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Agenda item
Draft Corporate Plan 2015/16 - 2017/18
- Meeting of Joint Budget Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Services, Thursday, 29th January, 2015 6.00 pm (Item 17.)
- View the declarations of interest for item 17.
Minutes:
The Head of Corporate Services presented the draft corporate plan 2015/16 – 2017/18. She explained that the format of the plan had been revised to clearly set out the council’s vision and values, as well as providing details of key projects the council would be undertaking. The performance indicators associated with corporate plan targets were also under review, and Members would be advised of this at their quarter four committee meetings. Members views were sought on the draft corporate plan.
The committee welcomed the new layout of the corporate plan and commented that it set the council’s targets out in an accessible way. Discussion took place regarding the council’s values which were described at the front of the document. The council continued to seek opportunities for economic regeneration, which would narrow the gap between deprived communities in the town, and between Hastings and the rest of the South East. The Head of Corporate Services said that the council’s values would be addressed through all the actions set out in the corporate plan.
Discussion took place regarding opportunities for community engagement. Councillor Chowney responded that a range of community organisations had been consulted on the draft corporate plan. It had also been subject to an online consultation. He added that Members had an increasingly important role in communicating the council’s vision for the town to residents, as previous models for community engagement were no longer affordable. The Head of Corporate Services noted that effective delivery of services would illustrate the council’s vision for a customer-first organisation.
Consideration was given to the council’s ability to influence external service providers, particularly in respect of health care provision. Councillor Chowney explained that the council had appointed representatives to East Sussex County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Health and Wellbeing Board. Overview and Scrutiny Members would also have the opportunity to consider key issues affecting quality of life for residents when planning their annual work programme.
Discussion took place regarding efforts to ensure the council remained a customer focused organisation. The Head of Corporate Services explained that service reviews were being undertaken across the organisation, which included process mapping activities to ensure they met the needs of service users. Following a request from Members, the Head of Corporate Services agreed to re-word part a) of the target for efficient and customer focussed services.
Members noted that economic exclusion was sometimes a barrier to residents accessing council services online. Efforts to improve digital inclusion would therefore continue in the future. The Head of Corporate Services added that face to face advice and support would also be available from the Community Contact Centre.
Consideration was given to the council’s ongoing organisational transformation. Members discussed the scope of the workforce development project, given the current economic conditions facing the council. The Head of Corporate Services explained that measures would be put in place to assist the organisation with succession planning and proactively address potential skills gaps, to prevent loss of expertise. She agreed to re-word part b) of the target to clarify this intention.
RESOLVED that the comments of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the council’s draft corporate plan for 2015/16 – 2017/18 be referred to the Budget Cabinet for consideration
The reason for this decision was:
To ensure the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee comments can be considered by Budget Cabinet, prior to final recommendations being made to the Full Council.
Supporting documents:
- Draft Corporate Plan 2015-16 2017-18 (29 01 15), item 17. PDF 133 KB
- Appendix A - Draft Corporate Plan 2015-16 to 2017-18, item 17. PDF 164 KB
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