Policy and Resources Committee

28 September 2016

Is the final decision on the recommendations in this report to be made at this meeting?


Yes

 

Corporate Planning Timetable

 

Final Decision-Maker

Policy and Resources Committee

Lead Head of Service

Head of Policy and Communications

Lead Officer and Report Author

Angela Woodhouse

Classification

Public

Wards affected

 

 

 

This report makes the following recommendations to this Committee:

1.   Review and agree the timetable for refreshing the Strategic Plan and creating the Medium Term Financial Strategy and Service Planning.

 

 

 

This report relates to the following corporate priorities:

The corporate planning process is centred on achieving the Council’s

corporate priorities:

 

·         Keeping Maidstone Borough an attractive place for all; and

·         Securing a successful economy for Maidstone Borough.

 

 

Timetable

Meeting

Date

Policy and Resources Committee

28 September 2016

 

 



Corporate Planning Timetable

 

 

1.        PURPOSE OF REPORT AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

1.1     This report sets out a proposed approach to refreshing the current Strategic

Plan and undertaking budget consultation as part of a corporate planning

timetable.

 

 

2.        INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

 

2.1   The Strategic Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy are core elements of the corporate planning timetable. The priorities and outcomes in the

Strategic Plan are developed alongside the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to ensure consistency between service delivery and budgets. Service Planning allows the Council to convert high level priorities from the Strategic Plan into actions for each directorate, service or team across the Council, which then feeds into individual staff appraisals.

 

2.2   Each year Councillors are asked to agree whether to update the existing strategic plan or create a new one a timetable of activity is then planned around this process.

 

2.3   The timetable includes a period of public consultation and reports to service committee meetings.

 

 

 

3.        AVAILABLE OPTIONS

 

3.1     The Committee could either choose to create a new strategic plan, refresh the current plan or that there is no reason to produce either an update or a new plan.

 

3.2     A timetable for corporate planning is outlined at section 4, the Committee can review and amend this timetable as appropriate.

 

 

 

4.        PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

 

4.1     It is recommended that as the current Strategic Plan has a five year span, the present plan is updated for 2017-18. Not updating the plan is not recommended as the local and national context is constantly changing and the Council needs to demonstrate how it is planning and managing change.

 

4.2   The update will include refreshing the action areas against progress and changes to the Medium Term Financial strategy as a result of the budget and priorities consultation.

 

4.3   An update to the Strategic Plan for 2017-18 would include:

· A review of the 8 action areas

· An update of what has been achieved in 2016/17; and

· An updated foreword and performance measures

 

4.4    Outlined below is a proposed timetable for updating the Strategic Plan and development of the Medium term Financial Strategy. Each Committee will be formally consulted prior to Policy and Resources Committee recommending both documents to Council.

 

Timetable

 

Date

Action

4 July 2016

All Member briefing on the budget

4 August 2016

Budget Prioritisation Workshop

1 September 2016 – March 2017

Service planning with Heads of Service and Unit Managers

28 September 2016

Policy and Resources Committee consider the corporate planning timetable

October

Training and Briefing Session for Councillors - TBC

October 2016

Budget and Priorities Public Roadshow

October 2016 - Mid November 2016

Budget and Priorities On-line Survey

14 December 2016

Policy and Resources consider outcomes of consultation and agree documents for consultation with Service Committees?

January 2017

Consultation with Service Committees

15 February 2017

Policy and Resources consider Strategic Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy

1 March 2017

Strategic Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy considered at full Council

 

 

 

5.       CONSULTATION RESULTS AND PREVIOUS COMMITTEE FEEDBACK

 

5.1     As outlined in the table above there will be a roadshow and resident survey which will inform the refresh of the Plan and the Medium term Financial Strategy.

 

5.2     The roadshow will run throughout October in locations across the Borough, residents will be asked to prioritise those services that matter to them. This information will be used to inform our budget and priorities going forward.

 

 

 

6.       NEXT STEPS: COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION

 

6.1     The timetable at section 4 sets out the next steps

 

 

 

7.       CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS

 

 

Issue

Implications

Sign-off

Impact on Corporate Priorities

The corporate planning process is centred on reviewing and

identifying the council’s priorities and the resources needed to deliver them.

Head of Policy

and

Communications

Risk Management

Risks associated with the delivery of the Strategic Plan will be set out in the Strategic Risk Register

Head of Policy and Communications

Financial

The timetable includes budget consultation and development of the Medium term Financial Strategy which will set the council’s budget including growth and savings required.

Section 151 Officer

Staffing

Creating a new strategic plan will have significant staffing implications in terms of input into the process and embedding the priorities recently agreed. Staff resources have been allocated for updating the present plan.

Head of Policy and Communications

Legal

 

 

Equality Impact Needs Assessment

Equalities will need to be taken into account when we plan the consultation and any service changes resulting from the budget

Head of Policy and Communications

Environmental/Sustainable Development

N/A

Head of Policy and Communications

Community Safety

N/A

Head of Policy and Communications

Human Rights Act

N/A

Head of Policy and Communications

Procurement

N/A

Head of Policy and Communications

Asset Management

N/A

Head of Policy and Communications

 

8.        REPORT APPENDICES

 

None

 

 

9.        BACKGROUND PAPERS

 

None