Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Assessment of Performance 2021-22

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s Assessment of Performance 2021-22 was considered and approved by the Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee on Thursday 15 September 2022.

The Chairperson of the Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee, Councillor Oonagh Hanlon said, “I am pleased to present this year’s Assessment of Performance. 2021-22 has been another challenging year with COVID-19 still very much dominating life both at home and at work and the Assessment of Performance has given us an opportunity to reflect on how we are emerging from the pandemic, the achievements we should be proud of and the areas for improvement we need to continue to focus on.”

The Assessment of Performance highlights where progress has been made over the past year.  The Council worked tirelessly to deliver essential services and ensure they were delivered seamlessly for residents across our district.  Through a range of economic development programmes, the Council supported 421 local businesses and social enterprises and helped to create 202 new jobs. 

More people than ever continued to re-connect with the natural beauty of Newry, Mourne and Down by visiting the wonderful forest parks, beaches and mountains with the Council recording a 119% increase in visits to community trails.  Through the Financial Assistance Scheme, the Council continued to support community groups by awarding £1.54m towards 374 local projects and whilst the statutory standards for processing planning applications and enforcement cases have not yet been achieved, performance improved during 2021-22.

Whilst the closure of many facilities and suspension of some services in 2020-21 had a fundamental impact on Council operations, their reopening has shown signs of recovery. The Council’s leisure services recorded a 494% increase in recorded attendances compared to 2020-21, a decrease in illicit dumping of 34%, from 817 incidents in 2020-21 to 514 incidents in 2021-22, and an increase in the number of community clean ups supported, from 33 back up to 94 in 2021-22. While these are encouraging signs, there is much work still to do to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the Corporate Plan 2021-23 and Performance Improvement Plan 2022-23, the Council will focus on what matters most to you – improving the quality of life for all local communities and building a district we can all be proud of.

Further information on the Council’s performance during 2021-22 will be made available on the Council’s website  www.newrymournedown.org/performance by 30 September 2022.