Luton in 2011

Working with our partners on the Luton Forum we consulted over 2000 local people about their priorities, and jointly agreed the Community Plan for Luton. 

Luton 2011 is our contribution towards meeting local people's priorities, and achieving the goals we set out in the Community Plan, available to download below. We have set challenging targets to achieve by 2011. We have also described the long term corporate values which will guide our approach to achieving the targets. These targets and values, listed below, are used to guide our strategic planning, and the allocation of resources:

Targets for 2011

Deprivation

• all wards will improve rating in Government deprivation indices
• no ward will be in the 10% most deprived wards in England
• we will bring at least 60 long-term empty houses back into occupation each year
• we will eliminate the use of bed and breakfast accommodation in housing the homeless, except for short-term emergencies

Regeneration

• employment level to be above the East of England average
• full implementation of the Town Centre Master Plan
• to increase job density substantially
  Job density is the number of filled jobs in an area divided by the working age population resident in that area

Education

• educational achievement levels at all stages to be above the national average
• work with Learning and Skills Council, colleges and Connexions to increase the percentage of the Luton workforce who are vocationally qualified to at least NVQ2 or equivalent
• in 2011, 40% of the population will have a library card that they use on a regular basis
• increase community use of school facilities

Crime

• Luton residents to have less fear of crime than three quarters of similar urban areas in England
• achieve a substantial reduction in residents' concern about anti-social behaviour
• reduce the number of young people who are victims of crime

Environment

• over 75% of the people of Luton to be satisfied with each of the following:
  - street cleansing
  - parks and open spaces
  -  abandoned vehicles
  -  noise
  -  pollution
  -  maintenance of roads and pavements
  
• a greener Luton, with a significant increase in the number of trees.

Leisure

• 10% more of the people of Luton to be satisfied with the town's cultural and recreational facilities, including sports/leisure, theatres/concert halls, museums, libraries, parks, community facilities/amenities and open spaces.

Health

• Halve the gap between life expectancy of people in Luton and the rest of the country
• Bring death rate for babies in Luton down to the national average
• Increase proportion of people who receive treatment for drug or alcohol misuse
• Increase proportion of people aged over 65 and vulnerable adults, supported by the Council to continue to live independently in their own homes
• At least 80% of young people leaving care to go into employment, education or training

Transport

• Increase use of public transport for travel to Luton Town centre by 15% when compared to 1999 levels. 
• Increase walking and/or cycling as a % of total journeys in Luton 

Corporate valuesCorporate values

Accountable
Employees are encouraged to take decisions in line with corporate and service priorities, and be responsible for their outcomes

Customer focused
Energy and focus on enabling real improvements for the people we serve

Embrace equality and diversity
Valuing different backgrounds, perspective, cultures and knowledge and avoiding discriminatory behaviour

Improving
Passionate and ambitious about improving the quality of life for all the citizens of Luton

Integrity
Stedfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code, honesty righteousness, probity and purity

Respect for others
Enable others to retain their dignity, taking account of their situation.  Believe the best in others and be supportive.