Agenda item

To consider progress and the steps taken to co-produce the refresh of the Corporate Plan 2020-2025.

Consideration was given to the refreshed Corporate Plan, which set out the strategic priorities for the council and details future service provision to achieve them.

The Corporate Plan would inform how each directorate would spend the target budget available to them.

Following approval of the Corporate Plan by Council on 10 March 2020, it was proposed to work with staff, members, partners and the community to develop delivery plans detailing the action needed to achieve the strategic priorities.  However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Council’s and partner focus had been diverted to the initial response and establishing longer term support mechanisms. 

A series of engagement events with members, staff and partners had subsequently been undertaken to understand the impact of the pandemic on our communities and to develop actions to address key issues affecting residents. 

A refresh of the detailed actions that underpin the delivery of the strategic objectives was required at this time to ensure that the Corporate Plan took into account the impact of the pandemic on Sandwell as a whole and on the organisation.

In developing the revised actions that underpin the strategic outcomes, all Directors had been provided with individual comments received during the engagements sessions in order that these were considered to help shape each outcome. 

In addition, conversations had led to changes from the original iteration of the Corporate Plan and had now strengthened:-

•        our commitment to improving standards of cleanliness across the borough;

•        our drive to ensure that everyone feels safe in the communities they live in;

•        our commitment to whole life care and choice.

It was proposed to go back to stakeholders, including each school that had been visited, in the autumn to tell them how their feedback had helped to shape our plan, and get their help to develop a young person’s version of the Corporate Plan.

Having considered the refreshed plan, members of the Board commented that:-

·               work was now needed to develop business plans with key milestones and timelines identified so as to measure progress against tangible outcomes.  It was noted that this was the next phase of the plan Directorate business plans would be realigned to the financial plan and would be would be considered in February 2022;

·               more engagement was needed with members on the Corporate Plan and knowledge of what was happening in each ward. It was felt that more Member Briefings should be carried out to keep members informed;

·               periodic reporting on the Corporate Plan to be provided to the Scrutiny Board for consideration;

·               that the Chair of the Scrutiny Management Board be invited to further engagement sessions with young people at schools;

·               that further work be done with residents to ensure that as many residents as possible are responding an that responses are representative of the communities in Sandwell.

Resolved:-

(1)          that the progress and the steps taken to co-produce the refresh of the Corporate Plan 2020-2025 be noted;

(2)          that the comments of Budget and Corporate Scrutiny Management Board in relation to the refresh of the Corporate Plan 2020-2025 be considered by the Cabinet.