Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader of the Council

The Leader of the Council introduced the Corporate Strategy – 2012/13 action plan, the third annual action plan of the five year strategy.  He explained that the plan had evolved in parallel with the budget and highlighted some key points.  In compliance with the public sector equality duty, three objectives were developed which were considered most important in promoting equality and diversity; Listening and responding to a wide-range of communities, Promoting fair access to our services and Ensuring fair employment practices.  The action plan included specific commitments to support the six priorities identified by the new partnership structure, though the Council was not directly responsible for delivery.  Appendix 2 detailed the ongoing progress of various Commissioning Reviews and set out future plans. 

The report included details of comments made by scrutiny, of which a major recurring concern was whether there were sufficient resources within the Council to deliver all of the work set out in the action plan.  He assured Members that an Officer level assessment had been undertaken and Officers were fairly confident that it was achievable. The plan was always ambitious, for which he couldn’t apologise and he thanked Officers for making it all happen.  Overview & Scrutiny would consider a report twice a year to monitor progress. 

The plan included some major projects (Art Gallery & Museum, North Place & Portland Street and St. Paul’s) and next week would see the launch of GO Shared Services and UBICO.  These were exciting times for the Council, but GO and UBICO needed to produce savings and this would be monitored to ensure that this was being achieved as well as working as they should be. He hoped that Members could support the recommendations. 

A number of Members were dismayed that there was no mention of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  £15k had been set aside for the Olympic celebrations and there was still £30k of Promoting Cheltenham Fund monies that had not been allocated and yet the Council appeared to have no plans to commemorate the Queen’s 60^th year on the throne.  These Members urged that something be done to mark this occasion, whether this was an event or as one Member advocated a permanent marker. 

Some Members could understand the concerns that had been raised but felt that, importantly, events were being organised to honour the Queen from the community, up.  Details of various events were raised, with one Member thanking the Council for the support it had offered in facilitating a Parish Council to organise a Jubilee celebration which it was hoped would attract 1500-2000 people. 

A Member pointed out that the message from the Queen herself had been that Councils should not spend vast amounts holding celebratory events and should instead look at augmenting what they already do.  He expressed his surprise that nothing had been proposed at the last meeting, when the budget was approved, at which Members could have put forward a request for funding of such an event.  Importantly he felt that the Olympic Torch  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11

Report of the Leader of the Council

RESOLVED

To endorse the draft corporate strategy action plan for 2012-13 ahead of it going to Council for final approval (appendix A.)

The Leader introduced the report as circulated with the agenda. He explained that Council had agreed the corporate strategy 2010-2015 in March 2010 which set out the five objectives and eleven outcomes which the council wanted to achieve by 2015.  This report set out the 2012-13 action plan in support of the strategy. He explained that an updated report would be produced for Council including all the comments from the overview and scrutiny committees who had reviewed the plan at their last meeting. 

The corporate strategy had been prepared in the context of constraints on budgets and resources and some scrutiny members had challenged the council’s capacity to deliver the action plan. This year the resources needed to support the action plan had also been estimated and as a result the Leader  was confident that the action plan could be delivered. He felt it was right that the action plan should be ambitious and challenging.  He also highlighted the new structures being introduced for partnerships and scrutiny.  It was important not to duplicate the work that these new structures would be delivering and partnerships would continue to have their own role in addition to delivering the council actions. He asked Cabinet to support the action plan.

RESOLVED

To endorse the draft corporate strategy action plan for 2012-13 ahead of it going to Council for final approval (appendix A.)