Ambitions for Swale.

Population Swale’s population is growing fast – an increase of almost 17% between 1981 and 2006 (compared with an increase of just over 7% nationally). This ref ects the opportunities that are available in much of the Borough, and Swale has seen net inf ows of residents from other parts of the country and from abroad in recent years.

Population growth is forecast to continue over the coming years, with an overall increase between 2004 and 2029 of just under 25%. Although the population is forecast to rise in all age groups, the greatest increase will be among older residents. The ageing of Swale’s population ref ects a national trend. Over the coming decades, changes in the Borough’s age structure will have signif cant implications for community priorities, the way in which we pay for and deliver public services and working patterns. Ethnically, Swale is less diverse than the country as a whole, with ethnic minorities making up less than 4% of the population in the 2001 census. However, the Borough has a signif cant gypsy and traveller population and is becoming more diverse as a result of migration and a growing population.

Economy and skills Over the past few years, Swale has seen impressive growth, with high levels of productivity and business survival. This highlights the success of the Borough over the past decade in diversifying away from its earlier reliance on a small number of traditionally large employers.

Swale also has good prospects for growth in areas such as the creative sector, environmental technologies and science-based industries. However, these sectors are held back by the Borough’s skills prof le, which is a particular challenge.

15 Levels of skills and qualif cations fall way below the national average, and this poor performance has the potential to hold back the rest of the economy, especially given the need to attract higher value jobs.

Environment and quality of life Swale performs well in respect of many environmental indicators, and indeed, part of Swale’s attractiveness as a place in which to live, work and invest is the high quality of its natural environment.

The Borough also emerges as a relatively affordable place in which to buy a house. Average house prices for Swale in the f rst quarter of 2008 were £188,815, comparable with the UK average (£194,893), but signif cantly below that of the South East (£258,529). While this is in part a function of relatively low wages, on a comparison of wages to prices, the Borough also emerges as relatively affordable. However, Swale performs more poorly in the quality of its public services and amenities. In particular, the Borough’s range of cultural amenities is well below the national average (although the strength of the local voluntary and community sector implies a relatively high degree of ‘social capital’).

A Diverse Borough Swale is one of Kent’s most varied districts. Geographically, the Isle of Sheppey, Sittingbourne and Faversham have distinct identities based on their rich histories and varied development patterns. While the western part of Swale lies within the Thames Gateway growth area, the eastern part of the Borough will see less growth and an emphasis on incremental development.

Swale is also both an urban and rural Borough: two-thirds of the population live in the four largest urban areas, but rural Swale includes some of Kent’s most historic villages and beautiful countryside – as well as some of its most isolated communities. This ref ects Swale’s environmental diversity. The Borough contains both internationally protected wetlands and the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Ethnically, Swale is less diverse than other parts of North Kent, but minority populations have risen in recent years and census f gures may underplay the extent of the Borough’s diversity. Unfortunately, Swale also exhibits considerable inequality within and between communities, presenting a challenge to the Borough’s development.

Deprivation Levels of deprivation vary substantially across Swale. Overall, based on the 2007 Index of Multiple Deprivation, Swale is the second most deprived district in Kent (after Thanet). Beneath this, there are high concentrations of deprivation: 15 neighbourhoods in Swale fall into the 20% most deprived nationally; 11 of these are located on the Isle of Sheppey. Ref ecting the Borough’s particular shortfalls in educational attainment, the local deprivation f gures relating to skills and training are particularly poor: the 2007 Index of Multiple Deprivation shows that 32 neighbourhoods in Swale are in the 20% most skills deprived in England, the majority concentrated on Sheppey and in Sittingbourne.

16 Distribution of overall deprivation across Swale (IMD 2007) Key to maps Sheerness Sheerness Sheerness Sheerness Minster 10% most East East West West Cliffs deprived in England 20% most Sheerness Sheerness Sheerness Minster Minster Sheppey Sheppey Leysdown deprived in East East West Cliffs Cliffs Central Central & Warden England 30% most deprived in Queenboro Queenboro Sheerness Minster Minster Sheppey Sheppey Leysdown England & Halfway & Halfway West Cliffs Cliffs Central Central & Warden 40% most deprived in England Queenboro Queenboro Queenboro Sheppey 50% most & Halfway & Halfway & Halfway Central deprived in England 50% least deprived in England Hartlip, Iwade & Iwade & Grove Kemsley Kemsley Murston 25% least Newington Lower Lower & Halstow Halstow Upchurch Hartlip, Hartlip, Grove Milton Kemsley Kemsley Murston Murston Teynham & Watling Abbey Newington Newington Regis Lynsted & & Upchurch Upchurch Hartlip, Chalkwell Grove Milton Milton St Murston Teynham & Teynham & Watling Davington Abbey Newington Regis Regis Michaels Lynsted Lynsted & Upchurch Chalkwell Chalkwell Chalkwell St St Roman Roman Watling Davington Abbey Michaels Michaels

Borden Woodstock Woodstock Woodstock Roman St Anns St Anns Boughton

West West St Anns St Anns Boughton Downs Downs

East East Boughton Boughton Downs Downs

Community Views

In 2008, the Council conducted a survey of place to f nd out residents views on the local area, their local Council and how well it performs. We have used this information to inform our corporate plan refresh.

Making Somewhere A Good Place to Live  Three quarters of local residents (75%) are satisf ed with their local area as a place to live.  The top 5 issues voted by Swale residents as most important in making somewhere a good place to live were level of crime (44%), clean streets (42%), health services (41%), affordable decent housing (28%) and shopping facilities (27%).  The top 5 issues voted by Swale residents as most needing improving were activities for teenagers (40%), road and pavement repairs (37%), clean streets (28%), shopping facilities (28%) and the level of traff c congestion (26%).  Four in nine local residents (46%) believe that their local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together.  Four in seven people (57%) believe there is not a problem with people treating each other with respect and consideration and four in f ve people (79%) believe they are treated with respect and consideration by their local public services most or all of the time. Satisfaction with local Council services  T wo in f ve people (36%) said they were satisf ed with the way Swale Borough Council runs things, a quarter of people (25%) said they were dissatisf ed, a third (33%) said they were neither satisf ed not dissatisf ed and further one in twenty people (6%) said they didn’t know how well Swale Borough Council runs things. Feeling Informed  Three in ten people (32%) feel well informed about the public services in their local area, however, three in f ve people (59%) did feel well informed about how their council tax is spent. Delivery & Performance  Three in ten people (28%) feel well informed about how well public services are performing, and three in ten people (31%) are not aware of the standard of public service they should expect from public services. Local Decision Making  Almost 9 in 10 people (88%) are well informed about how and where to register to vote whilst only a quarter of people (26%) are well informed about how to get involved in local decision making and only 1 in 5 people (21%) believe they are able to inf uence local decision making.

18 Priority 1: Regenerating Swale

Over the last decade Swale’s local economy has faced a number of challenges including the loss of traditional employment and skills, poor educational attainment and deepening pockets of severe deprivation. These challenges are balanced, to some degree, by the signif cant opportunities to be gained from Thames Gateway.

Swale has a growing population with increasing demands for new homes, jobs and services. Regeneration is vital if we are to transform the economic, social and environmental well-being of the Borough. Key elements of the regeneration agenda include employment land, business and enterprise, learning and skills, culture, housing and transport all of which are important. In order to provide new knowledge-based jobs we need to protect and use employment land; businesses need timely advice and support; if residents are to benef t from the new job opportunities they must be equipped with necessary skills; both residents and businesses make locational decisions based on the local provision of housing quality and choice alongside the depth and range of the cultural offer. Accessibility to both home, work and leisure is another deciding factor.

Learning and Skills Increasing participation and achievement in learning will be the most important factor in achieving Ambitions for Swale’s overall strategic goal. Without substantially raising the Borough’s performance in learning and skills, it will not be possible to achieve the economic transformation needed to ensure a real improvement in the quality and range of local employment opportunities. Yet there is now an opportunity, at a time of improving performance and substantial public investment, to achieve the transformation that the vision requires.

