Agenda item

Report of Senior Head of Corporate Development and Governance and Senior Corporate Development Officer.

Cabinet lead member: Councillor Troy Tester

(1) Draft of new corporate plan agreed.

(2) Corporate management team and other key officers of the authority given delegated authority to finalise the proposed plan in consultation with lead cabinet members prior to seeking approval from full council to the adoption of the plan.

71.1 Councillors Jenkins and Freebody addressed the cabinet.   Councillor Jenkins suggested the addition of Councillors Wallis to those named as responsible for the prosperous economy theme.  Councillor Freebody made a general observation on the need for the plan to be more forward looking noting that much of the plan document detailed current and recent achievements.  He also asked that additional detail be provided in relation to the application of modern technology.

71.2 Cabinet considered the report of the senior head of corporate development and governance and senior corporate development officer.  The corporate plan was a key strategic document that set out the council’s ambitions for Eastbourne over a five year period.  The plan was refreshed on an annual basis to update actions and targets and ensure that activities continued to reflect local priorities. 

71.3 The council remained committed to supporting the delivery of its’ 2026 partnership Vision for the town:

“By 2026, Eastbourne will be a premier seaside destination within an enhanced green setting. To meet everyone’s needs, Eastbourne will be a safe, thriving, healthy and vibrant community with excellent housing, education and employment choices, actively responding to the effects of climate change.”

71.4 A copy of the current working draft of the 2016-20 corporate plan was appended to the report.  The content and layout aligned with the previous version for continuity but was still subject to updating and editing as further information became available.  Once the final version was completed and approved, work would start on developing ways of communicating the key messages to stakeholders and the public in accessible ways.

71.5 The new plan continued with the same 4 priority themes as the previous version: Prosperous economy, quality environment, thriving communities and sustainable performance.  These continued to be important areas of focus both locally and nationally and this approach would also add a degree of continuity to the projects and targets set within the plan.

71.6 Prosperous economy: The 2020 aims for this area were:

• A great destination for tourism, arts, heritage and culture
• Supporting employment and skills
• Providing opportunities for businesses to grow and invest
• Investing in housing and economic development
• Supporting investment in infrastructure

Priority actions proposed were:

• Vibrant events programme
• Increase number of conference delegates
• New museum
• Refurbish the Redoubt
• Seafront/Tourism strategy
• Extension to Arndale shopping centre
• Devonshire Park redevelopment
• Wish Tower restaurant
• Sovereign Harbour innovation park (SHIP)
• Marketing – EB Now (Pier grant project)

71.7 Quality environment: The 2020 aims for this area were:

• A clean and attractive town
• Less waste and a low carbon town
• A range of transport opportunities
• High quality built environment
• Excellent parks and open spaces

Priority actions proposed were:

• Joint venture for energy and sustainability
• Hampden Park improvements (Green Flag)
• Old Town recreation ground improvements (Green Flag)
• Allotment improvements
• Signage re-branding (parks and open spaces)
• Manor Gardens and Gildredge Park
• Town centre improvements
• Eastbourne Park initiatives
• Enhancement of open downland
• Eastbourne safe cycling/safe walking strategy

71.8 Thriving communities: The 2020 aims for this area were:

• Keeping crime and anti-social behaviour levels low
• Meeting housing needs
• Improved health and wellbeing
• Resilient and engaged communities
• Putting the customer first

Priority actions proposed were:

• Active Eastbourne strategy
• Welfare reform
• Community facilities
• Young people
• Sovereign Harbour community centre
• Shinewater skate park
• Improving local parks and playgrounds
• Tennis Development programme
• Customer Access improvement
• Develop enhanced housing solutions service
• Eastbourne community safety Ppartnership

71.9 Sustainable performance: The 2020 aims for this area were:

• Making the best of our assets
• Managing people and performance
• Delivering in partnership
• Making the best use of technology
• Delivering a balanced budget

Priority actions proposed were:

• Improved asset management processes
• Joint transformation programme

71.10 In order to streamline the performance reporting and focus on the chosen priority outcomes of the corporate plan, it was proposed that a number of changes were made to the key performance indicators used.  A review of indicators was taking place across the authority to ensure that the right measures were in place to enable progress updates and, where possible, benchmarking of performance against key criteria.

71.11 Key findings from a residents’ survey and online survey were reported to cabinet in December and full reports on these consultations were made available online.  One of the major findings from both consultations was that there was significant support for all of the proposed priority themes and visions put forward in the questionnaires.

* 71.12 Resolved (budget and policy framework): (1) That the draft of the new corporate plan be agreed.

(2) That the members of the council’s corporate management team and other key officers of the authority be given delegated authority to finalise the proposed plan in consultation with lead cabinet members prior to seeking approval from full council to the adoption of the plan.

(Note:  Councillor Wallis declared a personal interest in the above matter.  See minute 68 above.)