Issue - meetings

That;

a)    the vision for the Transforming East Herts Programme that ‘By 2025 East Herts Council will be a customer focused, financially sustainable, effective organisation with flexible, empowered employees’ be approved.

b)   the Head of Strategic Finance and Property be authorised to allocate such funding as required from the Transformation Reserve to deliver the Transforming East Herts Programme.

c)     Authorisation is given to officers to commence the ‘discovery’ phase of the programme, with an update to be brought back to Executive in Autumn 2021.

The Leader of the Council presented a report on the Transformation Programme. She said that every Council had to look at how they should be managing their finances in the coming years. The report outlined the key areas of the transformation programme; a flexible workforce, reduced costs of services and a digital by default culture. The Council would need to become more commercial and create efficiencies. The report notes that an update would be brought back to the Executive in the autumn.

Councillor Buckmaster said that it would be important to work together to create something better moving forward. He said that there were many positive elements to flexible working and thought the Council would come out stronger after the Transformation Programme was complete.

Councillor Williamson said that the Council was in unprecedented times and the Council budget shortfall was due to reduced funding and an increased demand for services. This would be an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive and he supported the vision expressed in the report.

Councillor Haysey proposed and Councillor Goodeve seconded a motion supporting the recommendations in the report. On being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that (A) the vision for the Transforming East Herts Programme that ‘By 2025 East Herts Council will be a customer focused, financially sustainable, effective organisation with flexible, empowered employees’ be approved;

(B)   the Head of Strategic Finance and Property be authorised to allocate such funding as required from the Transformation Reserve to deliver the Transforming East Herts Programme; and

(C)   Authorisation is given to officers to commence the ‘discovery’ phase of the programme, with an update to be brought back to Executive in Autumn 2021.