Learning in Swale Qualif cation levels among Swale’s working age population are signif cantly worse than both the national and regional averages. In 2007, over 19% of working age people within the Borough had no qualif cations, compared with less than 10% across the South East, and the proportion with qualif cations at NVQ4 and above was a over a third lower than elsewhere in the region.

Table 1: Qualif cations of working age population, 2007 Qualif cation Swale (%) South East Great Britain (%) (%) NVQ4 and above 18.6 30.8 28.6 NVQ3 and above 37.9 49.6 46.4 NVQ2 and above 58.8 68.2 64.5 NVQ1 and above 73.2 82.3 78.1 Other qualif cations 7.5 8.1 8.8 No qualif cation 19.2 9.6 13.1

This poor skills prof le is a cause for concern in Swale. Firstly, across the country as a whole, the proportion of jobs requiring higher qualif cations is likely to increase, and there is a higher proportion of employment in knowledge-intensive occupations in the South East than in most of the rest of the country. Poor qualif cations levels will act as a limit on the ability of local people to access these new employment opportunities.

19 Secondly, part of the reason for Swale’s poor skills prof le relates to historic employer demand, which has not tended to require the higher skills levels that are increasingly in demand nationally. In other words, the presence of jobs that require poor skills provide little incentive to gain new ones, and the presence of a relatively low skilled workforce deters higher-value investors. This in turn acts as a limit on the aspirations of many local learners. There is mixed evidence of improvements in the Borough’s skills prof le. The distribution of workforce qualif cations showed a decline relative to the rest of the South East in 2007, although there has been a longer term trend of improvement. However, improvements in school attainment have been impressive, and signif cantly ahead of the county and national averages:

Table 2: % of 15 year olds achieving 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C (and equivalent) Year % improvement, 2003-07 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Swale Average 45 48 52 52 27 27 Kent Average 56 56 60 61 65 16 Engand Average 53 54 56 59 61 15

Combined with substantial investment in education in Swale, including the reorganisation of education on the Isle of Sheppey, prospects for long-term improvement in the Borough’s skills prof le look strong.

Yet despite this positive outlook, many of the Borough’s skills shortfalls relate to those who are already in the labour market. Indeed, around 70% of the workforce of 2020 are currently in work. Improving the skills of the Borough’s existing workforce and developing opportunities for adult learning will be critical to raising Swale’s overall attainment levels.

Finally, Swale contains several areas of localised low attainment, which generally correspond with the distribution of income and other forms of deprivation, especially on Sheppey and within urban Sittingbourne and Faversham. If local residents are to be able to benef t the most from the opportunities that regeneration will bring, there will be a need to particularly concentrate activities aimed at improving access to education and skills in these localities.

Community Views  One in four of Swale residents (24%) considered that education provision made somewhere a good place to live, and 1 in 15 people (6%) felt that education provision was the issue that most needed improving locally.

Ambitions for Learning Strategic Objective To deliver a step change in Swale’s learning and skills performance to ensure a high quality skills base suff cient and to enable people in Swale to realise their full potential

Ambitions for Learning priorities to 2026 are: LR1 Expanding vocational learning opportunities for young people and adults through increased choice of provision, work-based learning options and better information, advice and guidance

20 LR2 Improving participation in further and higher education, by exploring opportunities to bring higher education provision to Swale, and by providing new routes into existing higher education institutions for school leavers and other potential students LR3 Creating a learning culture, raising aspirations particularly in Swale’s most disadvantaged communities through community learning, jobs and skills brokerage and investment in community development activity as a route into education LR4 Improving services to children, ensuring that we deliver the Every Child Matters agenda by improving the education and care of the most vulnerable children and by increasing school attendance LR5 Ensuring the right provision, making sure that new developments have the learning facilities they need, and that our main centres are well-served with a choice of schools, colleges and other provision

Learning and Skills Priority Actions RS1 Deliver the Swale Learning & Skills Strategy to improve learning and skills performance in Swale. RS2 Increase opportunities and participation in community learning

Economic Prosperity Swale has seen substantial employment growth over the past decade, although declines in traditional sectors have continued. Maintaining growth in the future will be dependent on generating higher value employment, linked with the priority that local partners have placed on raising skills levels.

Swale’s Economy Today Over the past decade, Swale’s economy has shown levels of growth and job creation comparable to the national average, and it has had some success in diversifying away from traditional employers. Within the Borough’s dominant logistics, transport and manufacturing sectors, however, economic inactivity remains higher than the regional and national averages, as are numbers of working age benef t claimants, and workplace earnings are relatively low.

Table 3: Key economic indicators Indicator Swale Kent South Great East Britain Jobs density (jobs ratio to working age population, 2005) 0.62 0.78 0.89 0.88 Average full-time weekly earnings (by workplace, 2007) £451 £476 £500 £479 Jobseekers Allowance claimant count (2008) 2.6% 2.1% 1.9% 2.8% Total working age benef t claiments (%of pop., 2008) 14.4% 11.8% 9.6% 13.9% Economic inactivity rate (2007) 21.4% 19.1% 17.9% 21.2% Business registrations (% of total stock, 2006) 10.3% 10.2% 10.0% 10.2%

Swale’s economy is held back by its poor learning and skills performance. This hampers the ability of the Borough to attract higher skilled and higher value employment. It also threatens the long- term sustainability of Swale’s current high employment rates, given the increasing competition in lower added value industry from emerging economies. These competitive pressures are already having a noticeable effect on Swale’s economy, with employment in manufacturing declining by just over 30% between 1997 and 2007. Between 1997 and 2007, Swale saw a total jobs increase of 12.1%, compared with an increase for Britain as a whole of 12.0%. 21 However, Swale has considerable potential for economic growth. Firstly, Kent Science Park near Sittingbourne is providing a growing base for a cluster of knowledge-driven businesses, predominantly in the biosciences sector. KSP is a unique facility within the Thames Gateway, and provides one of the most important opportunities within the Borough for supporting long-term structural change in the economy towards higher value sectors demanding higher skilled, better- paid employment. Secondly, there continue to be opportunities for Swale to build on its traditional strengths by encouraging the development of higher value manufacturing, and supporting the development and improvement of employment locations across the Borough. The development of the Neatscourt business park within the Queenborough and Rushenden regeneration area, regeneration associated with the Port at Sheerness and the expansion of employment land within North Sittingbourne all provide signif cant opportunities.

There are three signif cant physical regeneration projects which together will signal a step change in the future of the Borough – Sittingbourne Town Centre, Queenborough and Rushenden and Kent Science Park. Combined, the schemes have the potential to create between 4500 and 7500 new jobs and up to 3500 new homes.

Swale continues to benef t from its advantageous location, within the Thames Gateway and with easy access to the road network, and with a key strength in the UK’s fourth largest freight port at Sheerness. These support the importance of transport and logistics within the local economy, a sector that will particularly benef t from the improvements to connectivity.

Tourism continues to be a key sector in Swale, with a 61% growth in tourism related employment between 1997 and 2007. There are major opportunities for developing tourism further, particularly given the quality of the Borough’s countryside and coastline, and promoting tourism in Swale will be closely associated with the development of Swale’s cultural sector and with the Borough’s wider environmental enhancement and cultural development.

Swale’s town centres also offer the potential for signif cant growth and enhancement. In particular, the regeneration of Sittingbourne town centre will offer an expansion of employment opportunities associated with retail and other services, while Faversham is developing as a local tourism and cultural centre. Sheerness, the Borough’s third major town centre, is in need of further regeneration investment, both in the town centre and associated with the Port. As with the other strategic themes in this document, there are considerable divergences in the economic performance of different parts of the Borough, with high levels of economic inactivity especially in the most disadvantaged localities.

