Corporate plan, vision and values

Corporate plan 2008/09

Corporate Plan cover

The council’s Corporate Plan for 2008/09 was agreed by Cabinet on 6 February 2008, and approved by Council on 25 February 2008.

The plan sets out the council’s overall vision for the borough of Walsall – which we share with our partners on the Walsall Partnership. Our vision is that set out in the Walsall Borouogh Strategic Partnership’s new Sustainable Community Strategy, that:

“Walsall will be a great place to live, work and invest, where………

people get on well with each other
growing up is as good as it can be and young people fulfil their potential
people are our strength and have the skills and attitude required by employers
people consider the impact of what we do now on future generations
people feel proud to live, having high quality distinctive design of buildings and spaces
there is a wide range of facilities for people to use and enjoy
everyone has the chance to live in a home fit for their purpose and for the future
people can get around easily and safely
there are more and better jobs for local people
people support and look after each other
people can live an independent and healthy life”

The Corporate Plan also sets out our ten priorities that have been developed so that the council focuses its efforts, resources and activities on this vision.

Seven of these priorities are focused on the community and on the needs and aspirations of local people: to ensure that citizens are:

The remaining three priorities are focused on the council itself, to ensure that we can deliver our promises to the community and our commitment to the Walsall Partnership. These are:

For each of our ten priorities, the council has made specific pledges, to be carried out in the year ahead. These are

To ensure that citizens are healthy our pledge is that:

We will adapt the homes of 200 people with a disability so they can live independently
We will increase the number of people carrying out regular physical activity

To ensure that citizens are safe and secure our pledge is that:

We will improve support to families so that the number of looked after children is reduced to the median of similar councils
We will take firm action against nuisance drinking in public places
We will ensure more parks staff are present and visible in public places
We will increase our actions to tackle graffiti, anti-social behaviour and fly tipping

To ensure that citizens are aspiring and achieving our pledge is that:

We will reduce the gap between Walsall and other similar councils to less than five percentage points for pupils achieving 5 A*-C GCSEs (including English & Maths)
We will increase the attainment of Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils at Key Stage 4: an increase of 12% for 5 A*-C for Pakistani pupils rising to 35%, and an increase of 10% for 5 A*-C for Bangladeshi pupils rising to 38%

To ensure that citizens are enjoying a high quality of life – clean, green, and mobile our pledge is that:

We will improve services to children with a disability by increasing the number of respite foster care breaks by 10%
We will spend £2.5 million on regeneration and improvement projects focussed on Walsall town centre, district and neighbourhood centres and strategic corridors
We will maintain weekly waste collections for all households and begin kerbside collection of plastic and cardboard
We will complete the town centre transport package to ease congestion and improve the environment in Walsall town centre.

To ensure that citizens are active - contributing to their communities our pledge is that:

We will actively promote opportunities for volunteering in Walsall; including opportunities within the council
We will support at least 60 community and voluntary groups through our community cash scheme

To ensure that citizens are financially & materially secure - achieving economic well-being our pledge is that:

We will reduce the impact of child poverty by increasing the take-up of free school meals
We will implement ‘Think Walsall’ by December 2008 to generate more training and employment opportunities for Walsall people
We will reduce the average time it takes to process benefit claims to 28 days

To ensure that citizens are free from discrimination or harassment our pledge is that:

We will hold a community event in each Local Neighbourhood Partnership area to celebrate their cultural diversity

To make effective use of resources our pledge is that:

We will increase the in-year collection of council tax to 97.3%
We will promote reduction of energy consumption across the borough and reduce energy use in council buildings through investment in improved energy management and better housekeeping

To deliver quality services and meet customer expectations our pledge is that:

We will increase by 25% the number of letters sent out to citizens informing them of planning applications for neighbouring properties, and introduce a new tailored service of building inspections for domestic extensions
We will extend the range of services available through our contact centre
We will increase the number of places in Walsall where civil ceremonies can take place

To take forward the transformation agenda our pledge is that:

We will deliver improvements to Bloxwich, Pleck, Streetly, South Walsall, Pheasey, Beechdale and Darlaston libraries
We will deliver £2 million savings through a sharpened approach to procurement

The Corporate Plan also reaffirms our commitment to the council’s five core values of respect, integrity, equality, listening and excellence.

Contact us

Corporate Focus and Intelligence
Walsall Council
Civic Centre
Darwall Street
Walsall
WS1 1TP

Telephone 01922 652077
Fax 01922 614210

Email vision@walsall.gov.uk

This page was last updated on 02 July 2008