Agenda item

To seek Cabinet’s approval and recommendation to Full Council for the final proposals for ‘Our Vision’ (the Corporate Plan 2024/28) following full consultation with the public, key partners and stakeholders.

RESOLVED that Cabinet resolves that -

(1) the outcome of the consultation (set out at Appendix C to the Leader’s report (A.2)) on the emerging Corporate Plan (‘Our Vision’) themes and supporting text, approved on 21 July 2023 (and repeated at Appendix A), be received and considered, including:

a. The consistently positive relevance of the themes in the emerging corporate plan to respondents and their lives – and particularly the themes around ‘Championing the Local Environment’, ‘Pride in our Area’ and ‘Financial Sustainability and Openness’;

b. The strong messaging from residents around services provided by partner organisations (including the condition of pavements and roads and access to health services) that underpins the proposed theme of ‘Working with partners to improve quality of life’;

c. The need to recognise the long term socio-economic necessities around a skilled workforce to sustain and enhance the vibrancy of the District and the consequential needs to promote actions designed to “Raise aspirations andcreate opportunities” (and the adoption of a Corporate Plan theme around this); and

d. Almost one third of respondents wishing to see more tourism to further promote our area and boost economic opportunities and almost half of respondents supporting the current levels of tourism to the District which, combined, suggest that there should be a new theme in the Corporate Plan around “Attracting visitors to our District and encouraging them to stay longer” (which itself accords with the Council’s existing Tourism Strategy;

(2) based on (1) above, the final proposals for ‘Our Vision’ the Corporate Plan 2024/28 as set out in Appendix B be approved and recommended to Full Council for approval; and

(3) Officers be requested to review the Council’s Communication Strategy and Community Engagement Strategy and their operation, taking into account the feedback received through the consultation with the public, partners and businesses, with a view to the outcomes being presented to a future meeting of the Cabinet.

Cabinet considered a report of the Leader of the Council & Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Governance (A.2), which sought its approval and recommendation to Full Council, of the final proposals for ‘Our Vision’ (the Corporate Plan 2024/28) following full consultation with the public, key partners and stakeholders.

Members recalled that, at its meeting held on 21 July 2023, the Cabinet had agreed the draft proposals for ’Our Vision’ (the Corporate Plan 2024/28) (as set out in Appendix A to the Leader’s report (A.2)) as its initial proposals for consultation purposes.

It was reported that the consultation process had included, submission to the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and consultation with residents and key partners (other Local Authorities, health service bodies, Fire & Rescue, Police and voluntary sector) and businesses. The feedback from the consultation process had been summarised within the Leader’s report.

It was felt that the final proposals for the Corporate Plan continued to follow the principles which had previously been agreed by the Cabinet, namely a “Plan on a Page” and with Community Leadership at its heart.

Cabinet was informed that, through the consultation, there was broad support for the key themes, proposed at the 21 July 2023 meeting of Cabinet namely:-

Pride in our area and services to residents;

Raising aspirations and creating opportunities;

Championing our local environment;

Working with partners to improve quality of life; and

Financial Sustainability and openness.

Members were made aware that the three themes with the most relevance to the lives of respondents had been: “Pride in our area and services to residents”; “Championing our local environment”; and “Financial Sustainability and openness.”

The consultation outcomes were set out in Appendix C, and based upon the findings and further reflection, some changes to the proposed text for the Themes, including an additional one around Tourism, were shown in red in Appendix B to the Leader’s report.

The previously agreed timetable for completion of the Corporate Plan still stood and sought approval by Full Council on 28 November 2023.

In order to ensure that the views of local residents, businesses and partners (as expressed in the consultation findings set out in this report) were fully considered and to then facilitate the adoption of an informed Corporate Plan 2024-28:-

It was moved by Councillor M E Stephenson, seconded by Councillor Barry and:-