Trafford Council continuing to deliver on its promises and priorities

A meeting of the Executive heard how the Council was meeting many of its priorities set out in the Corporate Plan 2023/24.

The Council’s current priorities are:

Reducing health inequalities by working with partners to improve the physical and mental health of our residents.
Addressing our climate crisis by reducing our carbon footprint and tackling the impact of climate change.
Supporting people out of poverty by tackling the root cause of poverty

The existing Corporate Plan, ‘Our Trafford, Our Future’, runs until later this month and describes Trafford Council’s strategic vision, outcomes and priorities for the borough. The report has been drawn up to provide a summary of performance against the aims of the Plan.

Each specific strategic priority has been given a number of key performance indicators and the report summarizes the indicators and information regarding current performance. There have been successes in each of the three priority areas, including:

Reducing health inequalities
Trafford Council used its smoking needs assessments to identify high priority groups where additional grant investment will be utilised to target heavier smokers and reduce health inequalities in the borough. Plans have been developed for this funding with awards being given to a variety of VCFSE organisations to adopt a making every contact count model. 

Stretford and Old Trafford was turned into a giant interactive game to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling in February and March this year. More than 5,000 residents took part travelling more than 56,00 miles – a huge success. 

Trafford’s Public Health team commissioned a pilot school transition programme called Headstart to support the mental wellbeing of year 6 pupils into secondary schools. The programme has been targeted at those children living in areas of most deprivation and will raise awareness of emotional literacy with pupils and staff within the programme. 85% of children involved in Headstart say they feel less anxious about starting secondary school.

Addressing our climate crisis
Trafford’s Sale Water Park has now opened its state-of-the-art EV charging hub, equipped with 16 ultra-rapid charging bays. The £1million site, installed and maintained by EV charging network Be.EV, is capable of charging 380 cars a day. 

Trafford Council is currently installing new cycleways, pathways, smart traffic lights and upgrades across the borough as part of its commitment to active travel. 
Data on the Council’s own carbon emissions for 2022/23 shows a 5.5% reduction since the previous year and a 22.7% reduction over the last five years. 
The council ran a Green Skills Job Fair, with employers and training providers in the borough’s growing ‘green sector’ showcasing exciting opportunities. Numerous employers showcased careers that support the authority’s environmental goals, which include its net zero carbon emissions target, nature restoration and combating the climate crisis. 

Supporting people out of poverty
Trafford Council and partners developed the Poverty Truth Commission recommendation to develop a Voice of Lived Experience panel. We have used the expertise of the Community Commissioners from the Trafford Poverty Truth Commission to better understand accessibility to participation in leisure activities. 

Trafford’s Welfare Rights Team and Citizens Advice Trafford are working in partnership to develop a referral process for residents who need support for complex welfare rights cases. The Trafford Poverty Action Group members have been working together to better understand where residents can access help with energy costs and access to furniture. 

In relation to housing and homelessness, 141 people have been re-housed from the waiting list, 112 people have been prevented from becoming homeless and 444 new houses have been completed. 

Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, said: 

“The report gives an overview of how well the Council is performing against its corporate priorities and the results speak for themselves. We aim to continue to support people out of poverty, take care of our environment and reduce health inequalities.

“The council has a clear strategic approach and vision for the borough’s residents, businesses and key partners – and I’m proud of the fact that we impact positively on people’s lives in Trafford day in, day out.

“However, we also know that many people are struggling due to the impact of the economy; and we understand poverty and disadvantage cause real harm to our residents especially to their health and wellbeing. I therefore welcome the work being undertaken within our three key areas that is focused directly on providing support and better outcomes for families across all sectors of our borough.”

Cllr Ross added: 

“Later this month we will be launching our new, refreshed, corporate plan which will set out how we, as a Council, will work with partners to continue to support residents, businesses and communities across our borough of Trafford.”