URL: https://councillors.knowsley.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=8035

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Purpose: The Knowsley Council Plan 2025-2030 was agreed by the Council on 5 March 2025. The ‘Plan’ includes an Annual Delivery Plan which is monitored throughout the year, and this plan is fully refreshed on an annual basis. The Council Plan is included in the Council’s Policy Framework and underpins departmental and service planning, helping to ensure that service delivery is clearly aligned to the delivery of the Council’s priorities, and that resources are directed to these areas as part of the Council’s approach to budget and service planning.  

Content: The Knowsley Council Plan 2025-2030 was agreed by the Council on 5 March 2025. The ‘Plan’ includes an Annual Delivery Plan which is monitored throughout the year, and this plan is fully refreshed on an annual basis. The Council Plan is included in the Council’s Policy Framework and underpins departmental and service planning, helping to ensure that service delivery is clearly aligned to the delivery of the Council’s priorities, and that resources are directed to these areas as part of the Council’s approach to budget and service planning.   The Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive, which sought  endorsement of the Annual Delivery Plan for 2026/27 prior to its submission for approval at the full meeting of the Council on 4 March 2026.   Councillor G Morgan, Leader of the Council, stated that:-   “In March 2025 we agreed the new Knowsley Council Plan which sets out our three key priorities to be addressed over a five-year period.  These priorities remain relevant and therefore are unchanged. The report before you today set out the actions that we will undertake over the next year to deliver those priorities.   We will continue to deliver effective and high-quality services, we will do all that we can to encourage growth that benefits everyone, ensuring our communities and town centres can flourish, and we will continue to deliver targeted support to encourage fairness and opportunity for those residents facing the biggest challenges. In particular, the Council remains firmly focused on delivering actions to improve Children’s Social Care and Special Educational Needs and Disability services.   I am incredibly proud of the work that we do to provide high quality services to our communities, and to protect those who most need our support but as I always say we are never complacent, we know that there is much work to be done, and the report before you today includes actions that will provide a clear focus for us over the next 12 months.   The delivery of these actions will be kept under regular scrutiny by us as Cabinet members.”   Councillor Mrs D Arnall, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, stated:-   “As we look forward to 2026-27, I am delighted to see that our Council Plan report acknowledges the fantastic achievements in Adult Social Care over the course of the last twelve months, including our ‘Good’ rating by the Care Quality Commission. This plan seeks to build on our successes in order to further strengthen our offer to Knowsley residents.    In Adult Social Care, we will continue to reduce wait times for Occupational Therapy Services, increase the availability of nursing provision locally, and further improve the respite offer for our carers.   We will embed our new care management service structure, which ensures that our staff are supported to progress in their roles, helping us to retain our valued workforce, and ensuring we can respond to demand and provide the very best care and support possible to adults in Knowsley when they need us most.   We will also review our Community Integrated Response Services this year to ensure we are well positioned to support the Adult Social Care Front Door, prevent avoidable admissions to hospital, facilitate timely and effective discharge, and contribute to the development of integrated neighbourhood teams and integrated intermediate care services. And finally, we will continue to work with and support the local care market in Knowsley, to ensure that we can continue to ensure sufficiency of good quality, diverse and sustainable care and support services that meets the needs of our residents.   Councillor Mrs S Powell, Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods, stated:-   “I’m very proud of what we have achieved to date, and I’ll highlight a few priorities for the future. Since the Council's Climate Emergency declaration in January 2020, great progress has been made on the journey to Net Zero by 2040. As colleagues will be aware, a new Net Zero Delivery Plan for the next five years has been approved by the Council and sets out a range of actions covering buildings, transport, clean energy and the natural environment.   The actions in the report, including the decarbonisation of Council buildings and services, and working with the Combined Authority to install over 300 electric vehicle charge points across 167 locations, clearly set out the steps the Council will take to meet its Net Zero 2040 target and build on the success to date.   With regards to waste, preparations for our new food waste service are well underway.  We have taken delivery of 9 new food waste collection vehicles and work begins shortly to start assembling the household caddy packs.  These will be delivered to every household and will include all of the information that our residents will need to participate in this fantastic new service starting in Spring. In addition, our residents will also be able to recycle more items in their existing grey bin, things like yoghurt pots, aerosols, tubs and trays will also be included in the accepted items.  To ensure that Knowsley is prepared for the changes our Recycling Engagement team have been out and about delivering Recycling Roadshows across the borough, with over 60 planned roadshows everyone will have an opportunity to learn more about how to recycle more and recycle right.    As colleagues will be aware, our work on culture is hugely important and we have secured £650,000 from Arts Council England to deliver an exciting project for children and young people working with Heart of Glass, Shakespeare North Playhouse, Kirkby Gallery, MAKE CIC and Adlib.  