Your council
Issue - meetings
Council Plan 2006-10 & Key Priority Objectives 2009/10
Meeting: 19/07/2010 - Cabinet (Item 32)
32 Council Plan 2006-10 & Key Priority Objectives 2009/10 - Outturn PDF 94 KB
(Performance Management Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-010-2010/11).
Please note that the two Appendices referred to in the report have been published as a separate supplementary agenda. Any Member wishing a copy to be provided for them should contact the listed Democratic Services Officer prior to the meeting.
Additional documents:
- Council Plan App I, item 32 PDF 266 KB
- Council Plan App II, item 32 PDF 152 KB
- Webcast for Council Plan 2006-10 & Key Priority Objectives 2009/10 - Outturn
Decision:
(1) That the Council’s performance against the objectives and actions within the Council Plan for the period 2006 to 2010 be noted; and
(2) That the Council’s performance against the Key Priority Objectives for 2009/10 be noted.
Minutes:
The Portfolio Holder for Performance Management introduced a report concerning the outturns for the Council Plan 2006-10 and the Key Priority Objectives for 2009/10.
The Portfolio Holder reminded the Cabinet that the Council Plan for 2006-10 had been the authority’s key planning document, setting out service delivery priorities over the four year period, with strategic themes matching those set out in the Community Strategy for the District. The Council Plan had been due for its fourth and final review at the end of March 2010 and a schedule listing the Council’s progress against the Plan had been attached to the report. The Cabinet noted that work had commenced on the development of a new Corporate Plan for the period 2010-14, in conjunction with the development of a new Community Strategy for the District by the Epping Forest Local Strategic Partnership. The Portfolio Holder added that the Key Priority Objectives for 2009/10 had been adopted by the Cabinet in February 2009, and the Council’s performance against them was reviewed every six months. A schedule detailing the Council’s performance against each Key Priority Objective had been attached to the report.
Decision:
(1) That the Council’s performance against the objectives and actions within the Council Plan for the period 2006 to 2010 be noted; and
(2) That the Council’s performance against the Key Priority Objectives for 2009/10 be noted.
Reasons for Decision:
It was important that relevant performance management processes were in place to review and monitor performance against the Council’s priority objectives, actions and targets, to ensure their continued achievability and relevance, and to identify proposals for appropriate corrective action in areas of under performance.
The annual identification of key priority objectives 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.
Other Options Considered and Rejected:
No other options were considered as failure to monitor and review the Council’s performance against priority objectives, actions and targets, and to take corrective action where necessary, could have negative implications for the Council’s reputation and for judgements made about the authority in corporate assessment processes.
Meeting: 04/01/2010 - Cabinet (Item 112)
112 Council Plan 2006-10 and Key Priority Objectives 2009/10 & 2010/11 PDF 30 KB
(Performance Management Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-064-2009/10).
Additional documents:
- Council Plan & Priorities App I, item 112 PDF 155 KB
- Council Plan & Priorities App II PDF, item 112 PDF 111 KB
- Council Plan & Priorities App IIIa, item 112 PDF 7 KB
- Webcast for Council Plan 2006-10 and Key Priority Objectives 2009/10 & 2010/11
Decision:
(1) That the Council’s performance against the objectives, targets and actions contained in the Council Plan for 2006 to 2010, for the year to 31 March 2009 be noted;
(2) That the performance for the first eight months of 2009/10, in relation to the Council’s key priority objectives for the year be noted; and
(3) That the Council’s proposed key priority objectives for 2010/11 be agreed as a work-in-progress.
Minutes:
The Performance Management Portfolio Holder presented a report regarding the Council’s performance against the Council Plan 2006-10 and the Council’s key priority objectives for 2009/10, as well as outlining the proposed key priority objectives for 2010/11.
The Portfolio Holder stated that the Council Plan for the period 2006-10 was the authority’s key strategic planning document, setting out the service delivery priorities over the four-year period, with strategic themes matching those set out in the current Community Strategy for the District. The Action Plan attached at Appendix 1 of the report outlined the Council’s performance against the objectives of the Council Plan. Although the statutory requirement to publish a Best Value Performance Plan had been removed from 2009/10, this process traditionally provided an opportunity for the Council to articulate its key priority objectives for each year, and, at its meeting on 5 February 2009, the Cabinet had adopted a range of specific key priority objectives for 2009/10. Attached at Appendix 2 to the report was the progress report of the Council’s performance against each of the Key Priority Objectives for 2009/10. To enable the Council to focus on key priorities and improve performance, it was also now necessary to adopt the Council’s key priority objectives for 2010/11 and the proposals were attached at Appendix 3 of the report.
Concern was expressed at the apparent abrupt change of priorities, the lack of longer-term objectives and the need for the proposed objectives to inform other strategies such as the Capital Strategy. The Leader of the Council explained that the current uncertain economic circumstances had necessitated a change of priorities, cross-cutting across all the Portfolios. It was acknowledged that the current list did not contain much detail, but it was linked to the Council’s Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The Cabinet was requested to agree the proposed priorities as an interim measure before further refinement was undertaken.
There was some uneasiness voiced about two of the options within the Council Plan to increase Affordable Housing within the District, involving the use of Green Belt land and further development on urban spaces within existing estates. It was felt that both options should only be pursued as a last resort. It was emphasised that the Council Plan had been developed in 2006 and these options would be fully reviewed for the new Plan. However, the Cabinet was reminded that the District still had a requirement for more affordable housing. The Portfolio Holder added that further discussions had taken place with Harlow Council about sharing the resources of their contact centre, but that there were no plans at the current time to implement a full-scale contact centre at the Civic Offices.
Decision:
(1) That the Council’s performance against the objectives, targets and actions contained in the Council Plan for 2006 to 2010, for the year to 31 March 2009 be noted;
(2) That the performance for the first eight months of 2009/10, in relation to the Council’s key priority objectives for the year be noted; and
(3) That ... view the full minutes text for item 112