22 Community Views  When Swale residents were asked what was the most important thing in making somewhere a good place to live 1 in 5 people (19%) said good job prospects and 1 in 10 people (10%) said wage levels and local cost of living.

Ambitions for Prosperity Strategic Objective To achieve a dynamic and sustainable local economy increasingly focused on knowledge intensive industries to maximise Swale’s opportunities, embrace global change and support indigenous entrepreneurship

Ambitions for Prosperity priorities to 2026 are: PR1 Increasing the value of the Borough’s economic base, through the provision and promotion of employment sites for higher value uses and by attracting new investment PR2 Supporting the development of enterprise and entrepreneurship, including social enterprise, by ensuring access to business support and premises PR3 Regenerating Swale’s town centres as major centres for employment, learning, culture and services PR4 Increasing access to employment opportunities, especially in the most disadvantaged parts of the Borough and among the most disadvantaged communities

Transport Improved transport links have been of critical importance to Swale for many years. Recent years have seen major improvements with the opening of the Sheppey Crossing in 2006, and the development of the Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road is now under way.

Continued investment in the Borough’s transport infrastructure remains a high priority. New highways infrastructure is a crucial enabler of regeneration, but we also need to invest in public transport and in providing opportunities for travellers to switch between modes of transport, especially in the Borough’s urban centres.

Transport Links in Swale today Swale is a well-located Borough, and performs relatively well against indicators of accessibility and mobility. Recent years have also seen major investment in Swale’s transport infrastructure. Most strikingly, 2006 saw the opening of the new Sheppey Crossing, which has greatly increased connectivity between the Isle of Sheppey and the rest of Kent, and fulf ls a long-required transport need. This new link is also essential in opening up major new regeneration opportunities, most signif cantly the development of Queenborough and Rushenden and Sheerness. The Northern Relief Road is essential for the regeneration of Sittingbourne and the outcome of the public inquiry now gives certainty over the delivery of the section crossing the creek. A start will be made on site in Autumn 2009, with completion due around 2 years later. The remaining section of the road that will connect to the A2 at Bapchild is under development with initial public consultation scheduled for Summer 2009. At Queenborough, the Rushenden Link Road will also commence during 2009 and take around 2 years to complete.

However, despite these major improvements, Swale continues to face congestion at junctions 5 and 7 of the M2. This congestion is likely to become a limiting factor on our regeneration activities, particularly at junction 5. The Council are working in partnership with the Highways Agency and Kent County Council to develop options for the future enhancement of junction 5 to make sure it is able to cope with future demands.

23 Capacity constraints on the road network also have economic consequences for the Borough’s existing businesses. Maintaining and expanding the highways network must however be balanced with the need to protect the environment and to conserve natural resources.

In 2006, road users in Swale consumed 93,600 tonnes of fuel, and at present, use of public transport is less common in Swale than in other parts of the country: in 2001, only 9% of people used public transport to get to work, compared with 15% in Britain as a whole. This is not surprising given the Borough’s semi-rural nature and its complex travel patterns (which are less linear and London-centric than other parts of North Kent). There is scope to improve public transport particularly in the urban areas of the Borough, and also improve the interchange with rail services. From December 2009, new high speed services to London will broaden the destinations within easy reach of the Borough in north Kent and London. It will provide easier access to destinations such as London Docklands and north London and will ultimately provide access to emerging areas such as Ebbsf eet, Stratford City and Kings Cross.

The Borough’s existing rail connections to London will remain important however, as will the Sheerness-Sittingbourne branch line. Access from Swale’s rural hinterland to the towns is often poor, as a result of the geographical isolation of parts of the Borough, especially in eastern Sheppey and in the North Downs. At present, rural public transport is limited, although alternative, community-based transport initiatives have been successfully introduced. There are also strong social inclusion grounds for improving public transport in Swale: in 2001, over 22% of households had no access to private transport, compared with 19% in the South East as a whole, and lack of access to transport was particularly high in the Borough’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Community Views  When asked what is the most important thing in making somewhere a good place to live almost a quarter of Swale residents (24%) said public transport and 1 in 6 (17%) said the level of traff c congestion. Over a quarter of local residents (26%) said that the level of traf f c congestion was the issue that most needed improving.  Three in ten people (32%) were satisf ed with the local bus services and just over a quarter of local people (27%) were satisf ed with the local transport information available locally

Ambitions for Transport Strategic Objective To deliver an eff cient, integrated, sustainable and multi-modal transport network capable of supporting a growing population and increased economic opportunity

Ambitions for Transport priorities to 2026 are: CT1 Delivering sustainable transport in new developments, ensuring that the Borough’s major regeneration schemes at Sittingbourne and Queenborough and Rushenden have access to high quality alternatives to car transport CT2 Promoting access to sustainable transport, to enable people to access school, work, training and leisure facilities, especially in rural areas and the more disadvantaged parts of the Borough CT3 Investing in major transport infrastructure where required, especially in the completion of Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road and the expansion of capacity at M2 Junction 5 CT4 Maintaining and improving the highways network, making improvements where needed to secondary routes such as the A2, A251 and B2231 CT5 Improving road safety, making Swale’s transport systems safe and reliable for all users

24 CT6 Developing alternative access to services, through increases in the provision of broadband connectivity and by increasing the amount of public and commercial services that can be accessed remotely

Business and Enterprise Priority Actions RS3 Broaden the Borough’s economic base to create opportunities for new types of employment RS4 Promote and enable a more prosperous local economy RS5 Support Swale’s business community increasing business engagement and strengthening the voice for local business

Key Regeneration Projects Priority Actions RS6 To work with partners and local communities to progress the regeneration of Sittingbourne Town Centre, Sheerness, Leysdown, Queenborough and Rushenden RS7 Work with partners to realise the economic opportunities of Kent Science Park RS8 Work with partners to shape the future of the Borough primarily through the local development framework and through partnership working in north Kent

Culture Culture helps to promote a sense of place and to celebrate the identity of Swale’s diverse communities. It also helps to stimulate ambition and raise standards and pride in the area. Cultural organisations and initiatives often act as focal points for social activity, helping to develop community networks and promote understanding. In addition, the cultural and creative industries are important (and growing) employers, and make signif cant contributions to the local economy.

For these reasons, developing culture in the Borough is an important strand of our Ambitions for Swale. Our def nition of culture is a broad one: encompassing recreational, sporting and artistic opportunities and the protection and promotion of the Borough’s heritage, our strategic objective aims to ensure that culture is accessible to, and enjoyed by, all of Swale’s communities, while retaining quality and local distinctiveness.

Culture in Swale today Swale has a diverse cultural offer, based around the distinctive identities of its three component parts. Faversham is a classic Kentish market town, with a wealth of distinctive heritage assets, including the historic brewery and an attractive town centre. The Isle of Sheppey offers a coastal identity, with coastal marshes of international wildlife importance – and increasing signif cance as part of the Borough’s tourism offer. The Island’s maritime heritage is also of great signif cance both to Sheppey’s local history and its current built environment. Sittingbourne has a less distinct cultural identity, but the forthcoming regeneration of the town centre and the area around Milton Creek offers an opportunity to develop it further.

However, the presence of larger adjacent centres, with greater provision of leisure, sporting and cultural amenities, reduces the concentration of cultural resources in Swale itself, and the Borough at present suffers from a lack of amenities. Increasing cultural and recreational provision is an important goal as the population expands and will be important in enabling the Borough and its communities to build their identity and sense of place. Indeed, achieving greater provision of recreational opportunities as part of the regeneration of Sittingbourne will both support and be supported by the town’s increased retail and residential development.

25 Swale has a large and expanding number of enterprises operating in the creative and cultural sector. Complementing these, the number of cultural organisations and venues operating within the voluntary and community sector is a strength of the Borough’s current cultural landscape. In particular, services such as cinemas and heritage centres are sustainably provided by voluntary groups, and enjoy high levels of local support. The local arts sector is developing, and the Borough’s schools are also major centres of cultural and sporting activity, for the wider community as well as for their own students. And of course culture and leisure is not just about organised entertainment, but is also about informal recreation, which Swale’s parks, open spaces and countryside help to support.

