To consider the delivery plan for 2023/24 and to receive an update on the development of the county plan 2024-2028.

The Cabinet Member Finance and Corporate Services introduced the report; this had been published in Supplement 1 to the agenda.  It was noted that the report on the Delivery Plan was to be considered by Cabinet on 21 November 2023 (link to minute 56 of 2023/24).

The principal points of the discussion are summarised below.

1.           In response to questions from the Chairperson about the timetable for the production of the County Plan 2024-2028 (Supplement 1, page 4), the Cabinet Member Finance and Corporate Services acknowledged that there was a challenging timeline for the development of the County Plan, and the Director of Strategy and Performance provided an overview of the intended engagement and consultation process.  The Cabinet Member added that the delivery of the County Plan was the number one priority for Cabinet.  The Chairperson proposed a recommendation 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.  This recommendation was welcomed by the Cabinet Member.

2.           It was noted that the presentation of the Delivery Plan 2023-2024 had been delayed and assurance was sought that the deliverables could be achieved within the remainder of the year.  The committee was advised that many of the deliverables were continuations of the work identified in previous plans.  A committee member considered that narratives should be provided to explain the changes to strategic documents. 

3.           The Chairperson considered it unfortunate that the format of the Delivery Plan 2023-2024 differed from previous plans, in that it did not set out clearly the County Plan ambitions, the work undertaken to date, and the work that was planned.

4.           A committee member commented on the need for: appropriate numbering to assist with reporting and monitoring; identification of the relevant County Plan programmes; specific and measurable deliverables; and clarity about those elements that had been achieved in previous years, such as the establishment of the Economy and Place Partnership Board and the Herefordshire Skills Forum.  Presentational points were also made about wording repeated in the Foreword and in the Future Planning and Delivery section, and about the centring of the map image on the final page.

5.           There was a further discussion about delays in the production of the documents.

6.           With attention drawn to the objective ‘Improvement of Children’s Services’, further comments were made about the absence of specific, measurable deliverables, and RAG (Red-Amber-Green) ratings, which made it difficult for councillors and the public to ascertain whether the council was delivering on the ambitions.

7.           The Cabinet Member Finance and Corporate Services said matters relating to formatting and layout would be addressed.

8.           The Chairperson expressed concerns about omissions in the Environment ambition, such as the lack of references to the Hereford City Centre Masterplan, initiatives to reduce the council’s carbon footprint, the Phosphate Commission, and the position with development within the River Lugg catchment area.  The Chairperson proposed a recommendation that a closure report be produced for the existing County Plan to wrap up the achievements over the four years of the plan and to plug some of the gaps that have been identified in the Delivery Plan 2023-24.  This recommendation was welcomed by the Cabinet Member Finance and Corporate Services.  The Cabinet Member Environment provided an overview of the work that had been undertaken and was ongoing to deliver improved river quality.

9.           Concerns were expressed about how changes to the Delivery Plan could impact upon the allocation of resources and the implications for the revenue budget.  The Director of Strategy and Performance explained that each individual project included resource to deliver the schemes and any changes would go through a governance process. 

10.        The Chairperson commented that, whilst recognising that overall ambitions would take time to achieve, service areas needed to identify discrete steps and milestones to provide confidence that progress was being made.  It was suggested that there should be ‘SMART’ (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) identified deliverables as part of the first Delivery Plan for the County Plan 2024-2028.

11.        A committee member questioned whether any completed parts of the County Plan could be circulated earlier.  The Cabinet Member Resources and Finances commented on the linkages between the County Plan, the Delivery Plan and the budget process, and said that an update could be provided on the matters completed to date.

12.        The Vice-Chairperson suggested that simple informatics could be provided, particularly to illustrate the amount of work that had been undertaken.  Another committee member commented on the need for plain English, and it was suggested that a glossary of terms be included in key documents.

At the conclusion of the debate, the Chairperson summarised potential recommendations and the following resolution was agreed by the committee.

Resolved:

1.           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.

2.           That a closure report be produced for the existing County Plan to wrap up the achievements over the four years of the plan and to plug some of the gaps that have been identified in the Delivery Plan 2023-24.

3.           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.