Issue - meetings

The Elected Mayor and the Chief Executive submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. Prior to consideration by Full Council on 24 February 2021, the purpose of report was to seek the Executive’s endorsement of the proposed revised Strategic Plan for the period 2021-24.

On 16 December 2020, Full Council had agreed to retain the three simple and interrelated corporate strategic aims of People, Place and Business. Those were well-understood and remained responsive to the long-term issues facing Middlesbrough and to political direction.  Full Council had also agreed to consult the public and other stakeholders on a set of nine revised strategic priorities to provide a greater focus for the remainder of the Mayor’s term. The consultation ran between 17 December 2020 and 31 January 2021.

The proposed strategic priorities all received the majority support of respondents, as set out at the table contained at paragraph 14.

Appendix 1 of the submitted report set out a proposed revised Strategic Plan for the 2021-24 period. The plan now included:

·        an introduction from the Mayor of Middlesbrough and the Chief Executive;

·        the Council’s strategic aims and its corporate values;

·        progress to date;

·        strategic priorities for 2021-24;

·        delivery and outcomes; and

·        further information.

Other matters previously outlined in the plan would be set out in a range of Directorate Plans to be developed for 2021/22.

OPTIONS

It was imperative that the Council effectively articulated and communicated an overarching plan to direct activity across Directorates towards the achievement of its strategic priorities.

The only other realistic potential decision would have been to leave the Council’s strategic objectives unchanged on the assumption that they were sufficiently flexible to accommodate responses to COVID-19 and other issues affecting the Council during 2020. However, that was not correct and neither would it have represented an appropriate response to COVID-19, which would clearly impact local communities and the business of the Council for some years ahead.

The only other feasible decisions therefore related to the structure of the document, and its horizon (i.e. reverting to an annual plan). It was strongly in the Council’s interest to plan over the medium-term, in line with the indicative budgets over the period outlined by the Government. The proposed document achieved that while providing an appropriate level of detail for all audiences on the Council’s planned activity over the period.

ORDERED

That the proposed Strategic Plan for 2021-24 be endorsed.

REASONS

To enable Full Council to consider a Strategic Plan for the 2021-24 period at its meeting of 24 February 2021 that responded to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other significant changes to the Council’s operating environment arising in the past year.