Agenda item

Report of the Leader of the Council

The Leader of the Council introduced the report, explaining that the current Corporate Plan came to an end in 2022/2023 and so a new one was required. The existing plan set out significant flagship initiatives which were still continuing, such as plans to make Cheltenham the cyber capital of the UK through the Golden Valley Development, the Climate Emergency Action Plan: Pathway to Net Zero, and increasing the number of affordable carbon neutral homes through our £180m housing investment plan. Our approach was therefore to refresh our existing Corporate Plan to ensure that the focus remained on these critically important initiatives that would provide huge benefits to the people of Cheltenham, as well as ensuring we are able to respond to other opportunities and challenges ahead.

She highlighted that the financial pressures facing local government continued, with further challenges needed to navigate including energy costs and wider inflationary pressures. She recognised that the council also had a role to play in partnership with others when it came to supporting residents, communities and businesses with the cost of living crisis.

The Corporate Plan was a critical document that ensured strategic direction, focused prioritisation of resources and formed a key component of good corporate governance. Without a refreshed plan, the council would be operating without an agreed framework of priorities and objectives. She welcomed comments and asked for Cabinet’s support as set out in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member Cyber, Regeneration and Commercial Income highlighted the work that had gone into this report. He had recently hosted a group of next generation leaders from the Local Government Association (LGA), who had been impressed by the town’s ambition and especially projects like Golden Valley. This excitement stemmed from good corporate governance and project management. The corporate plan underlined a real focus on housing investment.

The Cabinet Member Finance, Assets and Regeneration echoed these comments. Compared to the budget monitoring report, which painted a stark picture, it was great to see a continuing focus on vital corporate priorities, and ambition rather than doom and gloom.

The Cabinet Member Waste, Recycling and Street Services highlighted the importance of working with parish councils on projects like this, and added that he was attending a meeting of the five parish councils this coming Saturday. Every level of local government needed to be engaged, particularly on topics like climate change, and it needed to be a two-way process with feedback on both sides.

The Cabinet Member Climate Emergency praised the draft plan as a spectacular document, which she was glad to see embed climate concerns at every stage.

The Cabinet Member Housing added that she had also attended the LGA visit along with colleagues. The strong relationship between CBC and CBH had also been a source of admiration. It was good to see a focus on delivering affordable homes and supporting struggling residents, and she was looking forward to delivering on ambitious goals in the future, like the pipeline of 450 homes over the next 4-5 years. She urged the public to engage with the consultation, emphasising that the more feedback the better.

The Leader moved to the vote, where it was unanimously:

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    Consultation and engagement activities be undertaken with key community and business stakeholders;

2.    The final version be recommended to February’s full Council for review and approval.