From building homes to making our streets safer - Southwark celebrates success in latest annual report
19 October 2023
Building homes, making our streets safer for walkers and cyclists and launching ground-breaking new initiatives – it’s been a busy year for Southwark Council and its partners.
Every year Southwark Council produces an Annual Report to see how it is performing against the Council Plan. Many of the things that have been achieved would not have been possible without the support and hard work from the council’s partners including the health service, local voluntary groups and residents’ organisations.
We also recognise that our residents are still facing a number of challenges such as rising costs, while council services face reduced funding. Despite this we are working together with our communities to rise to these challenges.
Cllr Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council, said: “This year’s report shows some of the remarkable achievements from the council and its many partners in the community over the last year.
“I am proud to be part of a team that has been able to give so much support to so many residents during these difficult months, from building homes and planting trees to direct financial support for those who need it during the continuing cost of living crisis.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in supporting the delivery of this long list of achievements over the last 12 months.”
Over the last year we have achieved a number of successes. Here are some of the highlights:
- Around £30million spent to support over 100,000 households with cost-of-living issues, including free school holiday meals for over 14,000 children
- Helped 941 residents facing significant barriers to get into work and created 568 apprenticeships and supported 6,500 residents into training
- Took direct control of the borough’s eight leisure centres
- Completed or started on site over 1,700 new council homes
- Planted more than 8,000 trees
- Launched our trailblazing Streets for People campaign to make our streets greener and safer and improve air quality
- Launched our anti-misogyny campaign “In Her Eyes”, which had nearly 400,000 views on social media and is available to over 1,000 schools in the borough
- Our Nest mental health support centre has helped 373 children, with 85 per cent of schools taking up the service
- Supported over 5,000 carers by working with Southwark Carers and other voluntary organisations
- We launched Southwark 2030, our conversation with residents and organisations across the borough on how we want Southwark to look and feel by 2030, and set up the independent Land Commission to see how we can free up more land for public good
The full report is available at www.southwark.gov.uk/annual-report-2023
Page last updated: 19 October 2023
