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Performance Plan Summary 2007

How did we do?

Every year Oswestry Borough Council looks back over the last twelve months to consider our progress - the projects we delivered and the successes that we achieved.

Oswestry is one of the smallest councils in England, but consistently delivers its full range of services to a high standard.  The Audit Commission - the statutory body who assess the performance of English councils - inspected Oswestry Borough Council in December and stated that,

"Oswestry BC is making good progress from an already sound base."

They also pointed out that of the services measured by government, over half have continued to improve over the past three years.

• A clean, green borough
• A healthy, active borough
• A borough to live in
• A borough to work and play in
• A borough to be young in

A clean, green borough

Oswestry has been named the "tidiest borough in the West Midlands" by the Britain in Bloom judges for 2005/06 (and the third tidiest in England) and has received the coveted ENCAMS trophy in recognition of the dedication and hard work that our staff have put in.

The 'Green and Clean' team for Oswestry received the Britain in Bloom Gold Medal award for the second year running in 2006. This team makes every effort to maintain the floral displays, to remove chewing gum and empty litter bins. This team was also key to keeping the streets 99% litter free, making Oswestry the 3rd best performing authority in England.

Recycling in the borough is also on the up, with Oswestry bring the first borough in Shropshire to exceed a recycling rate of 40% and one of the top ten composters in England.  This doesn't just help the environment, but reduces the cost to council tax payers of putting rubbish into landfill.  

Nine out of ten borough residents now receive an alternative week collection of organic and dry recyclates. Local research shows that just over a third of local households are regularly putting out their recycle bins for collection, so whilst we already have a solid foundation there's plenty of room for improvement.

The Council's waste team is also regularly visiting local schools, promoting the importance of recycling to children.  The last year has seen a waste audit at Weston Rhyn primary school, Trefonen joined our list of local eco-schools and a mini-recycling site was established in the car park at Bryn Offa Primary School, in an area in which we have been trying to site a facility for some years.

It's not just about collection though, this year we have been collaborating with the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to offer cheap home compost bins to local people - so you can save the environment and help your garden. The next step will be to explore other potential solutions such as wormeries.

A healthy, active borough

Last year the borough won an award for putting the highest number of swimmers through the lifesaving programme in the West Midlands - the West Midlands Regional Trophy for Lifesaving and Resuscitation.

Not only but that, but Oswestry leisure centre offers the opportunity to become more physically active to as many groups as possible.  This year the centre has:

• Introduced a regular 'women only' swimming session following a request from Oswestry Asian Women's Group and support from mothers involved in the local Sure Start Programme.
• Worked with PEDAL (Personal Development for Adults with Learning Difficulties) to plan a new service offering supported swimming lessons for adults with learning difficulties.
• Continued to manage the successful Ozzy Roo's children's play scheme during the Easter and summer holidays and catering for kids from four to twelve years old.
• Offered the 50+ Activities Programme offering a range of activities for the over-50's, from squash to keep fit.

A borough to live in

Last year Oswestry Borough Council helped 176 people who approached us for advice when they were threatened with homelessness.

We also worked to prevent people from ever finding themselves in such a predicament.  The new Joint Visiting Service makes it easier for claimants to access all the benefits that they are entitled to.  A single visit from a friendly officer gives a quick and simple check of eligibility against a range of benefits, as one customer said

"I was very happy about how someone came to the house and sorted things out for me"

The improved bus pass scheme is now available to residents aged 60 or over and disabled people, enabling them to travel across Shropshire and beyond by bus for free.  As well as promoting the use of public transport as an alternative to the car, this supports people's freedom and independence especially for the third of the borough who live in villages, hamlets or isolated settlements away from the many services which are sited in the town centre.

Last year 570 planning applications were processed, whilst at the same time, almost 300 provisional planning enquiries were dealt with, ensuring a balance is kept between new development and the boroughs rich built and natural heritage. 

A borough to work and play in

Oswestry Borough Council has successfully carried out a number of funding projects over the past few years.  We have worked with the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund on the Townscape Heritage Initiative to successfully restore some of Oswestry's local landmarks. We have levered investment into the borough through the Market Town Initiative and the Community Tourism Initiative and have worked with Advantage West Midlands, Heritage Lottery Fund, Regional Development Agency and other charitable funding regimes to bring £3.5 million into the borough.

In fact, the difference that the Council and its partners have made in the regeneration of the borough over the last twelve months can be seen simply by walking round the town and driving around the surrounding villages. 

• Delivered the award winning restoration of the old Station Building as a local landmark, tourist hub, restaurant and high quality office space.
• The first two phases of work on the 140 year old, grade II listed Hermon Chapel have been completed, with windows repaired and reinstated, masonry cleaned and roofing and lead work done.  With the scaffolding now removed passers-by can see the vast improvement that has already been wrought. 
• The Cross has been renovated and reinstated at it's traditional site.
• The restoration of Willow Street's 19th Century Malthouse into workshops has been completed.
• The conversion of the Iron works for use as a live music, art and performance venue has been completed apart from internal fittings.
• The restoration of three town centre shops - which has included re-roofing and adding lifts and extensions - has been completed, external works have been completed on a further two shops where internal refurbishment is still underway.  One further shop refurbishment is ongoing with extensions being added and a coach house being converted.
• Major restoration work at Whittington Castle is nearing completion.
• The creation of community enterprise centres across the borough continues with the opening of a new facility at Weston Rhyn
• A further 500 metres of the Montgomery canal has been dredged and refurbished with new stone wharfs and a narrow boat offering boat trips along the canal

Case Study: The Station Building

Oswestry Station Building has succesfully been restored costing £2.1million, now known as The Cambrian Visitor Centre the former station has won a top prestigious National Railway Heritage Award, fighting off stiff competition from many other railway initiatives around the country.
The restoration programme of the former Cambrian Railway Headquarters in Oswestry was jointly selected for The Network Rail Partnership Award along with Carnforth Station, better known for it's appearance in the iconic movie 'Brief Encounter', by judges at this years National Railway Heritage Trust Awards. 
Officers from across the council worked together with a range of local partners to sympathetically restore the building, overcoming a number of obstacles to do so.
In terms of outcomes, the Station Building has created new jobs, brought businesses into the borough from outside and allowed existing businesses to relocate. It has also allowed the local tourism association - Oswestry Borderland Tourism to provide a higher tourism profile and move to become a sustainable tourism association.

A borough to be young in

The issue of safe places for teenagers to 'hang out' is an old one, but one that the Council takes seriously and has acted on.

In response to young people's requests, a skate park has been provided in Oswestry at the Meadows.  A number of gossip shelters have also been provided across the borough to provide teenagers with a place to meet where they have some shelter from the weather and where they are allowed to safely congregate. 

The provision of and management of play areas and open spaces, as well as the work of the council's green and clean team, provides opportunities for people to play and exercise as well as providing an attractive environment for people to live in.  We continue to work with the community, parish councils and Planning Officers to establish suitable play areas and open space provision within new residential developments. We will also continue to work with community groups to establish bio-diversity areas in the Borough. The aim here is to create an attractive environment for people to enjoy as well as protecting the environment.

There are 16 play areas around Oswestry borough. These play areas are inspected on a weekly basis and a full safety inspection is carried out once a month.