Issue - meetings

This report presents the proposed new Corporate Strategy 2018-23. The contents of the Strategy are set out at Annexe 1.

Recommendation

The Executive is requested to consider the draft Corporate Strategy 2018-23 and recommend it to the Council for approval and adoption.

18.1     The Leader introduced the new Waverley Corporate Strategy 2018-23. The Leader was very pleased to be able to bring forward the Corporate Strategy at this time, as it was important to have a clear statement of the strategic direction of the Council for the next 5 years.

18.2    The Strategy was a vital document to reflect on and address the challenges and changes affecting local government over the next few years, including increasing public demand on services, economic uncertainty and severely curtailed funding to local public services.

18.3    The Strategy sets out three main priority themes for the Council: People, Place and Prosperity. The priorities and objectives had been arrived at through discussion, research and consultation, including workshops with councillors and staff. A draft was published for partner, stakeholder and public comment in June and suggestions have been considered and incorporated.

18.4    The Strategy had taken into consideration the needs of customers and partner organisations, and the findings of the Strategic Review, approved by the Council in February 2017.

18.5    As the draft stated, the Corporate Strategy would be reflected in the Council’s service plans, budgets and individual performance agreements. Progress would be monitored by senior management, Overview and Scrutiny Committees and the Executive regularly, and particularly through the quarterly performance reports, which would be reformatted accordingly.

18.6    Cllr Bolton advised the Executive that the Strategy included a goal to increase the Council’s recycling rate to 54%, but the very latest DEFRA data showed that we were approaching that already and so the goal could be more ambitious. Cllr Bolton proposed an amendment, seconded by Cllr Hall, that the ‘Place’ goal 3 be amended to read: Encourage our residents to improve the quality of recycling and the DEFRA recycling rate to 56% by 2023.

            The amendment was agreed unanimously.

18.7     Cllr Else then suggested that, given the findings of the Overview and Scrutiny review into factors affecting health inequalities in Waverly, this challenge should be reflected within the Strategy. Cllr Else proposed an amendment, seconded by Cllr Bolton, that bullet point 4 on page 2, should read “Extreme and hidden disparities in economic, social and health experiences”.

            This amendment was also agreed unanimously, and the Executive RESOLVED to:

RECOMMEND to Council that the Corporate Strategy 2018-23 be approved and adopted, with the following amendments:

1) bullet point 4, page 2, to read, “Extreme and hidden disparities in economic, social and health experiences”,

2) ‘Place’ goal 3: “Encourage our residents to improve the quality of recycling and the DEFRA recycling rate to 56% by 2023”

[Reason: to approve the Council’s new Corporate Strategy 2018-23.]