Council plan
On 23 February 2023, a new Council Plan 2023-2024 was approved, setting out our strategic framework for action for this financial year until 31 March 2024. We have built upon last year’s Council Plan and set out to create a plan that:
- is simple and can be readily understood.
- is responsive. To achieve this, the plan needs to be revisited every year, so we can take account of the biggest issues affecting the Scottish Borders and act on what we need to prioritise.
- ensures a clear link between what we want to achieve and how we intend to do it. This means setting out our aims, the actions we need to take to deliver those aims, and measuring our delivery. If we fail to deliver, we need to change what we are doing.
- shapes our financial plans and how we use our resources.
- is informed by and responds to the aspirations and priorities expressed by local communities.
Six key outcomes
The Council Plan is based on six outcomes that we aim to deliver for the Scottish Borders.
Five of the outcomes focus on improving the wellbeing of citizens within the Scottish Borders and making our region a more sustainable and better place to live, work in and to visit.
The sixth outcome is about developing a Council that is as effective and efficient as it can be – we need to do this in order to deliver on the other five outcomes.
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FOCUS |
OUTCOMES |
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Improving the wellbeing of citizens within the Scottish Borders and making our region a more sustainable and better place to live, work in and to visit
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1 Clean, green future 2 Fulfilling our potential 3 Strong inclusive economy, transport and infrastructure 4 Empowered, vibrant communities 5 Good health and wellbeing
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Developing a Council that is as effective and efficient as it can be
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6 Working together improving lives
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In addition to outlining our priorities across these six themes, this year’s council plan features two additional sections. The first, ‘Strategic Context and Vision’, outlines the long term challenges and opportunities we face as a region, and draws out a vision for where we want to be in 10 years’ time. The second, ‘Locality Actions’, highlights key priorities for us in all five of the localities in the Scottish Borders.
Play #YourPart
A key part of our Council Plan remains the recognition that, if the Scottish Borders is to successfully meet future challenges and grasp future opportunities, this requires everyone to play their part - from us delivering services to volunteers supporting communities throughout the Scottish Borders; from us reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to residents seeking to reduce their waste and to put the right things in the right bins.
Working with you and our partners, we are committed to improving lives. This is a shared endeavour and we look forward to carrying on the journey with you.