Looking to the future, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and their associated Cultural Olympiad, provide opportunities to increase participation in sporting and cultural activities, and to increase volunteering in the cultural sector. Given Swale’s position in the Thames Gateway just 40 miles from the central Olympics venue, the Borough has great potential to ensure that local residents benef t from the opportunities that the Games present.

Community Views  When Swale residents were asked their views on what was the most important thing in making somewhere a good place to live 3 in 11 people (27%) said shopping facilities, 1 in 5 people (22%) said parks and open spaces, 1 in 11 people (9%) said sports and leisure facilities, 1 in 11 people (9%) said community facilities and a further 1 in 12 people (8%) said cultural facilities.  When Swale residents were asked what most needed improving 3 in 11 people (28%) said shopping facilities, 1 in 7 people (14%) said sports and leisure facilities, 1 in 9 people (12%) said community facilities and 1 in 10 people (10%) said parks and open spaces.  Residents were asked to rate their satisfaction with a range of cultural services locally not all of which are provided by Swale Borough Council. Three in f ve people (57%) were satis f ed with library services provided locally, 1 in 2 people (51%) were satisf ed with parks and open spaces, 3 in 10 people (30%) were satisf ed with sports and leisure facilities provided locally, 1 in 7 people (14%) were satisf ed with theatres and concert halls locally and 1 in 7 people (14%) were satisf ed with museums and galleries locally.

Ambitions for Culture Strategic Objective To achieve a vibrant Borough, where cultural vitality contributes to Swale’s distinctive communities and their health and wellbeing

Ambitions for Culture priorities to 2026 are: CL1 Increasing participation in cultural, leisure and sporting activities by promoting activities near where people live, especially in rural areas and in harder to reach communities CL2 Making the most of London 2012 and the Cultural Olympiad to promote volunteering and participation, and to link cultural development with access to learning and health CL3 Raising quality and shaping local identity, recognising and promoting the distinctive characteristics of Swale’s three component areas (and more local communities) and ensuring that they are promoted in a coherent, high quality and inclusive way CL4 Supporting the creative sector by recognising its importance to Swale’s economic prosperity and encouraging its development CL5 Improving the cultural capital stock by ensuring that provision is made in regeneration schemes for new cultural, sporting and leisure provision, and by ensuring that such provision meets local demand

26 Culture Priority Actions RS9 Work with partners to improve and develop the cultural offer in Swale

Housing With population and housing expansion, ensuring that new homes are well designed and maintained and that new developments are integrated with existing communities is of critical importance. This theme considers design quality, housing standards, housing affordability, environmental sustainability and community integration

New homes and communities in Swale In the period between 2006 and 2026, Swale is expected to deliver some 10,800 new homes, the majority within the Thames Gateway part of the Borough. Most of this new housing will be on brownf eld land, with the two largest developments due to come forward at Queenborough and Rushenden on the Isle of Sheppey and at Sittingbourne town centre/ Milton Creek.

Despite recent increases in the Borough’s housing stock, affordability remains a key concern in the Borough. Swale is somewhat more affordable than the national average (based on a ratio of house prices to average earnings), but the average house price in 2008 is still over seven and a half times the average annual salary.

Ensuring that there is suff cient affordable housing provision suitable for local needs is therefore a high priority for the Borough. Making sure that the Borough’s existing housing stock (both public and private) is of suff cient quality is also an important priority: in 2005, over 6% of Swale’s housing stock was classif ed as ‘unf t’, compared with under 4.5% in the country as a whole.

The need to raise design and sustainability standards in new residential developments has been emphasised at Thames Gateway level, and efforts are being made in the planning of major new schemes such as that at Queenborough and Rushenden to set high standards for design quality and waste minimisation. As important, if not more so, is the need to integrate new developments with existing communities. Swale has had mixed success in achieving this, and ensuring better integration within new schemes will be a high priority.

Community Views  Almost three in ten local residents (28%) feel that affordable decent housing is the most important thing in making somewhere a good place to live and 1 in 6 (17%) people feel that affordable decent housing is the thing that most needs improving.  Three quarters of local residents (75%) are satisf ed with their local area as a place to live  9 in 10 people (89%) are satisf ed with their home as a place to live.  Almost 3 in 5 people (57%) feel strongly that they belong to their immediate neighbourhood.

Ambitions for Homes and Communities Strategic Objective To achieve high quality sustainable homes where people choose to live in new and existing communities

Ambitions for Homes and Communities priorities to 2026 are: HC1 Ensuring suffi cient affordable housing to meet identif ed local needs HC2 Improving the environment of existing communities both in housing stock and the surrounding community, especially within the Borough’s most deprived communities HC3 Increasing integration between new and existing communities in areas of major new housing development 27 HC4 Ensuring standards of design and sustainability in all new developments HC5 Improving the quality of existing accommodation, particularly in the Borough’s most deprived communities HC6 Ensuring effective provision of services, whether public, commercial or voluntary as new developments come forward HC7 Reducing fuel poverty and increasing fuel eff ciency, especially for those on low incomes

Housing Priority Actions RS10 Increase affordable housing supply RS11 Improve housing conditions and local neighbourhoods RS12 Support Vulnerable People RS13 Tackle disadvantage and improve quality of life

28 Priority 2: Creating a Greener and Cleaner Swale

Ambitions for Swale aims to create a cleaner and greener Swale, in which people choose to live and work. Swale is an area of both housing and economic growth, and an area of outstanding environmental quality and diversity. Our strategy therefore aims to ensure that growth is not only environmentally sustainable, but delivers positive improvements in the quality of life for local people.

Our ambitions for our environment focus on:  Responding to the challenges of climate change;  The quality of the built environment;  The quantity and quality of green and other public open space;  The continued protection and enhancement of areas of national and international environmental signif cance;  Minimisation of waste;  Minimisation of use of natural resources, including water, energy and minerals;  The protection and enhancement of biodiversity in both urban and rural areas;  The preservation and promotion of local heritage and unique local characteristics; and  Continued awareness of, and planning for the f ood risks affecting much of the Borough.

All of the above impact strongly on people’s quality of life. They also have signif cant economic benef ts, both in improving perceptions of Swale as a high quality place in which to live and work and in underpinning tourism development.

Environmental Quality in Swale today Swale has a number of environmental strengths. Compared with the rest of the Thames Gateway, Swale offers a high degree of accessibility to areas of natural beauty, and has signif cantly lower ‘environmental deprivation’ scores than other parts of North Kent. This is borne out by Swale’s unique and varied landscape, which contains 42 distinct landscape character areas.

A signif cant proportion of this is designated for its high biodiversity and landscape interest, including the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the south of the Borough and the internationally protected marshes on Sheppey and along the Swale. Indeed, Swale contains the most extensive areas of unspoilt land within the Thames Gateway. There is a clear link between the quality of the natural environment and the development of Swale’s economy. Green infrastructure can help to minimise the impacts of f ooding, and environmental quality is an important tourism asset (and in turn can help to drive up demand for higher quality).

Greening The Gateway At Thames Gateway level, Greening the Gateway sets out an overarching, long-term, green space strategy, which provides context for Swale’s own Green Grid strategy, published in 2007. This aims to fully integrate the enhancement of the local environment with the regeneration process, and in particular to promote:  The value of the landscape in providing a range of benef ts, including healthy recreation;  wildlife protection and enhancement and f ood risk management;  A network of green and open space throughout the Thames Gateway, consistent with local characteristics and priorities; and The value of the Thames Estuary at the centre of the wider Thames Gateway.

