ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS COUNCIL ACHIEVEMENTS DURING 2018/19

KEY statistics showing the results achieved by Cambridge City Council over the last 12 months have been set out in its annual report. The report looks at the council’s performance for 2018/19, and compares it against what it said it would do to deliver its plan for the year.

Among the achievements highlighted in the annual report are:

• 127 new council homes were built in Cambridge last year through a combination of the council’s own house-building programme and delivery by other housing providers;
• 261 households were prevented from becoming homeless. The council’s Single Homeless Service also rehoused 112 people, removing the risk of them sleeping rough;
• The annual count of city centre rough sleepers in November 2018 saw the number rise by one to 27, although the total number of people counted across the year reduced from 175 to 158;
• £572,000 was spent on 22 anti-poverty projects to help residents living on low incomes. These included providing 2,700 free community lunches for families during school holidays and giving energy saving advice to 228 low income households;
• 101 refugees from Syria and other countries have now been resettled in Cambridge as part of the Home Office’s official scheme;
• There were 786,000 visits to our swimming pools and leisure facilities during the year, down slightly on last year;
• 100% of the electricity used in council buildings continues to come from renewable sources;
• 140,000 people from priority groups attended our community centres, an increase from last year;
• Air quality improved at our monitoring stations and for the first time since recording began none recorded NO2 in breach of target levels. Air quality is still a priority for the council through the Air Quality Action Plan;
• Council Tax collection rates reached 98% in the year, our highest collection rate, whilst our housing rent collection rate fell slightly to 97.7%;
• Use of multi-storey car parks fell slightly in the year, linked to the council’s encouragement of alternatives modes of transport into the city.

The council’s Corporate Plan sets out the key objectives the council is seeking to achieve over a three year period, and the performance indicators used to measure progress on its priorities.

Cllr Lewis Herbert, Leader of the Council, said: “Our annual performance report continues to show how that the hard work of our dedicated staff is delivering quality services across the council.

“Despite constrained resources, this is making a real difference to our city environment and to the lives of residents, particularly those living on low incomes in Cambridge who need our help the most. It also allows us to identify areas that have not gone so well and helps us understand how we can improve.”

“This report marks the conclusion of our first three year Corporate Plan (2016 to 2019). Next year we will be reporting against the new three year plan, which we adopted in February, and which will allow us to respond to the changing needs of our growing city – to ensure Cambridge remains a great place to live, work or visit.”