Issue - meetings

Minute 205 refers – the revised Plan including amendments made since the Executive meeting is attached.

RESOLVED – that (A) the comments of the Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee, be received;

(B)      the 2014/15 – 2017/18 Corporate Strategic Plan be approved, subject to minor typographical errors and alterations being made, in consultation with the Leader; and

(C)      Officers be requested to review the Sustainable Community Strategy over the coming year to ensure that it was still fit for purpose for the Local Strategic Partnership and East Herts Council.

The Executive considered a draft of the Council’s Strategic Plan 2014/15 – 2017/18, which outlined priorities for the next four years and identified key outcomes it would be seeking to achieve. 

The Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee, at its meeting held on 27 August 2013, had recommended the Plan for adoption.

The Executive Member for Health, Housing and Community Support referred to various references to the Sustainable Community Strategy, which had been approved in 2009.  She suggested that Officers should be requested to review this Strategy over the coming year to ensure that it was still fit for purpose for the Local Strategic Partnership and East Herts Council.  This was supported by the Executive.

Councillor J Wing repeated his comment made at the Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 27 August 2013, that the “Here to Help You” heading should be replaced with “Here to Give Good Service” and explained the subtle difference.  The Leader commented that this was more about an attitude and frame of mind rather than customer service dogma.

The Executive supported the recommendations as now detailed,

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the comments of the Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee, be received;

(B)    the 2014/15 – 2017/18 Corporate Strategic Plan be approved, subject to minor typographical errors and alterations being made, in consultation with the Leader; and

(C)    Officers be requested to review the Sustainable Community Strategy over the coming year to ensure that it was still fit for purpose for the Local Strategic Partnership and East Herts Council.

The Leader of the Council submitted a report presenting a draft of the Council’s Corporate Strategic Plan which outlined the Council’s priorities for the next four years and the key outcomes it hopes to achieve.  The report also highlighted the high level priorities and identified the key activities that will be undertaken, the detail of which was set out in the report now submitted and supporting Essential Reference Papers.

The Corporate Planning and Performance Manager explained how the core document was broken down and welcomed Members’ views on the draft.

Councillor S Bull expressed his dismay at the dissolution of Community Voice meetings which he felt, gave the community an opportunity to voice their concerns and needs. Councillor J Wing felt that Community Voice meetings were not that useful as only a small number of regular attendees ever came and that Officers’ comments could only ever be limited in the absence of senior representation.

Councillor J Wing asked that the heading of paragraph 3 “Organisation and Culture – Here to Help You” be amended by the deletion of “Here to Help You” as he felt that the latter words were patronising and preferred the inclusion of “Here to give good service”.  Councillor J Ranger suggested that Officers be given more training to provide better service. 

The Committee received the report.

RESOLVED – that the Corporate Strategic Plan for 2014/15 to 2017/18, as now submitted, be recommended to the Executive for approval.