Re-imagining Lewes District Corporate Plan 2020 A 2024
PHOTO Martin Sinnock Introduction
Sustainability Delivering homes Building & climate change community wealth GETTING OUR SERVICES RIGHT FOR YOU
Welcome to our four year plan. This first break down will be felt most by the Doing what we can locally with what we Co-operative Alliance plan, whilst not vulnerable in our district. have is essential. As your council leaders, covering all our work, should give you a Residents often talk to us about the poor we set out here what you can expect of us strong sense of our priorities and focus. state of our transport networks, the and how you can help us deliver the best quality services. Our district is a diverse, beautiful and importance of truly affordable sustainable housing and the fragility of our infrastructure. challenging place to live and work. We have Our focus for the next four years in strong Sussex traditions with a history of We have already had ten years of budget partnership with you is: standing up for each other and for what cuts. Given that the national financial • Providing leadership to the district on matters: from the community that bonfire situation for local government is unlikely to tackling climate emergency societies create, to the diverse and exciting change, our top priority is working with you, voluntary sector, or the Sussex sense of and our partners, to deliver services right • Creating sustainable community wealth “we won’t be druv”. We are also a district first time. By using our council resources • Building homes that you can afford to live in. of extremes of wealth and inequality. Over wisely, we will support employment the last ten years the differences in our opportunities. We will also build sustainable This high level plan sets out our goals and communities have increased not lessened, homes that people can afford to live in and much as they have nationally. ambitions for the coming four years. It will be which provide a foundation both for good developed into detailed work programmes, We are already experiencing the impacts of health and addressing the climate emergency. which will help us be transparent in climate change through flooding and coastal Building our resilience as a community over achieving these goals. erosion. We know we have to take action to the next 4 years is vital if we want to weather achieve net zero carbon by 2030. Zoe Nicholson, James MacCleary, the storm of potentially deepening inequality, Chris Collier, Ruth O’Keeffe Communities, businesses and partners must climate breakdown and the uncertainties achieve this too, if not, the impact of climate caused by leaving the EU. Cabinet Group Leaders of the Co-operative Alliance working together for you. Page 1 Lewes District Council Corporate Plan 2020-24 Your services: getting it right first time
Delivering what matters to you
We know how important our services • Ensuring an effective and transparent are to you, and getting them right planning service, holding developers 4 year goals matters. Our areas of focus are: accountable for providing affordable housing. • Providing the highest quality customer • Improved quality of customer service by focusing on resolving questions • Working with partners, including Sussex contact, outcomes and satisfaction and problems first time. Police and local businesses, to tackle • Reduction in waste, increased anti-social behaviour. reuse and recycling to top quartile • Meeting “Our Promise To You” by solving • Improving our public spaces – from performance your issues and questions by being play spaces to green spaces to our • A supported community where we knowledgeable and accessible by phone public toilets . listen and respond and online. • Fairer council tax for those on • Continuing to reduce our waste as well as lowest incomes providing excellent recycling and refuse services, improving our recycling rates to the top 25% in the UK. • Getting our communication and engagement right through regular information sharing and consultation. • Improving links and partnerships with Town & Parish councils and the South Downs National Park Authority. • Making our tax fairer and supporting those on the lowest incomes.
Page 2 Lewes District Council Corporate Plan 2020-24 Sustainability and Climate Change
A net zero carbon and climate resilient council and district by 2030
We will lead our community to net zero • Have the greenest Local Plan and putting carbon. Tackling climate change is central sustainability at the heart of our local to all our activities. We will produce and planning processes. implement a targeted and costed Sustainability and Climate Plan with the • Improve air quality, developing an air ambition of becoming a net zero carbon quality strategy, a local transport strategy and climate-resilient council by 2030. and increasing opportunities for public transport and electric vehicle charging Our key areas of focus will be to: infrastructure. • Better understand and measure council • Increase biodiversity, wildflower and carbon emissions as well as reducing our pollinator opportunities through cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. pesticide use on council land and have an ambitious programme of tree planting and • Use our influence to lead our district to rewilding. net carbon zero by 2030. • Influence and creating the conditions • Engage the community energy sector and for a reduction in emissions from others in shifting to low or zero carbon agriculture and food production. electricity generation and a net zero carbon district by implementing the Greater • Reduce waste and emissions that 4 year goals Brighton Energy Plan and other plans. arise from dealing with waste. • On a clear path to being a net zero • Improve the energy efficiency of homes • Prioritise efforts to address flooding carbon council and district by 2030 including supporting low-carbon heating and coastal erosion as well as water technologies in our own council houses. availability due to the impact of • Helping our tenants with their climate change. energy bills by decarbonising our • Encourage more cycling and walking in council housing stock the district by working with community • Build and encourage affordable, cycling groups, East Sussex County energy efficient, climate resilient and • Well managed and protected local Council and others to improve infrastructure adaptable locally sourced and environment including waterways and reduce barriers to cycling. provided housing. and coastal areas • Cleaner air across the district Page 3 Lewes District Council Corporate Plan 2020-24 Building Community Wealth
A sustainable economy that enables a fairer place to live and work
