Corporate Plan
2018-2022
Foreword from the Leader of the Council
As someone who was born, raised and educated in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, I feel
privileged to have been elected as Council Leader in the place I am proud to call my home.
My early experiences ignited my determination to make a difference to people’s lives and my
sense of social justice. The first few years of my life were spent on the Ferrier Estate, before
moving to the Page Estate in Eltham. I went to Haimo Primary School and then on to Thomas
Tallis School – a true comprehensive with children from every background.
When I was growing up, I saw first-hand the Council deliver real improvements in my
community. I am proud of our past achievements but I am also conscious of the need to bring
about further change ‘For the Many, Not the Few’.
Over the past few decades, Royal Greenwich has seen significant and positive changes and the
next few years will be no different. New transport links in the form of Crossrail will increase
the connectivity of the Borough, opening up new employment opportunities for our residents
and attracting greater investment in our Borough. This will not be without its challenges.
Housing remains a key issue for people living across the Capital and, as such, we will continue
to build more, better quality and, above all, truly affordable and social homes here in
Greenwich.
Nationally, the Government continues to enforce damaging policies of austerity and we, as a
Council must respond. We continue to protest against the cuts and although we have had to
raise Council tax, Royal Greenwich has, through prudent financial stewardship, so far been
able to weather the storm and continue to deliver a full range of excellent services to our
residents.
However, Local Authority budgets are not the only front this battle is being fought on. The
NHS, the Metropolitan Police and our schools are all continuing to deal with reduced budgets.
Now, more than ever, cooperation and coordination between all our public services, including
the wider voluntary and community sector, is vital to ensuring we deliver the best possible
living conditions for all our residents.
We want every person in Royal Greenwich to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential
and we will support all those who face hardship. Lifting people out of poverty is of course a
priority, but we will work tirelessly to ensure that all our residents have the chance to
prosper.
This document – our Corporate Plan – sets out our road map to delivering on our pledges.
My Cabinet and I are committed to delivering on our promises to residents living in the Royal
Borough of Greenwich. Whilst the next four years will be some of the most challenging in the
Borough’s history, we will repay the faith paid in us and deliver a Borough that is more equal,
healthier, better skilled, greener and wealthier for all.
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Foreword from the Chief Executive
Our Corporate Plan sets out the vision and priorities that will guide our organisation through
the next 4 years. It builds on a firm foundation, to further develop our services and improve
the lives of our residents.
The ambitions of the new political administration are clear and provide the direction and
priorities contained within this plan. They focus our actions and resources on the things that
matter to the residents of Royal Greenwich.
It is important for the cohesion of the organisation that all employees have a firm idea of our
direction and objectives. A sense of purpose builds pride and enhances the wellbeing and
productivity of all members of staff. Equally important is the provision for employee feedback
on challenges and barriers to carrying out their roles. We will continue to ensure all
employees’ voices are heard.
We want our partners to have a clear understanding of our priorities. Organisations already
working on our behalf, and those seeking to do business with us can make important
contributions to achieving our objectives. The Council has a commitment to making the most
out of every penny we spend and, as such, we seek an element of social value from our
commissioning and procurement activities. Our Social Value Policy intrinsically links our Social
Value Objectives to the priorities of the Council contained within this plan. This ensures that
where money is spent we are always making the maximum contribution to achieving our goals.
Collaboration is a fundamental principle of the way we work. We will continue to explore
new delivery models, including joint working with partners, trusts, cooperatives and mutuals.
We will be open to new and innovative ways of working with a focus on outcomes. Each of
our directorates has its own remit to deliver. However, it is clear that many of the goals we
are working towards are not defined along these lines. We will look for synergies between
our directorates to ensure that the Council, as a whole, meets our objectives.
This plan is ambitious but we are starting from a positon of strong financial management which
has enabled us to maintain our services to the highest possible standards. This gives us the
opportunity to be bold in our ambitions going forward. I am confident that we have the
excellent staff who have the desire to deliver the improvements the residents of the Borough
expect, whilst maintaining the services they rely on.
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A Healthier Greenwich
The past few decades have seen dramatic advances in medical treatment and technology,
leading to people living longer and healthier lives. Whilst this is undoubtedly something that
should be celebrated, it has brought about challenges for public services, such as the NHS
and Local Authorities, who must adapt their services to meet the health needs of their
changing population.
Greenwich is similar to many other places nationally. We have an ageing population.
Residents are living longer often with one or more long term health conditions, which
increases the demand for some of our health services. In addition to this, we have seen a
rise in the rates of mental health problems and obesity, specifically childhood obesity, across
the community as a whole.
Consequently, the Council will work with partners in the NHS and elsewhere to ensure
that anyone who falls ill or has a long-term health condition, will receive integrated and
seamless social care support. The Council will also promote preventative measures that
improve residents’ health and subsequently reduce demand on the health and social care
system so that resources can be more effectively allocated to those in need. Additionally,
we will work across the Borough to ensure that we become more aware of illnesses such
as dementia, and work with individuals, businesses and public bodies to adapt their practices
to make the Borough as ‘dementia friendly’ as possible.
