Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. About the council
  3. What we delivered with your Council Tax in 2021

What we delivered with your Council Tax in 2021

As your District Council we only receive 10p in every £1 of your Council Tax bill to deliver over 50 services including waste collections, planning, supporting communities and many others. 

We don't deliver other council services such as road maintenance (including potholes), libraries, adult social care, education and children's services which are all delivered by the county council which is a separate organisation.

Services we delivered

Below are some of the key figures for the services we delivered in the Forest of Dean last year:

  • We emptied 9.5 million bins and recycling containers from our 39,583 homes
  • We helped 928 households who are unable to help present their waste
  • We facilitated 340,490 visits across our leisure centres, including 60,233 swims, and 86,403 gym visits
  • Our community wellbeing team provided 32 community classes across the district attended by more than 360 people
  • We installed solar panels on the roof of our offices and replaced all lighting with LEDs, this will save an estimated 30 tonnes of carbon and around £50,000 each year
  • We supported 5,222 customers to receive the benefits they were entitled to
  • Delivered £32,641 in community grants to 18 organisations in need
  • We helped prevent more than 40 households, 22 of which were families, from becoming homeless by providing early intervention and support
  • Dealt with 88,218 customer service interactions, via phone, email, web enquiries and in person at our offices with 97.5% of customers satisfied with the service delivered
  • Cleared 1,146 fly tips
  • Our street cleaners empty 537 litter bins at least once every week
  • We cleared 133kms of highway verges and cleared 615 bags of discarded roadside rubbish
  • Our road sweeper swept 15,215 miles of road in 2021 to keep gullies clear of debris and help prevent flooding
  • We processed 1,708 planning and related applications (compared to 1,063 in 2020)
  • Inspected 38 dangerous structures
  • Dealt with 186 abandoned vehicles
  • Issued 14 fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping related offences
  • Six Individuals prosecuted for offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, five of which resulted in them being banned from keeping dogs
  • To ensure relevant Covid guidelines were complied with, we supported 93 events last year, ranging from sporting events to ceremonies, and processed 296 service requests, by carrying out site visits, risk assessments and providing advice
  • We have also disbursed more than £67 million in Covid business grants since the pandemic began

Progress on other priorities and projects

On top of the services we deliver day in day out, we also work hard to tackle the priorities for the Forest of Dean including:

  • Improving community wellbeing, supporting and celebrating our distinctiveness
  • Developing a vibrant economy that is resilient and future proofed
  • Providing a range of affordable housing to meet the needs of the District
  • Protecting and enhancing the local environment and addressing the climate emergency
  • Delivering great services through achieving financial sustainability

We have made great progress on these priorities this year including:

  • Being awarded £20 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund. This project will see the redevelopment of former Five Acres college and leisure centre, regeneration of buildings in Cinderford into community spaces and a new enterprise and learning centre at Hartpury University and College
  • Continuing our work on Destination Lydney Harbour – regenerating a much-loved spot in the district using the Coastal Community Fund we were awarded. Last year saw the opening of a harbourside cafe, public toilets, information hub and more. 2022 is also shaping up to be a good year for the harbour with the installation of artwork on track.
  • Produced a new comprehensive Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan which includes over 60 actions the council will take in the next three years to reduce carbon emissions
  • Successfully bid for 250,000 Euros to work on a community energy project
  • We helped secure 86 new affordable rental properties and 63 shared ownership homes for residents, including the Forest’s first modular, factory-built, housing development
  • Disbursed more than £67 million in Covid business grants since the pandemic began and delivered over £32,000 in community grants to organisations in need