The programme aims to empower young voices, grow local talent and transform creative futures across Knowsley. The collective aim is to grow a younger, more diverse and ambitious cultural scene and improve pathways towards careers in the creative industries. Our residents can expect to see many more events and activities for children and young people during the year.    And finally, the report sets out our commitment to community safety . We will develop and implement a new Connecting Communities Plan and continue to improve Domestic Abuse support including a new violence against women and girls plan to protect women and girls. We will continue to work with our Knowsley Better Together partners to ensure a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime in all its forms. Domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour have a profound impact on individuals, families and communities. This Council is committed to working with our partners to provide the right support, strengthen early intervention and ensure Knowsley remains a safe and supportive place for everyone.   Councillor D Lonergan, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, stated:-   “I’m pleased to highlight some key areas in the Children’s Services element of the Annual Delivery Plan for 2026/27. Our plan sets out a clear and ambitious programme of work focused on strengthening children’s social care, meeting national reform requirements, and continuing our improvement journey.  This includes ensuring risks to children are consistently identified and addressed, raising the quality of core social work practice, and supporting the recruitment and retention of a skilled and stable workforce.    Alongside this, we are driving forward our SEND improvement programme, embedding a more inclusive culture across schools, expanding specialist places, and improving outcomes through strengthened partnership arrangements and delivery of agreed actions.   We are also committed to expanding our Start for Life offer, continuing the rollout of the Family Hubs approach so every child has the best opportunities from birth. Finally, our focus on educational attainment remains central, with targeted action through the School Attendance Governance Group to improve attendance and support better outcomes for children and young people across the borough.   This delivery plan reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting, supporting, and empowering children and families and I am delighted that once again, Children’s Services has been highlighted as the Council’s number one priority.”   Councillor Mrs C Bannon, Cabinet Member for Health, stated:-   “The Council is looking forward to building on the successes of the past year in tackling health inequalities, including improved breastfeeding rates, more people accessing drugs and alcohol support, and a reduction in the number of smokers. Over the coming year, a range of programmes will be implemented to improve the health of people who live and work in Knowsley, from the youngest to the oldest.   These include the ongoing development of the Knowsley Place Partnership with Sport England to support people to be more active. This is going to focus on healthy weight in children through active lifestyles, and on women and girls.   The Healthy Schools Programme is also going to continue to expand. The Council will be supporting more schools to adopt the Schools Pledge and to increase the free school meal offer. The programme will also be extended to children’s mental health and wellbeing.   In addition, the public health team will be supporting NHS partners in the prevention, detection and management of long-term conditions. An example of this is the development and implementation of a new Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Plan for the Borough.   Fewer people take up the offer of screening and vaccination programmes in Knowsley, compared with other Places in Cheshire and Merseyside. The public health team will continue to provide leadership to the local system to understand the barriers, and to develop and implement initiatives which aim to improve uptake.   The coming year is also going to see the ongoing implementation of  the new tobacco control strategy including the introduction of Public Space Protection Orders. The Combating Drugs Partnership, led by the Council, will build upon their success and work to further improve access to treatment for those who need it. It will also aim to protect children and young people from the harms of drugs and alcohol, including through tackling ketamine use.   The Working Well programme which supports employers to provide healthy workplaces is also going to be expanded.   Finally, implementation of the five-year Healthier Weight Strategy will aim to increase the number of people in the Borough with a healthy weight, with a particular focus on children.  From 1 April, the Early Years Award Scheme will be introduced to ensure all early year’s settings are actively supporting young children’s healthy eating and physical activity.”   Councillor T Brennan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Members for Regeneration and Economic Development, stated:-   “For Regeneration & Economic Development Portfolio the focus and priorities for this coming year are very much centred on us continuing to build on the successes we have had to date to help drive growth and prosperity and provide our residents with the skills and opportunities so they can maximise their potential to thrive.   We will have a strong focus on supporting our residents, especially those at risk of Homelessness to access appropriate housing aligned to their needs, our well embedded strategy and approach to the delivery and provision of temporary accommodation is working well, so much so I am really pleased to be able to report that over Christmas we did not have to rely on Hotel or Bed and Breakfast accommodation as we were able to place everyone who needed support into our dispersed accommodation.  Whilst undoubtably this was a huge achievement it is not job done and we are continuing to see increasing pressures on the need for temporary accommodation. Needless to say, therefore ensuring access to appropriate and good quality temporary accommodation remains very much a priority for us over the next 12 months and we will continue to expand our offer.   