Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader

The Leader introduced the report on the development of the corporate strategy action plan 2014-15 which was circulated to all Members with the agenda. He explained that Council were being asked to approve the action plan which had been produced in parallel with the budget process. There had been consultation with overview and scrutiny and partnerships and the senior leadership team had verified that the plan was achievable within the current level of resources.  Overall he felt the action plan represented a positive programme for Cheltenham and urged Members to support the action plan.

Members were invited to ask questions on the detail in the report and the Leader clarified a number of points in the following responses:

• the setting of milestones, baselines and targets was an evolutionary process which had started in 2010 when the five-year strategy was first drawn up. Some measures may need to change due to changes in external factors.
• The action plan distinguished between community targets and targets specific to Cheltenham Borough Council where the council had more control over their achievement.
• COM14 – He considered the management of the 2014 District and European Elections was a significant piece of work and therefore it was appropriate that it was included in the action plan.
• VFM12 -  He reminded Members that Council had agreed a major sum in the budget to support the investment in the ICT infrastructure.
• Referring to risk CR33 - if the council does not keep the momentum or the JCS going he acknowledged the point made by a Member that there could be other risks if the council did agree the JCS and these should be considered when reviewing the corporate risk register.
• He noted that Members of O&S were pleased to see that their recommendations on dog fouling and street cleaning had been accommodated in the plan.
• theCabinet Member Housing and Safety confirmed that the proposed improvement actions relating to people having access to decent and affordable housing would be picked up by the appropriate commissioning review working group.
• The Cabinet Member Leisure and Culture explained that the baseline target for attendances on Sport/Play programmes had remained at 10,000 as that was the maximum capacity that could be accommodated.  There also needed to be a balance in setting targets for subsidised activities versus commercial viability..
   

Members went on to debate the action plan. Some Members felt it was a difficult document for residents to read and understand all the linkages. Other Members questioned some of the terminology used and suggested the document should be written in more plain English, the drafting of the document improved and milestones made more specific.

A Member reminded Council that the document had been to the March meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and challenged why these points had not been made at that stage. He felt that all Members had a duty to engage in the democratic process in bringing this document to Council.

A Member suggested that Council should look  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11

Report of the Leader

RESOLVED THAT

the draft corporate strategy action plan for 2014-15 (appendix A) be endorsed ahead of it going to full council for final approval

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and explained that this was the last year of a 5 year plan. He said that the corporate strategy had been developed alongside the medium term financial strategy to ensure that there were sufficient budgets in place to deliver the outcomes as proposed and the report would be submitted to Council on 31 March for approval. The Leader also informed that the draft strategy had been submitted to Overview and Scrutiny and the Senior Leadership Team and he thanked Members and Officers for their work in achieving this.

The Leader stated that there had been some confusion surrounding the Cheltenham Development Task Force. He clarified that this was not a representative body as such but comprised volunteers with the appropriate skillset to facilitate enhancements in the town. He then noted that reference had been made at Overview and Scrutiny that there was a perception that there were increasing CO2 emissions at Boots corner and this was duly noted.

The Cabinet Member Finance highlighted the importance of the Bridging the Gap work. Continuing to make progress on savings in the revenue budget was vital so that there was no impact on frontline services. The current focus was on the Revenues and Benefits service. He made reference to the Asset Management and Capital Strategy which would be submitted to Council in July following the capital receipt from North Place car park and which gave the Council the opportunity to invest in new projects to enhance the town.

A comment was made by a member on the work exploring how to improve conditions for tenants living in private rented sector housing. This had particular relevance to St Pauls ward where there were a large number of multi-occupancy houses. The Council was monitoring the situation and he wished to thank officers for their efforts.

RESOLVED THAT

the draft corporate strategy action plan for 2014-15 (appendix A) be endorsed ahead of it going to full council for final approval