Agenda item

REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, POLICY AND GOVERNANCE

To consider the Corporate Plan 2018 to 2023.

RESOLVED:

(1)        That the Corporate Plan 2018-2023 be amended to include the changed sub-heading regarding disadvantaged people and to include some detail regarding differences between parished and non-parished areas of the District;

(2)       That the Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green issues be authorised to agree any minor typographical or re-drafting amendments to the document prior to its submission to Council; and

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:  That the Corporate Plan 2018 to 2023, as attached at Appendix A to the report, and as amended, be adopted.

REASON FOR DECISION: To have in place a suitable, high level strategic policy document for the Council, to inform its corporate business planning process.

The Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues presented the report of the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance in respect of the Corporate Plan 2018 to 2023.  The following appendix was submitted with the report:

Appendix A – Corporate Plan 2018-2023.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee presented the following referral from that Committee, made at its meeting held on 18 July 2017, in respect of the Corporate Plan 2018 to 2023 (Minute 27 refers):

“RECOMMENDED TO CABINET:  That Cabinet consider the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee made in the discussion above regarding the Corporate Plan 2018 to 2013, in particular the following:

(i)      That the document as a whole felt disjointed;

(ii)     That more hard data should be included;

(iii)    That some specific and measurable targets should be included;

(iv)    That some detail be included regarding the differences between parished and non-parished areas; and

(v)     That, whilst acknowledging financial constraints, the document should be more policy led.”

The Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues advised that the Corporate Plan needed to reflect any recent changes in legislation; capacity; financial constraints; population; and patterns and location of deprivation.  He added that the Plan also reflected the three Corporate Objectives approved by the Council on 19 July 2017.

In respect of the Corporate Plan itself, the Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues explained that it began with outlining the statutory and non-statutory services provided by the Council, before dealing with the Corporate Objectives.  The Corporate Objectives had been the same for the past 3 or 4 years.  Each objective contained certain key words.  This was followed by what the Council intended to achieve under these key words.  He considered that this was not a disjointed approach, rather it was a sensible and logical approach.  He commented that he had taken note of the debate at the Council meeting held on 19 July 2017 and would change the sub-heading “Supporting the Disadvantaged” to read “Supporting Disadvantaged People”.  The Plan next contained a short section on performance and monitoring and reporting, before concluding with a section describing North Hertfordshire’s community.

With regard to the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues considered that the document was not disjointed for the reason previously mentioned: it did not need to contain an excessive amount of hard data as it was a strategy document; if specific and measurable targets were included then this would turn the Plan into a series of Performance Indicators, which were dealt with separately and the monitoring of which was the responsibility of the overview and Scrutiny Committee; and financial constraints had to be uppermost in order that the Plan could be sufficiently funded.  He was therefore unable to support Recommendations (i), (ii), (iii) and (v) of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

However, in relation to recommendation (v) of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues agreed that some detail regarding the differences between parished and non-parished areas should be included in the document, and he had accepted that the Plan should be amended with appropriate references before it was submitted to Council for approval.

RESOLVED:

(1)        That the Corporate Plan 2018-2023 be amended to include the changed sub-heading regarding disadvantaged people and to include some detail regarding differences between parished and non-parished areas of the District;

(2)       That the Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green issues be authorised to agree any minor typographical or re-drafting amendments to the document prior to its submission to Council; and

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:  That the Corporate Plan 2018 to 2023, as attached at Appendix A to the report, and as amended, be adopted.

REASON FOR DECISION: To have in place a suitable, high level strategic policy document for the Council, to inform its corporate business planning process.