Issue - meetings

To consider the head of corporate strategy’s report. 

Cabinet considered the head of corporate strategy’s report, which proposed a new corporate plan to cover the period 2016 to 2020.  This identified the council’s strategic objectives and priorities, and would help guide decisions on the allocation of resources.  The corporate plan, if adopted by Council, would replace the priorities set out in the corporate plan that ended in 2016. 

The Cabinet member responsible for the corporate plan reported that he had attended the Scrutiny Committee meeting on 14 April, which suggested several amendments and he agreed to take these into consideration before a final version was submitted to Council on 11 May.  The changes included:

·         Several typographical amendments

·         In the section titled ‘housing and infrastructure’ amend the sixth bullet point to read ‘work with developers and other partners to develop a protocol that will ensure high quality, sympathetic designs across all different areas of the district’

·         In the section on tackling infrastructure challenges, add a reference to the Oxford and Abingdon flood alleviation scheme

·         In the section on tackling infrastructure challenges, add a reference to health, education and other infrastructure

·         In the section titled ‘sustainable communities and wellbeing’ amend the fourth bullet point to read ‘continuous improvement programmes to allow better access to our leisure centres, schemes and facilities’

·         In the section titled ‘sustainable communities and wellbeing’ amend the ninth bullet point to read ‘carrying out district-wide deep cleans of streets, pavements, public footpaths and to remove graffiti’

·         Add a bullet point in the same section to deliver the council’s community safety partnership objectives as set out in the partnership’s plan

·         In the section titled ‘building an even stronger economy’, amend the eighth bullet point to read ‘working with developers to introduce local apprenticeship and local workforce schemes that benefit all residents’

·         In the section titled ‘running an efficient council’, amend the first bullet point to read ‘keeping district council tax low’

·         In the section titled ‘running an efficient council’, amend the second bullet point to read ‘continuing to work in partnership with South Oxfordshire District Council and others to develop new ideas for improving service delivery, including considering the option for a unitary council covering southern Oxfordshire’

·         Amend the last bullet point in the draft corporate plan to read ‘seek to improve access to major new developments and town centres for people with disabilities, carers and older people’

RECOMMENDED: to Council to adopt the Corporate Plan 2016 – 2020, subject to changes to be agreed with the Cabinet member responsible for the corporate plan and the Cabinet member for community safety.