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Report to: |
Council |
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Date: |
20 February 2024 |
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Title: |
The Council Plan 2024-2028 |
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Portfolio Area: |
Councillor Mandy Ewings 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)
3. RECOMMEND to Council to approve the funding for the 2024-25 Delivery Plan (as set out in section 5.4 of this report).
1. Executive summary
1.1 The Hub Committee considered a final draft of The Council Plan and Year 1 delivery plan at its meeting on 30 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 ambition for the borough. To support this ambition, we have developed thematic action plans for each of the key priority areas, which together form the Annual Delivery Plan, covering the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
2.2 The thematic action plans have been developed by Hub 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 Hub and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
2.5 The Council Plan and year 1 delivery plan was considered by the Hub at its meeting on 30 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.
4. Resource Implications
4.1 At its meeting on 21 November 2023 the Hub Committee considered (Minute HC 29/23 refers) the outcome of a review of Earmarked Reserves and the Capital Programme. This report identified £0.871m of Earmarked Reserves which are potentially available to support the delivery of The Council Plan and £0.263m of capital resources. These are one-off amounts, so £1.134m in total. This was subsequently approved at Council on 19 December 2023 (Item 8 (IV)).
4.2 The delivery of The Council Plan represents an overall financial commitment of £17,301,887 for 2024/25, with £16,914,387 financed from realignment of existing resources and allocations of government grants (such as UK Shared Prosperity Funding) and £387,500 of new monies from the £1.134m. 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 £1.134m identified in 5.1 above (£) |
To be financed from existing core budgets (£) |
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Natural Environment |
£87,000 |
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Built Environment |
£100,000 |
£13,575,000 |
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Housing |
£50,000 |
£1,640,000 |
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Health and Wellbeing |
£25,000 |
£1,004,137 |
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People and Community |
£40,500 |
£120,000 |
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Economy and Jobs |
£60,000 |
£498,750 |
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Performance and Resources |
£22,000 |
£76,500 |
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Inclusive Services and Communication |
£3,000 |
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TOTAL (£17,301,887) |
£387,500 |
£16,914,387 |
4.3 The analysis between Revenue and Capital expenditure is as below:
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To be financed from £1.134m identified in 5.1 above (£) |
To be financed from existing core budgets (£) |
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Revenue expenditure |
£337,500 |
£585,250 (of which £498,750 is UKSPF revenue funding) |
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Capital expenditure |
£50,000 |
£16,329,137 (of which £15.4m is Government grant funding) |
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TOTAL (£17,301,887) |
£387,500 |
£16,914,387 |
4.4 It is recommended that the £337,500 of revenue expenditure is funded from the £0.871m of Earmarked Reserves (as per the Hub report of 21 November 2023) which were identified as being available to support the delivery of the emerging Council Plan. In addition, it is recommended that the £50,000 of capital expenditure is funded from the New Homes Bonus Earmarked Reserve (this is the £0.263m of capital resources identified for The Council Plan).
4.5 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, the 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 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 £17,301,887 for 2024/25, with £16,914,387 financed from realignment of existing resources and allocations of government grants (such as UK Shared Prosperity Funding) and £387,500 of new monies from the £1.134m. The allocation against each theme area for the 2024/25 financial year is set out in section 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 the West Devon Vision and Strategy and delivery plans. |
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Supporting Corporate Strategy |
Y |
This report sets out the progress in developing the four-year strategy for the Council. |
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Consultation & Engagement Strategy |
Y |
The Council Plan and delivery plan have been refined following a seven-week consultation and engagement period with the public and partners. The responses to the consultation were set out in the Hub report of 30th January 2024. |
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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 as part of the Natural Environment theme.
The investment in the Natural Environment Theme is shown in 4.2 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; and
Background Papers:
Hub Committee 30 January 2023 – Minute HC 41/23
https://democracy.swdevon.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=221&MId=1867&Ver=4