Agenda item

(Leader of the Council) To consider the attached report (C-071-2014/15).

(1)        That the new Corporate Plan for the period 2015/16 to 2019/20 be agreed;

(2)        That the Key Action Plan for 2015/16 be agreed; and

(3)        That the Corporate Plan 2015-20 and the Key Action Plan 2015/16 be recommended to the Council for adoption.

The Leader of the Council presented a report on the draft Corporate Plan for the period 2015-20.

The Leader stated that the Council’s Corporate Plan was the authority’s current key strategic planning document, and was largely based upon the Council’s medium term priorities for the period. It also included the Council’s Key Objectives. As the current Corporate Plan was due to expire on 31 March 2015, a new Corporate Plan had been developed for the period from 2015/16 to 2019/20.

The Leader advised that the Council’s main areas of focus for the five year lifetime of the new Plan had been captured in a new set of Corporate Aims. In addition a new five year set of Key Objectives had been developed to support these aims. The revised Corporate Aims and Key Objectives replaced the existing medium-term Aims and Key Objectives. A separate annual Corporate Key Action Plan for 2015/16 had been developed to deliver the programme towards the achievement of each objective during that year.

The lack of an Older Person’s Forum in the District was highlighted and the Cabinet was requested to consider the establishment of such a body. Although the Housing Portfolio Holder pointed out the existence of an Elderly Sheltered Tenants Forum, the Cabinet was informed that an Older Person’s Forum would have a wider remit. The Leader stated that the Council had engaged a Graduate Trainee who was currently examining the Council’s methods of engagement, including with older people within the District, and that Members should wait until that report came forward.

A local Member for Epping Hemnall expressed surprise that the draft Corporate Plan did not contain a publication date for the new Local Plan and added, as an aside, that issues affecting Older People could also be considered as part of the Local Plan. The ongoing issues with the North Essex Parking Partnership was also highlighted. The Leader responded that the Local Plan timetable had been published on the Council’s website and the Council’s focus was ensuring that all the elements within the Plan were correct so that the Plan would not fail at the Examination in Public stage.

The Leader stated that the draft Corporate Plan had been considered by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and requested the Cabinet to agree it. The Cabinet noted that the Plan would have to be submitted to the Council for final approval.

Decision:

(1)        That the new Corporate Plan for the period 2015/16 to 2019/20 be agreed;

(2)        That the Key Action Plan for 2015/16 be agreed; and

(3)        That the Corporate Plan 2015-20 and the Key Action Plan 2015/16 be recommended to the Council for adoption.

Reasons for Decision:

The identification and adoption of the Council’s high level Strategic Aims and the Key Objectives for the five-year period of the new Corporate Plan, provided an opportunity for the Council to focus specific attention on how areas for improvement would be addressed, opportunities exploited and better outcomes delivered for local people.The Corporate Key Action Plan for 2015/16 had set out a number of activities to deliver progress against the Key Objectives during the first year of the new Corporate Plan.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were appropriate in this respect. The absence of a long term plan and business objectives to provide a clear focus for decision making, could result in opportunities for improvement and efficiency being lost. Failure to monitor and review performance against key objectives and to consider corrective action where necessary, could undermine the achievement of the aims and objectives and result in negative implications for the Council’s reputation.