Agenda item

To consider the Corporate Strategy Delivery Plans Refresh 2021/22 Cabinet report due for consideration by Cabinet on 10 February 2021.

The O&S Board is asked to scrutinise the report and make recommendations to Cabinet as appropriate.

Cabinet member invited to attend for this item: Councillor Drew Mellor, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Transformation.

The Cabinet report for this item is included with the agenda for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

The Leader of the Council presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'D' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

A number of issues were raised by the Board in the subsequent discussion, including:

• The Chairman referred to Page 259 of the report, and raised a query relating to connectivity improvements and if big changes and improvements could be expected? The Leader of the Council explained that there was a big opportunity to do something at scale and it would be necessary for the Council to bring forward some large-scale infrastructure projects. He explained that he believed the futures fund would bring forward significant interest and investment and that he hoped to entice government and other partners into working with the Council to assist with the delivery of such projects.
• The Chairman asked the leader to define what was meant by the creation of an iconic cityscape and queried if residents would want this? The Leader of the Council explained that whilst none of the three towns within the conurbation were cities, the scale of the conurbation could be compared with cities such as Bristol or Brighton and Hove and as such the Council needed to attract business and funding to the area in order for it to flourish.
• The Chairman stated that there had been some significant changes to the corporate delivery plan and that he would like to see the baseline of the corporate plan retained. The Leader of the Council explained that he agreed with the comments that had been made and advised that he felt this would be useful.
• A Board Member queried how other industries that had not been listed in the big plan could present development opportunities that would fit into the priorities? He also queried how a key area such as Tourism, for example, could impact on how the council utilised its infrastructure? The Leader of the Council explained that there were clearly some core industries, but there were others that could emerge from the smart cities programme and the council needed to understand and unlock the potential of such industries and what they can bring to the area. He added that through the futures fund the council could pump-prime different schemes if required. He further explained that tourism was a huge business for the conurbation and that the council promoted itself as a destination for services too.
• A Board Member stated that there seemed to be a lack of consultation in relation to the production of this document, particularly with the public. She queried what the innovative projects that were referred to were? She added that whilst she agreed with the principle of revising the delivery plan as things did often change, she was disappointed that there did not appear to be any document explaining the difference between the existing plan and the proposed plan. The Leader of the Council explained that this was a big ambitions plan that set out a direction of travel and that the consultation would follow. He did sympathise with the point raised in relation to changes made and agreed that this could be done.
• A Board Member suggested that the changes need to be displayed in an appropriate manner and that displaying tracked changes would not suffice. She added that many of the items included as part of this plan and the futures fund did not appear to be new and that they had been lifted from the previous administration.
• A Board Member highlighted that he did not see any measurable outcomes from this document and he didn’t see any benefit from taking it forward. The Leader of the Council expressed his disappointment at the past few comments received and stated that he was looking forward to being in a position of putting the plan into action.