Background
On Tuesday 23 November 2021 Full Council agreed its Corporate Plan for the period 2021-2026.
The Plan sets out the council’s priorities and specific goals for achieving change in the borough by 2026.
There are significant opportunities for the borough to go from strength to strength, but there are also challenges that we need to tackle. The Plan provides the overall strategic direction required to maximise the benefits of those opportunities and mitigate the impact of the challenges. It is an important tool to help focus our effort and resources on the right things, something even more important than ever in the context of constrained budgets and rapid change.
This plan focuses on the work of the council but recognises that we will succeed in achieving these goals only through working together with our residents, communities, parishes, voluntary and community sector, statutory partners, delivery partners and businesses.
The Corporate Plan
The Corporate Plan sets out an overarching vision of ‘Creating a sustainable borough of innovation and opportunity’ and is framed around three key objectives:
- Thriving communities: Where families and individuals are empowered to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential.
- Inspiring places: Supporting the borough’s future prosperity and sustainability.
- A Council trusted to deliver its promises.
The plan sets out the following priorities, which respond to evidence on the key challenges within the borough and the priorities of our residents:
- Taking action to tackle climate change and its consequences, and improving our natural environment: the council has declared a Climate Emergency, and this priority sets out the actions we will drive forward as a council – and collectively – to reduce emissions, protect our natural environment and to adapt to climate impacts.
- Quality infrastructure that connects neighbourhoods and businesses and allows them to prosper: this recognises the need to invest in new infrastructure to support the borough’s future prosperity and sustainability, including digital, low carbon, transport and community infrastructure.
- A ladder of housing opportunity, to support better life chances for all: this recognises the challenges faced by many residents due to the lack of affordable housing in the borough. Helping more residents into affordable, sustainable homes, is a key part of our strategy to reduce inequality.
The Corporate Plan was approved by Full Council on Tuesday 23 November 2021.
A best-practice review of the Corporate Plan was undertaken at the end of its first year, taking account of key changes in context and new evidence and insights generated since the Plan’s adoption. The Plan’s overall priorities remain the same but the Corporate Plan goals were refreshed as a result and approved by Cabinet on Thursday 26 January 2023.
The key changes to the Corporate Plan goals reflect:
- the impacts of Cost of Living rises and the council’s response.
- a greater focus on prevention in both Adults and Children’s services, both to decrease demand and improve outcomes.
- increased focus and ambition on economic growth and the council’s role in supporting the growth of key sectors, and in supporting residents on to positive career pathways.
- strengthening the council’s Place Leadership role and setting a clear vision for the future of our key towns – Windsor, Maidenhead and Ascot.
- increased emphasis on reducing inequalities, in particular for older and disabled residents, aligned with a new set of Equality Objectives.
Documents:
Progress Reports
Performance and progress against the Corporate Plan is available on our Citizens’ Portal and is reported quarterly to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Panel.
In addition to this, the council produces an Annual Progress Report.
The Year 1 Progress Report provides an overview of key achievements and activities in Year 1 of the Corporate Plan (November 2021 – November 2022).