Issue - meetings

REPORT OF THE POLICY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

To consider the refreshed Council plan and objectives for 2020 -2025

RESOLVED: That the report entitled Council Plan 2020-2025 and Council Objectives 2020 – 2025 be noted:

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the comments above be taken into consideration during the process of drawing up and adopting the Council Plan and Council Objectives.

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider the report entitled Council Plan 2020-2025 and Council Objectives 2020 – 2025 prior to consideration by Cabinet.

Audio recording – 17 minutes 4 seconds

The Leader of the Council presented the report entitled Council Plan 2020-2025 and Council Objectives 2020 – 2025 together with the following appendix:

·            Appendix A - Draft Council Plan 2020-2025 Outline.

He advised that they would not be not asking Cabinet to adopt a Plan at the next meeting, but were starting a process.

Due to the change if Administration, the all Members workshop had been postponed.

The paper being considered was a top-level document which included the 5 main objectives:

·                Be a more welcoming and inclusive council;

·                Building thriving and resilient communities;

·                Responding to challenges to the environment;

·                Enabling an enterprising and co-operative economy;

·                Supporting the delivery of good quality and affordable housing.

Cabinet would take into account any comments from this Committee.

Each Executive and Deputy Executive Member had been asked to consider what should be incorporated into the Plan from their area.

The all Member workshop would take place on 18 September 2019 where the Executive Members would present the priorities for their area and the view of Members would be taken into account.

An additional Cabinet meeting in October would then consider the Plan, which would them be considered by Council in November 2019.

He was indebted to the Policy and Community Engagement Manager for his work on this Plan.

The following Members commented on the Plan:

·           Councillor Tony Hunter;

·           Councillor David Levett.

Comments included:

·                 The objectives may be difficult to achieve as the Council had to work within legal frameworks;

·                 Budgetary issues probably have an impact on delivery of some of the objectives, particularly those regarding housing;

·                 In respect of Supporting Parishes and Neighbourhood Plans, the Government was no longer providing funding for this;

·                 Notes this was Policy led budgeting, but there was some caution that plans and actions be within the means of the council

The Leader of the Council acknowledge that some of the area would be difficult to achieve, but they aimed to do whatever they could. Housing was a difficult area, but there was a need and much of the work would be undertaken with Housing Associations.

RESOLVED: That the report entitled Council Plan 2020-2025 and Council Objectives 2020 – 2025 be noted:

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the comments above be taken into consideration during the process of drawing up and adopting the Council Plan and Council Objectives.

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider the report entitled Council Plan 2020-2025 and Council Objectives 2020 – 2025 prior to consideration by Cabinet.