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Performance Improvement Plan 2026/27 - Summary

Contents:

Foreword from David Burns, Chief Executive

On behalf of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, I am pleased to present our Performance Improvement Plan for 2026/27. This plan sets out how we will meet our statutory duty to secure continuous improvement and, above all, how we will deliver the best possible outcomes for the people who live, work in and visit our council area.

Local government continues to face significant challenges, including rising demand, financial pressures and increasing expectations for accessible, responsive services. Against this backdrop, the Council remains determined to deliver value for money, strengthen trust through transparency, and use evidence to target improvement where it will make the greatest difference.

For 2026/27, we have agreed two improvement objectives. First, we will deliver better services that continue to meet people’s needs—improving the customer experience, making services easier to access, and supporting ongoing work to reduce planning processing times. Second, we will support our people to thrive in vibrant communities—working with partners to encourage volunteering, strengthen safety, health and wellbeing, and local resilience. The improvement projects and measures of success set out in this plan show clearly what we will deliver and how progress will be monitored.

Continuous improvement is not a one-off exercise—it is how we plan, manage performance and learn. We will continue to listen to residents, staff and stakeholders, use data to inform decision-making, and collaborate across sectors to deliver sustainable change. We will also keep elected Members informed through regular performance reporting and scrutiny arrangements.

Thank you for taking the time to read this plan. We welcome feedback as we implement the commitments set out here and report on progress through the year. By working together—residents, partners, elected Members and staff—we can continue to improve services and deliver and support better lives for all in 2026/27.

 

David Burns
Chief Executive

Our council area - Lisburn and Castlereagh

Map of Northern Ireland with the Lisburn and Castlereagh area highlighted
 

Lisburn and Castlereagh is one of 11 councils. It includes the larger settlements of Carryduff, Lisburn City and part of Castlereagh.

Facts and figures

Population (2024 estimate):151,669up 9% since 2014 mid-year estimate

7.8% of Northern Ireland population. The 7th largest population of the 11 councils.

Population density (2024 estimate):301.2people per square kilometer.

Approximately 2 times the Northern Ireland average.

Age (2024 estimate):

Age range comparison between all of Northern Ireland and Lisburn and Castlereagh
Age range Northern Ireland Lisburn and Castlereagh
0 to 15 years 20% 20%
16 to 39 years 30% 28%
40 to 64 years 32% 33%
65 and over 18% 19%

Household size (2021 census):

Household size comparison between all of Northern Ireland and Lisburn and Castlereagh
Household size Northern Ireland Lisburn and Castlereagh
1 person 31% 28%
2 people 30% 33%
3 people 16% 16%
4 people 14% 15%
5 or more people 9% 8%

Work and wages (2024):82,000 people employed.
£601 median weekly salary.

Work status of adults (2024):

Work status of adults comparison between all of Northern Ireland and Lisburn and Castlereagh
Work status Northern Ireland Lisburn and Castlereagh
Employed 74% 80%
Unemployed 2% n/a
Inactive 24% 20%

Type of work (2022):

Type of work comparison between all of Northern Ireland and Lisburn and Castlereagh
Type of work Northern Ireland Lisburn and Castlereagh
Construction 5% 6%
Manufacturing 11% 9%
Services 83% 84%
Other 2% 1%

Type of businesses (2023):

Type of businesses comparison between all of Northern Ireland and Lisburn and Castlereagh
Type of business Northern Ireland Lisburn and Castlereagh
Agriculture 24% 12%
Production 14% 14%
Construction 7% 8%
Services 55% 66%

Employees in businesses (2023):

Employees in businesses comparison between all of Northern Ireland and Lisburn and Castlereagh
Number of employees Northern Ireland Lisburn and Castlereagh
0 employees 28% 19%
1-9 employees 61% 69%
10-49 employees 9% 10%
50-249 employees 2% 2%
250 or more employees less than 1% less than 1%

Selected business sectors:Agriculture (2024): 907 farms (3.5% of NI).
1,492 farmers (3.7% of NI). Tourism (2019): 4,817 jobs (6.8% of NI).
109 accommodation establishments (2.3% of NI).

Introduction and context

Why have we a Performance Improvement Plan?

There is a responsibility under Part 12 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 to set improvement objectives and have arrangements in place to secure their achievement. We must meet this.
A number of performance targets are also set by central government departments, in respect of job creation, planning and waste management.

What will our Performance Improvement Plan do?

Our Performance Improvement Plan 2026/27 sets out what we will do in the year ahead to deliver on our statutory responsibility referenced above. These ‘duties’ relate to sections 84(1), 85(2) and 89(5) of the Act, whereby we have to make arrangements to:

  • secure continuous improvement
  • secure achievement of its improvement objectives
  • exercise its functions so that any central government departmental specified standards are met

Specifically, it provides a rationale for why we have chosen our improvement objectives and details the expected outcomes.
Each objective has been framed so as to bring about improvement in at least one of the specified aspects of improvement as defined in Section 86 of the Act:

  • strategic effectiveness
  • service quality
  • service availability
  • fairness
  • sustainability
  • efficiency and innovation

Our Performance Improvement Plan 2026/27 sits within a hierarchy of plans which guide our strategic planning process and drive our service delivery arrangements (figure 1 below).

