Issue - meetings

That the Improvement Plan 2015/16 be adopted.

The Chief Officer (Organisational Change) introduced the report to seek adoption and publication of the Improvement Plan 2015/16, which was a statutory requirement of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009.  He explained that the Plan was about sustaining performance in the current challenging climate and demonstrated a clear performance framework, whilst meeting criteria from regulators such as the Wales Audit Office (WAO).  This was better integrated with financial planning, linked to other corporate plans such as the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), Council Governance Framework and the Corporate Resources Plan.

A presentation was delivered, covering the main points:

·         How we built up the Plan

·         Choosing in-year priorities

·         Member consultation

·         Benefits of this approach thus far

·         Plan for 2014/15

·         Plan for 2015/16

·         Priorities for Living Well, Skills & Learning and Modern & Efficient Council

·         Using the Plan

·         Positive feedback from the WAO Corporate Assessment 2015

·         Next steps

The consultation process involving a Member workshop and discussion at the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee had resulted in a number of agreed changes and that later in the year, suggestions would be sought from Overview & Scrutiny on sub-priorities for next year’s Plan.

As part of an overview of the 2014/15 Plan, the Policy & Performance Manager reported generally positive outcomes and outlined the key highlights in respect of housing, education, extra care facilities and job creation.  Out of the 22 sub-priorities, 68% had made good progress in achieving outcomes which the Council had set out to deliver whilst 32% had made satisfactory progress.

The Plan for 2015/16 retained the eight priorities, with a structure of 17 sub-priorities up to 2017, including some new emerging issues and some which had been carried over from the previous year for continued focus.  Other sub-priorities had been broadened or merged, or removed as they were time limited.  Once the Plan was published, the second appendix detailing how achievements would be measured would be accessible through a hyperlink and used by Overview & Scrutiny to review progress throughout the year.

The Chief Officer (Social Services) detailed the objectives of the sub-priority on safeguarding vulnerable people and children.  These involved the creation of a single safeguarding unit under one manager and preparations for the full implementation of the Social Services & Well-being Act which would equip councils with new powers on safeguarding.

On the sub-priority for apprenticeships and training, the Chief Officer (Education & Youth) thanked all those involved in helping the Council to secure the highest level of 16 year olds in education, employment or training last year: this was the highest ever achieved by the Council and across Wales.  Many of those individuals not included in this group had more complex needs, and work would be undertaken at an earlier stage to help them through the provision of skilled mentors and maximising access to employment or training opportunities.

On the sub-priority for developing communities, the Chief Officer (Organisational Change) explained the emphasis on supporting communities to become more resilient and continued support for the development of social enterprise, linked to a forthcoming Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23