Agenda item

Report of the Interim Chief Executive (Chief Partnerships Officer)

The Cabinet considered a report of the Interim Chief Executive (Chief Partnerships Officer) which indicated that the current Council Plan, the One Coventry Plan, was initially agreed in 2014 for a ten-year period (ending in 2024) and was last refreshed in 2016. In 2021, work began to refresh the Council Plan to reflect the emerging priorities for the Council and the city.

From February to September 2022, extensive engagement was undertaken with the Council workforce, partners and the wider public regarding the delivery of the priorities outlined in the draft Plan. This engagement created the opportunity to understand more about how the priorities could be meaningfully delivered in a way that builds on our achievements and recognises the challenges faced by the city. Critically, the Council wanted to understand what successful delivery would look like for our residents, communities and key stakeholders.

The refreshed One Coventry Plan 2022-2030, a copy of which was appended to the report, provides the strategic direction for the Council and the One Coventry vision of “working together to improve our city and the lives of those who live, work and study here”. It sets out the following Council’s priorities and focuses on enabling people to live their best lives in a vibrant and prosperous city:-

·  Increasing the economic prosperity of the City and Region

·  Improving outcomes and tackling inequalities within our communities

·  Tackling the causes and consequences of Climate Change

·  Continues financial sustainability of the Council

·  Council’s role as a partner, enabler and leader

The report sought approval for the adoption of the refreshed priorities, provided an overview of the engagement approach taken, an update on the findings and a summary of how local people’s views have impacted the development of the One Coventry Plan. A further appendix to the report provided a summary of the engagement feedback received.

The Cabinet received a Briefing Note at the meeting which detailed the following comments made by Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee following their consideration of the report at their meeting on 14 March:-

1)  The increased engagement which was undertaken on the One Coventry Plan and improved response rates as a result of this work was welcomed

2)  The Committee acknowledged the limitation of the response by ward data collected as part of the engagement and welcomed a response from officers that this would be built upon in future engagement opportunities

3)  A planned review of Council media and communication methods to facilitate community engagement and the delivery of the One Coventry Plan was welcomed

4)  The Committee suggested officers explore that QR codes be included in future tolink to WhatsApp group to increase engagement

5)  The collective responsibility which will deliver the One Coventry Plan which spans the Council and our partners was welcomed

6)  The Committee welcomed the ability for the Council to challenge and hold partners to account through the One Coventry Partnership

7)  The Committee agreed that Scrutiny would receive regular updates on progress of the delivery of the One Coventry Plan

8)  The Committee agreed with the recommendations as detailed in the report

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:-

1)  Notes and accepts the Recommendations from Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee as outlined above

2)  Notes the outcome of the engagement and the resulting equality impacts (as detailed in the Equality Impact Assessment as appended to the report)

3)  Approves the refreshed One Coventry Plan 2022-2023 (Appendix B to the report) for submission to Council at the meeting on 21 March, 2023

4)  Authorises the Interim Chief Executive (Chief Partnerships Officer), following consultation with the Leader of the Council, to make such minor amendments to the refreshed One Coventry Plan 2022-2030 as considered necessary in advance of it being presented to Council for approval

5)  Recommends that the Council approves the refreshed One Coventry Plan 2022-2030 (Appendix B to the report) for adoption as the Council Plan.