Council Plan Annual Progress Report

An update on progress to address council priorities for Dundee will be considered by councillors on Monday June 24.

The City Governance Committee is to look in detail at the second yearly analysis of the Council Plan 2022-27.

The five priority themes of the document are:

• Reduce Child Poverty and Inequalities
• Deliver Inclusive Economic Growth
• Tackle Climate Change and achieve Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2045
• Build Resilient and Empowered Communities
• Design a Modern Council

City council leader Councillor John Alexander said: “Together with the Dundee Partnership we are focused on the vision for Dundee. We are a caring city and tackling the root cause of poverty head on is one of the biggest challenges we face, especially as we continue our recovery from the pandemic and tackle the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on many of our citizens.

“Closing the poverty related attainment gap is a key part of tackling the effects of child poverty. Although the most recent year saw a reduction for school leavers living in the most deprived communities their average attainment level over the past five years is a rising trend, demonstrating progress towards this aim. The latest results are above the pre Covid level.

"We are delivering inclusive economic growth to create jobs and opportunities for all by keeping Dundee in the spotlight as a place to invest. The Waterfront development continues to attract and retain jobs. James Thomson House is the latest construction in the £26 million development at Dundee Waterfront.

“The new City Centre Strategic Investment Plan 2050 is an ambitious 30-year plan to steer development and investment opportunities for Dundee city centre. It sets out a vision for the city centre as an exciting, growing place to live, work and visit.

“We are tackling climate change and making Dundee greener, and our low emissions zone within the city centre was implemented in May.

“We are building resilient, empowered communities through local community planning and investing in the areas of the city which need it most. For the first time, the Council has surpassed the target of 200 per annum for council and registered social landlord housing completions. A total of 264 affordable homes were completed during 2023/24, a rise of 161% from the previous year.”

Chief Executive Greg Colgan added: “The Best Value Audit published in November 2023 found that community empowerment is strongly reflected in the Council’s plans. The Council is on track to meet the target of 1% of the budget being allocated via participatory budgeting.

“The Council Plan sets out clear aims to maximise participatory budgeting in all forms. Local government continues to face a very challenging situation. Demand for services has never been higher at the same time as the financial forecast is for a real-terms reduction. Once again, the Council has achieved a balanced budget, but we need to Design a Modern Council that can be sustainable for the long term.

“We have a plan to rationalise our properties and redesign some services to be leaner yet able to meet people’s needs. In living our values, we will be open and honest. We will let the data on performance targets and progress on our plans speak for themselves.

“Through progress reports on this Plan, and our other plans, we will show our commitment to be inclusive, innovative and constantly learning about where we can improve.”

The annual report to be considered by the City Governance Committee summarises progress in the year 2023-24.

The summary of progress on the actions in the Council Plan for the Council’s 5 priorities shows that all actions have made some initial progress.

Actions identified which have progressed the most are:

• Continue work to reduce the cost of the school day.
• Implement the recommendations of The Promise to deliver the Scottish Government’s commitment to care for Scotland’s most vulnerable children and give them the best possible childhood.
• Promote the uptake of concessionary travel scheme for young people, ensuring quick and easy access to entitlement.
• Prioritise welfare support grants to children and families.
• Deliver Scotland’s first council-led green participatory budgeting initiative – Dundee Climate Fund
• Deliver the Low Emission Zone to improve air quality (LEZ)
• Develop a city-wide Local Area Energy Plan and Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy in partnership with the Dundee Climate Leadership Group
• Develop and implement a Net Zero Transition Plan and Carbon Budget for the Council
• Embed a Cycle Network Plan within the Local Development Plan
• Maximise participatory budgeting in all forms.
• Increase community ownership of Council owned assets.
• Roll out hybrid working across the Council.
• Increase digital learning, teaching of new working methods and developing the skills of our employees.
• Long-Term Financial Strategy to be updated to reflect new Council Plan priorities.

You can find the full report on the City Governance Committee agenda here.

• Share this page:
• Share On Twitter
• Share On Facebook
• Share On LinkedIn