To approve the council’s Delivery Plan 2026/27. Cabinet is required to produce a delivery plan which sets out how the strategic priorities within the Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-28 will be delivered and monitored.

 

Councillor Stoddart cabinet member for finance and corporate services introduced the report

 

The Cabinet considered the Delivery Plan 2026/27 (appendix A), the third of four annual plans aligned to the Herefordshire Council Plan 2024–28 and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The Delivery Plan sets out how the council’s priorities and objectives will be delivered over the next 12 months and meets the council’s constitutional requirement for annual delivery planning. Members were reminded of the Council Plan vision: “delivering the best for Herefordshire in everything we do.”

 

The Delivery Plan was developed following consultation with political groups and individual councillors. It included both outstanding milestones from 2025/26 and new actions for 2026/27, structured around four pillars: People, Place, Growth and Transformation.

 

Under the People priority, 45 milestones support six objectives; under Place, 6 deliverables and 27 milestones support nine objectives; under Growth, 10 milestones support five objectives; and under Transformation, 19 milestones support five objectives.

 

Progress against the Delivery Plan will be monitored through quarterly performance reports to Cabinet, quarterly budget monitoring reports, monthly reporting to the Corporate Leadership Team, annual service plans and individual performance and development plans. Financial monitoring will continue alongside delivery monitoring. Cabinet were also reminded that projects within the Delivery Plan would seek to minimise environmental impact and identify opportunities for environmental improvement.

 

The Delivery Plan was described as ambitious but deliverable, and Cabinet was invited to endorse the report and its recommendations.

 

Comments from cabinet members:

It was noted that in the comments submitted by the Independents for Herefordshire a portfolio lead or a strategic officer should be identified as part of the Delivery Plan and this was considered a sensible approach.  Noting that roles and responsibilities can sometimes be confusing, and that clearer identification of responsibilities would be helpful for all councillors. The group also welcomed the inclusion of continuity plans, stating that these addressed previous concerns raised about infrastructure resilience and provided reassurance about ongoing arrangements.

 

Group Leaders were invited to offer their views:

 

Independents for Herefordshire outlined their views and noted that:

All councillors shared a common objective of improving outcomes for residents and that the Delivery Plan should be judged on its real?world impact. Concern was expressed that the draft Delivery Plan had been made available with limited time for consideration and without the level of consultation suggested.

 

While the document was described as well?structured and similar to the previous year’s plan, it was considered unclear in terms of the tangible changes it would deliver for residents.

 

It was noted that, as the third year of a four?year Council Plan, the Delivery Plan did not sufficiently demonstrate the cumulative impact of delivery to date. The absence of clear, measurable outcomes, timelines and accountability was highlighted and stated that residents were more concerned with practical issues such as service responsiveness, local SEND provision and environmental improvements than with additional strategy documents.

 

Greater transparency, use of plain language, the inclusion of clear performance measures and dashboards, and stronger links between delivery commitments and budget allocations was requested.  Cabinet was urged to defer approval of the Delivery Plan in order to address these gaps, strengthen accountability and ensure the plan clearly explained how agreed actions would improve outcomes for communities.

 

The Liberal Democrat Group outlined their views and noted that:
It was commented that broader input from councillors and external stakeholders could have strengthened the Delivery Plan when the budget was considered.

 

Clarification was sought under the objective relating to high?quality and affordable housing, noting that the only referenced action related to temporary accommodation and that the planned approach to delivering affordable housing remained unclear.

 

The development of a Youth Strategy was welcomed as a positive step, though it was noted that the strategy itself did not constitute delivery. The member suggested that town and parish councils should be more fully involved in shaping youth services, highlighting that successful partnership models existed elsewhere and that closer collaboration could strengthen outcomes.

 

Questions were raised within the Transformation section regarding the proposed Strategic Commissioning and Commercial Strategy, including whether this related to the previously drafted Commercial Strategy or if it represented new work, and what the status of the earlier draft was.

 

Finally, regarding proposals to strengthen partnerships, references to the voluntary and community sector were limited. It was suggested that a stronger, more strategic relationship with the sector beyond commissioning and grant?funding could enable more flexible and responsive service delivery for residents.

