Agenda item

[Report of the Chief Executive.To be introduced by the Leader of the Council.]

Formal adoption of final Borough Plan, incorporating consultation feedback, performance indicators, governance arrangements.

Appendix b – EQIA for Borough Plan to follow

The Leader introduced the report and set out the key ambitions behind the compilation of the plan which had been based on the manifesto. This included building 1000 Council homes in Haringey .The Leader expressed that the Cabinet were ambitious for Haringey’s future and for the people who live here. The Borough Plan set out the priorities of the Council and its partners for the next four years; and sets out the framework to deliver on this agenda for the borough together.

The Leader outlined that to achieve these goals, the Council need to change how it did things. The administration wanted to run an open, collaborative Council that genuinely engages people in shaping the borough’s future.

The Leader emphasised the default position of the administration which was to deliver services directly where this was prudent to do so, in order to maximise accountability, quality and other benefits to the community, as well as improving value for money where possible. The administration believed that public services need to be responsive to change and more democratically accountable.

The Borough Plan sets out the priorities for the borough. The consultation and engagement had confirmed that these were also top priorities for residents:

• Housing Haringey’s people: We believe that increasing the supply of traditional Council housing is one of the most important things we can do.
• Building and retaining wealth in our community: We will work to increase the prosperity of Haringey residents. We will put greater emphasis on procuring goods and services locally. We’ll support small and medium sized businesses to create high quality local jobs. Public pound spent on the community.
• Tackling serious violent crime: in particular, setting out a public health approach to tackling youth violence.
• Reducing inequality and making Haringey a fairer place: tackling inequality underpins everything we do.    

In addition to the requirement to identify and agree organisational priorities and objectives, the Council had a legal duty to set a budget. The administration were adopting a number of principles to guide them in making financial decisions, to make sure that the Council focused resources where there was the greatest need, and minimised the impact of cuts on those who need the Council’s support the most. The Budget was published alongside the Borough Plan and has been developed in parallel to it.

The Pledges were also set out and demonstrated the Council’s need to work with stakeholders and partners in the borough.

In response to questions from Cllr Dennison and Cllr Connor the following was noted:

In relation to the risks around keeping spending local, this was aimed at exploring how the Council spend money in a broader sense and of course there would be consideration of Haringey in the London context. The Cabinet recognised that there were local suppliers that employ local people and there would be further detail on what local should mean.

With regards to the saving on flexible police resources, the Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety, and Engagement commented on the appropriateness of the Council funding the police. There was a current media battle on resources and in response to the saving proposal, this was taking account of the expected increase in the Mayors’ precept allocation for policing. The Cabinet Member commented that the whole impact of austerity on local communities had been down played in the media. With regards to community support, agreed there needed to be more police making relationships with the local community, having a presence and there would be additional resources for this from the Mayor’s precept. However, there was not enough public discussion about the funding needed by Councils to support work in communities and additional funding needed for council’s safeguarding of children.

The Leader proposed an additional recommendation, providing delegated authority to the Director of Communications and Strategy to make minor amendments to the Borough Plan before publication. This included making amendments to the housing objectives section at page 46 and some typographical errors that need to be rectified at Table 1.1 on pages 25-26 and at page 38.This was agreed by Cabinet.

RESOLVED

1. To note and have regard to the Equality Impact Assessment for the Borough Plan and the summary of feedback from consultation and engagement at Appendix B to the report.

2. To adopt the Borough Plan at Appendix A to this report, and agree to its publication.

3.    To delegated authority to the Director of Communications and Strategy to make minor amendments to the borough Plan before publication. This included making amendments to the housing objectives section at page 46 and some typographical errors that need to be rectified at Table 1.1 on pages 25-26 and at page 38.

Reasons for decision

Following the end of the Council’s old Corporate Plan, the Borough Plan sets out a new strategy for 2019-23, which sets the strategic vision, priorities, outcomes and objectives for the organisation and major partners in the borough.

The Borough Plan seeks to deliver the political priorities of the administration over the next four years. The Plan should be seen as a living document and will be revised over the course of the next four years, including responding to the recommendations of the Fairness Commission.

The Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) is also coming to February Cabinet for agreement. The Borough Plan and MTFS have been developed in partnership, recognising the need to balance levels of ambition with available resource.

The Council has a statutory duty to publish equalities objectives. The Borough Plan is the core document through which the Council identifies and agrees where to tackle inequality in the borough.

Alternative options considered

There are alternative options, including:

a)    Do not publish a new Plan; and

b)    Extend the previous Corporate Plan.

It is not considered feasible to pursue option A, as the Council’s Corporate Plan ended in 2018, which means a new Plan is needed. The Council is required to agree an overarching strategic document, which sets the parameters in which all other strategies operate. The Borough Plan plays this role, both for the Council and for the wider partnership.

It was not considered appropriate to extend the governance period of the previous Corporate Plan, as this does not reflect the administration’s priorities; does not reflect of the strength of partnerships across the borough, which contribute to the delivery of the Plan’s outcomes; and does not reflect changes to the political and financial operating context, including at local, regional and national level.