Agenda item

That the draft Council Plan 2020-25 be approved for consultation with stakeholders, residents and businesses until the 29 November 2019.

The Leader introduced the Report and emphasised that it reflected the Council’s revised priorities and ensured that these priorities were embedded in the budget process, as contained in Report CAB3178 below.  The draft Plan would be out for consultation for five weeks as set out in the report.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Pearson, Horrill, Bell and Godfrey addressed Cabinet as summarised below.

Councillor Pearson:

·         considered that the consultation period was too short;

·         inconsistencies throughout Plan regarding use of ‘District’ or ‘district’;

·         no specific mention of elderly people;

·         query regarding the calculation of the target for new home delivery;

·         request for clarity regarding statements on energy efficiency in new builds;

·         offer to discuss further with the Cabinet Member and officers the detailed proposals to tackle the climate change emergency.

Councillor Horrill:

·         thanked for opportunity to consider a presentation on the draft Plan at the Business and Housing Policy Committee on 7 October 2019 and reiterated some of the comments raised at that meeting, as summarised in paragraph 6.4 of the report;

·         requirement for partnership working to achieve many of the outcomes and practical difficulties that this raised;

·         query why no specific mention of the requirements of an ageing population, those “hidden” residents of a predominantly wealthy District and the balance between urban and rural requirements of the District;

·         support proposals for more homes;

·         should be more explicit regarding proposals for key projects;

·         consultation period was too short for such a significant Plan.

Councillor Bell:

·         Consider re-wording of statement regarding reducing levels of waste and increasing recycling to take account of the aim to also reduce overall consumption (which might in turn impact on recycling levels).

Councillor Godfrey:

·         Reiterated comments above regarding consultation period being too short;

·         Unsure that Plan provided a proper balance between offering affordable housing but also ensuring adequate decent employment opportunities in the district;

·         Unclear why there was particular reference to young people, as opposed to other groups;

·         Welcomed the brevity of the Plan but considered it should contain more detailed targets.

The Leader thanked Councillors for their comments which would be fed into the consultation process.

Cabinet Members introduced sections of the Plan relevant to their area of responsibility and responded to Councillors comments, as summarised below:

·         Whilst families and young people were specifically mentioned, the “Homes for All” section of the Plan emphasised the requirement for additional affordable housing across all demographic groups;

·         Building new council homes would remain a priority and a further report would be submitted outlining the target to be achieved;

·         Recognition that some residents would require additional support due to other difficulties such as mental health issues or substance abuse;

·         Aim to be more transparent in terms of publishing performance levels and setting specific goals;

·         Agreement that the Plan should be amended to include more specific reference to the importance of partnership working;

·         Agreement that the wording should be amended to emphasise the priority of reducing consumption as well as reducing waste;

·         Recognition of the importance of rural public transport however also emphasising developing employment opportunities across the district to reduce travel to work.

Cabinet agreed to the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED:

That the draft Council Plan 2020-25 be approved for consultation with stakeholders, residents and businesses until the 29 November 2019.