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2019-2024

LONDON BOROUGH OF HOUNSLOW

CORPORATE PLAN

OUR PLEDGES

We have made five key pledges to the people of Hounslow on the issues that matter to them:

Financial ManagementEnsure sound financial management to maximise available funding for priority services.

HousingSecure 5,000 affordable homes, of which 3,000 should be new council and housing association homes for social rent, and 2,000 for shared ownership and other affordable housing products that contribute to local needs. Crack down on rogue landlords and help residents to buy their first home through shared ownership.

RecyclingOverhaul doorstep collections to make recycling easier and collect fridges, mattresses and other bulky items to reduce fly tipping.

PotholesInvest £2 million to fix potholes in local roads - and invite residents to nominate the roads that need it.

Apprenticeships and London Living WageCreate 4,000 new apprenticeships and training opportunities to help young people into work. Take action to ensure employers pay at least the London Living Wage.

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Leader’s introduction

Local government touches the lives of everyone.

The London Borough of Hounslow looks after the parks we play in, repairs the roads we travel on, and runs the libraries we use. The council ensures the restaurants we visit are clean and safe to eat in and the streets we walk on are kept clean. For many residents, the council maintains their homes and when the young, the old and the frail need extra care, the London Borough of Hounslow is there to provide support.

Local government is the part of the public sector that is closest to individuals and communities. It has a unique role to play in helping create places where people can thrive, where businesses can flourish, and where good things can happen. And yet local government has borne the brunt of funding cuts for almost a decade.

Since 2010 English councils have seen their budgets reduce by more than a quarter – Hounslow has fared better than many with a reduction in council budgets of 22 per cent between 2010 and 2018. Nonetheless, the need for the London Borough of Hounslow to live within its means has seen almost £150m saved between 2010 and 2018.

The challenge won’t stop there. There is no sign of more money; for

councils and communities, austerity isn’t over – in fact, austerity is the new normal. Yet more people choose to make Hounslow their home; the welfare system continues to change; demand for social services continues to rise. The challenge is to think differently about how we can help almost 300,000 people in the borough thrive.

How can the council be more effective? How can we work better with our traditional partners? And, given that much of what makes the borough the place it is, isn’t in the gift of the council, how can we nurture and support those people who want to make a positive difference?

Recent years have shown that councils can’t look to central government for answers. Westminster is focused on other issues. The innovation will come, not from Whitehall, but from the town hall. The need to consider how local government can best serve people well will continue throughout the life of this administration. The decisions taken will not be easy ones, and they will require us to think hard about how we can have a real, positive impact on Hounslow but, as this Corporate Plan sets out, we remain intensely ambitious for the borough.

Cllr Steve Curran, Leader, London Borough of Hounslow

OURCONTEXT

£147m of

savings approved since 2010

Average property price

locally

11 x average

income

The borough will be home to

285,000 by 2024

Difference in healthy life expectancy

across the boroughwomen -

11 years men -

9 years

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Number ofchildren living

in poverty

14,000

28,000 smokers

across the borough

365,000 calls to the

councilin 2018

13,000tenants

and

3,000leaseholders

Proportion of people

moving into or out of the

borougheach year

1 in 6

46,000 school aged

children

Number of residents helped by

adult social care

6,000

£316 wage gap:

too many local residents miss out on higher-paying

local jobs

14,500 new homes to be built

in the borough between 2019 and

2024

Number of carers

looking after someone for more than

50 hours a week

5,000

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OUR FOCUS

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We will work with the widest range of partners to help create a borough where:

The council’s business plan will set out specific performance measures against each outcome.

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Outcome:

Residents are at the heart of what the council doesThis means: Local people experience a council that works for them, championing the borough and delivering services residents value.

How we can check we’re on track: i) resident satisfaction with the council ii) percentage of correspondence dealt with in good time iii) perception that the council speaks up for my borough across London and nationally (+ Delivery against Financial Management Pledge)

Outcome:

People live in good homes and pleasant neighbourhoodsThis means: Residents enjoy a good quality of life, living in homes that work for them and in communities that support and nurture people.