29 Provision of good quality natural green space can have positive impacts on health and wellbeing, but unfortunately parts of the Borough, especially in urban Sittingbourne and Sheerness, lack access to such provision. More broadly, as traff c levels continue to rise and biodiversity in some areas deteriorates, Swale is faced with a challenge of reversing threatened decline, as well as taking advantage of new opportunities.

Thames Gateway Parklands Project in Sittingbourne On 27th November 2008, the Department for Communities and Local Government (soon to be Homes and Communities Agency) committed £35million across the Thames Gateway, to be spent on Parklands Projects in South Essex, East London and North Kent. In Sittingbourne, the Milton Creek Gateway Landscape project has been successful in its bid for £2million funding.

The Milton Creek Gateway Landscape is a project designed to create a green heart for Sittingbourne, reuniting the town with its Creekside heritage. The funding will take the project up to March 2011, however it requires longer term funding which will tie in with the regeneration of the town centre, to provide a quality focal point for leisure and culture in Sittingbourne. The project will also provide a sustainable green link between the residential areas to the North of Sittingbourne, the regenerated town centre, and the Swale.

Many residents and visitors alike are not even aware there is a creek, so a priority will be to improve access to it from the town centre, through the Eurolink Industrial Estate. The work will also improve access for wildlife to the creek and Swale estuary beyond, by creating green ‘corridors’ and ‘stepping stones’ through Eurolink. Habitats along the creek and into Church Marshes Country Park will be enhanced and improved. The Saxon Shore Way will also be realigned to run along the side of the creek, allowing walkers to appreciate the variety of wildlife, scenery and heritage on offer. There will be the opportunity for community engagement and involvement, as well as public art around the heritage and cultural offer.

Making Swale a Green Borough will also involve reducing waste and minimising the use of resources. Swale’s recycling record is much improved, and given the Borough’s position within the Thames Gateway and in an area likely to be greatly affected by the consequences of climate change, there are opportunities over the coming years for Swale to take a lead in developing new approaches to managing our changing natural environment.

Climate Change In 2008, Swale Borough Council was one of 70 local authorities selected to take part in the Carbon Management Programme. We were assisted by Carbon Trust to identify ways of saving money on energy and putting it to good use in other areas whilst making a positive contribution to the environment by lowering our carbon emissions. We have set ourselves a target of reducing CO2 by 20% and make f nancial savings of £0.5 million by 2013.

In late 2008 Swale Borough Council was also one of only 14 authorities in the South East to be selected to join the Energy Saving Trust’s One to One programme. This is a two year programme of work commencing in March 2009 which will result in a locally tailored carbon action plan for our community. It will focus mainly on housing but may include small business and transport depending on the outcome of the early stage consultancy work with the EST. Once the action plan is drawn up we will have the opportunity to bid for up to £25k to implement it. Both of these initiatives represent a signif cant step forward in meeting our Nottingham Declaration commitments.

30 Community Views  Slightly more than half (53%) of local people believe that local public services are working to make their local area cleaner and greener.  When asked their views on keeping public land clear of litter and refuse, 4 in 9 people (46%) were satisf ed with the services provided or supported by Swale Borough Council, 3 in 10 people (31%) were dissatisf ed, 1 in 6 (17%) said they were neither satisf ed nor dissatis f ed and a small number (6%) said they didn’t know.  When asked their views on refuse collection, three quarters of people (76%) were satisf ed with the services provided or supported by Swale Borough Council, 1 in 8 people (13% were dissatisf ed, a further 1 in 11 people (9%) said they were neither satisf ed nor dissatis f ed with the services and a small number said they didn’t know (2%).  When asked their views on doorstep recycling, just over 7 in 10 people (72%) people were satis f ed with the services provided or supported by Swale Borough Council, 1 in 12 people (8%) were dissatisf ed, 1 in 8 people (12%) said they were neither satisf ed nor dissatisf ed with the services and 1 in 12 people (8%) said they didn’t know.  When asked their views on local tips/household waste recycling centre, 7 in 10 people (71%) were satisf ed with the services provided or supported by Swale Borough Council, 1 in 7 people (14%) said they were neither satisf ed nor dissatisf ed with the services, 1 in 15 people (6%) said they didn’t know and 1 in 11 people (9%) were dissatisf ed with the services.  When asked how frequently they have used their local tips/household recycling centres, just over a third of local people (36%) said about once a month, 3 in 10 (28%) said within the last 6 months, and 1 in 10 (11%) said at least once a week.

Ambitions for Environment Strategic Objective To respond to environmental challenges by ensuring the sustainability of all regeneration in Swale, and by protecting and enhancing our natural and built environment

Ambitions for our Environment priorities to 2026 are: GR1 Managing climate change, recognising both the opportunities and challenges for the Borough in adapting to environmental change GR2 Investing in strategic green space, to maximise the ecological value of Swale’s key landscape assets and realising their tourism and recreational potential GR3 Supporting the development of Swale’s Green Grid, connecting urban communities with parks and open spaces and with the surrounding countryside GR4 Reducing waste and improving recycling, looking for new opportunities to minimise the amount of waste the Borough produces GR5 Keeping Swale clean, by maintaining the highest standards along our transport corridors and in our neighbourhoods, town centres and countryside.

Cleaner and Greener Priority Actions CG1 Increase the opportunities for waste minimisation whilst maintaining high levels of household waste sent for recycling CG2 Work with partners to protect and enhance our green spaces CG3 Work with the Carbon Trust, the Energy Savings Trust and other partners to tackle issues related to climate change in Swale CG4 Maintain high levels of cleanliness of the Swale street scene

31 Priority 3: Promoting a Stronger & Safer Community

Ambitions for Swale recognises the role that communities play in helping to regenerate an area and the opportunity there is for regeneration to benef t the most disadvantaged parts of the Borough by reducing deprivation, promoting community safety and increasing individual opportunity within the Borough’s most disadvantaged areas.

Support for the development of social capital is needed across Swale. This is associated with increasing levels of involvement in community, voluntary and civic activity and is often positively associated with increased educational and employment outcomes and higher levels of capacity in local non-statutory organisations.

For sustainable communities to be delivered, the right public services need to be in place, and in many cases a step change in the most deprived neighbourhoods will require investment over and above that provided by mainstream sources.

Community Cohesion Spatial inequality is relatively high in Swale. This is borne out by the large disparities between the least and most deprived parts of the Borough, with particular concentrations of deprivation found on the Isle of Sheppey and Sittingbourne. Generally, the areas of greatest deprivation correlate with those of greatest regeneration potential, particularly in the A249 corridor.

Signif cant efforts to combat local deprivation have been made and are starting to yield results; for example through the investment in new children’s centres in Sheerness and more recently across the Borough. Yet the deprivation statistics frequently remain persistently poor, ref ecting the fact that combating deprivation requires long term, sustained investment, and recognition that transformation will be a gradual process.

Where local regeneration programmes have been accompanied by extensive community consultation and engagement and by substantial investment in community development resources, they have been particularly successful, as at Queenborough and Rushenden, and increasing community involvement in decision-making can both improve the quality of the decisions themselves and bring about a greater sense of participation and identity. Building on the success of the engagement process at Queenborough, we hope to achieve similar levels of community involvement in future planning and regeneration initiatives, such as in Sittingbourne town centre.

As Swale’s population grows, it will become an increasingly diverse Borough. The scale of transformation will be greater than some communities have experienced for several decades, although other parts of the Borough will experience more gradual change. As they evolve, communities will need to value the contributions of all their members and to develop mechanisms to encourage people of all backgrounds to participate in community life.

Healthy Living Swale exhibits signif cant health inequalities, ref ecting the economic divergences that exist between the most disadvantaged wards (on the Isle of Sheppey and in Sittingbourne) and the more aff uent parts of the Borough. Ambitions for Swale seeks to reduce these inequalities, improving the health outcomes for those in the Borough’s most deprived communities.

