Agenda item

The 2024/25 initial proposals for highlight priorities were adopted by Cabinet for consultation purposes in December 2023; this report summarises the responses to that consultation and invites Cabinet to finalise its highlight priorities for 2024/25, giving due consideration to the outcome of the consultation undertaken.

RESOLVED that –

a)     the final highlight priorities for 2024/25, as set out at Appendix B to the Leader of the Council’s report (A.1); and

b)     the Leader of the Council be authorised to agree the specific milestones for reporting against the adopted highlight priority actions for 2024/25.

Cabinet considered a report of the Leader of the Council (A.1), which sought its approval of the final proposed highlight priority actions for 2024/25.

Members were reminded that 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 2024/25. Appendix B to the Leader’s report contained the final proposed highlight priority actions for 2024/25.

Cabinet was made aware that the final proposed highlight priorities for 2024/25 had been reduced following the consultation period. This reflected the engagement undertaken and was to ensure there remained a tight focus for the Council’s activity going forward, considering the totality of the proposed actions and the Council’s capacity and resources to deliver against them. Some initial proposed priorities had been removed, or amended, as they were not sufficiently measurable to allow for detailed monitoring and scrutiny; however, this did not mean that activity related to those would not continue.

Members were informed that the public consultation held on the draft proposed Highlight Priority Actions, had been promoted through the local press, on the Council’s social media channels, and in emails to stakeholders such as town and parish councils. The results of that consultation were summarised in the Leader’s report. However, caution needed to be exercised as despite the promotion of the consultation there had been a low level of response, and which had been weighted towards the rural north of the District:

It was reported that both the Resources and Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee and the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee, had highlighted that the stewardship arrangements for the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community should be a priority. Stewardship was a key principle of the Garden Community approach and therefore it was a priority to the project overall; the timeline for agreement of a stewardship model would arise after the adoption of the Development Plan Document, and it would be aligned with the first planning application – and therefore it would not be in place during 2024/25. It had therefore not been recommended for inclusion in these highlight priority actions; but it would be considered again as part of the process for developing highlight priority actions for 2025/26 under the Our Vision theme of ‘Raising Aspirations and Creating Opportunities’.

Cabinet was further informed that the Resources & Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee had also recommended that activity arising from the implementation of measures from the new Climate Change Action Plan be fully costed and resourced (or planned to be so). That Committee and the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee, had both recommended that performance against the adopted priorities be closely monitored. As set out in the Leader’s report, there was a robust performance management process established as part of the highlight priority action monitoring throughout the year; while the specific financial and governance arrangements for each priority action would be subject to separate decisions which would address those recommendations.

During its discussion of the draft highlight priority actions the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee also provided some suggestions for the measures used for monitoring of performance of some of the highlight priority actions, and areas the specific actions may cover. Overall, that Committee had endorsed the draft highlight priority actions.

Recognising that adopting highlight priority actions would allow Council activity to remain focused against Our Vision, and would also provide the framework for the annual performance monitoring system of the Council based on the milestones approved as part of the priority actions:-

It was moved by Councillor M E Stephenson, seconded by Councillor I J Henderson and:-

RESOLVED that –

a)     the final highlight priorities for 2024/25, as set out at Appendix B to the Leader of the Council’s report (A.1); and

b)     the Leader of the Council be authorised to agree the specific milestones for reporting against the adopted highlight priority actions for 2024/25.