Key achievements outlined as Council continues to deliver on the Knowsley Council Plan 2022-2025

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Key achievements outlined as Council continues to deliver on the Knowsley Council Plan 2022-2025

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At Knowsley Council's Cabinet meeting tonight (Wednesday 20 November) Councillors were provided with a further update on the delivery of the Knowsley Council Plan.

In March 2022, the Council agreed a new Knowsley Council Plan for 2022-2025. The plan outlined three corporate priorities that the Council is now working towards delivering. These are:

• Effective support for those in need

• Inclusive skills and growth

• Climate emergency and achieving net zero

Supporting residents

The report provided an update on the extensive work taking place to support residents, including investment into community provision.

The Knowsley Better Together and Hardship Fund programmes have continued to support over 9,000 families through the provision of supermarket vouchers during the school holidays.

Development works, funded through a successful £3.868m Youth Investment Fund bid, have now been completed at Karma in the Community, Huyton, and Halewood Youth and Community Centre.

Significant improvements continue to be made in both Adult and Children's Social Care. With the 'Front Door' pilot scheme in Adult Social Care generating significant benefits including a reduction in waiting times.

70 additional Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities places have also been created in the Borough - at Alt Bridge School (50 places) and at Knowsley Central School (20 places) - with further additional places now also at the planning stage.

Awards and recognition

Since the last report to Cabinet in June 2024, the Council been recognised for its work through a number of achievements. These include:

• Knowsley Council was named Local Authority of the Year at the Municipal Journal Awards.
• The Council was also shortlisted for a number of awards, including:
  • Local Government Chronicle's Council of the Year Award
  • Local Government Chronicle's Best Innovation in Recruitment Award
  • Local Government Chronicle's Best Next Generation Employer Award
  • Public Finance Awards' Finance Team of the Year 2024 Award
• All Knowsley Council's children's residential care establishments are now rated 'GOOD' following a recent Ofsted inspection.
• Knowsley's Youth Justice Service has achieved Youth Justice Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities Quality Lead status.
• The Council has achieved the Navajo Merseyside and Cheshire LBGTIQA+ Charter Mark, recognising its work and commitment to ensuring that Knowsley is welcoming and inclusive to LGBTIQA+ people.

Growth and skills

The report to Cabinet also highlighted significant progress made in projects across the borough that support growth and skills. These included:

• The completion of the £2.2m transformation of the Kirkby Multi-Storey Car Cark. Improvements include a complete overhaul of all eight levels, providing long-stay, short-stay, and accessible bays, electric charging points, cycle storage, CCTV, and sensor-controlled lighting.
• The Council has continued to make significant progress in facilitating major residential development programmes. At Halsnead Garden Village, Vistry Group has secured planning permission to deliver a further 120 homes, which will include a mix of 22 four-bed homes, 86 three-bed homes, and 12 two-bed apartments. 20 of these new properties will be made available as affordable homes.
• To support infrastructure in the borough, the Council negotiated and secured £4.6m in contributions from developers to fund an increase in the number of early years and primary school places in Halewood. This included a £3.7m investment in Plantation Primary School which will accommodate three classes per year.
• Following an "Into University" event in March 2024, which marked the opening of a local learning centre in Kirkby Town Centre, five primary and the two secondary schools in Kirkby have entered into partnership with Into University. This work is part of a key priority to raise awareness of education and employment opportunities amongst young people in the borough

Climate emergency and achieving net zero

The Council has continued to push forward with its net zero agenda, with 17,379 of the borough's streetlights have now been converted to LED lighting.

Significant progress has also continued to be made in delivering green space improvement projects across Knowsley. Work has commenced at Finch Woods and the Council has secured £0.250m of grant funding to deliver the Prescot King George V Sports Improvement Project. The Council also secured its 20th Green Flag Award, with Bowring Park in Huyton securing the Award for the first time.

The full report can be read here.

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