Issue - meetings

To consider the Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan 2014-16.

Noted the progress made on the 2014-16 Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan and agreed that the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Panels be incorporated into the final version.

(Councillors S Criswell, Member of the Corporate Plan Working Group was in attendance and spoke on this item).

The Cabinet reviewed the proposed vision, strategic themes and aims for the 2014-16 Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book). The Plan had been considered by all of the Overview and Scrutiny Panels whose comments were relayed to the Cabinet

In noting a timetable for preparing a performance framework to support the Plan and having thanked the Panels for their input, the Cabinet

RESOLVED

that the progress made on the 2014-16 Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan be noted and the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Panels on the Plan be incorporated into the final version.

To receive the Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan 2014-16.

(Councillor J D Ablewhite, Executive Leader of the Council, and Councillor N J Guyatt, Deputy Executive Leader, were in attendance for this item).

The Panel gave consideration to the draft Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan 2014-16 (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book). The Executive Leader explained that the document contained a vision, strategic themes, aims and outcomes for the Authority. Members were advised that it was an evolving document and mechanisms to monitor delivery of the themes and aims were being developed.

The Panel endorsed the decision to incorporate reference to the people of Huntingdonshire as a key theme running throughout the Plan. Having queried whether there might be a more appropriate way of describing the Council’s approach to homelessness, Members expressed support for the draft Corporate Plan and expressed an interest in receiving performance data in due course.

To consider the Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan 2014-16.

(Councillors J D Ablewhite, Executive Leader and N J Guyatt, Deputy Executive Leader, were in attendance for the discussion on this item).

The Panel considered the contents of the Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan for 2014 – 16 (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book). By way of introduction, the Executive Leader explained that the document set out a proposed vision, together with strategic themes, aims and outcomes for the Authority. Members were advised that it was an evolving document and work was ongoing to develop mechanisms to deliver the themes and aims within the Plan. A clear message underpinning the Corporate Plan and its delivery was the need to provide value for money.

In opening up the discussion on this item, the Chairman remarked on the evident links between the proposed Corporate Plan and the funding mechanisms for local government, which were designed to encourage economic growth. In terms of the overall document, Members questioned whether the broad spectrum of aims was realistic in the current financial climate.

The Chairman invited Members to comment on each of the strategic themes in turn. In response to a question by a Member on the ‘Strong Local Economy’ theme, the Panel was advised of a number of the initiatives which were in operation to support local enterprise and of the expectation that the Local Enterprise Zone would create ancillary jobs. Members discussed whether sufficient effort was being made to enhance both the local economies that already existed and the mechanisms and partnerships that supported the skills levels that aided economic prosperity.

With regard to the theme ‘Enable Sustainable Growth’, Members emphasized the need to recognise the importance of rural areas to the local economy. They then suggested that it should be clarified that one of the aims was to have the right planning policies in place.

It was suggested that the theme ‘a Customer focused and service led Council’ might be considered to be more of an aim than a theme. It was also put forward that the Council should clarify whether it wanted to be facilitator or an organisation which delivered services. In relation to the Council’s overall vision, it was argued that this should incorporate the opportunity that Huntingdonshire offered in all areas of the Plan’s scope.

Having been advised of the views of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Social Well-Being) on the proposed Corporate Plan, the Panel discussed future reporting to Members. The production of data to enable the Overview and Scrutiny Panels to monitor the performance of the Authority was supported. Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

that the Panel’s comments on the Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan 2014-16 be conveyed to the Cabinet to inform its deliberations on this item.

(Mr R Eacott left the Meeting after the discussion on this item).

To receive the Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan 2014-16.

20 Minutes.

(Councillor J D Ablewhite, Executive Leader of the Council, was in attendance for this item).

The Panel reviewed the content of the Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan 2014-16 (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book). By way of introduction, the Executive Leader explained that the document set out a proposed vision, together with strategic themes, aims and outcomes for the Authority. Members were advised that this was an evolving document and work was ongoing to develop mechanisms to deliver the themes and aims within the Plan.

Members were advised that the Plan had previously been the subject of consultation with the Corporate Plan Working Group and would be subject to refinement in light of comments by the Overview and Scrutiny Panels prior to its submission to the Council. It would come into effect on 1st April 2014 and would be complemented by a range of performance measures. The Panel suggested that the Corporate Plan Working Group should be involved in devising the performance monitoring arrangements for the Plan and that the Overview and Scrutiny Panels should have a role to play in monitoring the Council’s performance. With this in mind, it was suggested that the Plan should include reference to monitoring.

Having commented upon the need to ensure that future decisions about Council services were informed by the Corporate Plan, it was

RESOLVED

that the Panel’s comments on the Huntingdonshire District Council Corporate Plan 2014-16 be conveyed to the Cabinet to inform its deliberations on this item.