Agenda item

(Chief Executive) to consider that attached report.

The Head of Transformation, Mr D Bailey introduced the report on the Corporate Plan 2018 – 2023. The plan linked the key external drivers influencing the Council services with a set of corporate aims and objectives, grouped under three corporate ambitions of stronger communities; stronger places; and stronger council.

A Corporate Specification for each year (previously called the Key Action Plan) detailed how the Corporate Plan was being delivered through operational objectives, with these in turn linked to annual Service business plans.

The success of the new Corporate Plan will be assessed through the achievements of a set of benefits, focussed on what the Council achieved for customers. These benefits in turn were evidenced through a set of performance measures. The new format for reporting the Council’s performance was also proposed.

Management Board, Leadership Team and Cabinet Members were involved in developing the draft Corporate Plan 2018-2023. The content of the Plan – including drivers, objectives and benefits – were the subject of consultation with customers, businesses, partners and staff.

The Corporate Plan 2018-2023 was adopted by Council in December 2017. It was agreed that the four Select Committees – Communities, Governance, Neighbourhoods and Resources – be consulted on the draft benefits maps. Final definitions for the new key benefits and performance indicator set will then be agreed by the Finance and Performance Management Cabinet Committee, in consultation with the Head of Transformation.

To minimise expenditure associated with its production, the new Corporate Plan will only be available as an electronic download via the Council’s website or for customers to view as a hard copy at the Council’s Civic Offices.

An annual Corporate Specification detailed how the Corporate Plan would be delivered through a set of operational objectives for that year. The Council had a number of Key Action Plans, so to avoid confusion the yearly action plan for the Corporate Plan would in future be referred to as the Corporate Specification. This name denoted that it specifies the operational objectives for a given year, which in turn are responded to through annual Service Business Plans.

The report presented various ways to show the performance measures and benefits including a benefits map on A3 paper, although feedback on this particular ‘map’ indicated that it was too busy and difficult to read. A simpler ‘map’ on A4 was also included which updated the way it used to be displayed and this was likely to be the way it would develop.

Mr Bailey would welcome feedback on the look of the new indicator sets. They will also go to the April Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting and finally to the Finance and Performance Management Cabinet Committee meeting in June for agreement. The document will evolve as the year goes on and it was important to see how it impacted the council’s customers.

Councillor Patel wondered how they quantified impact as in feedback from residents. Mr Bailey said that would come under customer satisfaction, measured in two ways. One was with an annual satisfaction survey and the other by how customers used the online services. Some measures were output measures and easily measured, others came from feedback from customers.

Councillor Jon Whitehouse wondered how accurate the figures were given as they tended to be within two decimal places, such as the indicator on commercial contracts.

Councillor Mohindra noted that the Council was looking to be self financing on business tenants; could the Committee look at the value added for contracts and for tenant value.

Councillor Patel noted that on the A3 benefits map under box 10 under corporate aims and objectives it said “Financial independence with low council tax”. This phrase was very subjective? Mr Bailey replied that a full plan may have a fuller description for this.

Councillor Lion was suspicious of term “Under Control” as he did not know what it meant, was the indicator on target or not. Mr Bailey said that he would take that comment back, they really only needed the Red, Amber or Green indicators.  Councillor Patel added that if it said ‘under control’ then it should have some explanatory comments with it. Councillor Dorrell said that if the indicator was Amber or Red then there should be some comments to explain the reasons behind the indicator.

Councillor Patel also noted that some of the definitions of the projects used were unclear and needed tidying up.

Councillor Patel noted that some of the indicators listed were old and some were new and asked if officers thought they were adequate. Mr Maddock replied that they tended to monitor most of these, something like Council Tax, which was not on the list, needed to be monitored anyway. Members could ask for any indicator to be added if they wanted to look at it.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee reviewed and commented on the proposed benefits and performance indicator set for 2018-2023 and on the Council’s proposed format for reporting the performance of the indicator set and the progress of the Corporate Plan 2018-2023.