32 The master plan for Sittingbourne will be the subject of a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) through a joint project with the Eastern and Coastal Primary Care Trust. This will examine the health implications of the master plan across a range of areas such as the opportunities that the master plan can present in terms of improving health outcomes. For example, clear and direct walking routes can provide opportunities for increased physical activity. The HIA is not a statutory requirement, but it is likely to emerge as best practice in coming years in the way that sustainability and environmental assessments have become.

Health in Swale Overall, Swale’s health outcomes are somewhat worse than elsewhere in the South East, as the table below indicates:

Table 4: Selected health indicators Indicator Swale Kent South Great East Britain Average male life expectancy 76.9 - 78.5 77.3 Average female life expectancy 80.4 - 82.3 81.5 % adults who are smokers 28.6 24.6 - - % adults who are obese 25.4 24.4 - - Working age, on incapacity benef t (%) 6.8 5.8 4.7 7.2

Some of these indicators are among the worst in Kent: for instance, the proportion of adults who are obese is the highest of any district in Kent; the proportion who smoke is the second highest.

However, these f gures mask signif cant divergences, which correlate with wider inequalities in other spheres. Life expectancy is for instance eight years higher in West Downs than it is in Sheerness West. Poor health is also a consequence of deprivation and a cause of it: while the proportion of people in Swale on incapacity benef t is signif cantly above the regional average, the f gure rises to over 12% in Sheerness East and over 13% in Leysdown and Warden. Reducing health, and other, inequalities, is a major challenge for local partners.

Over the coming years, Swale will also need to deal with the challenge of an ageing population (although not yet to the same extent as some other parts of the region), and increased funding for and provision of social care, and efforts to support independent living, will need to be further pursued.

Community Views  2 in 5 people (41%) believe that health services are the most important thing in making somewhere a good place to live.  Just over three quarters of local residents (77%) are satisf ed with their local/family doctor and 7 in 10 local people (69%) are satisf ed with their local hospital.  A third of people (32%) believe that older people in the local area get the services and support they need to continue to live at home for as long as they want to.

Ambitions for Health Strategic Objective To achieve a Borough in which people live healthier lives and have access to high quality services that meet their needs

33 Ambitions for Health priorities to 2026 are: HE1 Reducing the gap in health outcomes by improving the performance of the worst performing wards (Sheerness East, Sheerness West, Leysdown & Warden) to the levels of the rest of the Borough HE2 Promoting healthy lifestyles, and reducing levels of smoking and obesity HE3 Improving access to health facilities, especially in the Borough’s most disadvantaged areas

Community Safety Average crime f gures for Swale were slightly higher than for Kent as a whole in 2007/08, with around 90 crimes per 1,000 population. Crime fell slightly between 2006/07 and 2007/08, although by a lesser amount than for the county as a whole. However, surveys for the Borough Council indicate that crime is one of the top two factors cited by residents in determining whether or not somewhere is a good place to live, and is a critical factor in overall quality of life.

Community Views  3 in 10 people (30%) believe that public services are working to promote the interests of Swale residents and about 1 in 3 people (35%) believe that public services act on the concerns of local residents.  Almost a half of local residents (49%) believe that public services treat all types of people fairly  4 in 5 people (79%) have been treated with respect and consideration by their local public services in the last year and just under 3 in 5 people believe that there is not much of problem with people not treating each other with trust and respect in their local area.  Just over half of local people (52%) believe that public services are working to make the Swale area safer.  4 in 9 people (44%) feel safe when outside in their local area after dark, and 4 in 5 people (83%) feel safe outside in their local area during the day.  3 in 5 people (61%) are satisf ed with their local f re and rescue service and almost half (48%) are satisf ed with their local police service.  4 in 9 people (44%) believe that the level of crime is the most important thing in making somewhere a good place to live.

Ambitions for Inclusion and Safety Strategic Objective To build communities in which people are proud to live and where they feel safe and conf dent

Ambitions for Inclusion and Safety priorities to 2026 are: SI1 Developing targeted responses to the needs of individual communities to combat localised concentrations of deprivation, and/ or to work with neighbourhoods to support processes of change and regeneration SI2 Encouraging community engagement and participation in community and civic life SI3 Promoting community safety through the Swale Community Safety Partnership, to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and drug and alcohol misuse and to support young people

Stronger Communities Priority Actions SSC1 Improve our approach to community engagement to better understand the needs of our local community SSC2 Improve our Corporate Communications SSC3 Invest in and support the 3rd Sector to build stronger communities SSC4 Work with partners to build more cohesive communities celebrating diversity and tackling inequalities 34 Community Safety Priority Actions SSC5 Work with partners to tackle crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour, substance misuse and to reduce reoffending

Regulatory Services Priority Actions SSC6 Deliver regulatory services to help improve the safety of the workforce and the residents of Swale

35 Priority 4: Becoming a High Performing Organisation

The Leader of the Council and the Executive Member for Performance and Finance have emphasised the importance of the Council adopting a positive approach to improvement and becoming a performance led organisation.

Use of Resources The Use of Resources judgement for Swale Borough Council for 2008 gave the Council an overall score of 2 despite scoring a 3 on f nancial reporting and internal control.

Element Score Financial Reporting 3 Financial Mangement 2 Financial Standing 2 Internal Control 3 Value for Money 2

Annual Audit & Inspection Letter The Annual Audit and Inspection letter 2008 noted that over the previous 3 years performance had improved more slowly at Swale than at other councils although the rate of improvement increased in the last year. Overall the council was considered to have a positive direction of travel.

The report highlights that the council has made signif cant progress during the year in many of its key priority areas, although signif cant challenges remain. Demonstrable improvements in housing benef t processing and recycling performance were highlighted in the report. Performance in planning was considered to be variable with the Council struggling to meet the Government’s targets for major planning applications.

The report highlighted signif cant capacity problems faced by the Council, in particular being without a Chief Executive at a time when strong leadership was required to address the performance challenges outlined. The report showed that the Council is taking positive steps to address its capacity and performance problems

The Council is required to put in place proper arrangements for securing the economy, eff ciency and effectiveness in the use of its resources and is committed to continual improvement in order to deliver improving value for money services to its communities. The Audit Commission identif ed that the Councils arrangements for preparing its medium term f nancial strategy and linking this to corporate objectives have improved. The Council remains committed to continual improvement in order to deliver improving value for money services to its communities.

Investors In People Following a successful Investors In People (IIP) assessment in July 2005, Swale Borough Council was reassessed against the IIP Standard in January 2008.The review found a great deal of good practice within Swale Borough Council and commended the workforce for the way in which it had maintained a positive and professional approach during a period of uncertainty. It highlighted weaknesses in our approach and therefore the Council did not meet all the requirements of the Investors in People Standard. The main areas for concern were the process for identifying learning and development needs and linking them to corporate plan priorities, the need for more effective communication of performance across the Council, understanding of capabilities and 36 the need to role out our competency framework, and the need to strengthen induction and initial job training. The Council’s action plan showing how we plan to meet the remaining areas of the IIP standard will be approved by a Managing Assessor and Recognition Panel. The Council has two years to be reassessed against the standard. During this time Swale Borough Council will continue to hold the IIP status.

Competency Framework Over the last 12 months we have been working to develop a new competency framework for our staff. These competencies will help to make the most of our staff’s technical/ professional skills for the benef t of our customers.

Corporate Commitment to Equalities The Council is committed to ensuring that it tackles social exclusion and diversity issues across all the services the Council provides, both internally and externally. Swale Borough Council recognises that individuals and communities may experience unlawful discrimination on the grounds of their race or ethnicity, disability, gender (including transgender and transsexual people), relationship or marital status, sexual orientation (because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual), age, HIV or other health status, language, background, physical or mental impairment, faith or religious belief or physical appearance.

We believe that equality for all is a basic human right and actively oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. We recognise and value the diversity of society and are striving to promote and ref ect that diversity within this Council. We will be working with the Equalities Framework for Local Government to ensure this takes place.

