Agenda item

[To review the Corporate Plan 2015/16 in advance of Council on 15 July, and the Wolverhampton Way strategic document.]

Charlotte Johns, Head of Transformation, presented an overview of the Corporate Plan and Wolverhampton Way documents. The Corporate Plan is a ‘plan on a page’ document that gives high level summaries of service area priorities. It identifies key deliverables that are evidence based as well as performance measures that can be monitored at committee meetings. The plan has been considered by the Cabinet and will be presented at Full Council on 15 July 2015. The Wolverhampton Way outlines officer values and key behaviours of employees.

Cllr Bateman stated the importance of the document, particularly its reference to the Combined Authority.

Cllr Bateman raised some additional areas he felt the document should cover. Firstly, he observed that it does not mention promoting the City’s history and culture. The Head of Transformation explained that this is referenced implicitly throughout the document and that there is a work stream dedicated to monitoring visitor usages of cultural sites. Secondly, he outlined that there was no mention of promoting fire safety. This was not explicitly mentioned in the document as this workstream is addressed by the City Board; however, it was agreed this would be discussed with the Leader. Finally, Cllr Batemen commented that the use of public transport and coaches should be highlighted as it was financially beneficial to the City. He was assured that coaches are a key part of the transportation plan, but that this could also be put forward as an amendment in the final draft.

Cllr Brookfield voiced concern about the drop in fire station numbers and praised the preventative work the service organises with schools. She also noted that smaller issues such as grass cutting and street cleaning should not be overlooked by the plan. Mark Taylor, Director of Finance, reassured the Board that for the 2015/16 financial year the Council is confident it can balance its books. He noted that future governmental cuts could affect the Council and there would be greater challenges in future years.

Cllr Collingswood echoed comments about fears for the future of fire stations. He also praised the document by commenting that it looked stylish, but noted that some of the targets were vague. The Head of Transformation explained that ‘underneath’ the plan on page there is robust methodology to agree how data will be documented to benchmark and monitor progress. She added that the plan provides an overview and that there are other indicators that will sit in service level layer of the plan. Dashboards will be prevalent to allow people to easily monitor data. She also clarified that the Wolverhampton Way will promote core values with tangible workstreams, but that this will be a gradual change.

Cllr Sweetman voiced concern that there was no direct mention in the plan of how the Council will examine voids in retail offer. She noted this would be easy to monitor and that was important as the plan will be a PR document for prospective businesses wanting to invest in the region. She was complimentary about the rest of the document. Cllr Photay also approved of the corporate feel of the document, but called for work to be done in the communities, such as improving the signage, to ensure that the document’s fresh feel is supported by practice.  

Cllr Bolshaw requested that the changes in how children are assessed at school are also taken into account when monitoring school performance. He also called for the Council to support schools where possible, but noted the current circumstances

Cllr Findlay also praised the feel of the document, but commented that more should be done to ensure local businesses receive support from the Council. The Director of Finance agreed and explained how the new Procurement Strategy will aim to ensure more contracts go to local businesses. He noted the challenges of this, but stated it was important for the Council to be more accessible to businesses.

Cllr Potter raised the issue of employability for an older generation who are skilled, but unemployed. The Corporate Plan identified key areas for how to get people back into work such as the skills commission, adult education and retraining packages. Cllr Brookfield related this issue to the Goodyear site and wanted to know how the Council had addressed job losses in the area. In response the Board was assured that the Strategic Director for Place is in regular contact with businesses in the area and had held meetings with the Leader and MPs to discuss the outcomes of the situation. A briefing note can be shared with the Board to keep them informed of developments. Cllr Sweetman added that better communications would be beneficial for sharing Council success stories. It was agreed that the Council should use as many channels as possible to communicate with external parties and the public.

Resolved:

1)    To feedback the comments made by the Board to the Leader of the Council for consideration.

To circulate a briefing note to the Board explaining the situation at Good Year and the strategy for getting people back into employment.