BMBC 21: Barnsleys Local Area Agreement 2008-2011

The priorities for improvement are:• Employment rate,• Worklessness, in particular Incapacity Benefit Claimants,• Increase productivity/ innovation/ research and development/skills,• Business start up and survival,• Focus on growth sectors.Meeting Local Transport NeedsThis outcome is central to the sustainability of the Borough given itsposition within the Sheffield and Leeds City Regions and theLeeds/Sheffield/Manchester ‘golden triangle’. By 2050 the vision forthe City Region is to have created a pivotal international businesslocation and one of the most successful city regions in the North ofEngland.However, meeting local transport needs is not just about economicgrowth - how people get around and access services affects everyone’squality of life whether they are getting to work or just doing theshopping. Economic growth can and does have negative effects too.Increasing car ownership and a decline in public transport usage hasadverse effects on the wear and tear on roads, air quality, energyconsumption and road safety. Therefore the transport agenda facessomething of a significant challenge and something of a dichotomy –from improving and increasing transport infrastructure to sustaineconomic growth on the one hand, whilst working hard to minimise theimpact on the environment on the other.The priorities for improvement for this outcome over the next 3 yearsalign very closely to the South Yorkshire Second Local Transport Planand consist of-:• Tackling congestion• Improving accessibility• Improving economic linkages• Improving public transportBuilding the Barnsley BrandAlongside the drive for improvement in the performance of publicservices, recognition has grown of the importance of public satisfactionas a measure of agencies’ performance. It is now acknowledged thatthe customer’s or citizen’s experience in contacting or dealing with aservice provider can be as important in determining their satisfactionwith the agency as the level or quality of the actual service ultimatelydelivered. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act2007 sets out a series of new duties to enable effective local services,to create better places and have more robust governancearrangements that achieve higher levels of satisfaction from customers.This is the product of the fact that whilst Local Government25Barnsley’s Outcomes Framework Barnsley’s Local Area Agreement 2008-11