Agenda item

To present the Council Plan for 2017 to 2022.

The report of the Head of Corporate Transformation incorporating the draft Council Plan for the period from 2017 to 2022 was presented for the Committee’s consideration and comment.

The Portfolio Member for Corporate Services reported that the Council Plan is a key strategic document which sets out the aims and objectives of the Isle of Anglesey County Council for the next five year period. The document will be the major driver behind the Council’s decisions during this period including how it shapes its budget, how it develops its strategies and how it plans its services.

The Chief Executive said that the document outlines the Council’s priorities for the coming five years; the Plan will be an integral tool in managing and in evaluating the Council’s performance including ensuring that the Council remains accountable for the work that it does. The Committee might wish to consider whether the Plan gives a clear direction to the Council’s work for the period it covers; whether it is sufficiently specific in the priorities it puts forward and whether it provides a clear and strong framework for reviewing the Council’s performance over the course of the five years. In developing the Council Plan, consideration was given to the cost implications of realising the Council’s priorities and in ensuring that they are aligned to the development of the Medium Term Financial Plan. The Senior Leadership Team has also set out specific objectives over three years which will help achieve the overall Plan.

The Committee considered and accepted the Plan with the proviso that it be monitored to ensure it remains on course; it was proposed and seconded that it be re-presented to the Scrutiny Committee for review within a year. An amendment was proposed and seconded that the Council Plan be reviewed within 6 months especially from a financial perspective and on the basis that to wait 12 months might mean a missed opportunity to identify and to rectify any potential slippage.

The Chief Executive said that a review after 12 months is likely to afford a clearer, more composite picture of how the Plan’s implementation is evolving. From a financial point of view it is not thought that there are any significant budget implications to the Plan at this point in time.

The Head of Function (Resources) and Section 151 Officer said that the Plan is made up of a combination of projects which are to be funded from existing revenue budgets. Should it transpire as implementation of the Plan progresses that additional revenue funding is required, then that will be built into the annual budget or if mid-year will be addressed via the usual democratic process requiring the Executive’s approval. In the case of any capital projects feeding into the capital programme, then the capital programme is also subject to regular quarterly monitoring via the Executive. With regard to HRA related projects there is a HRA business plan which is monitored by the Housing Services Board; the HRA budget is also monitored by the Executive. So there are well established financial monitoring processes that will help ensure the Plan stays on track financially. Additionally, as the Council Plan is a five year plan it is unlikely that significant progress will have been made by the end of 6 months in terms of actual expenditure; part   of this initial period is likely to be taken up by planning arrangements. This does not mean that the Plan is not being delivered but that expenditure necessarily follows on from other actions. It was his professional opinion that in the Plan’s first year, a review at 12 months would prove more advantageous than one at 6 months.

Having considered the Officers’ opinion, and after further discussion, the Committee voted to accept the Council Plan, and that its implementation be reviewed by the Committee after 12 months being mindful also that if necessary the review could always be brought forward. (The Chair abstained from voting).

It was RESOLVED to accept the Council Plan as presented to be forwarded to the Executive for formal recommendation to the Council, and that its implementation be reviewed by the Scrutiny Committee after 12 months.

ADDITIONAL ACTION: Review of the Council Plan to be scheduled at the end of 12 months.