Figure 1. Strategic planning process

  1. Community Plan and Local Development Plan
  2. Corporate Plan
  3. Investment Plan, Performance Improvement Plan and Council Strategies
  4. Departmental Service Plans
  5. Annual Individual Performance Plans

Agreed Performance Improvement Objectives for 2026/27

There are two Performance Improvement Objectives for 2026/27.

We will:

  • deliver better services that meet people’s needs
  • support our people to thrive in vibrant communities

Why have we chosen these objectives?

These are the same two Performance Improvement Objectives as last year. Previous success with our performance improvement projects for 2025/26 has established the foundation to achieving the longer-term outcomes. These are aligned to the ambitions of the Lisburn and Castlereagh Community Plan.

We launched our new Corporate Plan in April 2024 for the period 2024-2028. This Plan continues its ambition to ensure the supporting and developing of better lives for all. It details success outcomes and has four key themes of:

  • civic leadership
  • people
  • planet
  • prosperity

The performance objectives for the coming period are linked directly to the themes detailed above. The first objective is within the Civic Leadership theme of the Corporate Plan 2024-28, focussing on our internal performance is a priority for the Council. We understand that public services must continuously evolve to stay relevant, responsive, and effective. By focusing on service improvement, we are committing to listening to people, understanding their needs, and designing services that are easy to access, timely, and of high quality.

The second objective is outlined within the People and Prosperity themes of the Corporate Plan 2024-28. Thriving people are at the heart of strong communities. We want everyone to feel supported, connected, and empowered to lead fulfilling lives. This means working collaboratively across sectors and with local people to build inclusive, safe, and resilient places to live and work. By strengthening communities, we strengthen wellbeing, opportunity, and local pride.

We have chosen these two objectives because they reflect what matters most to the people we serve and the vision we have for our communities. These are key areas for the achievement of our vision of achieving better lives for the people who work, live in, or visit the Lisburn and Castlereagh area.

What will the Performance Improvement Plan do?

It will:

  • challenge ourselves on how we can achieve even better outcomes by identifying new improvement objectives and projects
  • build upon the success of 2025/26 by continuing with the delivery of several existing improvement projects

Objective 1:We will deliver better services that continue to meet people’s needs.

We will continue to improve the processing times of planning applications.

Improvement area stipulated in S.84(2) LG Act (NI) 2014:
Strategic Effectiveness, Service Quality, Service Availability, Fairness, Efficiency, Innovation
Corporate Plan 2024-2028 Strategic Theme:
Civic Leadership - Deliver high-quality, cost-effective services that meet people’s needs, making use of new approaches to data-driven decision-making, continual improvement, innovation and performance management.
Community Planning Theme:
Our Community, Where we live, The Economy
Programme for Government:
Prosperity
Continuing or new?
Continuing - the Planning Service Improvement Programme is a 2+ year programme.
Measure of success:

Implementation of the validation checklist by end of Q2

Proportion of invalid applications returned within 5 working days
Q3: 75%, Q4: 90%

Reduce the % of older applications that are more 18 months old (based on 191 older applications as at 31st March 2026 TBC)
Q1: 20%, Q2: 40%, Q3: 70%, Q4: 90%

Local planning applications processed within an average of 22.5 weeks.
Q1: 30, Q2: 27.5, Q3: 22.5, Q4: 20

We will deliver enhanced digitised services.

Improvement area stipulated in S.84(2) LG Act (NI) 2014:
Strategic Effectiveness, Service Quality, Service Availability, Fairness, Efficiency, Innovation
Corporate Plan 2024-2028 Strategic Theme:
Civic Leadership - Further the use of digital technology to improve efficiency and increase access customer access to services.
Community Planning Theme:
Our Community
Programme for Government:
Prosperity
Continuing or new?
New
Measure of success:

Innovation
Enhancement of customer digital platforms to improve customer experience - e.g. digital depot.

  • Q1 Project Implementation Officer in post
  • Q1 Delivery of digital equipment
  • Q2 Implementation of digital depot
  • Q3 Implementation and training of staff
  • Q4 Digital Depot ‘Go Live’

Tourism
Enhance the existing Digital Sculpture Trail App (currently focused on Hillsborough Forest) to cover the wider Royal Hillsborough village, including curated routes, added attractions and visitor information linked to key assets such as Hillsborough Castle. Introduce an incentives/voucher feature with local businesses (attractions, accommodation, eateries) to encourage visitors to spend more time in the village and increase local spend.

