Draft Performance Improvement Objectives and Actions 2025-26

We will continue to adapt and improve our services to better meet the needs of our residents and stakeholders.

Indicative Actions

• Deliver the Customer Focus Programme to build organisational capacity to enhance our services and customer experience.
• Continue to deliver the Planning Service Improvement Plan.
• Deliver a street cleansing programme to create a cleaner and greener city.
• Operate daily bin collections of household and commercial waste through the deployment of adequate and efficient resources.
• Deliver phase two of the kerbside glass expansion programme to enhance customer service and improve recycling rates.
• Initiate the development of an overarching Asset Management Strategy to set out how Council owned and managed land and property assets will be used to support service delivery and the delivery of objectives in the Corporate Plan and the Belfast Agenda.

We will improve our local areas and provide opportunities to support our residents to become healthier and engaged.

Indicative Actions

• Enhance our playgrounds, to ensure that we continue to provide high quality facilities and equipment across the city.
• Increase the number of people using our leisure centres, to participate in sport and physical activity.
• Deliver animation and outreach activities in community, play and leisure development programmes.
• Deliver and facilitate a range of events and community programmes within our parks and open spaces.
• Deliver improvements to parks and open spaces to improve people’s health and wellbeing through multimillion pound transformational schemes.
• Progress the development of capital projects aligned to the Physical Activity and Sports Development Strategy and Pitches Strategy to enhance the quality and accessibility of sports and physical activity provision in Belfast.

We will create a more vibrant, attractive, and connected city (including the city centre).

Indicative Actions 

• Continue to deliver the Vacant to Vibrant Programme 2025-26 to address city centre vacancy rates.
• Deliver the Greenways Programme to improve the connectivity of the city.
• Progress the development and delivery of the Council’s Physical Programme to enable needs led investment across the city.
• Support and progress the delivery of neighbourhood tourism physical projects, improving the city’s local tourism facilities and infrastructure. 
• Progress infrastructure works at the North Foreshore to support the development of the site.
• Work with the developer on emerging development specifications for the 250-acre Giant’s Park site as set out in the Master Development Agreement

We will champion climate action; protect the environment and improve the sustainability of Belfast.

Indicative Actions 

Progress the planet section of the Belfast Agenda, which aims to create a sustainable, nature positive city, including:

• Develop a pipeline of investable local energy projects arising from the Local Area Energy Plan, with a focus on a head network and solar PV.    
• Develop a demonstrator site in Botanic Gardens and test nature-based solutions through the UPSURGE project to strengthen climate resilience   
• Complete the Horizon Europe funded UP2030 project which aims to embed net zero in urban planning.
• Support the development of a neighbourhood retrofit pilot (led by social housing providers) through the Belfast Retrofit Delivery Hub.

Commence delivery of the Council Corporate Climate Action Plan to increase the climate resilience of Council assets and services and progress towards Council net zero emissions, including:   

• Develop a Sustainable Food Policy for the Council that addresses waste, sourcing, packaging, emissions and an events protocol. 
• Complete energy audits of 5 Council buildings (4x leisure centres (Andersonstown LC, Lisnasharragh LC, Templemore Av LC, Brook LC) and the Waterfront Hall). 
• Launch a phased metering and retrofitting programme across the Council’s top energy users based on the findings of the building level audits of Adelaide, Cecil Ward, City Hall and Duncrue.
• Launch a Climate Data Platform.
• Prepare Climate Mitigation Report (Oct 2025) and Climate Adaptation report (March 2026) for submission to DAERA in line with Public Body Reporting requirements.

Deliver an effective waste management service across the city.

Deliver year three of the Belfast Tree Strategy and action plan to help manage and improve the tree scape across the city.

We will stimulate inclusive growth and innovation, help businesses to start-up and grow and create opportunities for more and better jobs and employment.

Indicative Actions

• Work with the Enterprise Support Service to deliver ‘Go Succeed’ to increase the number of new business starts.
• Deliver employment and upskilling academies in priority sectors in line with industry demand.
• Deliver the Smart Belfast urban innovation programme to enhance Belfast’s capacity for collaborative innovation.
• Deliver an enhanced Learning City Festival to promote and encourage lifelong learning for people of all ages across Belfast.
• Extend the delivery of Belfast Business Promise (BBP) initiative to support the provision of good jobs and a sustainable local economy.
• Support our suppliers by helping business cashflow through the prompt payment of invoices.

We will support our most vulnerable people to make Belfast a more caring, safe, and inclusive city.

Indicative Actions

• Deliver local community actions plans as part of the Peace PLUS programme, to fund community activities and infrastructure project that help build peace and reconciliation in Belfast.
• Establish an Anti-Poverty Network in Belfast to support and facilitate a co-ordinated approach to tackling poverty across the city.
• Extend delivery of the Hardship Programme to ensure that support is available for those most impacted by poverty and the cost-of-living crisis.
• Deliver a programme to help end violence against women and girls.
• Progress delivery of up to 5 capital projects across the city as part of the PEACE PLUS Local Action Plan to promote inclusive and shared spaces across Belfast.