Neath Port Talbot Council has published its new corporate plan which sets out the way in which it aims to improve the services it delivers and improve the well-being of people across the county borough.

Following an extensive process of consultation on a set of draft proposals, the Council yesterday formally adopted the three well-being objectives which will drive the Council’s work over the next five years:

• To improve the well-being of children and young people: “All of our children and young people have the best start in life, so they can be the best they can be”
• To improve the well-being of all adults who live in the county borough: “Everyone participates fully in community life – socially and economically”
• To develop the local economy and environment so that the well-being of people can be improved: “Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe will be a vibrant and healthy place to live, work and enjoy recreational time”

Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Rob Jones said:

“Our new corporate plan lays out the well-being objectives which we have set for the Council over the five year term of the administration, together with details of the strategies, programmes and activities we have put in place to achieve them.”

“I would like to give my thanks to everyone who helped to shape the plan by sharing their views and we are keen to maintain this engagement in the resulting vision for the county borough. The plan is therefore not simply presented as a static document but also online in a visual, user-friendly and accessible format”.

“There is much to be proud of in this county borough and in this plan we aim to build on our strengths to create, together, a bright future for all of the people who live here.”

“This will, of course, not be without challenges. We face an unprecedented level of budget cuts across local government and considerable uncertainty over future sources of capital investment as we approach the end of European funding programmes which have benefited our area so significantly.”

Every year, local authorities have to publish a plan which sets out their priorities for improvement and the way in which services will be changed to ensure continued improvement of the services they deliver.

However plans also now need to take into account new Welsh Government legislation called ‘The Well-being of Future Generations Act’ which requires the Council to set out how it intends to improve well-being.

The act requires all public services to take a more joined up approach, to think more about the long term, to work better with and involve people and local communities when planning services, and to look to prevent problems before they arise or from getting worse.

For more information on the plan visit: npt.gov.uk/corporateplan