Issue - meetings

The Assembly received this report introduced by the Leader of the Council, relating to the proposed new vision and priorities for Barking and Dagenham, which are intended to reflect the changing relationship between the Council, partners and the community, and the Council's role in place shaping and enabling community leadership within the context of a significantly reducing budget.

Following debate, the Leader thanked Members for their useful and supportive comments.

The Assembly agreed to adopt the refreshed vision and priorities as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.

In accordance with the Council Constitution (Part B, Article 1, paragraph 9.8) Councillor Quadri was not permitted to vote as he had not been present throughout the discussion on this item.

The Leader presented a report on the proposed new vision and priorities for the Borough to reflect the changing relationship between the Council, partners and the community, the Council’s role in place shaping and enabling community leadership within the context of a significantly reducing budget and the ambitions of the new administration following the 2014 Local Elections.

The proposed vision for the borough was “One borough; one community; London’s growth opportunity” and the three corporate priorities that would support the vision were:

·  Encouraging civic pride

·  Enabling social responsibility

·  Growing the borough

The Leader elaborated on the key objectives that underpinned each of the priorities and the Chief Executive referred to the work that would be undertaken to publicise and implement the vision and priorities following their presentation to the Assembly for adoption on 17 September 2014.

Cabinet Members spoke in support of the new vision and priorities and made a number of observations which included:

Ø  Local events already taking place across the Borough which encouraged civic pride;

Ø  The need to stress the importance of affordable, high quality homes to all developers wishing to build in the Borough;

Ø  The need to recognise that narrowing the gap in attainment does not apply only to children’s education but to the whole community and across a range of areas;

Ø  The desire to raise aspirations and attract inspirational people to the Borough;

Ø  The need to strengthen the environment for the private sector to help develop the skills base and opportunities for the local community;

Ø  The need for all communications on the new vision and priorities to be adapted to suit the audience to which they are directed.

The Leader advised that each Directorate had been tasked with working with the relevant Cabinet Members over the coming months to consider how the high level objectives could be developed into practical solutions for each service area and be brought together into a detailed Corporate Delivery Plan.

Cabinet resolved:

(i)  To support the refreshed vision and priorities, as detailed in Appendices 1 to 4 to the report, and recommend the Assembly to adopt the vision and priorities following consultation with partners and the community; and

(ii)  To approve the priority projects, as set out in paragraph 3.2 of the report, and the development of a detailed Corporate Delivery Plan to monitor implementation of the vision and priorities, subject to approval by the Assembly.