To agree terms of reference for a task and finish group to:

·         appraise the draft 2024-28 Herefordshire Council Plan;

·         consider impact of changed and new corporate priorities w.r.t. 2020-2024 County Plan, and any continuity issues;

·         Consider the balance of proposed corporate priorities w.r.t. identified strategic needs and opportunities for the county

·         Consider whether the success measures suggested for the Delivery Plan 2024-2025 align to Herefordshire Council Plan priorities and ambitions.

The Chairperson explained that an item on ‘Delivery Plan 2023-2024 and 2024-2028 County Plan’ had been considered on 21 November 2023 (minute 30 of 2023/24 refers) and the resolutions of the board included: ‘That a Task and Finish Group be convened to provide views and recommendations on the draft County Plan as it continues to develop, with terms of reference to be drafted for approval by the board.’; and ‘That Cabinet consider rescheduling the governance process for the County Plan to enable a level of meaningful consultation to take place with the public and with scrutiny, and that the target date for the plan to go to Full Council be revised to become 8 March 2024.’

In response to a question about the current timetable, the Director of Strategy and Performance advised that the consultation had been extended into February 2024, and the ‘Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-2028’ (formerly known as Corporate Plan – County Plan) was due to be considered by Cabinet in April 2024 and by Council in May 2024.

The Statutory Scrutiny Officer suggested that the board itself could set up a working group to expedite the scrutiny activity on the draft Herefordshire Council Plan and the Delivery Plan, with the findings to be reported to the next scheduled meeting of the board.  This suggestion was discussed and supported by board members.

Resolved:

That a working group be convened to consider the draft Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-2028 and the Delivery Plan, with the findings to be reported to the next scheduled meeting of the Scrutiny Management Board.