Agenda item - Council Plan - pre scrutiny

Agenda item

Council Plan - pre scrutiny

Minutes:

The Head of Business Transformation and Organisational Development briefly informed the Board, that with new Members being elected for 2019/2023 and a new Leader of the Council; officers had seen this as an opportunity to update and refresh the Council Plan.  An ‘Away Day’ was held for Cabinet Members and the Corporate Management Team, in order to capture their full input.  A lot of data was presented including information from members of the public.  All of the input from the ‘Away Day’ had now been incorporated within the Council Plan.  A full review and consultation on the Council Plan would be carried out in 2020.

 

The Policy, Performance and Partnerships Manager drew Members’ attention to the diagram, as detailed on page 3 of the Supplementary Agenda Pack. 

 

This detailed the Council’s Vision, Strategic Purposes and Priorities for 2019/2023.  At the ‘Away Day’, Cabinet Members had identified eight priorities for 2019/2023.  The six Strategic Purposes had been reduced to five.  ‘Provide me with good things to see, do and visit’ had been incorporated into ‘Living independent, active and healthy lives’.

 

It was also agreed at the ‘Away Day’ that it was important to have ‘green thread’ actions running throughout, which would refer to the environment. Page 5 of the Supplementary Agenda Pack highlighted ‘Our Challenges’.

 

It was hoped that the new measures information under ‘How will we measure progress’ would be easier and make more sense for members of the public.

 

Members thanked officers for the update on the Council Plan.

 

An in depth discussion followed whereby Members questioned, if there was a potential risk of mixing the Council’s priorities, (namely diabetes), with other agencies priorities. 

 

Councillor Baxter expressed some concern that the strategic priority ‘Living independent, active and healthy lives’ appeared to be moving away from young people, there was not a lot in the Plan to encourage young people. 

 

Councillor Kriss commented that diabetes was not just linked to the elderly; young people were also diagnosed with diabetes.  The cost pressure on the NHS was one of the most expensive, mainly due to complications as a result of diabetes.  The key factor was to look at ways to help prevent and reduce diabetes with lifestyle changes, which included diet and exercise.  We should be looking at promoting lifestyle changes to young people as a preventative measure against the onset of diabetes.

 

Members raised a number of questions with regard to some of the wording used within the Plan. 

 

Following on from this discussion, it was

 

RECOMMENDED that the following wording be included / changed within the Council Plan as follows:-

 

a)    Work and financial independence – Ensure people get the benefits they  need – amend the measure to read:

 

“Number of emergency Essential Living Fund payments”.

“Number of emergency Discretionary Housing payments”.

 

b)    Live independent, active & healthy lives – Why? – amend to read:

 

“Increasing numbers of people living with reduced mobility, dementia and diabetes are a particular issue for the District”.

 

c)    Affordable & sustainable homes – Priority: A balanced housing market – include this priority within the “We will” and “How we will measure progress” section.

 

d)    An effective & sustainable Council – amend “Sustainability – We Will” to read:

 

“Focus more on commercialisation of services, where appropriate, maximising every opportunity to generate income”.

Supporting documents: