Agenda item

To seek Cabinet support of the draft Corporate Plan for the period 2024 to 2027 and to recommend to Council its approval and adoption from the 1^st April 2024.

Purpose of report

To seek Cabinet support of the draft Corporate Plan for the period 2024 to 2027 and to recommend to Council its approval and adoption from the 1^st April 2024.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Recommends the new Corporate Plan 2024-2027 to Council for approval and adoption from 1 April 2024.

2.    Delegates to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Governance and Licensing to make any minor amendments to the design of the Corporate Plan 2024-2027 document prior to final Council approval.

Alternative options considered and rejected

The Council could have decided not to have a Corporate Plan. This was not a prudent or viable approach. The absence of a Corporate Plan would have resulted in a lack of strategic direction and at best an ad hoc and disjointed focus. Effective performance management and delivery of the Best Value Duty would be compromised.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) published draft statutory guidance on compliance with the Best Value Duty for local authorities in July 2023. The Best Value Duty related to the statutory requirement for local authorities and other public bodies defined as best value authorities in Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1999 (“the 1999 Act”) to “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness”.

The guidance provided greater clarity to local government on how to fulfil the

Best Value Duty by describing what constituted best value, the standards

expected by the department and the models of intervention at the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ disposal in the event of failure to uphold these standards. DLUHC was currently analysing consultation responses to the draft guidance. The final document was expected in 2024.

The draft guidance was clear that possession of a Corporate Plan was a marker of well-functioning local authority under the Best Value theme of Leadership. The Corporate Plan was required to be “evidence based, current, realistic and enables the whole organisation’s performance to be measured and held to account. Strategic priorities are aligned with the authority’s financial strategy and delivery arrangements, and respond appropriately to local need, including the plans of partners and stakeholders.”

It was considered an indicator of potential failure if the “Corporate plan is out of date, unrealistic and unaffordable and/or has too many priorities” or was absent entirely.

Reasons for decision

The Corporate Plan would give a strategic framework for operational and medium-term financial planning and provided a clear direction for the Council. This provided a clear view of what the Council was delivering for the public, residents, businesses, key stakeholders and for its own staff.

The Corporate Plan (the Plan) set out the strategic vision of the Council for the next 4 years, and provided a performance framework for the delivery of the actions within the Plan, utilising a comprehensive evidence base.

The Plan informed the Council of strategic decisions and priorities and was designed to be realistic and dynamic.

The three principles that were fundamental to the Plan, identified through meeting with external partners were:

1.    Listening and being responsive to needs of communities.

2.    Building public trust and confidence by building a culture of openness and transparency wherever possible.

3.    Providing value for money for residents and businesses through responsible and prudent use of resources.

The structure of the Plan contained several elements; vision, mission statement, priorities, ambitions, actions, outcomes for 2034, and foundations, and these were outlined within the Plan.

The vision for South Kesteven was to be ‘a thriving district in which to live, work, and visit.’ This phrase encapsulated the visions for the District. Above all, it was important for South Kesteven to be a place that residents were proud to call home. The mission for the organisation was to provide excellent public services, alongside being a modern and forward-looking Council delivering efficient public services.

There were five major priorities within the Plan:

1.    Connecting communities

2.    Sustainability

3.    Enabling economic opportunity

4.    Housing

5.    To be an effective council

Each priority had a series of ambitions contained within. Each would stimulate a range of programmes and projects; the actions within each ambition detailed specific work that the Council would be undertaking.

Additionally, each priority contained a number of outcomes for a decades’ time (2034), giving an example of longer-term strategic planning. The Plan was underpinned by three foundations:

1.    Financial sustainability

2.    Performance management

3.    Corporate values and equalities, the ethos through which the plan will be delivered.

The Plan was the blueprint for the next 4 years and was a clear view of what the Council was delivering for the public, stakeholders and its own staff.

Cabinet approved the State of the District report on 11 September 2023. This, in conjunction with the socio-economic indicators document evidenced where South Kesteven District Council was placed in comparison to other local authorities.

The Plan was developed and refined through three workshops that all elected members had the opportunity to feed into. A further opportunity to input was given through a public consultation. The priorities within the Plan were supported by 80% of respondents and the ambitions of the Plan supported by around 85% of respondents.

Thanks were expressed to all officers and members that had taken part in the drafting of the Corporate Plan, in particular Debbie Roberts and Charles James.

The following points were raised during debate:

·       It was disappointing that take up amongst members for the Corporate Plan workshops was lower amongst some political groups.

·       Officers and members had to lead by example on the Plan. The goals within the Plan were ‘middle-distance’ so that they could be realistic – there was little point setting goals for 100 years’ time when no-one would be around to defend them.

·       A ‘golden thread’ approach was embedded in the Plan. This was the link that connected all work, at all levels of the organisation, directly to the overarching vision, priorities and ambitions of the Plan.