Agenda item

(Director of Governance) To consider the attached report.

The Select Committee received a report from the Head of Transformation, Mr D Bailey regarding the Corporate Plan 2018-2023 – Progress Report and Performance Indicator Set.

The Corporate Plan 2018-2023 was the authority’s key strategic planning document. The Plan sets out the journey the Council would take to transform the organisation to be ‘Ready for the Future’. The plan linked the key external drivers influencing Council services, with a set of corporate aims and objectives, grouped under three corporate ambitions – stronger communities, stronger place and stronger Council.

An annual Corporate Specification (previously called the Key Action Plan) detailed how the Corporate Plan was being delivered through operational objectives, which in turn would  link to the annual Service business plans.

The success of the new Corporate Plan would be assessed through the achievement of a set of benefits, focussed on what the Council achieved for their customers. These benefits in turn were evidenced through a set of performance measures. A new format for reporting the Council’s performance was also proposed.

Management Board, Leadership Team and Cabinet Members were involved in developing the draft Corporate Plan 2018-2023. The content of the Plan – including drivers, objectives and benefits, were the subject of consultation with customers, businesses, partners and staff. The views of Councillors were also sought through the four Select Committees as well as the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The views of the Cabinet were gained through a report to the Finance and Performance Management Cabinet Committee. Feedback from local councils was taken through a report to the Local Councils’ Liaison Committee (LCLC).

To minimise expenditure associated with its production, the new Corporate Plan would only be available as an electronic download via the Council’s website or for customers to view as a hard copy at the Council’s Civic Offices.

An annual Corporate Specification detailed how the Corporate Plan would be delivered through a set of operational objectives for that year. The Council had a number of Key Action Plans, so to avoid confusion the yearly action plan for the Corporate Plan would in future be referred to as the Corporate Specification. This name denoted that it specified the operational objectives for a given year, which in turn are responded to through annual Service Business Plans.

The report presented various ways to show the performance measures and benefits including a benefits map on A3 paper, although feedback on this particular ‘map’ indicated that it was too busy and difficult to read. A simpler ‘map’ on A4 was tabled at the meeting (attached) which updated the way it used to be displayed and this was likely to be the way it would develop.

Councillor Bedford stated that he preferred this new design as it was easier to understand.

Councillor Bassett asked how were items of multiple dependencies being handled and in particular checking that they didn’t fall behind in any one area.

Mr Bailey stated that this had not been done before and was still to be worked out.

He also advised that a Transformation Programme Board Report would be going to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its next meeting in April 2018 and would include information about the Risks and Resources.

            RESOLVED:

(1)   That the Select Committee agreed the proposed benefits and performance indicator set for 2018-2023; and

(2)   That the Select Committee agreed the Council’s proposed format for reporting the performance of the indicator set and the progress of the Corporate Plan 2018-2023.