Agenda Item No
The Vale of Glamorgan Council
Cabinet Meeting: 23 July 2008]
Chief Executive
Improvement Plan 2008/09
Purpose of the Report
1.
To present the draft Improvement
Plan 2008 to 2009, which contains performance and improvement
information for all directorates and Corporate Plan priorities.
Recommendations
1.
That Cabinet endorses the Improvement Plan for 2008/9 as currently
drafted;
2.
That Cabinet authorises the Chief Executive in consultation with
the Leader to finalise the plan;
3.
That the final plan be submitted to scrutiny committees for
consideration and to Council for approval.
Reasons for the Recommendations
1.
to ensure that actions are taken to improve services;
2.
to agree the plan for external audit within required
timescales;
3.
to agree the plan for external audit within required
timescales.
Background
2.
The Council published its previous Improvement Plan, as required by
the Local Government Act 1999, on 31st October 2007. The
Improvement Plan remains an integral part of the Government’s
improvement agenda, and it is therefore essential to report
accurately this year’s statement of the Council’s performance.
3.
The majority of the information contained within the Plan is based
on departmental service plans which were discussed by Scrutiny
Committees during May and June.
Relevant Issues and Options
4.
The draft plan contains all available performance information
required by the Welsh Assembly Government, and several local
indicators that measure corporate priorities. This performance
information will be used by the Wales Audit Office to assess the
Council’s ability to improve, and therefore is of critical
importance to the reputation of the Council.
5.
The plan is continually evolving as information is provided by
managers, and is not yet fully completed. This information will
need to be included prior to the final draft being presented to
Council in early October.
Resource Implications (Financial and Employment)
6.
The production of the Improvement Plan is a major annual project
that involves a considerable amount of time from Members and
officers alike. The cost of producing the Plan and publishing a
bilingual summary of the plan (in Vale Waves) is met through
existing budgets.
Legal Implications (to Include Human Rights Implications)
7.
The Improvement Plan is a statutory duty under the Local Government
Act 1999. It is viewed as one of the key methods of informing the
public, elected members and the Council’s regulators about the
performance of the Council during the last year and holding the
Council to account.
Crime and Disorder Implications
8.
The plan includes improvement actions with respect to the Community
Safety function.
Equal Opportunities Implications (to include Welsh Language
issues)
9.
The plan provides a statement of the Council’s progress in
achieving its equalities policies during the past year. The summary
document provides all members of the public an opportunity to
become aware of the Council’s performance and will be produced
bilingually.
Corporate/Service Objectives
10. The plan links to the
corporate objective of community leadership and provides an
opportunity for the Council to communicate with the public, openly
and transparently, about its performance. All Directorates have
provided an input to the plan, and copies will be available in
civic offices and libraries and will be published on the Council’s
website. A draft plan for consultation has been placed on the
Council’s website with an e-mail address provided for responses.
The Vale Centre for Voluntary Service was informed when the plan
was placed on the website, so that their members could comment
directly on the plan.
Policy Framework and Budget
11. The Improvement Plan
forms a part of the Policy Framework and is required to be agreed
by Council.
Consultation (including Ward Member Consultation)
12. Scrutiny Committees
and individual Cabinet members have been consulted on departmental
service plans, which are the key background documents to the
Improvement Plan. A copy of the draft plan has been placed on the
Council’s website and comments have been invited.
Relevant Scrutiny Committee
13. All
Background Papers
Wales Programme for Improvement - Guidance to
Local Authorities in Wales
Corporate Plan 2006/2010
Vale of Glamorgan Community Strategy 2003 -
2013
Contact Officer
Beverly Noon 01446 709746
Officers Consulted
All relevant officers have been consulted on
the contents of this report:
All Directors
Heads of Service
Responsible Officer: John Maitland Evans, Chief Executive