Issue - meetings

The Panel is invited to endorse the refreshed Corporate Plan.

Attention was drawn to page 125 of the report and anticipation was expressed of working with Members regarding Parish Council issues.

Clarification was sought as to whether the 80% Business as usual (BAU) was for statutory services or non-statutory services. It was confirmed this was for the statutory services that the Council must provide, such as Revenues, Benefits, Waste collections, etc.

It was requested if a breakdown of the Capital costs for every new 2026/2027 Corporate Plan Action was available, It was asked that this be split between statutory and non-statutory and any external funding. On hearing that this would need to be taken away, Councillor Ioannides advised he could not endorse the Plan without knowing the costs.

In response the Panel were advised they were being asked to look at the principles of the Plan, not the budget

A Member advised that, while they was able to support the overall strategic vision, she had reservations regarding the proposed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which she considered to contain significant blind spots. She expressed concern that, if the most appropriate metrics were not in place, organisational focus could become concentrated on achieving the measured KPIs rather than on the wider activities and outcomes necessary to deliver the Strategy effectively. She reiterated that the Working Group being set up for KPI’s should be convened and concluded before December 2026 to ensure the next Plan includes sophisticated outcome based metrics.

The Panel was advised that such feedback would be welcomed. However, Members were reminded that any revisions or additions would need to be considered in the context of the capacity and resources available within the team. Officers also noted that certain performance measures and reporting requirements are prescribed by Central Government and must therefore be included as part of the Council’s monitoring and reporting arrangements.

It was queried whether the introduction of the new food waste collection service was reflected within the proposed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It was noted the importance of monitoring the service's performance, particularly in light of concerns and complaints from residents regarding missed collections, and sought assurance that appropriate measures were in place to track and report on this area. The Panel were advised that whilst it is not included in the current target intolerances, it is now part of the commentary until a baseline can be established.

Support was expressed for the previous comments and it was noted that 30 of the 57 actions contained within the report were identified as new and questioned whether the Council’s focus should instead be directed towards preparations for and delivery of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). He sought clarification on the rationale for introducing a significant number of new actions at this stage and how these aligned with the Council’s wider priorities. He wondered if it would have been better to wait until after LGR.

The Panel heard that the Plan will be kept under review and that it allows for reflection as the Council goes through and that a lot  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14