To consider and review the Corporate Plan Action Plan and decide whether to  make any recommendations.  The Cabinet Member for Performance and the Policy and Performance Manager are attending for this item.

Report added 11 January 2016, after initial publish of agenda.

The Chairman welcomed the Cabinet Member for Performance and the Policy and Performance Manager to the meeting, and invited them to introduce the item.  The Cabinet Member invited Members to give comments, whilst the Policy and Performance Manager outlined the purpose of the high level action plan and how it linked to service plans and the Corporate Plan.

Members then considered Appendix 1 and a detailed debate ensued concerning each priority theme and its high level objectives.  The Cabinet Member and the Policy and Performance Manager responded to Members’ questions throughout the debate.

Members made a number of suggestions that were proposed, seconded and voted upon.  The Committee agreed to recommend the following changes to the Cabinet:

Priority Theme 1: A Borough to be proud of

1.1  – change the heading to read ‘Deliver regeneration projects’ instead of ‘Deliver major regeneration projects’.

1.1.3 – delete this line from the document.

1.2.3 – change this to read ‘support and develop the local tourism industry’.

1.3.1 – change this to read ‘Keep the streets and open spaces in the Borough clean and tidy and discourage littering’.

1.4.1 – delete this line from the document.

1.4.3 – change this to read ‘Endeavour to provide and improve excellent stewardship of the countryside, coastline, parks and open spaces’.

1.5.1 – Delete reference to the M2 and the 2014 South-East Local Growth Fund bid, so that it reads ‘Lobby for infrastructure improvements in the Borough’.

Priority Theme 2 – A community to be proud of

2.1.2 – change the proposed wording to read ‘To improve the promotion of opportunities to bid…’

2.2.5 – change this to read ‘Help residents and communities to adapt to a changing climate, with a particular emphasis on the preparedness for extreme adverse weather conditions, especially risk of flooding’.

Add a new action as 2.3.1 to reflect the need to work to reduce radicalisation and safeguard the population from terrorism – exact wording to be agreed between the Cabinet Member and Officers.

2.3.1 – change this action to 2.3.2.

2.4.1 – change this to read ‘ Target lobbying and influencing activity on the need to bring the Borough’s skill profile better than the national and regional averages’.

2.4.3 – remove the words ‘especially Sittingbourne’ so it reads ‘Press the case for equitable access to further education across Swale and ideally for better provision within the Borough’.

2.5.1 – change this to refer to ‘Boards’ instead of ‘Board’.

2.5.3 – delete this item as the pilot has already been rolled out.

2.5.5 – keep the original wording and not the proposed update.

Priority Theme 3 – A Council to be proud of

3.3.1 – change the wording to read ‘Ensure that staff are supported to experiment and innovate in finding new ways to achieve better outcomes and/or at lower cost’.

In respect of completeness of the action plan, the Committee considered that an additional objective was required to reflect the need to tackle homelessness, and agreed to recommend its inclusion; the exact wording and location within the action plan to be agreed between the Cabinet Member and Officers. 

There were some proposals that were not supported when put to the vote, as follows:

·         2.2.6 – to add the words ‘and tackle homelessness’. 

·         3.5.1 – to delete the wording ‘further our ability to work in’ and to start the line ‘strengthen our partnership...’

·         A new objective 3.2.4 to read ‘to strengthen our ability to hold the Executive to account by encouraging Council to change the Policy Development and Review Committee back to a Scrutiny Committee, and returning the chairmanship of Scrutiny Committees to opposition members’.

Members also made some suggestions to the layout of the report and asked for any subsequent changes to the document to be highlighted so that the Committee Members could identify any further changes to the document when it was considered by the Cabinet and Council. 

Resolved:

(1) That Cabinet considers the proposed changes to the Corporate Plan action plan for 2016/17, as outlined in the above Minute, and considers the inclusion of an additional action to tackle homelessness.

(2) That subject to the inclusion of the changes outlined in the above Minute, the Cabinet be advised that the Committee considers that, taken as a whole, the updated Plan will provide sufficient linkage between the organisation’s medium-term strategic objectives and its developmental activities at an operational level during 2016/17.