Our objectives for ‘A Healthier Greenwich’:
To work with partners in the NHS and elsewhere to ensure it meets the needs of residents
and the standards required
To work with all of our partners to support those who are experiencing mental health
issues
To work to support people suffering from or at risk of suffering from obesity and type 2
diabetes
To work to help raise awareness of diseases such as sickle cell and HIV to increase rates
of testing and support those suffering
To work to identify and support marginalized groups to provide more proactive adult
safeguarding
To work towards becoming a dementia-friendly Borough
To work to address food poverty and poor nutrition
To promote Independence and community resilience
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A Safer Greenwich
From 2010/11 to 2013/14, Greenwich saw an overall reduction in offences of nearly 20%.
However, over the subsequent years of Government austerity, many public bodies have
had their budgets cut and the Police are no exception. Since 2010, there has been a
reduction in staffing of 178 Police Officers and 117 Community Support Officers in
Greenwich. Following this, the rate of crime in the Borough has begun to rise, with a 10%
increase in offences seen between 2016/17 and 2017/18. The total number of offences has
returned to where it was in 2010/11. Of particular concern is that Greenwich has seen an
increase in Violence against the Person Offences, specifically knife crime, and Theft and
Handling Offences.
Ensuring residents feel safe in their homes and communities is of the upmost importance
for the Council. Over the next four years, we will continue to work closely with partners
in the Metropolitan Police and community sectors to work towards a reduction in the rates
of crime in the Borough, specifically in relation to knife and gang violence and Anti-Social
Behaviour.
In addition, we will continue to lobby central government to deliver extra funding for our
police forces to ensure they are adequately resourced to keep our Borough safe.
Our objectives for ‘A Safer Greenwich’:
To work with partners in the Police and resident groups to help make our Borough safer
To help to make the Borough roads safer and spaces for communities to use
To priorities approaches to tackling domestic abuse in all its forms
To foster cohesive communities and counter radicalisation
To tackle gang activity and violence
To take a tough approach to anti-social behaviour by working with partners and involving
our local communities at every opportunity
To ensure safe and legally compliant housing
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A Great Place to Grow Up
To lay the foundations for the future of Royal Greenwich, the Council will continue to
work to ensure that all our children have the best possible start in life. High education
standards support economic growth and encourage families to make Greenwich their home
whilst also promoting personal independence and social mobility.
The majority of the Borough’s schools are already ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ and our Early
Years Key Stage 1 & 2 education ranks among the best in the country. However, maintaining
this performance and challenging schools where standards are below expectations is a
priority. This will be especially challenging due to the new National Funding Formula which
will see some schools in Greenwich face reductions in funding.
The Council will also work to help ensure that our children reach their potential by
improving standards of Key Stage 3 & 4 education and work to provide excellent vocational
qualification opportunities for our young people.
Our objectives for ensuring Greenwich continues to be ‘A Great Place to Grow Up’:
To encourage young families to stay in the Borough
To work with schools and colleges to close the gap in achievement in sixth form
To work with existing academies in partnership so they see the value of staying within the
‘Greenwich Family of Schools’
To work with all schools in the Borough to improve outcomes for children and staff,
regardless of their status
To work with schools, further and higher education establishments, businesses and other
partners to ensure our residents have the skills needed to access jobs in the region
To work with education, business and cultural partners, to encourage them to provide
opportunities for entrepreneurship in science, maths, engineering technology and culture
To support vulnerable young people
To support the improvement in school meals and use them as a tool to tackle food poverty
in the Borough
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Delivering Homes through Economic Growth
London is in the midst of housing crisis. Years of inadequate levels of housebuilding has led
to a dearth of supply, which has seen prices to buy and rent in the private sector increase
dramatically to unaffordable levels. This has led to an increased demand for social housing.
However, for a number of reasons, social housing stock in the Borough, and across London,
has not been sufficient to meet this demand.
The re-introduction of Right to Buy has removed properties from the Borough’s social
housing stock without providing adequate capital to replace them directly. Additionally,
borrowing caps placed on the Council by central government have severely limited our
ability to borrow funds to build the required levels of social housing ourselves.
The Council has, in recent years, set up Meridian Home Start which is set to deliver over
200 homes that will be let to Greenwich residents at, or below, 65% of market rate.
Meridian Home Start is now independent from the Council making it free from borrowing
restrictions imposed on it by central government. We acknowledge that there is more that
we can do in regards to building our own properties and our new Housing Delivery Board
has been created with this at its focus.
