Issue - meetings

Report of the Chief Executive

Recommendations:-

1.           To approve the Council’s Year Ahead Plan.

2.           To endorse the proposed governance arrangements.

Consideration was given to a report which outlined the Council’s Year Ahead Plan with the purpose of supporting residents and businesses in these uncertain times, helping them to build resilience and adapt.

The Year Ahead document would effectively be the Council Plan for operating within and recovering from the Covid-19  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44

Cabinet Portfolio:-              The Leader

Strategic Directorate:-        Chief Executive

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 21 September 2020 in respect of the Council’s Year Ahead Plan.

The Leader, the Chief Executive and the Head of Policy, Performance and Improvement attended the meeting to present the report.

The Leader noted that the Council’s Year Ahead Plan had been designed to set out how the council planned to support residents and businesses, helping them to build resilience and adapt during the uncertain times created by the pandemic. It was noted that the document would be the Council’s Plan for operating within, and recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, capturing the key actions through to May 2021, and also providing a basis for the development of a longer-term plan for the borough. The Leader advised that while the plan acted as an interim document that was focussed on enabling recovery from the pandemic in advance of a longer term, plan being developed, it also included details of normal non-pandemic related activities.

The Leader advised that the Year Ahead plan was based around five key themes of

·       Thriving neighbourhoods

·       Better health and wellbeing

·       Economic recovery

·       New ways of working

·       Confidence and hope in Rotherham.

It was noted that the Year Ahead Plan document outlined the outcomes that each theme would be focussed on delivering as the key activities that would need to take place between September 2020 and May 2021 in order for these outcomes to delivered. The Leader advised that in addition to the five key themes that the plan also included two cross-cutting strands: climate impact and equalities and social justice.  The Leader also noted importance of using the new powers provided by the South Yorkshire Devolution Deal to advance the priorities as detailed in the plan.

The Leader noted the key theme of new ways of working and how that would impact on not only how and where staff worked, but also how customer’s interacted with the council. The Leader advised that with new ways of working it was essential that all residents were still able to access the services that they needed in a way that was suitable for them.

Members noted that with new ways of working, and very limited face to face access to services for residents that many residents were being left behind and asked how in light of these changes, that had been accelerated by the pandemic how effective communication with all residents could be enabled. The Leader noted that it was essential that all residents should always receive excellent service regardless of the method that they used to contact the council and advised that since the pandemic had started waiting times for phone enquiries had decreased with many staff who had formally dealt with customers face to face dealing with customers over the phone. The Leader advised that with the Borough’s libraries reopening different options for using them to enable face to face access to council services for residents in their local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 214