Efficient, inclusive and sustainable public services.
We want Cumberland to be a high performing council. We want our residents to benefit from excellent, efficient, and enterprising public services. In the first 2 years of the council we have focused on integrating four councils into one, ensuring that our services continue to be delivered effectively for all of our communities and partners, and on beginning our transformation of services. This has given us strong foundations for the next phase of work to help us move towards our goal of achieving long-term financial sustainability, and delivering high-performing services. We are implementing our operating model, shifting to prevention and early intervention and utilising new technologies and approaches to help us.
Our areas of focus for the next 2 years will be on:
- keeping residents and staff informed and engaged
- the harmonisation of services across Cumberland
- continuing to develop the Cumberland culture within the council
- people can access services easily
- our staff have the right skills and we help build the workforce of the future using apprentices
| Activity | Milestone | Lead Director | Portfolio Holder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deliver years 2 and 3 of the agreed Transformation Programme to implement the council's operating model and lead to improved financial stability and high performing services. | By 31 March 2027 | Corporate and Transformation Services | Children's Services, Family Wellbeing and Housing |
| Develop and begin delivery of a People Strategy for the council. | By 31 March 2026 | Corporate and Transformation Services | Leader |
| Deliver the Libraries for the Future project: Delivering accessible, welcoming library and council services that support residents' wellbeing and economic growth. | 31 March 2027 | Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing | Public Health and Communities |
| Implement a 'place based approach' Community Hub model, which facilitates community engagement, alongside access to information and integrated accessible services. | 30 June 2027 | Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing | Public Health and Communities |
| Deliver apprenticeship, internship, T-level, graduate and work experience programmes across the council. | By 30 April 2027 | Corporate and Transformation Service | Lifelong Learning and Development |
| Develop and deliver the council's new ICT Strategy, as part of the Transformation Programme, to support a council-wide approach to technology enabled approach. | By 31 March 2027 | Innovation and Commercial | Digital Connectivity and Security |
| Develop the council's Medium-Term Financial Strategy to ensure a medium term sustainable financial position. | By 31 March 2026 | Corporate and Transformation Services | Financial Planning and Assets |
| Undertake assessment against CIPFA Financial Management Code to ensure good financial governance. | By 31 December 2025 | Corporate and Transformation Services | Financial Planning and Assets |
| Continue successful delivery of the programme to disaggregate identified legacy countywide services. | By 31 March 2027 | Corporate and Transformation Services | Financial Planning and Assets |
| Build a strong and stable children's workforce | By 30 April 2026 | Children and Family Wellbeing | Children's Services, Family Wellbeing and Housing |
| Carry out our first Residents Survey to understand perceptions and opinions of Cumberland residents. | By 31 December 2025 | Corporate and Transformation Services | Leader |
| Deliver the council's Community Power ambitions, incorporating approaches to co-production | By 31 March 2027 | Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing | Public Health and Communities |
| Deliver network activity across all 8 community panels throughout the year and develop more robust evaluation and reporting mechanisms. | By 31 March 2026 | Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing | Public Health and Communities |
| Through effective community development and member activity, achieve the full allocation and dispersal of the Neighbourhood Investment Fund across all 8 community panels. | By 30 April 2026 | Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing | Public Health and Communities |
Key performance indicators
| Key performance indicator | Target |
|---|---|
| Maximise Council Tax collected as percentage of billed. | 96.34% |
| Maximise National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) collected as percentage of billed. | 97.36% |
| Increase the proportion of complaints responded to within timeframe. | Target to be finalised for quarter 1 reporting |
| Reduce the number of days lost to sickness absence. | By 2 days |
| Increase the percentage of FoI and EIR responded to within 20 working days. | 90% |
| Increase the percentage of public health service requests (pests, noise, smells, food, housing conditions) responded to within target response times. | 90% |
Outcome measures for delivering excellent public services theme
- increase satisfaction with the way the council runs things (Residents Survey)
- Increase satisfaction with the way the Council keeps residents informed about the services and benefits it provides (Residents Survey)