Issue - items at meetings - Draft Brighton & Hove City Council Corporate Plan 2015-19

Report of the Chief Executive (copy attached).

That the Committee:

(i)           Approve the draft Corporate Plan 2015-19 and draft Medium Term Financial Strategy; and

(ii)          Direct that the final version of the Corporate Plan 2015-19 and Medium Term Financial Strategy be referred back to Policy & Resources Committee after Budget Council in February 2015, for consideration.

(iii)      At its meeting on 19 March 2015 approve the final version of the Medium Term Financial Strategy; and refer the final version of the Corporate Plan 2015-19 to Council for approval.

89.1       The Committee considered a report of the Chief Executive in relation to the Draft Brighton & Hove City Council Corporate Plan 2015-19 and Medium Term Financial Strategy. The corporate plan was part of the Council’s Policy Framework, and the draft Corporate Plan 2015-19 set the overall direction for the Council over the coming four years. The document also set the vision, principles and priorities which were shared with Brighton & Hove connected – the city’s public community and private sector partnership. The Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) had been developed alongside the corporate plan; this aligned principles and priorities with strategic investment in Council services. Both documents were produced to address the severe financial challenges facing the Council and how these would be met through service modernisation and prioritisation.

89.2       Councillor Sykes stated that this was an excellent piece of work that also addressed the political uncertainty associated with the 2015 Local Election. The plan related appropriately to the funding challenge all local authorities faced. He added that the outlook for both Adult and Children’s services remained difficult, but hoped the document would receive cross-party support.

89.3       Councillor Morgan welcomed the work that had been put into the Plan, and felt it captured the challenges faced by the organisation.

89.4       Councillor G. Theobald noted that he agreed with some of the comments made by the Chief Executive in her introduction; however, he felt that the assumed increase in Council Tax, outlined in the Plan, was at odds with the position of the Administration in the budget preparation for 2015/16. He went on to state that there should be reference in the plan to working with the independent sector – which he felt was a valid option for the organisation, and that the Council could learn more lessons from things that other authorities were doing.

89.5       The Chair stated that he hoped all political parties could support the document.

89.6       The Chair then put the recommendation to the vote.

89.7       RESOLVED – That the Committee:

(i)        Approve the draft Corporate Plan 2015-19 and draft Medium Term Financial Strategy; and

(ii)       Direct that the final version of the Corporate Plan 2015-19 and Medium Term Financial Strategy be referred back to Policy & Resources Committee after Budget Council in February 2015, for consideration.

(iii)    At its meeting on 19 March 2015 approve the final version of the Medium Term Financial Strategy; and refer the final version of the Corporate Plan 2015-19 to Council for approval.