Quarterly KPIs (TBC):
Increase in number of downloads

  • Q1: app enhancement procurement stage
  • Q2: 10% increase
  • Q3: 15% increase
  • Q4: 20% increase

Percentage users from Out of State markets

  • Q1: app enhancement procurement stage
  • Q2: 5%
  • Q3: 10%
  • Q4: 15%

Voucher uptake and redemptions

  • Q1: app enhancement procurement stage
  • Q2: 0
  • Q3: 5
  • Q4: 10

We will deliver new improved facilities at Aghalee Sports Pavillion and SEYCON as standard design concepts.

Improvement area stipulated in S.84(2) LG Act (NI) 2014:
Strategic Effectiveness, Service Quality, Service Availability, Fairness, Efficiency, Innovation
Corporate Plan 2024-2028 Strategic Theme:
Prosperity - Continue our capital investment in facilities.
Community Planning Theme:
Our Community, Where we live
Programme for Government:
Prosperity
Continuing or new?
New
Measure of success:

Assets
We will deliver new changing room facilities and accessible public toilets in Aghalee.

  • Q1 Project will be tendered
  • Q2 Tenders returned, evaluated, awarded and commencement on site
  • Q3 On site
  • Q4 Practical completion

We will deliver new changing room facilities at SEYCON.

  • Q1 Preparation of detailed design
  • Q2 Finalising detailed design and tender documents
  • Q3 Project tendered, returned, evaluated, and awarded
  • Q4 Commencement on site

Objective 2:We will support our people to thrive in vibrant communities.

We will launch a volunteering scheme engaging people of all backgrounds and increasing the level of residents who play an active role in civic society.

Improvement area stipulated in S.84(2) LG Act (NI) 2014:
Strategic Effectiveness, Service Quality, Service Availability, Fairness, Efficiency, Innovation
Corporate Plan 2024-2028 Strategic Theme:
People - Promote volunteering and participation in public and community life, developing community ownership and management of local assets and facilities.
Community Planning Theme:
Health & Wellbeing, Our Community
Programme for Government:

People, Prosperity

Continuing or new?
New
Measure of success:

Communities
Volunteering Programme for Community & Voluntary Sector

  • Q1 Development of programme with ‘Volunteer Now’ & Community Planning partners
  • Q2 Supporting the recruitment of volunteers in the Community & Voluntary sector
  • Q3 Training of volunteers through a capacity building programme
  • Q4 Host a volunteering & community benefit roadshow celebrating volunteering & showcasing opportunities within our communities

HR&OD
Volunteering Scheme for Staff

  • Q3 Implement staff volunteering scheme (by end of Q3)
  • Q4 Baseline participation in volunteering scheme (by end of Q4)

Our communities have engaged with expanded Council-supported safety initiatives which protect the most vulnerable in our society.

Improvement area stipulated in S.84(2) LG Act (NI) 2014:
Strategic Effectiveness, Service Quality, Service Availability, Fairness, Efficiency, Innovation
Corporate Plan 2024-2028 Strategic Theme:
People - Work with partners to build the capacity of community groups and sports clubs to attract more people of all ages to participate in community life
Community Planning Theme:
Health & Wellbeing, Our Community
Programme for Government:

People

Continuing or new?
New
Measure of success:

Communities
EVAWG (ending violence against women and girls) initiatives.

  • Q1 Design & develop programme
  • Q2 Launch programme
  • Q3 Implementation of programme
  • Q4 Review & monitoring

Sport Services
Defib provision and training provided to community hubs.

  • Q1 Develop programme
  • Q2 Launch, advertise & assess need
  • Q3 Implementation of programme
  • Q4 Training provided & roll out of defibs

We will provide additional opportunities and widen the Health & Wellbeing programme through the PARS initiative.

Improvement area stipulated in S.84(2) LG Act (NI) 2014:
Strategic Effectiveness, Service Quality, Service Availability, Fairness, Efficiency, Innovation
Corporate Plan 2024-2028 Strategic Theme:

People - Work collaboratively to ensure the sustaining of good physical and mental health, being proactive in our roles to protect the vulnerable in our community

Community Planning Theme:

Health & Wellbeing, Our Community

Programme for Government:

People

Continuing or new?
New
Measure of success:

Sport Services
PARS Programme

  • Q1 Identify additional opportunities
  • Q2 Promotion and awareness of PARS
  • Q3 Practical implementation
  • Q4 Evaluation (testimonies)

We will engage with community groups to improve community resilience across the Council area.

Improvement area stipulated in S.84(2) LG Act (NI) 2014:
Strategic Effectiveness, Service Quality, Service Availability, Fairness, Efficiency, Innovation, Sustainability
Corporate Plan 2024-2028 Strategic Theme:

Civic Leadership - Be resilient in emergency situations, providing leadership for our community

Planet - Sustainability

Community Planning Theme:
Our Community, Where we live
Programme for Government:

People

Continuing or new?
New
Measure of success:

Environmental Health
Emergency planning - building resilient communities (Dundonald / Anahilt)

Building capacity within these communities to respond to emergencies.

  • Installation of community support facility to enable communities to be first responders
  • Work in partnership with our statutory partners eg DfI rivers to increase resilience of local community