 

The Green Group outlined their views and noted that:
There was general support for the objectives within the Delivery Plan but raised concerns that the document lacked clarity on how objectives would be delivered and within what timescales. Examples were cited, including the Aylestone School expansion project, where potential delays arising from the judicial review were not reflected in the plan, raising questions about how risks, dependencies and slippage would be identified and managed.

 

It was noted that the plan would have benefited from scrutiny review prior to Cabinet consideration. Reference was also made to the Shirehall and library proposals, with concern that changes to earlier plans had resulted in continued delays to delivery of a permanent library for residents.

Concerns were raised about the absence of clear milestones and delivery dates, making it difficult to assess progress or likely completion. However, the proposal to produce a child?friendly version of the Delivery Plan and the intention to engage children and young people through developing participation groups, was seen as a positive step in improving understanding and involvement.

 

In response to comments made the cabinet members noted that:

 

Regarding linking of funding, it was considered but as it was already reported through the quarterly budget reports it was not considered to add any further value.

 

It was noted that council activity operated at a highly detailed level across departments, making it challenging to capture the full scope, rationale and ongoing nature of work within a single document. It was stated that the Delivery Plan represented a snapshot of activity for one year rather than a comprehensive account of all departmental work and continuing programmes.

 

It was explained that the Delivery Plan was intended to be more tactical in nature, with detailed output?based information provided through the quarterly performance reports. These reports will include clear information on outputs and progress, presented via annexes that set out the status of individual actions using RAG (red, amber, green) ratings and highlighting key issues for attention.

It was emphasised that the intention was to provide clear, meaningful information for members and the public rather than replicating detailed project management logs. The reporting approach aims to be accessible and avoid jargon, and it was stated that feedback from parish councillors had been positive, with the reports providing a clear and useful overview of progress.

 

It was noted that the council has a strong connection with the voluntary sector and they were vital to enable council to deliver its services. 

 

Regarding housing delivery, it was noted that work was progressing through cross?party working groups and that capital investment decisions were being considered carefully to avoid undue pressure on the council’s financial position. It was highlighted that a range of council assets were being used more strategically to support development and delivery across priority areas, with a coordinated approach being taken to maximise impact. Also, a successful meeting took place with registered providers regarding social housing. 

 

Further context on the work underway to deliver improvements for children and families, particularly in relation to early help, Family Hub reform and the national Families First programme was provided.

 

It was explained that many of the actions referenced in the Delivery Plan form part of a much wider partnership approach involving health, education and voluntary sector organisations, not just the council. Significant progress had already been made, including the publication of a new Early Help and Prevention Strategy in 2023 and the achievement of a “Good” Ofsted rating for children’s services.

 

National reforms had introduced new requirements, including the Families First Partnership Programme and Working Together 2026, which placed a strong emphasis on early intervention and agencies working together to support children and families. These changes required meaningful transformation and were being implemented locally through established partnership arrangements and governance structures.

 

It was important to recognise the scale and complexity of the work, much of which sits across multiple organisations and programmes. Whilst the Delivery Plan identified key priorities and commitments, the detailed operational activity that underpinned delivery was managed through specialist plans, partnership boards and improvement programmes.

 

The findings of the most recent Ofsted inspection confirmed that children and families benefitted from effective early help, strong assessments and coordinated support from multiple agencies. These priorities were reflected in the Delivery Plan, with progress continuing to be monitored through existing partnership and performance frameworks.

 

The Leader of the Council concluded the discussions.

 

Councillor Stoddart proposed the recommendations and the Leader seconded for the decision before them which is that Cabinet:

 

That: 

 

a)    Cabinet approves the Delivery Plan 2026/27 as set out in appendix A; and

 

b)    Authority be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council to make minor amendments to the approved Delivery Plan 2026/27.

 

The recommendations were unanimously approved.

 

It was confirmed the next meeting of cabinet was 23 April 2026 at 2:30pm.

 

Meeting finished at: 16:50

 

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