Improved outcomes are being delivered for residents in South Tyneside despite unprecedented cuts in funding from national government, councillors will be told.
The latest Annual Report will be presented to South Tyneside Borough Council next week when councillors will be told that considerable progress is being made in securing its vision for the Borough to become an outstanding place in which to live, invest and bring up families.
The report highlights that the South Shields 365 regeneration masterplan has seen the transformation of the world-famous Ocean Road, improvements to the Market Place and the construction of the new cultural attraction, The Word, the National Centre for the Written Word.
The mission to support people to access skills and jobs is paying dividends as the employment rate in the Borough is now at its highest in ten years. The report shows that 12,430 apprenticeships have been created since 2010. The Holborn Riverside Development and the International Advanced Manufacturing Park secured Enterprise Zone status which brings special financial incentives, enabling the sites to attract private investment and create thousands of new jobs.
The Annual Report 2015-2016 reveals that a record-breaking 5.8 million visitors came to the Borough in 2015 with the South Tyneside Summer Festival attracting more than 130,000 visitors.
The Borough also saw the opening of Hebburn Central which went on to receive national recognition with an award for community impact and engagement.
Councillors will be told that £243 million has been invested in upgrading council houses to Decent Homes standard and several major transport projects to the tune of £140 million have been progressed.
The report outlines that South Tyneside Council is ranked best in the country for 91 per cent take-up of the early education offer while it features in the top 20 authorities nationally for primary and secondary school Ofsted performance.
Councillor Alan Kerr, who has responsibility for policy and performance, said: “Despite making £126 million of efficiencies since 2010, this report clearly shows that our ambition to make South Tyneside an outstanding place in which to live and invest is clearly paying dividends.
“In spite of the funding challenges we face, our appetite for innovation remains strong and we are making progress towards making our vision for South Tyneside a reality.”
The report will be presented to the Borough Council next Thursday (28 July).