Community Views  Just over a quarter of local residents (26%) are satisf ed with the way the Borough council runs things this is the same as for the County council (26%).  Just over a third of local residents (36%) feel that the Borough council provides value for money this is the same for the County council (36%).

Performance Priority Actions HP1 Ensure we manage our business, people and resources in the most eff cient, effective and economic way HP2 Improve our approach to customer care and work with our communities to make our services more responsive to local needs HP3 Improve local involvement in decision making and the democratic process

37 Competencey Framework

AMBITION This is about being aspirational, optimistic and determined to improve S wale’s future. It involves:

• Understanding the big picture and bringing in ideas from outside • T hinking ahead and challenging the status quo • Communicating success and pride in the area

LEADERSHIP PERFORMANCE AT ALL LEVELS CUSTOMER CARE This is about focusing on the right This is about creating a climate in which every This is about knowing our customers outcomes for Swale and making them one of us takes personal responsibility for doing and placing them at the heart of happen. It involves: a great job for Swale, and where staff are inspired, everything that we do. It involves: empowered and supported. It involves:

• Focusing on what really matters and • Understanding the needs of • delivering priorities Understanding the vision for S wale and our customers and communities • Comparing performance and personal contribution to that • Making it a pos itive experience for • communicating achievements W anting to get involved and being prepared to them to do bus ines s with us • Being creative in order to continuously take personal responsibility • Treating customers as we would wish • improve service delivery and efficiency Demonstrating a positive, confident and flexible to be treated attitude • Behaving with integrity and being open and honest in our dealings with people

TEAM WORK This is about working together to deliver the best outcomes for our community. It involves:

• Understanding and respecting others’ contributions and working collaboratively • C ontributing to a pos itive team s pirit acros s the council • C ommunicating with commitment, sharing information, knowledge and learning How We Manage and Measure Our Performance

The Corporate Plan provides a framework for the Council until 2013 which will enable us to ensure a greater sense of continuity, and consistency to Council priorities and provide a basis for medium term f nancial planning. Whilst the plan sets out our priorities for the medium-term, it will be subject to an annual review providing an opportunity to consider what we are doing and how effectively we are doing it. This review process will, in turn, inform the annual budget setting process which will then allow adjustments to be made to the Corporate Plan and service plans as appropriate. In addition the Council will also put in place mechanisms to ensure that our priorities continue to ref ect the views of local people and business.

Our four inter-related corporate priorities set out what we do and cover the entire Borough of Swale, which includes the urban areas of Faversham, Sheppey and Sittingbourne and a signif cant rural area. Under each corporate priority we have identif ed a series of Priority Actions where we will be focusing our activities to help us deliver these corporate priorities these will be developed in more detail through service plans for each service area. Service plans and individual performance plans will align with and relate directly to the priorities, making clear our role and the activity upon which we will focus our attention and resources.

Both our people and f nances are f nite and are continually being reviewed in light of our priorities to ensure we have the right resources in place. Diff cult choices about what services we deliver and how we deliver them will be informed by the Corporate Plan.

We will continue to review our effectiveness by improving our approach to performance management. The Council has invested in the Covalent performance management system which allows us to produce comprehensive quarterly performance reports and to ensure that all service area and staff have clear objectives and targets and accountability for performance.

We need to know whether we are achieving our priority objectives to help meet community need, to identify scope for improving the services we deliver and the way in which we do it. Through performance management we will:  improve our approach to service planning  ensure that service, f nancial and individual project plans are integrated to enable community and corporate priorities to be delivered,  develop a culture of continuous improvement and best practice, by setting challenging targets, developing a programme of service and performance reviews, and initiating corrective action where standards are not being maintained,  measure and monitor success in achieving our goals,  ensure accountability through transparent reporting systems and a robust scrutiny function, and  ensure that health and safety is a principal consideration to all plans and services both to Council staff, its partners and associates and to the overall community.

A range of processes and documents conf rm our performance on delivery of the Corporate Plan priorities. These provide information on performance from the previous year and ongoing results for the current year.

The Council is committed to good performance management; we aim to demonstrate a performance management ethos which is consistent, rigorous and open, with appropriate

39 information that allows action to be taken to drive continuous improvement. To support this we recognise that importance of good data quality. The Data Quality Standard therefore sets out the core principles, which will be followed to ensure data has been captured in order for the Council to conduct its business eff ciently and effectively. This applies in all areas of activity including the service delivery, performance management, corporate governance, internal and external accountability and communication. Data quality is a crucial pre-requisite to information that is accurate, valid, reliable, timely, relevant, and complete.

How We Will Maximise Our Resources One of the key requirements for this Council is being clear about how we will maximise the use of our resources. Our strategic focus is on driving eff ciency through improvement in overheads, processes and productivity, contracts, partnerships and economies of scale, and earned revenue. There are no easy decisions; there are only less diff cult ones and the Council will continue to prioritise its budget setting against a matrix, which ref ects the Corporate Plan priorities. Any savings, base budget bids and special items are priority ranked using consistent application of the priority matrix and demonstrate the process and show how resources have been realigned. We aim to be more consistent in our approach through improved performance management.

In terms of eff ciency, the government anticipates a step change in performance and that such improvements can be achieved through the following actions: (1) effective smart procurement and use of competition (2) e-enabled council services / better use of technology (3) Business process re-engineering (4) Collaboration through shared services (5) Delivering gains from more complex projects and service transformation (6) Smarter asset management (7) Reduced transaction costs

Swale is exploring what actions it can take in all these areas. For instance it currently has a number of partnership working options being reviewed as well as piloting a lower cost postage service, paperless direct debits and the ongoing server virtualisation project.

40 Strategy Framework

41 Medium Term Financial Strategy

Corporate Policy and Planning Framework Swale Borough Council’s mission is “to deliver, directly and in partnership with others, a variety of services to meet and champion the needs of the local community”. The Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) provides the f nancial structure to achieve this aim by realigning resources to policies year on year.

Objectives of MTFS The Council has Treasury Management and Capital Strategies which are published separately. The key objectives of the strategy for Revenue, which will also be used as the basis of future budgeting, are:  to align the Council’s available resources to its priorities;  to maintain a sustainable revenue budget. This means meeting regularly occurring expenditure from regularly occurring resources (e.g. government grant, council tax revenue, etc) but meeting unusual, exceptional or one off expenditure from reserves and balances;  that the presumption will be for no growth in the underlying recurring expenditure. This means that expenditure on expanding or improving services should be accommodated by omissions and reductions from elsewhere within the Council’s budget taken as a whole;  to continue to make efforts to identify eff ciency savings with the emphasis being on realising “cashable” savings, that is savings which can be redirected towards priority services;  to review annually relevant fees and charges comprehensively as a means of generating additional funding for re-investment in priority services;  to ensure a minimum of £1.5 million of General Fund balances to safeguard against unforeseen future events;  to ensure the Council is in a position to set future council tax rises that are reasonable and meet the expectations of the public in relation to the level of services provided;  to actively engage stakeholders in the f nancial choices facing the Council;  to ensure value for money is achieved in the delivery of all services;  to ensure that council tax rises for this Council are limited to less than 2.5% per annum (subject to the prevailing circumstances at those points in time) to enable the Council to maximise the income available to f nance the provision of services without concern over whether it would breach the Government’s current capping criteria.

Delivering good value for money is a key priority for this Council. The Executive approved a report on 9 July 2008 that set out the Council’s approach to service improvement and value for money. This is currently being updated and extended to underpin the MTFS and address the new diff cult f nancial climate faced by councils in the years ahead.

One method of addressing Value for Money is through closer working with other councils. With the agreement of the respective Councils, lead directors from Ashford, Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s have worked to put together a framework for a new improvement partnership known as the Mid Kent Improvement Partnership. Other partnership initiatives include involvement with Medway, Gravesham and Dartford councils.

