Report to: |
Council |
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Date: |
15 February 2024 |
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Title: |
The Council Plan 2024 –28 and Annual Delivery Plan for Year 1 |
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Portfolio Area: |
Councillor Julian Brazil Leader of the Council |
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Wards Affected: |
All |
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Author: |
Andy Bates Neil Hawke |
Role: |
Chief Executive Assistant Director Strategy |
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Contact: |
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
That Council APPROVES the:
1. Council Plan 2024-2028 as set out in Appendix A and Year 1 (2024/25) delivery plan in Appendix B;
2. funding for the 2024-25 delivery plan (as set out in section 4.2 of this report).
1. Executive summary
1.1 The Executive considered an updated draft of The Council Plan and Year 1 delivery plan at its meeting on 25 January 2024 and agreed to recommend adoption of the plan to full Council.
1.2 The Council Plan and Year 1 delivery plan has been developed over a six-month period, which included consultation with the public and partner organisations. Importantly, the plans have been shaped by Advisory Groups open to all Council Members.
1.3 The last version of The Council Plan and delivery plan for 2024/25 are set out in Appendix A and B of the report.
2. Background
2.1 The Council Plan sets out our longer-term ambitions for the district. To support the ambitions, we have developed thematic delivery plans for each of the key priority areas, which together form the delivery plan, covering the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
2.2 The thematic action plans have been developed by Executive Lead Members in consultation with officers and have been informed by Advisory Groups open to all Members of the Council.
2.3 The delivery plan ensures that our resources are aligned to supporting Members’ priorities and that our residents are clear about what we will doing on their behalf. Wherever possible SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) targets have been developed to enable the Council to monitor progress against the plan.
2.4 The delivery plan is intended to be dynamic – able to be updated in response to emerging challenges and opportunities. Once adopted by Council, the delivery plan will be subject to regular monitoring, annual updates and reporting through the Executive and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
2.5 The delivery plan seeks to address a number of cross cutting issues for example how the Council responds to the ongoing cost of living challenges. While not presented as a standalone theme, a number of actions within the delivery plan contribute toward addressing this and other such challenges. This is an area which we plan to report back to members in due course.
2.6 The Council Plan and year 1 delivery plan was considered by the Executive at its meeting on 25 January and recommended for adoption by full Council.
3. The Council Plan implementation and Performance Management
3.1 To ensure that the Council remains on track with delivering its plans, the final delivery plan (Appendix B) includes an outline of the performance management framework for the Council.
3.2 The performance management framework sets out how the Council plans and organises its resources to achieve its vision and priorities.
3.3 Directors and managers across the Council will ensure that their service plans for the coming year align to the aims and ambitions within the plan and deliver on the key actions they are responsible for. In turn, service plans will inform individual employee's objectives for the coming year which will ensure the whole organisation is aligned with the plan.
3.4 The framework also sets out how we will monitor progress against delivering the plans and ensures that there is clear accountability and clarity on corporate performance reporting.
4. Resource Implications
4.1 At its meeting on 21 September 2023, the Executive considered the outcome of a full review of earmarked reserves and the capital programme. This report identified £1.541m of earmarked reserves which were potentially available to support the delivery of the emerging Council Plan and £1.013m of capital resources. These are one-off amounts, so £2.554million in total. This was subsequently approved at Council on 28 September 2023 (Minute CM 30).
