Our focus for improving our organisation is planned around four themes:

• Customer Service: To set clear standards of service that are delivered consistently, efficiently and in a manner where the experience for the customer is good.

• People and Performance: To develop staff to achieve their and the Council’s overall objectives to give better value and service to the taxpayer.

• Communications, Marketing and Community Engagement: To ensure that all staff and citizens understand all that the Council delivers, what it is trying to achieve and from that understanding have the opportunity to influence, change and participate in the actions and services that affect their quality of life.

• Innovation and Efficiency: To look for more efficient ways of delivering effective services. We need to develop new processes, working with different partners to meet future needs and challenges.

Highlights from 2010/11

- Reorganised our workforce, working methods and structure to ensure that we provide best value for money.

- Improved access to Council services by providing a point of contact at Halstead library.  Working with ECC to provide access to Council services has saved us £30,000 on our area office costs.

- Improved access to benefits service by implementing an online system to allow customers to apply for benefits.

These savings have meant we have been able to freeze Council Tax for this and next year and freeze car parking prices in all our car parks – helping the district’s residents and encouraging shoppers and visitors to our towns.