Issue - meetings

To consider report 70/11 of the head of corporate strategy. 

Cabinet considered report 70/11 of the head of corporate strategy, which sought agreement to the draft corporate plan 2012 to 2016. 

The chairman invited Councillor Dudley Hoddinott to ask his question.  The corporate plan referred to increasing the internet speeds across the district.  Councillor Hoddinott asked how the council would measure the success of faster broadband internet access in rural areas, since their service was already poorer than the towns?  The chairman reported that the council was working with partners in the private sector and internet service providers to introduce faster broadband technology.  Some connection exchanges would be upgraded this year. 

Cabinet thanked the officers involved in preparing the corporate plan for 2012 to 2016.  Councillors believed that the consultation had proved useful and thanked the public respondents for their feedback and the Scrutiny Committee for its contribution. 

In relation to the delivery of services section, to ensure the council took residents’ and stakeholders’ views into account, Cabinet agreed to amend the draft plan to measure success by looking at the percentage of people who felt they could inform decisions affecting their local area. 

RESOLVED: To

(a)       agree the proposed changes to the draft 2012-2016 corporate plan, set out in report 70/11;

(b)       authorise the Head of Corporate Strategy to make any further minor editorial changes required in consultation with the Leader of the Council prior to final approval by Council; and

RECOMMEND to Council to:

(c)        adopt the 2012 – 2016 corporate plan contained in Appendix B to report 70/11, with the addition of the following:

·        In the section on the delivery of services, to ensure the council takes residents’ and stakeholders’ views into account, success will be measured by looking at the percentage of people who feel they can inform decisions affecting their local area. 

To consider report 47/11 of the head of corporate strategy. 

The committee considered report 47/11 of the head of corporate strategy, which reviewed the corporate plan.  The report set out proposed strategic objectives and corporate priorities that would form part of the corporate plan to 2016.  This would guide how the council allocated funding and resources. 

The committee was asked for its views.  To do this the chair asked all members to write their comments against the corporate objectives and measures. 

Councillor Dudley Hoddinott had asked to address the committee.  The chair invited him to add his questions to the committee’s feedback to the draft corporate priorities. 

The chair adjourned the meeting to allow the committee to add its comments.  Later, the committee reconvened. 

The officers agreed to collate the committee’s comments and circulate them to committee members to check for accuracy.  If the timetable allowed, the officers would bring these comments to the committee’s next meeting for approval.  The committee’s comments would then be submitted to Cabinet for consideration in the corporate plan review. 

The committee noted that Cabinet would periodically review the corporate plan and the committee would have an ongoing scrutiny role. 

RESOLVED: To request that the committee’s comments on the corporate plan review be sent to committee members or brought back to the committee for approval.