Issue - meetings

Report number SD022 by the Strategic Director.  (Enclosure)

DECISION (UNANIMOUS):- To approve the repackaging of the Council’s Priorities under four broader priority themes as follows:-

• Customer First
• Quality Living
• Open for Business
• Quality Organisation

Council had before them report SD022 of the acting Chief Executive and strategic directors which outlined the recent review of the Councils priorities and also evaluated and recommended the repackaging of the priorities under four broader ‘priority themes’.

The Council had first set its priorities in 2004 and these had been regularly amended and updated in the intervening four years. Currently there were six category A priorities and four category B priorities. These had been initiated where a specific improvement in performance had been required, in order to focus attention on those areas. This approach had assisted in an improvement in discrete area, for example, in meeting recycling targets, improved street cleanliness, exceeding targets for affordable housing and in addressing public concerns about anti social behaviour. However the current approach was not necessarily the most effective way to deal with more holistic, longer term issues which required the input of the entire organisation. It was therefore considered appropriate to adopt a more general thematic approach towards focussing our resources on what mattered to local residents and businesses thus ensuring that all resources across the Council contributed to key objectives and made a real difference to local people.

The overriding aim was to achieve brilliant Customer Service and satisfaction. To do this it was necessary to put the customer at the heart of what the Council did, get service delivery right first time and at the first point of contact and put any mistakes right quickly.

The following four themes were therefore suggested:-

After discussion, the motion was duly proposed, seconded and carried unanimously.