Issue - meetings

(a)       That the Committee informs the Cabinet that it supports the structure, format and content of the ‘public’ version of the Council (Improvement) Plan for 2017-23 which will be submitted to Council for approval in due course; and

(b)       That, where Members expressed concerns, these will be considered by the officers.

Councillor Aaron Shotton introduced the draft Council Plan 2017-23 which had been reviewed and refreshed to reflect the Council’s key priorities for the five year term of the new administration.  It was a statutory duty for the Council to adopt the Plan (which replaced the former Improvement Plan) and its importance in identifying priorities and objectives, particularly during times of austerity, was recognised.

In correcting the purpose of the report shown on the agenda, the Chief Executive sought comments to feedback to Cabinet so that each Overview & Scrutiny committee could consider their respective areas.  Responses would be reported back to this Committee and Cabinet in September 2017 to help inform the final Plan prior to seeking Council approval.  The previous themes had been consolidated into six priorities for delivery over the next five years, with particular focus on the first year.

The Corporate Business and Communications Executive Officer said that the general structure of the former plan had been retained but that national policy issues may affect the delivery of some outcomes.  The table within the Plan indicated the desired impact of each priority and sub-priority which linked to the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and commitment to the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.  The management of risks was also set out for each section.  Details on target performance and milestones would be shared in the second part ‘How we measure achievement’ document to be shared at a later stage.

Councillor Billy Mullin spoke about the Council’s record on performance as recognised by the Wales Audit Office, and the intention to build on those achievements.

Councillor Richard Jones welcomed the ongoing improvements in the structure of the Plan.  His concerns were on the content which he said lacked details on how the priorities would be measured for their achievement.  He reflected on previous Plans which he felt had focussed on the Deeside area and sought assurance that spend on current priorities would be spread equitably across the county.

The Chief Executive said that some issues were county-wide but gave examples of others specifically targeted according to areas of need or dependent on funding.  Such geographical-based schemes and their benefits to wider areas would be referenced in the second part of the document.

Councillor Aaron Shotton explained that reference to Deeside had been due to regional and national focus on the economic importance of the growth of the Deeside Enterprise Zone from which the whole of Flintshire would benefit.  He also referred to the extension of the Council house building programme to other parts of the county.

Whilst Councillor Jones acknowledged Deeside as the employment centre of the county with benefits to wider areas, he felt it was important that other communities should receive equal funding, particularly to regenerate town centres.

The importance of tourism was highlighted by Councillor Vicky Perfect to help boost the local economy.

Councillor Arnold Woolley suggested alternatives to the word ‘impact’ which had been repetitively used in the Plan.  He raised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9