Agenda item

Article 4 of the Council’s Constitution identifies the Corporate Strategy as part of the authority’s Policy Framework.  The recommendations to Council in the attached report were proposed by the Cabinet on 18^th October 2023, in accordance with Rule E2(d) of the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules.

Members considered a report of the Leader of the Council seeking approval to the Corporate Strategy 2023 – 2028.  The Strategy was recommended for approval by the Council at the Cabinet meeting held on 18^th October 2023.

The Leader highlighted the vision and main priorities of the strategy, as well as key transformational projects over the next five years.

Councillors were informed that the Corporate Strategy defined the Council’s key strategic objectives over the medium term.  The current strategy covered the period 2018 to 2023.  As the existing strategy was coming to the end of its natural life, a new strategy had been prepared to replace it.  This provided the Council with the opportunity to reflect upon and refresh its aims and objectives for the next five years.  The new strategy took into account emerging priorities and major projects, whilst incorporating sustainable growth, climate change, and community objectives.

The strategy formed part of the Council’s Policy Framework as defined in the Constitution and as such needed to be adopted by the Council.

Over the past five years, the existing Corporate Strategy had focused and delivered on a number of strategic objectives for growth, efficiency and quality (‘Driving Growth & Prosperity in Hyndburn’).  The majority of these actions had now been completed.  The purpose of the new strategy was to focus more on the long-term, transformative priorities that would drive the Council and the Borough forward for the next five years, and less on the day-to-day operations.

The new strategy (An ambitious and sustainable future for Hyndburn) articulated a vision to progress a number of key priorities including: the Accrington Town Centre Levelling Up funded projects, the Huncoat Garden Village proposal, Leisure Transformation Project, UK Shared Prosperity Fund initiatives and the Council’s Climate Pledge to be Net Zero by 2030.  These priorities had been pulled together across a number of engagement sessions and stakeholder events, demonstrating the Council’s principles of strengthening relationships and partnership working.

The Corporate Strategy Themes:

The purpose of the new strategy was to articulate the Council’s main priorities for the next five years, identifying the vision, action and outcomes required to measure success to see how well the Council was achieving and delivering  its planned objectives.

The three priority themes were:

• Sustainable Growth

o     Employment & Business Growth

o     Revitalise Accrington Town Centre

o     Housing Growth

• Environment & Climate Change

o     To Make the Council Net Zero by 2030

o     Green Spaces & the Natural Environment

o     Domestic Energy Reduction

• Community & Collaborative Working

o     Partnership Working

o     Health & Wellbeing

o     Heritage, Culture & Arts

The strategy had been broken down into five parts:

• Hyndburn in numbers (providing readers with an overview of Hyndburn);
• Plan on a page (an overview of key priorities);
• Outcomes – high level goals and how would the Council know when it had achieved its objectives (success of the strategy);
• Action Plan – a road map to help deliver successful outcomes for Sustainable Growth; Environment & Climate Change; Community & Collaborative Working; and
• Corporate Values (Customer Focus, Integrity, Positive Attitude, Teamwork).

Councillor Zak Khan, Munsif Dad BEM JP, Noordad Aziz and Peter Britcliffe spoke in favour of the strategy.  Councillor Aziz referred in particular to the need to retrofit energy efficiency measures to older terraced housing stock, in order to reduce energy consumption, so as to be able to meet the Net Zero carbon targets by 2030.  Councillor Dave Parkins spoke against the Huncoat Garden Village element of the strategy and indicated his intention to abstain during the vote.  He also reported that National Highways did not currently support further development at Junction 8, M65, which was an integral part of the infrastructure requirements of the scheme.

Resolved                                 (1)   That the Corporate Strategy as set out in Appendix 1 of the report be approved.

(2)   That the Executive Director (Legal and Democratic Services) in consultation with the Leader of the Council be given delegated authority to make revisions to the strategy as necessary over its life.