Issue - meetings

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/010

Portfolio Holder: Cllr John Griffiths           Lead Officer: Ian Gallin

(Note: This item was deferred by Cabinet on 26 November 2019.)

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020)

That subject to the incorporation of Appendix A (Leader’s Foreword), the draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework 2020-2024, as contained in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/WS/20/010 be adopted, taking account of the comments made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Cabinet considered this report which was recommending to Council, the approval and adoption of the draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework.

The preparation of the new draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework had been taking place as part of a wider piece of work aimed at ‘Planning for the Future’, in which a joined-up approach was being taken to the Strategic Framework, West Suffolk Local Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy.

The advent of the new council and the aligned timetables of the three documents provided a good opportunity for West Suffolk Council to develop a single, coherent narrative and approach to what councillors wanted to see achieved in West Suffolk in coming years.

Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the Council, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that section 1 of the report detailed the process that had been undertaken to produce the draft Strategic Framework, which included holding Member workshops. The first workshop sought exploration of specific questions, the feedback from which had been used to inform both the Strategic Framework and the initial scoping of the new West Suffolk Local Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy.  The second workshop considered in more detail what might be the best approach to achieving growth in West Suffolk in future years. 

The input from Members was then combined with the existing commitments and priorities, plus those of partner organisations, to produce a draft Strategic Framework document.

Members noted that in developing the Framework, the key points to acknowledge and as set out in further detail in the report, were:

a.       The document was not comprehensive;

b.       It was proposed that the Council’s strategic priorities remained the same.

c.       West Suffolk’s contribution was only part of the picture.

d.       The document included a new emphasis on the Environment and Rural issues.

On 14 November 2019, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered the draft document and had made a number of comments which were set out in section 3 of the report.

Having considered the document (Appendix B), the Leader’s Foreword (Appendix A) and the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Cabinet was supportive of recommending its adoption by Council.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020)

That subject to the incorporation of Appendix A (Leader’s Foreword), the draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework 2020-2024, as contained in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/WS/20/010 be adopted, taking account of the comments made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.