The Council previously developed and documented a vision and associated priorities for the Borough.
1.2
A list of priorities in a ranked order have been used for service and budget planning
1.3
It is proposed to continue using the existing list during the current Annual Cycle and to review this for 2008/9.
2
Recommendations
2.1
That Members agree the adoption of the priorities presented as an appendix to this report for use in the Annual Cycle for the Council; and
2.2
To agree that a review of the current priorities be undertaken and the result be presented to Council for consideration as part of the 2008/9 Annual Cycle
3
Report
3.1
Members will be aware that on 30th June 2005 the Council adopted a set of priorities as part of a document entitled Our Vision, Our Ambitions (copy at Appendix 1). The document identified 12 priorities and the document was shared with the public, Members and officers who were asked for comments. The LSP were consulted and were also asked to compare their priorities with those of the Council. It was concluded that there was substantial alignment and that it would be useful to rank the priorities particularly to ensure resources were allocated appropriately.
3.2
The Council therefore undertook further consultation both with the LSP and within the organisation, a result of which a prioritised list was agreed by Council in October 2005 (copy at Appendix 2). This has formed the basis of service and budget planning since adoption and project plans were developed for the top three priorities which resulted in budgets being allocated for their development during the budget process for 2007/8 and beyond.
3.3
Following the May 2007 elections the Administration examined the alignment of their intentions with the existing priorities. This also considered the timetable of actions within the Annual Cycle adopted by Council in June 2007. It was concluded that the priorities were sufficiently aligned to remain unchanged for the purposes of budget setting and that a review would be undertaken over the coming year and would then feed into the 2008 cycle.
3.4
Members are asked to confirm the adoption of the current priorities and their use in the Council’s Annual Cycle
4
Implications
4.1
Comments from the Council’s Section 151 Officer
These priorities will be central to the medium term financial planning process and provide a sound basis for resource allocation.
4.2
Comments from the Council’s Monitoring Officer
No comments.
4.3
Comments from the Head of Paid Service
The priorities are important drivers for continuous improvement for this Council.