We need a people-centred approach to • our existing businesses to create new local economic development, which redirects employment opportunities for local people wealth back into the local economy, and through supporting innovation and 4 year goals places control and benefits into the hands of technological advances, including in clean • More of the district’s money people . We will work with key local institutions, technology and in the creative sector. staying within the district, directly our county council, local businesses, police Introduce new initiatives to maximise local benefitting residents and local and NHS partners to provide more local benefits from development. companies. employment. We will change the way we • Use our power as a public sector body to outsource services, supporting more local • A supported vibrant local voluntary buy and procure locally, and create local businesses to deliver council services, and sector with empowered community supply chains and ecosystems of we will bring services in-house or establish groups. enterprises, focussing on decarbonising social enterprises where additional social our housing stock, through use of circular • Developing job opportunities in value can be demonstrated. economy principles. renewable and clean green technologies. We will: • Develop local skills, supply chains and • Prioritise investment into local economies, employment through partnership working • Reduce employment inequality so including the rural economy, across our with East Sussex College group, public that no wards are in the lowest 20 district as well as working with partners sector organisations, social enterprises, wards in East Sussex. such as the Greater Brighton Economic cooperative businesses, as well as other Board and the South East Local Enterprise forms of business, particularly focussing Partnership in the Newhaven Enterprise on clean, green technologies. Zone. Encourage local use of our financial • Encourage stewardship of our public land resources, as much as possible. and assets, through working with our • Increase local employment opportunities public sector partners, to help create by directly promoting recruitment from good local economies. lower income areas, committing ourselves • Work with partners to develop market and our partners to paying the real living leading network services across the district, wage where possible. delivering high speed fibre connections to • Support business start-ups through our local business, and improving broadband LEAP programme, as well as supporting connectivity to our rural communities. Delivering Homes
Build warmer, better homes that people can afford to live in
The home in which we live has a huge We will: influence on the quality of all our lives • Support the provision of social, affordable, and health. Access to safe, secure and 4 year goals sustainable, energy and resource efficient, affordable housing really is fundamental climate resilient housing, delivering for our to supporting wellbeing and creating • 200 new additional council houses. tenants and residents more effectively. sustainable communities where people • And an additional 300 new can live and work. • Build more rented council homes in the affordable homes using national district, including in our villages, and definitions, moving towards truly Our vision is to deliver and maintain provide homes which support affordable. affordable, high quality homes in partnership independent living. with TOLD (Tenants of Lewes District), • More sustainable and energy • Use our planning system to support including council housing. We will promote efficient homes across the district. affordable, housing delivery. access to housing for home owners, • Opening up access to quality residents of social housing and private • Increase housing in the district through housing options for low and renters. By working with partners, including innovation including modular housing and middle income residents community land trusts, to identify housing developing infill sites. needs, deliver new homes and stabilise local • Accessible housing for those with • Reduce the reliance on temporary and housing markets, we will help sustain our physical and additional support emergency accommodation. communities and tackle the inequalities needs faced by many of our residents, including • Support communities in maintaining up to those at risk of homelessness. date Neighbourhood Plans.
Page 5 Lewes District Council Corporate Plan 2020-24 Be open and transparent
Be an open and transparent council that works for you
Throughout our work we will act responsibly 4 Respect and follow principles of and transparently. This means reporting how open data – Review our approach to our services are performing; making our 4 year goals open data including making finance financial information available and ensuring information more accessible. Making sure • Principles of equality, respect and that we embed responsible sustainable we keep your data safe and abide by the fairness are evident in all areas of practices throughout. General Data Protection Regulations the council’s work. (GDPR). We will: • Embed a culture of continuous 5 Respect and follow principles of a 1 Respect and follow principles of improvement, where we constantly responsible employer – Ensure staff revaluate our quality of service. open governance – Explore future wellbeing by following work practices that governance arrangements that enable • Lewes District Council staff are protect the physical and mental health of transparent, proportional and open serving the community’s needs staff. Champion health and safety across decision-making. and are well supported. all service areas, continually looking for 2 Respect and promote principles of new ways to reduce risk. Have a equality – Ensure that this is clear workforce and culture that reflect the throughout all our work. diversity of the local community and 3 Respect our communities – Engage provide diversity training for our meaningfully with residents and foster recruitment and selection practices. closer relations.
Page 6 Lewes District Council Corporate Plan 2020-24 Customer Service Charter
Our promise to you
As a valued customer you can expect us to:
Be fair Be accountable In return, we ask that you: • treat you as an individual • give our name so you know who you are • treat our staff with respect • deliver a professional service dealing with • give us the correct information at the right • be honest about what we can and can’t do • focus on delivering our core time • provide services that do not unfairly responsibilities • tell us when something changes discriminate against or disadvantage • clearly signpost how you can provide • share your views with us on council anyone in the community feedback on our services matters that are important to you • tell us about anything we can do to Be respectful Be efficient overcome barriers to accessing our • listen to you • be knowledgeable, giving accurate services • be courteous, polite and helpful at all times information • maintain your privacy and confidentiality • provide online channels that enable you to • do what we say we will do access our services at your convenience • communicate with you electronically, Be accessible wherever appropriate, but offering other • provide modern, efficient online services methods if needed 24 hours a day, seven days a week • make the best use of council resources to communicate clearly • ensure we are providing value for money • publish clear, concise and up to date information on our website Learn • respond to customer enquiries received • aim to get things right first time and learn through all channels including the phone from experience and social media profiles • take complaints seriously and seek to • offer reasonable adjustments to those resolve any issues at the earliest needing help accessing our information or opportunity services
Page 7 Lewes District Council Corporate Plan 2020-24