Newport is a growing and fast-changing city. We have an ambitious and positive set of priorities to deliver for our city and residents, supporting growth in many ways. Doing our best for our residents is at the heart of what we do.
Our mission is to Improve Peoples’ Lives and drives everything we strive to achieve. Our values are to be courageous, positive and responsible.
We have developed real clarity around our priorities for the foreseeable future which focus on us Building on Success and Building a Better Newport.
The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly challenged our approaches in a way never experienced before, but a clear set of recovery aims was agreed, setting out how we are revising and redefining our priorities to meet the most current of challenges.
At the heart of our plans is a determination to challenge ourselves to become better and build an adaptable organisation founded on modern working practices, while continuing to deliver excellent services for our residents.
Corporate plan
The Corporate Plan was approved by full council in 2017 and provides the central framework for the council. A new Corporate Plan will be in place by next summer, so the new senior management team will play a major role in shaping this key document.
The Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015 also guides us in our work – considering the long-term impact of our decisions, how we can work better with people, communities and each other, and how we can prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change.
Budget and performance
The council’s Cabinet approved the budget for 22/2023 after fully consulting in an open and transparent way with its residents, members, staff and stakeholders.
A positive settlement from Welsh Government went some way in giving Newport the flexibility to invest in council priorities and to respond to the results of the public consultation.
However, savings of more than £35 million have been made over the previous five years.
Resilient communities
Another thread which runs throughout our vision and priorities, is creating resilient communities. This means working with the community and a range of organisations to identify assets and needs, developing a targeted, preventative place-based approach with local communities that considers the long term, and empowering local people to lead and develop their local community.
Regional player
Our positioning as a local authority is strategic in its outlook – we are key players in the Cardiff Capital Region and Western Gateway economic partnership – both of which demonstrate our intentions to raise the profile and economic success of the city.
Newport is also part of the recently formed Gwent Public Services Board (PSB). The driver for change to a regional approach is to improve the well-being of people across the former Gwent region by strengthening governance, accountability, improving collaborative working and supporting a clearer partnership landscape.
Regeneration
Newport is undergoing one of the largest regeneration programmes in the UK, at the heart is a vision to create a revitalised and vibrant city with a strong independent identity.
Projects including a new railway station, world-class award-winning university campus, state-of-the-art business premises, riverfront housing developments, iconic architecture - including the recent refurbishment of Newport Market - and modern Friars Walk Shopping Centre, have already been successfully delivered.
Many more, such as a £20million leisure facility are underway. But our ambitions do not end there – we are currently seeking funding to help transform the norther gateway of the city.
Sustainability
We have made an ambitious commitment to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 and are delivering on our duty to promote sustainability across the city.
In our full council meeting in November we declared an ecological and climate emergency. The council recognises that climate change is one of the defining issues of our generation, one that needs all of us working together to tackle it.
Among other achievements, we have trebled our active travel network since 2014 and launched Wales’ first fully electric refuse collection vehicle.