Agenda item

To receive a report which sets out the Strategic Delivery Plan, which will be the strategic business plan for Kent County Council, which supports the delivery of the outcomes in the Strategic Statement.

Mr Whittle (Director of Strategy, Policy, Relationships and Corporate Assurance) was in attendance for this item.

1.          Mr Whittle introduced the report which set out the Strategic Delivery Plan (SDP) which would become the strategic business plan for Kent County Council, which supported the delivery of the outcomes in the Strategic Statement.

Mr Whittle, Ms Tidmarsh and Mr Thomas-Sam then responded to comments and questions from Members, including the following: -

a)    Mr Whittle and Ms Tidmarsh confirmed that although information relating to staffing, workforce and career pathways was not contained within the SDP, it would be covered in Adult Social Care and Health’s directorate strategies.

b)    Mr Whittle confirmed that he would liaise with Corporate Board to find out whether or not they wished to include recommendations from recent Select Committee meetings relating to social isolation within the Strategic Delivery Plan, as the Select Committee had not been concluded during the timeframe in which the plan had been developed.

c)    Mr Whittle said that a statistical analysis indicated that a projected 73% of shortlisted activity identified the need for strategic commissioning support.He talked about the advantages of the SDP, one key advantage being that the plan allowed officers to identify areas in need of strategic commissioning support more easily.

d)    Mr Whittle referred to the compliance risks that had been raised within the SDP in relation to the sufficiency of equalities and data protection analysis and recognised that the number of Equality Impact Assessments (EQIA) that were undertaken needed to increase. He added that the Corporate Management Team and the General Counsel were providing leadership on the issue to ensure that activity would be unable to proceed without having met compliance requirements and address any immediate risks.

e)    Mr Whittle said that many district Council’s in Kent had requested a refreshed Kent Design Guide to assist with planning documentation. He added that Kent County Council Member’s had commented on the need for environmental needs and place-shaping to be reflected more strongly within the SDP. He reassured Members of the Committee that the Leader of Kent County Council had recognised the need to refresh Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement.

f)     Mr Whittle referred to the new approach for Business Planning for 2019/20, for which a report was submitted to the Policy and Resources Cabinet Committee in June 2018 and said that elected Members had been actively engaged in the development of the SDP through the Commissioning Advisory Board, Political Group meetings and Member’s briefings. He added that a review of the business planning process would take place and a report on the review would be submitted to a future Policy and Resources Cabinet Committee meeting.

g)    Mr Whittle talked about integration and partnership working and emphasised the importance of public services collaborating and integrating with partners, working across the public, private and voluntary and community sectors and added that he recognised the need to review Kent County Council’s Voluntary and Community Sector policy.

h)    Mr Whittle referred to specific issues raised by Members which had not been contained within the SDP and said that the issues were addressed within detailed directorate strategies. He added that he would provide further information to Members of the Committee outside of the meeting in relation to addressing period poverty in Kent.

i)     Mr Gibbens (Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health)welcomed the SDP and emphasised the importance of addressing social isolation and loneliness in Kent.

j)     Mr Whittle reassured Members of the Committee that they could direct any additional comments that they had in relation to the SDP to him.

2.          RESOLVED that the report be noted.

(Dr L Sullivan asked that her vote against the recommendation be recorded in the minutes)