Whilst the need to continuously seek out eff ciency savings has always been a priority for the Council, this has been given the added impetus of having to meet the increased Government cashable eff ciency targets as it seeks to reduce the level of public sector debt.

42 How We Will Fund Our Activities

The budget proposals for 2010-11 have been developed within the framework of the Council’s f nancial strategy agreed by Executive and full Council. The main features are:

 The General Fund Balance be maintained at an optimum level of £1.5 million and be reviewed annually through a formal risk assessment process.  The net revenue budget proposed for 2009-10 is £19,767,060 with a Borough Council Tax increase of 2.48% from £156.06 to £159.93 for 2010-11 for Band D properties.  Through the Budget Task Force, a framework will be established to ensure £1.6m of savings will be delivered in 2010/11, and at least £2.0m be delivered from 2011/12.  A reduction of 15% in central government support grant settlement in 2011-12 has been assumed.  A capital programme of £4.893 million for 2010-11 of which £3.8m is funded from partnerships has been agreed incorporating:   £1.7m Disabled Facilities Grants   £1.25m Milton Creek Landscaping   £1.1m regional housing board grant schemes   £150,000 Sheerness Gateway  Budget risks have been identif ed and reserves maintained in accordance with the f nancial strategy .

43 Revenue Expenditure and Income for 2010-11

The following charts summarise the main areas of service expenditure and sources of income for the Council to fund the services.

The largest single item is Benef t Grants from the government which provide 63% of the total budget. Other grants from the government contribute a further 18%, compared to Council Tax which accounts for 9% of the budget. A further 8% of the Council’s income comes from the services it provides through rents and fees and charges whilst and other income provides 10% of the budget.

WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM RENTS, FEES A ND CHA RGES 8%

OTHER INCOME 1%

INTEREST 1% RENTS, FEES A ND CHA RGES GOVERNMENT GRANTS OTHER INCOME 18% INTEREST GOVERNMENT GRANTS GOV ERNMENT BENEFIT GRA NTS COUNCIL TA X COUNCIL TA X 63% 9% GOVERNMENT BENEFIT GRANTS

The main services readily identif ed by the public that are our responsibility are refuse collection, leisure centres and planning. We spend around 68% of our budget on these. The proportion spent on other services includes the democratic process, concessionary bus passes, and the collection of council tax.

CORPORATE & Services Provided DEMOCRATIC SERVICES

LOCAL TAX COLLECTION, ELECTIONS, LAND CHARGES etc

68% CULTURAL,ENVIRONMENTAL & PLANNING SERVICES

HIGHWAYS,ROADS & TRANSPORTATION SERVICES 1% HOUSING SERVICES 8% 9% 13% 1%

OTHER SERVICES

44 The Medium Term Financial Strategy fo the f ve years to 2014-15, including the capital programme, take a prudent approach having regard to the assessment of risks to help achieve our ambitions and ensure the sustainability of services to the community in line with corporate priorities Revenue Budget Projections

In addition to the budget for 2010-11 a budget projection for a further three years is also prepared. The budget projections form an essential part of the Council’s medium term f nancial planning process that ensures funds are available to enable the delivery of services in accordance with the Policy and Budget Framework.

The summarised projections are shown in the following table: MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL STRATEGY 15% REDUCTION IN GOVERNMENT GRANT 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 No. Original £000s £000s £000s £000s £000s £000s ABCDEF 1 Council Tax Income (7,303) (7,561) (7,826) (8,103) (8,390) (8,687) 2 Revenue Support Grant (2,251) (1,538) (1,307) (1,307) (1,307) (1,307) 3 National Non Domestic Rate (9,751) (10,596) (9,007) (9,007) (9,007) (9,007) 4 Collection fund (surplus)/ def cit (48) (72) 0 0 0 0 5 External Funding (3,799) (3,799) (3,799) (3,424) (3,424) (3,424) 6 Fees and Charges (6,064) (6,064) (6,125) (6,186) (6,248) (6,310) 7 Funds Available (29,216) (29,630) (28,064) (28,027) (28,376) (28,735)

8 Base Budget Requirement 28,485 28,294 28,294 28,294 28,294 28,294 9 Increases already committed 0 541 709 668 814 969 10 Pay and related matters 543 1,069 1,461 1,861 2,270 2,589 11 Proposed savings programme 0 (1,590) (2,000) (2,000) (2,000) (2,000) 12 Cost of additional investment in 0 227 678 688 678 669 future years that can be afforded 13 Revenue One off items 0 530 183 0 0 0 14 Capital Items funded from 0 742 0 0 0 0 revenue 15 Less funding of capital items 0 0 0 0 0 0 from General Reserve 16 Replenishment of Partnership, 900 0 0 0 0 Performance and Invest to Save Reserves 17 Less funding of reserves from (900) 0 0 0 0 General Reserve 18 Additional Savings required to (1,100) (1,400) (1,600) (1,800) maintain £1.5 m General Fund balance 19 Budget Requirement 29,028 29,813 28,225 28,111 28,456 28,721 20 Net (surplus)/ def cit (188) 183 161 84 80 (14)

45 MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL STRATEGY 15% REDUCTION IN GOVERNMENT GRANT 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 No. Original £000s £000s £000s £000s £000s £000s ABCDEF 21 Cumulative effect of (surpluses)/ (188) (5) 156 240 320 306 def cits 22 General Fund Balance (surplus)/ (2,009) (1,826) (1,665) (1,581) (1,501) (1,515) def cit as at 31 March 23 General Reserve Balance (3,001) (2,041) (2,066) (2,066) (2,066) (2,066) (surplus)/ def cit as at 31 March

Capital Programme

In addition to the revenue budget the Executive is proposing that the Council make a signif cant investment in the future, in the form of the capital programme which represents expenditure on assets which have a long term value.

Other 7% Private Sector Leisure and Sports Renewal Housing Centres 3% 22%

Meads Community Disabled Facilities Centre 5% Grants 34%

Parks and Open Sheerness Spaces 26% Gateway 3%

Financial Strategy Summary The budget provides funding for the continuation of existing services and the further development of new services in support of the Council Plan. Any revenue or capital expenditure needs to demonstrate their link to corporate priorities and service planning improvement. This will be delivered with an increase in Council Tax of 4.9% for 2009-10 and the following 4 years.

This approach assures a sustainable budgetary framework for delivery of Council priorities in accordance with good practice.

Full details of the budget are available in a separate Budget Report available at www.swale.gov.uk or from the contacts listed on the following page.

46 Customer ServiceCentre 01795-417850 Kent, ME103HT Sittingbourne Swale House,EastStreet Swale BoroughCouncil accommodate yourrequestpleasecontactthe Councilat: print, audio,different language)wewilldoourbestto like furtherhardcopiesoralternativeversions (i.e.large on theCouncilwebsitewww.swale.gov.uk Ifyouwould Copies ofthisSwaleBoroughCouncilplanareavailable contacting us. facross theCouncil;itshouldbeyour rst stopwhen The CustomerServiceCentredealswithallenquiries [email protected] .uk below [email protected] contact: For anyfurtherinformationontheseproposalsortheworkofCouncilplease Contact Details [email protected] Strategy andCommunications,bytelephoneon01795-417533oremail For furtherdetailsofhowtogetinvolvedpleasecontacttheHeadCorporate          involvement inallitsworkandtherearevariouswaysyoucanparticipate: The Councilencouragesandwelcomescommunitypartnerorganisation How toGetInvolved rcnatayo h bv nwiigo i eehn sn h eal Orcontact anyoftheaboveinwritingorviatelephoneusingdetails The HeadofCorporateStrategyandCommunications,viaemailto The ChiefExecutive,[email protected] TheLeader oftheCouncil,[email protected] Implementingjointprojects Taking partinconsultationactivities AttendanceatCommitteesandExecutivemeetings InvolvementintheOverviewandScrutinyprocess Working withWard Members

© Swale Borough Council May 2010 - GD0085