Cabinet received a report of the Managing Director which presented the revised Corporate Plan 2020.  This followed a comprehensive review of the council’s corporate framework in 2016 including the vision, priorities and values. 

The Managing Director explained how the corporate plan would cover the period to 2020 in the context of a significantly reduced budget from the government with the council losing the Revenue Support Grant by the end of 2020.  However, the council retained its ambition to be bold and progressive.  The population during this period was expected to reach 100,000 in the town.  There were five major priorities in the plan:

1.         Identify ways to manage the borough’s housing need

2.         Champion smart growth and economic prosperity

3.         Provide for our vulnerable and disadvantaged communities

4.         Deliver a digital Watford

5.         Secure our own financial future.

The Managing Director continued that the Medium Term Financial Strategy as set out in the corporate plan demonstrated that the council’s financial position was stable and sound.  He described Watford 2020 which was an overarching plan to achieve a number of key objectives such as digital Watford, where the council was looking at service innovations to deliver services more efficiently and effectively.  The council would adopt a more commercial approach and ensure it was maximising accommodation effectively by deploying property assets and reviewing the utilisation of the Town Hall.  The council would also ensure that the IT and HR strategies were fit for purpose to deliver the council’s ambitions.  The proposals within the corporate plan were measurable and would be accountable at Cabinet and at Portfolio Holder meetings.

The Mayor thanked the Managing Director for the work on the corporate plan.  She commented that as she was almost in her last year of office the corporate plan would ensure there was a firm foundation for whoever was Mayor in 2018. 

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.      notes the revised draft Corporate Plan 2020 and recommends it to Council

2.      notes that the corporate work programme within the plan will underpin service plans and staff’s individual work programmes as set out in their annual performance development reviews.

3.      notes the corporate work programme set out in the plan will be monitored through the year.