Just under 4 months ago the Council approved Knowsley’s new Economic Plan for the period through to 2030, the delivery of our ambitions within this plan will be a key priority for the Portfolio moving forward, in particular we will work with our partners so as to not only raise awareness of the job and career opportunities available but to ensure that our residents are best equipped and supported to access such.   The way the Combined Authority  and City Region is now funded is changing with the introduction of the Integrated Settlement meaning as a City Region we have far more influence as to what funding is allocated to what priorities, with this is mind Knowsley will play a lead role in working with the LCR Combined Authority and colleagues from local authorities from across the City Region to define the type, nature, extent and funding envelope for both Business support and Employment support moving forward so as to ensure our businesses are best supported to prosper and create employment opportunities whilst residents are supported to progress and develop into and in work.   Over the last 10 years, the Borough’s physical growth and development have served Knowsley well, with an improved and varied housing offer, together with the delivery of much needed affordable housing and a resurgence of our town centres, not to mention new job creation and increased revenue streams to support essential council services. It is essential that we continue in this vein and that in doing so we ensure it’s done in a planned and coherent manner. In this regard, 2026 will see us embark on the development of a new local plan for Knowsley, a plan which will shape and inform future development opportunities whilst at the same time help us prevent inappropriate and unsustainable development.   We are continuing with the delivery of our ambitions for our town centres with a diversification of their offer, through the developing of leisure and evening economy uses alongside expansion of traditional retail offerings. In this regard, I am pleased to be able to advise that earlier today, Planning Permission was formally granted for the next phase of Kirkby’s retail expansion, meaning that works will commence on site in the coming weeks to deliver a new LIDL supermarket. The Regeneration Portfolio has much to be proud of and has a clear focus for its priorities over the coming 12 months,  priorities that will deliver real change and help improve residents’ lives.”               Councillor Mrs J Lonergan, Cabinet Member for Resources, stated:-   “I am pleased to support the proposed key areas of work contained within this delivery plan for the resource’s portfolio. All of our key areas of work are aligned to the 3 key priorities outlined in our council plan, and the services within my portfolio area play an important role in supporting the delivery of key services across the Council.     The plan includes key specific actions for the services under my portfolio over the next year to improve our services and support residents.    Elsewhere on this agenda we have the proposed budget package for 2026/27 and as in previous years we will be working hard to return a balanced budget position for next year.  This won’t be easy due to the risks that we are facing but our robust and forensic approach that has recently been recognised by both the external auditor and the corporate peer challenge will put us in the best place possible to achieve this Likewise, we have already started work on developing the next medium term financial plan that will support the development of the two-year budget for 2027/28 and 2028/29.  We are well placed due to all our hard work in recent years to deliver on this and support our residents.   We have reported throughout the year that the transformation of the exchequer service continues at pace, and the results are there for all to see.  Our collection rate is 4% higher than this time last year and we are making it easier to support our residents in paying their bills.  Most significantly, during the next year we will introduce our new Council Tax Reduction Scheme that will see up to a total of half a million pounds extra being in the pockets of those residents who need it most.  This scheme has been fundamentally reviewed by this council and will make a real difference.   To further increase this support to Knowsley residents we will also introduce the government’s new crisis and resilience fund. Whilst these measures will directly support residents who need our support the most, we are also starting to work on a number of key areas that that will inform how our organisation operates.   We have a new asset management strategy on today’s agenda that will help us ensure that we use our assets for the maximum benefit of residents and that we get value for money out of them.  We are also continuing on our AI journey- we hope that this will enable us to support residents better and respond quicker,  and where our demand is highest and will continue to rise, help us to meet this demand with a reduced level of further investment.   All of this work will continue at pace, but I want to reassure members that alongside this, as with all areas of this Council our number 1 priority remains support to children’s services and the delivery of the improvement plan. The Council is entering an exciting new phase, and all of this activity is being brought together in this delivery plan and our new transformation plan within the resource’s portfolio   In conclusion, Councillor G Morgan, Leader of the Council, stated:-   “I am confident that, with the support of you all, this Council will continue to deliver the ambitious plans it has for Knowsley. The delivery plan sets out what we will do to help ensure that Knowsley remains a place where people want to live, work and visit.  It also sets out our commitment to doing all that we can to reduce inequalities so that everyone can share in the Borough’s success.   However, it is important to recognise that many of these challenges will not be achievable by the Council acting on its own, but instead through the Authority playing its “place leader” role effectively in partnership with other agencies, businesses, and local communities. With that in mind, I am happy to propose the recommendations in the report.”               RESOLVED – That:-   (i)         the Annual Delivery Plan 2026/27 (as attached at Appendix A to this report) be endorsed; and,   (ii)        the delivery plan be recommended for approval at the full meeting of the Council on 4 March 2026.  

Date of Decision: February 11, 2026