In the current system, one of the primary routes through which new homes are built is
collaboration with private developers because they have access to the capital needed to
build homes at the required rate and scale. Greenwich has worked hard with private
developers to ensure that new developments in the Borough deliver the maximum number
of affordable housing. Between 2013/14 and 2015/16, Greenwich delivered the second
highest number of affordable homes in London (40% of all new homes built). We will
continue to tenaciously pursue the best possible deals from partners and developers to
ensure the delivery genuinely affordable homes where they are needed.
A further priority will be to work with landlords in the Borough to ensure that residents
who are living in Private Rented accommodation are living in safe environments, but also
that landlords ensure their tenants behave in a responsible manner. This will be achieved,
in part, through the continuing roll out of our HMO licencing scheme.
Our objectives for ‘Delivering Homes Through Economic Growth’:
To ensure that developments in the Borough deliver homes that meet the need at
affordable prices for Residents in the Borough
To increase the number of social housing lets
To manage growth and regeneration so it is sustainable and works for everyone
To be innovative in our approaches to deliver new housing
To work with all landlords and tenants to ensure the safety of our residents and tenants
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A Cleaner, Greener Greenwich
The Royal Borough takes its role of environmental stewardship very seriously and, as such,
will continue to promote measures to maintain the public realm.
The Borough has some of the best parks and open spaces in London and the Council will
continue to maintain them to the highest standards.
We will coordinate our services to promote sustainable choices including the use of
renewable energy and reducing waste, specifically single use plastics.
The Council will also continue to take a lead in combating the London wide issue of poor
air quality, through pre-emptive interventions designed to help reduce pollutants from a
number of sources including transport, industry and residential. Part of this effort will be to
work with TFL to help promote public transport usage in the Borough.
Our objectives to make ‘A Cleaner, Greener Greenwich’:
Improve our green and public spaces
Reduce anti-social behaviour in our public and green spaces
Work towards stopping the use of single-use plastics, disposable coffee cups and straws
Take action to improve air quality, encourage renewable energy and green jobs in the
Borough
Work with schools and communities to encourage a reduction in school runs making sure
school entrances and surrounding streets are safer
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Economic Prosperity for All
‘Economic prosperity for all’ encapsulates Royal Greenwich’s over-arching ambition to
develop a Borough where every individual and business has the ability prosper.
This ideal works hand in glove with our commitment to ensure our residents have access
to a great education and move into the workplace with the opportunity to maximise their
potential. This means promoting small and medium sized business, promoting fair
employment practices and ensuring that Greenwich is an attractive place to companies that
offer high value jobs.
Our objectives for delivering ‘Economic Prosperity for All’:
To support more people into work
To support business growth in the Borough including start-ups to help to diversify
employment opportunities
To look to offer debt advice and promote services to individuals who are at risk of entering
into unaffordable debt, or are in, positions where they have unaffordable debt
To work to ensure all businesses in the Borough pay a fair wage and offer good working
conditions
To be a recognised leader in ‘Smart City’ innovation to deliver real outcomes for residents
and the Council
To create the conditions that make Greenwich attractive to companies that offer high value
jobs
To improve the town centres
To improve transport infrastructure and services
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A Great Place to Be
To ensure residents and visitors make the most of Royal Greenwich and to attract visitors,
the Council will continue to invest in making the Borough a unique place to live, work and
study.
Our diverse population is supported by a network of invaluable voluntary organisations that
support cohesive and resilient communities. The Council will continue to develop its
relationship with these organisations and find new and innovative ways to support their
work in the Borough.
Culture and Tourism are significant drivers of our vibrant local economy, bringing in over
£1.3 billion in economic impact in 2017. We will ensure THAT we continue to maximise
the opportunities this presents. The new Creative District and other venues provide hubs
for growth, creativity, employment and prosperity for the whole Borough.
Our objectives for making Greenwich ‘A Great Place To Be’:
To continue to invest in improving and creating new sports facilities and upgrading our
libraries
To work to ensure there is continued community cohesion in Greenwich and equality of
access for all
To encourage more visitors to stay overnight in the Borough
To protect and promote Greenwich’s historic landmarks and buildings
To work to improve the Cultural Offer in Greenwich showcasing local talent
To work to reduce social isolation in the Borough
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A Strong Vibrant and Well-Run Borough
The Council is a significant employer in Royal Greenwich and spends over £550m of public
funds each year in delivering Services to its residents. We will continue to ensure the
Council operates to the highest possible standards and that we spend resources both
effectively and efficiently. This includes embedding social value in our procurement and
commissioning activities and using our buying power to support local businesses and keep
Council taxpayers money in the Borough.
Our objectives to ensure we remain ‘A Strong Vibrant and Well-Run Borough’:
To work to deliver greater value for money where possible
To improve accessibility to Council services and the customer experience
To enhance the Council’s commitment to open and transparent decision-making and
community engagement
To use our buying power to enable local companies to bid for contracts and offer jobs
to local people
To use the Royal Borough Pension fund to support causes that are important to the
Council
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