4.2 The delivery of The Council Plan represents an overall financial commitment of £4,591,789 for 2024/25, with £3,591,789 financed from existing resources and £1,000,000 of new monies allocated from the £2.554million set out in 4.1 above. The allocation against each theme area for the 2024/25 financial year is as follows:
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Theme |
24/25 Financial Year |
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To be financed from £2.554m identified in 4.1 above (£) |
To be financed from existing core budgets and grants (such as UK Shared prosperity) (£) |
Total by theme |
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Climate and Biodiversity |
500,000 |
168,000 |
668,000 |
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Housing |
100,000 |
2,308,789 |
2,408,789 |
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Community Services |
120,000 |
200,000 |
320,000 |
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Economy and Jobs |
75,000 |
598,000 |
673,000 |
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Core Services |
100,000 |
302,000 |
402,000 |
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Community Development |
55,000 |
15,000 |
70,000 |
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Contingency |
50,000 |
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50,000 |
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TOTAL |
£1,000,000 |
£3,591,789 |
£4,591,789 |
The analysis between Revenue and Capital expenditure is below:
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Revenue expenditure |
£650,000 |
£899,362 (of which £551,362 is UKSPF (UK Shared Prosperity funding) revenue funding) |
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Capital expenditure |
£350,000 |
£2,692,427 (of which £1.99m is Government grant funding and £0.7m is S106 funding) |
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TOTAL (£4,591,789) |
£1,000,000 |
£3,591,789 |
It is recommended that the £650,000 of revenue expenditure is funded from the £1.541m of earmarked reserves (as per the Executive report of 21 September) which were identified as being available to support the delivery of the emerging Council Plan. In addition, it is recommended that the £350,000 of capital expenditure is funded from the capital receipts reserve (this is the £1.013m of capital resources identified for The Council Plan).
4.3 As set out in the tables above, the allocation of resources in respect of the 2024/25 financial year (totalling £668,000) delivers on the Council Administration’s commitment of allocating £0.5m p.a. in responding to the climate and biodiversity crisis. In addition, during the current financial year (2023/24), £330,000 of pre-identified funding has been available to support climate and biodiversity projects.
4.4 The financial implications set out in this section have been included within the revenue and capital budget proposals for 2024/25.
5.Proposed next steps
5.1 That full Council approves The Council Plan at Appendix A and Annual Delivery Plan at Appendix B and the funding associated to delivery as set out in section 4 to this report.
6. Implications
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Implications
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Relevant |
Details and proposed measures to address |
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Legal/Governance
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Y |
The Council Plan is one of the plans and policies that comprise the Council’s Policy Framework. Consequently, decisions to approve, adopt or amend the final Council Plan and themes will be decisions of the Full Council. |
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Financial implications to include reference to value for money
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Y |
The report recommends an overall financial envelope for each theme based on the actions set out within the delivery plan.
The delivery of The Council Plan represents an overall financial commitment of £4,591,789 for 2024/25, with £3,591,789 financed from existing resources and £1,000,000 of new monies allocated from the £2.554million set out in 4.1 and 4.2 above.
This has been included in the Revenue Budget for 2024/25 being considered by Council today. |
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Risk |
Y |
Having an agreed corporate plan ensures that Council resources are aligned to delivering on agreed priorities and plans. There is a risk that the plan is not agreed when finally considered by Council however this is mitigated through our consultation and engagement activity and by forming cross-political party Advisory Groups to shape The Council Plan and delivery plans. |
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Supporting Corporate Strategy |
Y |
This report sets out a new Four-year Council Plan and the first-year delivery plan for the Council. On adoption, it will form the overarching plan for the Council. |
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Consultation & Engagement Strategy |
Y |
The Council Plan and delivery plans have been refined following a ten-week consultation and engagement period with the public and partners. |
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Climate Change - Carbon / Biodiversity Impact
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Y |
The Council Plan sets out our primary commitments to tackling climate change and increasing biodiversity.
The investment in the Climate and Biodiversity Theme is shown in 4.2 of this report. Further detail is in 4.3 of this report. |
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Comprehensive Impact Assessment Implications |
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Equality and Diversity
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Equality and Diversity Implications have been considered for The Council Plan and overall contribute to a positive impact for our residents. Equality Impact Assessments will be carried out for specific projects within the delivery plan as they commence delivery. |
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Safeguarding
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No direct implications – specific implications will be considered alongside the delivery of specific projects within the plan |
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Community Safety, Crime and Disorder |
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No direct implications – specific implications will be considered alongside the delivery of specific projects within the plan |
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Health, Safety and Wellbeing |
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No direct implications – specific implications will be considered alongside the delivery of specific projects within the plan |
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Other implications |
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None at this stage |
Supporting Information
Appendices:
· Appendix A – The Council Plan
· Appendix B – Annual Delivery Plan 2024-25
Background Papers:
· Executive -Corporate Strategy (The Council Plan) & Year 1 Delivery Plan – Minute E.57/23
https://democracy.swdevon.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=149&MId=1829&Ver=4