Performance - How we are performing

We measure and report on our corporate performance in the following ways.

Corporate Plan 2020-2024

The council’s Corporate Plan was adopted in February 2020. It sets out the council’s aims and priorities, and provides an explanation of the council’s thinking and the key actions it will deliver on these priorities. The Corporate Plan has four themes: Homes, Environment, Economy, and Community. Climate Change is a cross cutting theme of the Plan.

Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic the council conducted a Mid-Point review of the Corporate Plan in April 2022. This found that elements of the Plan were no longer deliverable within the timescales of the Plan.

The council produces an annual report on how well it has delivered its Corporate Plan. This report is discussed by Elected Members at both Audit Committee and at a Cabinet meeting. We also report on progress every three months, with the most recent quarterly report for the period October to December 2023. You can find out more information about these reports and listen to recordings of the committee meetings by visiting our Meetings page.

Performance Dashboards

The council also presents performance information through its Performance Dashboards.  These are designed to present information on performance, finance and risk all on one page. We have created at least one dashboard for each Policy Development Group (Community, Economy, Environment, Homes), a dashboard for Planning, and one for corporate performance.

Residents' Survey

At the end of 2023 we carried out a Residents' Survey open to all residents in Mid Devon (self selecting sample). The survey was distributed via a wide range of means including: Local press; social media; parish councils; and posters across the district. More than 1,600 people replied, and some headline findings were that:

• 74% of residents are very or fairly satisfied with their local area as a place to live
• 41% of residents are very or fairly satisfied with the way the council runs things
• 36% strongly agree or tend to agree MDDC provides value for money.
• 40% trust the council a fair amount or a great deal

Corporate Peer Challenge

In March 2022, we invited an external team from other local councils to Mid Devon to investigate, explore and analyse the way we operate. This review was headed by the Local Government Association as part of their sector-led improvement programme and is something that all councils participate in every 4-5 years.

The headline finding from the Peer Challenge was:

Mid Devon District Council (MDDC) is a good council. It has shown real leadership of place and should be proud of the way it has supported residents and businesses throughout the last two years in responding to the pandemic. The council is well aware of the set of new challenges it faces as we learn to live with covid, challenges such as workforce availability, material supply, inflationary pressures, and an unequal recovery across sectors and is actively looking for solutions. The council is also clear that there will be no going back to the pre pandemic normal – even if this was something to be desired, and that its plans and priorities need to be reset to reflect this. 

We have a designated webpage on the Corporate Peer Challenge. This includes background to the Peer Challenge, the initial feedback report, action plan, and progress updates.