Agenda item - Council Plan 2022-26 and Delivery Plan 2022-24

Report of the Managing Director

RESOLVED –

1. that the Council Plan 2022-2026 be recommended to Council for approval.

2. that the Delivery Plan be recommended to Council for approval.

3. that Cabinet recommends to Council that the Managing Director be authorised to make minor amendments to the Council Plan 2022-2026 and the Delivery Plan 2022-2024 in consultation with the Elected Mayor.

4. that Cabinet notes progress on delivering the Council Plan 2022-2026 will be reported on a quarterly basis to Cabinet and Overview and Scrutiny Committee, with an annual report to the community of Watford being published.

5. that Cabinet notes the aspirations and outstanding activities of the council’s Renewal Plan 2020, which was aligned to the previous Council Plan, are now incorporated into the refreshed Council Plan and Delivery Plan, noting the council’s achievements in delivering a range of renewal activities across our community, economy and businesses, the organisation and our own financial resilience.

Please note this item is not eligible for call-in as it is to be forwarded to Council.

Cabinet received a report of the Managing Director setting out the new Council Plan 2022-26 and Delivery Plan 2022-24.

The Mayor introduced the report and commended officers for the speed the plans had been produced following the elections in May. The big changes affecting the community are reflected in the Council Plan, including Covid and the cost of living. It was underpinned by the council’s core values and showed the council was not scared of the big issues.

There were four themes –

· A council working for our community and serving our residents – this was extremely important ensuring residents received value for money.

· A greener, brighter future – the environment was at the forefront of the plan. It was the greenest plan the council had ever produced.

· An inspiring, thriving and creative town – supporting the local economy, for example the incubation hub to be based at the Town Hall in the future.

· A diverse, happy and healthy town – this was reflected in the investment in parks and supporting the wellbeing of all residents.

The Delivery Plan was a critical part of the Council Plan, which was very detailed and the regular monitoring would ensure progress was being made. The Mayor invited the Managing Director to add further detail.

The Managing Director endorsed the Mayor’s comments about the team. She informed Cabinet that the team had worked on the documents to ensure there was clarity following the new mayoral term. The plan recognised that success for Watford was not always in the council’s remit to progress, but the council would carry out its role as place leader and use its voice locally and nationally for the Watford community. There would be a quarterly report to Cabinet and Overview and Scrutiny on the progress of delivering the plan. There would also be an annual report to residents.

The Portfolio Holders welcomed the plan, particularly that green issues had been made more prominent. Each member mentioned some of the highlights within their individual responsibilities and looked forward to progress being made.

Councillor Bell referred to a comment made by Councillor Williams about recycling and flatted developments. He considered that something needed to be done to improve this as more flats were due to be built. He asked whether individual Portfolio Holders would attend Overview and Scrutiny Committee to respond to questions about the progress within their responsibilities.

The Mayor advised that Overview and Scrutiny Committee would decide who to invite to its meetings as reports were considered. He added that the plan was not just about the council meeting its statutory obligations. As an example on page 23 it referred to lobbying the government.

Councillor Williams responded to the question about recycling. The relevant service was investigating a food waste project which would then be actioned next year. Veolia provided responses on planning applications to the planning team. At a previous waste conference, he had expected to hear ideas that the council could trial, however it appeared that all councils were doing the same thing. In developments consisting of flats, the recycling area needed to be made more accessible and better lighting.