Ceredigion County Council website

Ceredigion’s self-assessment is linked to the Council’s continuous improvement cycle of corporate planning and performance management arrangements, which uses evidence-based assessment, external reviews and stakeholder involvement to inform these processes. 

The report outlines the excellent results, and the improvements made year on year, learning from experience and the inclusion of valued input by members of the public through consultation and engagement highlighting what’s important to them and ensuring that this is reflected in the aims and goals of the Council.

For example, a stakeholder survey of Ceredigion residents and businesses held between June and August 2023 told us that 90% agreed or strongly agreed that creating job opportunities and apprenticeships for young people is important. 82% agreed or strongly agreed that it is important to prioritise locally sourced produce and supply chains and 86% agreed or strongly agreed that it is important that local people are able to buy homes or live locally. 

There has been a strong focus on addressing such matters by Ceredigion with progress made on the £110, Mid Wales Growth Deal; further development of apprenticeships in the County; prioritising locally sourced produce; and the introduction of the shared equity Community Housing Scheme to name but a few.  A detailed report of the findings and actions taken are included in the annual review.

The review also includes details of how the council has performed against its Corporate Well-being objectives, agreed in 2022, namely:

• Boosting the Economy, Supporting Businesses and enabling Employment
• Creating Caring and Healthy Communities
• Providing the Best Start in Life and Enabling Learning at All ages
• Creating Sustainable, Green and Well-connected Communities

The self-assessment report highlights the key achievements against each of the objectives, examples of which include:

• £10.9m of capital funding secured through the Levelling up Fund 2022-25
• £42.2m approved for the Mid Wales region’s application to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund
• 111 businesses supported across Ceredigion, and 38 new businesses supported
• 703 eligible unpaid carers received £500 carers support payments
• 13,188 attendees at health intervention programmes
• 510,711 attendees to physical activity programmes supported or delivered by the Well-being Centre
• 1,722 Ceredigion residents participated in the National Exercise referral Scheme
• 380 young people engaged in after-school activities provided by the Youth Service
• 8,620 public access computer sessions used across all libraries
• 93.2% of Year 13 school leavers are in education, training or employment which is above the national average of 92.2%
• 72% of waste was recycled, composted or reused during the twelve months to December 2023
• 3.8m kilowatt hours of renewable energy was generated by council assets, an increase from 1.8 hours in the previous year
• A 41% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions since 2005
• 156 dwellings improved through Disabled Facilities Grants at a total value of £960,600 

Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of the Council said: “I am pleased to report the excellent progress made in terms of delivering our commitments set out in the Corporate Strategy and Well-being Objectives. This is another excellent result not only for our dedicated Officers who have exceeded the ambitious targets set in such a difficult financial climate, but also for our residents, who benefit directly from the services provided.”