Councillor Ann McLachlan introduced a report that provided Cabinet Members with the opportunity to review the progress of the delivery of the Wirral Plan. The Wirral Plan had been agreed at a meeting of the Council in July 2015, and had created a long term vision for the borough and a series of 20 Pledges which it was intended would be delivered by 2020.

The report provided a progress update on the delivery of the Wirral Plan for the 20 Pledges. It focused on key activities carried out in Quarter 1 (April to June 2016) and the progress being made. More detailed performance data and information relating to all Pledges would be reported to the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees. The performance of the Wirral Plan would also be monitored by the Wirral Plan Partnership Delivery Group.

Delivery of the Wirral Plan was driven by all partners working together with residents to make a difference. Councillor Ann McLachlan was pleased to report the following points providing examples of where interventions and work commissioned towards the 20 Pledges was driving improvements in the lives of Wirral residents:

·  Tackling the problem residents faced in finding appropriate housing was a key goal of the Wirral Plan. The Council was on track to achieve its target of bringing 1,250 empty properties back into use by 2020 and currently, 388 empty properties had been identified, improved and brought back into use. 760 other properties had also been adapted or improved to help vulnerable people live with greater independence.

·  There had been a 9.5% increase in the number of people with disabilities in employment since the Wirral Plan was agreed.

·  There were greater job opportunities for Wirral residents being delivered with an increase in the employment rate of 3% compared to the start of the Wirral Plan, and an increase in the number of new jobs created compared to the same period last year.

·  Wirral also remained the fastest growing tourism economy in Merseyside with an 8% increase in visitor numbers resulting in an additional £31million being spent in our visitor economy compared to the previous year.

·  Progress was being made in ensuring Wirral’s neighbourhoods were safer, with a 2% reduction in the total number of crimes compared to this time last year.

·  Reports of anti-social behaviour were declining with a 13% reduction in the number of incidents reported to the police compared to the same  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39