How we can check we’re on track: i) housing numbers ii) homelessness rate iii) involvement in the community (+ Delivery against Housing Pledge)

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Outcome:

Businesses flourish and local people enjoy good quality local jobsThis means: Hounslow is an attractive place to work and to do business - it is home to successful businesses and high-value jobs that not only bring people into the borough but also provide rewarding work to local residents.

How we can check we’re on track: i) value of goods and services produced locally ii) weekly income by resident iii) number of businesses (+ Delivery against Apprenticeship Pledge)

Outcome:

People feel proud to live and workThis means: Residents and visitors see a clean, attractive borough - Hounslow is a destination people want to visit, an appealing place to spend time in, and a borough people are happy to call home.

How we can check we’re on track: i) recycling rate ii) resident satisfaction with Hounslow as a place to live iii) voter turnout (+ Delivery against Recycling Pledge)

Outcome:

Children reach their potentialThis means: Children thrive in the borough - academically, emotionally and physically.

How we can check we’re on track: i) GCSE results ii) school-ready children iii) levels of childhood obesity

OUR FOCUScontinues

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Outcome:

People are safeThis means: The borough is a safe place with low levels of crime; what’s more, residents feel safe and secure.

How we can check we’re on track: i) crime rate ii) feelings of safety iii) rates of anti-social behaviour

Outcome:

Residents are healthy, active and socially connectedThis means: People enjoy good health, have a sense of belonging, and play a role in their local community.

How we can check we’re on track: i) smoking rates ii) percentage of physically active adults iii) volunteering rates (+ Delivery against our Air Quality Action Plan)

Outcome:

Residents receive the right help and supportThis means: People are helped before problems become insurmountable – after all, prevention is better than cure.

How we can check we’re on track: i) satisfaction with care and support ii) customer satisfaction iii) support from local services or organisations

OUR CUSTOMERS

We want to ensure our customers are satisfied when they engage with us - however they choose to contact the council. As we serve the residents of Hounslow, we will focus on six principles:

Spending wisely: budgets are tight and public money

needs to be spent well; the council will focus on making every penny count.

Innovating and learning from experience: many people want a well designed digital service, but what matters most is providing a better customer experience that emphasises flexibility and choice.

A single front door: making it easier for Hounslow residents to contact the council and for the council to resolve their enquiry first time around.

Getting it right first time:our customers should rightly expect a high-quality experience and staff who are willing to go the extra mile to address their queries.

Listening and responding: feedback tells us what works, what doesn’t, and what could be better. We’ll use insight to nip problems in the bud and increase customer satisfaction.

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Many talents one aim: delighting our customers will only happen when we improve individual accountability, increase personal ownership, and allow frontline teams to make a difference.

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OUR STAFF

Our team is dedicated and committed. Our People Strategy sets out four principles that will help us develop our workforce for the future.

Attract and retain the best peopleWe will build our employer brand and develop our approach to recruitment, helping the London Borough of Hounslow attract and retain the best people.

Develop and grow our talentWe will nurture our current staff - upskilling existing employees, whilst also developing an apprenticeship strategy, and setting out a new approach to learning and development.

Lead with passion and ambitionWe will set out our leadership values and behaviours - championing a mentoring culture, encouraging innovation and creativity, and developing the organisation’s future leaders.

Engage our workforceWe will review our approach to flexible and remote working, emphasising that work is something we do, not somewhere we go. Developing an ambitious diversity and inclusion strategy will help employees to thrive throughout the organisation.

OUR COMMUNITIESWe all gain from having strong communities. As a council we commit to work with residents to make a difference. We want to do the right thing for the borough – we’d ask you to do the same for yourself, your family, and your neighbourhood. Working together we can achieve so much more.

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Spend wisely

Support local neighbourhoods

Make more services accessible online

Listen to, and learn from, what you tell us

Provide help and support when you need it

Help regenerate the borough

Champion the borough as a great place to live, work and invest

Recycle

Take an interest in where you live

Go online when you can

Tell us if we could do things better

Do what you can to keep yourself healthy

Support local businesses

Look out for each other

We ask you to:We will:

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London Borough of HounslowHounslow House7 Bath Road Hounslow TW3 3EB

www.hounslow.gov.uk