Issue - meetings

The Head of Business Transformation, Organisational Development and Digital Strategy presented the Council Plan, including the Restoration and Recovery Plan, for Cabinet’s consideration.

Members were reminded that the existing Council Plan had been approved prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.  In recognition of the impact of the pandemic on local communities and public services, the content of the plan had subsequently been reviewed during a series of workshops, to assess whether the content remained appropriate.  No changes to the Council’s strategic purposes or priorities had been proposed during these workshop sessions.  However, it was proposed that the green thread which had previously been included in the Council Plan, relating to tackling climate change, should become a specific priority.  This corresponded with feedback that had been received from the public who had completed the Community Survey panel, in which they had reported that recycling and waste collection as well as energy efficient homes were key priorities for local residents.

The Recovery and Restoration Plan had been drafted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  This document detailed actions that had been taken by the Council to address the impact of the pandemic locally.

The content of the updated Council Plan was briefly discussed, and Members welcomed the proposal for the green thread to become a Council priority.  Members commented that this was appropriate in a context in which a climate emergency had been declared by the Council and given the need to work towards a carbon neutral future.

Reference was made to the Overview and Scrutiny Board’s pre-scrutiny of the report at a meeting of the Board held on Monday 30^th May 2022.  Members noted that the Board had highlighted the significant number of acronyms that had been used in the plan and that it would be helpful for a key to be provided in future to assist Members and the public when reviewing the content.  There was general agreement that this was a helpful suggestion.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, Councillor C. Hotham, commented that the Board had also identified areas where Members had considered that improvements could be made to the content.  In respect of the green thread, concerns had been raised that the District Heat Network had not been referenced specifically within the report or plan.  These concerns were noted by Cabinet, although it was also highlighted that the Council Plan as a strategic document and particular projects and activities would be referenced in more specific plans.

RECOMMENDED that

1)          the Council Plan Addendum 2022/23 be approved and included alongside the current BDC Council Plan 2019/23; and

2)          the Recovery and Restoration Plan 2020/21 be agreed and closed.