the brakes have never been the best on it i was wondering if theres anything that we can do to improve them apart from changing the standard setup.

 

Give the calipers an overhaul, get a master cylinder off a mk4 escort (23mm, im 99.9% sure yours is a 22, look on the side of the master cylinder), and do a complete brake fluid change, over the years it gets water in it which makes them not work as well.