Agenda item

The Council’s strategic direction is set out in its Corporate Plan. The Corporate Plan was adopted unanimously by Council on 21 January 2020 (Minute 78 refers) and the covers the period 2020-24 (and is reproduced at Appendix A to this report).

The Corporate Plan shapes the annual highlight priorities of the Cabinet and the 2021/22 priorities are set out at Appendix B to this report. At Appendix C, are initial thoughts for the highlighted priorities for year three (2022/23) of the Corporate Plan term.

Finalised proposals for the highlight priorities for 2022/23 and milestones will be considered by Cabinet on 28 January 2022. Prior to that, views on the highlight priorities are invited and will be reported to that meeting.

RESOLVED that -

(a)    the initial highlight priorities for 2022/23, as set out at Appendix C to item A.3 of the Report of the Leader of the Council, be approved for the purposes of a consultation;

(b)    all Councillors, other partners and the public be invited to consider the initial priorities referred to in (a) above; and

(c)    the outcome of the consultation referred to in (b) above be reported to Cabinet on 28 January 2022 in order that Cabinet can formally adopt its finalised key priority actions for 2022/23.

Cabinet gave consideration to a report of the Leader of the Council (A.3) which set out the Leader of the Council’s and Portfolio Holder’s initial thoughts for the highlighted priorities for year three (2022/23) of the Corporate Plan term.

Cabinet recalled that the Council’s strategic direction was set out in its Corporate Plan which had been adopted unanimously by Full Council on 21 January 2020 (Minute 78 referred) and which covered the period 2020-24. That strategic direction itself sought to reflect the issues that mattered most to local people, the national requirements from Government and the challenges that faced the District over that time period. 

The themes of the 2020/24 Corporate Plan were:

·         Delivering High Quality Services

·         Building Sustainable Communities for the Future

·         Strong Finance and Governance

·         Community Leadership through Partnerships

·         A Growing and Inclusive Economy

The Corporate Plan itself was set out at Appendix A to the Leader’s report.

Cabinet was aware that it established each year its priority actions to deliver against the Corporate Plan and thereby ensure that the ambition of that Plan was central to its work. The priority actions did not cover every separate element of the ambition of the four year Corporate Plan; nor were they intended to indicate that other projects, schemes or activities were not being pursued.  They were though intended to reflect imperatives across the Council and for the District and actions that it was right to focus on in this year.

Members were reminded that when the Corporate Plan had been adopted it could not have been predicted that the world, including the UK, would be severely impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.  It was in the face of the pandemic that this Council had responded to the particular challenges that had emerged.  Whilst that had impacted on the work of the Council, including individual schemes, activities and projects, progress against the Corporate Plan priorities had continued. 

The highlight priorities for 2021/22 were set out at Appendix B to the Leader’s report for Members’ reference purposes only.

It was against this backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic that the Cabinet intended to make further steps to deliver the intentions of the Corporate Plan.  

Members were informed that the initial highlight priorities for 2022/23 had been prepared following consultation with individual Portfolio Holders and the Leader of the Council and these were set out at Appendix C to this report for Cabinet’s collective consideration.

Finalised proposals for the highlight priorities for 2022/23 and milestones would be considered by Cabinet on 28 January 2022.  Prior to that, views on the highlight priorities were invited and would be reported to that meeting.

Having duly considered the highlight priorities for 2022/23 and milestones as contained in Appendix C to the Leader of the Council’s report:-

It was moved by Councillor Stock OBE, seconded by Councillor G V Guglielmi and:

RESOLVED that -

(a)    the initial highlight priorities for 2022/23, as set out at Appendix C to item A.3 of the Report of the Leader of the Council, be approved for the purposes of a consultation;

(b)    all Councillors, other partners and the public be invited to consider the initial priorities referred to in (a) above; and

(c)    the outcome of the consultation referred to in (b) above be reported to Cabinet on 28 January 2022 in order that Cabinet can formally adopt its finalised key priority actions for 2022/23.