Agenda item

To consider a report from the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships proposing a new Council Plan.

With the assistance of a report prepared by the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Panel gave consideration to the content of a new Council Plan, which set out the Council’s vision and priorities for the 2011 to 2015 period. By way of background, the Policy and Strategic Services Manager reported that the current Plan was in its sixth year of operation and that changes announced by the Government to the national performance framework for local authorities and the abolition of the Comprehensive Area Assessment and the Audit Commission, together with new challenges faced by the Council had necessitated the development of a new Council Plan.

Having received details of the process undertaken to develop the Plan, the Panel were advised that all Members had been invited to comment on the proposed priorities and targets in advance of the meeting. The comments of the Social Well-Being and Environmental Well-Being Panels were also reported.

In examining the individual priorities within the Plan, Members commented on the proposed target for recycling which, at a figure of 50%, appeared to represent a reduction in performance compared with the current target. Members were of the opinion that the target should be more challenging. Whilst they recognised that recycling rates were declining, it was argued that if the Council was successful in encouraging residents to produce less waste, the amount of waste that was recycled as a proportion of the total waste produced would increase. Moreover, the introduction of glass recycling should have the effect of increasing recycling rates. A similar comment was made about the Plan’s target to encourage residents to create less waste. The proposed target of 550kgs represented a reduction in performance as the Council currently collected approximately 420kgs of waste on average from each household in the District. As a result and having noted that the targets had been developed in conjunction with Executive Councillors and Heads of Service, the Panel requested clarification of the rationale for the outcomes and targets and queried whether they were sufficiently robust.

Discussion then ensued on the target for street cleansing. Clarification was sought of the methodology which would be used to determine whether streets were at an acceptable level of cleanliness. Further information also was requested with regard to the current arrangements for street cleaning in towns and villages in the District.

In considering the proposed Vision for the Council Plan, Members were of the opinion that it should recognise the position of the Council, in terms of the Localism Bill, as a “competent authority”, that it should be forward looking and that it should reflect the Council’s current financial circumstances.

Having regard to the reservations they had expressed about the Plan, the Panel were of the opinion that further work needed to be carried out to demonstrate that the proposed outcomes and targets were sufficiently challenging and robust before they could endorse it. The new Plan should take into account current performance levels, the rationale for the proposed targets, the degree of challenge that they represented, a comparison between the Council’s priorities and its other targets and their budget implications including the proportion of the budget they absorbed and the recharges apportioned to them. It was also suggested that the Plan should contain progressive targets for its intended four year life. Members indicated that they were willing to assist with this work. Whereupon it was

RESOLVED

that the Cabinet be invited to consider the Panel’s comments as part of its deliberations on the report by the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships on the new Council Plan.