Agenda item

At its meeting on 8 January 2020 the Executive Committee considered the Council Plan 2020-2024 and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that the Council Plan 2020-2024 be ADOPTED subject to some of the more business-related photographs being replaced by photographs of tourism/environment related areas.  

(Please Note: the Council Plan document as attached includes the new photographs).

61.1           At its meeting on 8 January 2020, the Executive Committee had considered the new Council Plan for 2020-2024 and recommended to Council that it be adopted subject to some of the more business-related photographs being replaced by photographs of tourism/environment related areas. 

61.2           The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 27-48 and Members were advised that the Council Plan document, attached to the current Agenda, included new photographs.

61.3           The Chair of the Executive Committee proposed the recommendation and thanked all Members for their involvement in the creation of the Plan which he felt neatly set out what the Council’s priorities were for the period.  The recommendation was seconded by the Vice-Chair.

61.4           A Member indicated that one of the opening photographs in the document was of the M5 motorway and she questioned whether that was how the Council wanted to promote the Borough; in response, the Head of Corporate Services indicated that he would take that comment away for consideration. Another Member questioned whether the garden town was in the right place given concerns about flooding and infrastructure. She hoped it would prove to be the first truly sustainable garden town but for that to happen the government needed to act with changes to planning laws etc.; she felt the Council should not be prevented from doing its best in that regard. She also expressed the view that, whilst the inclusion of sustainability in the document was a good start, and she thanked Officers for making the changes she has suggested, it must be clear that words were not enough and deeds had to follow. In supporting those comments, a Member advised that he felt the Council Plan did not go far enough in terms of the climate change emergency or sustainability – the clock was ticking and he felt the Council’s commitment to making a difference needed to be stronger. The County Council had a ten-point plan which it was working towards and he felt Tewkesbury Borough Council needed to have a commitment like that to tackling climate change. In terms of Tewkesbury Garden Town, he was also exceptionally concerned about the flood risk which would be brought to the existing Tewkesbury Town.

61.5           The Leader of the Council indicated that the Council Plan set out the Council’s priorities and specific reference had been made to flooding and climate change with one of the objectives being to work with the County Council in delivering its climate change agenda. It was a fact that the County Council had the authority and resources to take the lead on climate change, as such, the Council’s priority to support that work was the correct way forward. It was also necessary to bear in mind that the Council Plan was a ‘live’ document that would be revised throughout the four-year period to take out achievements and bring in new objectives.

61.6           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the Council Plan 2020-2024 be ADOPTED.