Issue - meetings

Further to Minute No. 146 of the Cabinet meeting held on 6 April 2023, the Council considered the report of the Chief Executive which presented the draft Corporate Plan, Workforce Plan and the Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for consideration and approval.

The report indicated that as part of the Council’s response to the feedback to the Local Government Association Peer Challenge Revisit in April 2022, the draft Corporate Plan contains the Council’s five priorities for the next three years:

·       Children and Young People

·       Health and Wellbeing

·       Adult Social Care

·       Working for Our Communities Every Day

·       Inclusive Growth

The Corporate Plan will run for a three-year period and the progress on its delivery will be reported to the Cabinet on an annual basis. Delivery of the plan will be monitored through existing mechanisms and plans such as the Children’s Improvement Plan and Service Plans. The next Corporate Peer Challenge is planned for 21 to 24 November 2023.

The draft Workforce Plan outlined the vision for the Council, values and behaviours, and the priorities to be focused upon to achieve the vision. It demonstrated the value, skills and flexibility of the Council’s workforce; and highlighted that the next few years will present a different set of challenges and opportunities for Sefton and the Council’s workforce, and set out how the Council is planning to respond to the following seven key objectives:

·       Increased awareness and engagement across the whole organisation

·       Increased engagement with our partners and communities

·       Consistent and targeted training and development

·       Strengthened support for staff

·       Maximise effectiveness and inclusivity in our HR processes and procedures.

·       Improved monitoring and measurement of progress

·       Establish and strengthen monitoring and governance structures

The draft Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy aims to make the Council a more inclusive and diverse place for people to work, recognises theneed to work with partners to remove barriers for under-represented groupsacross Sefton and demonstrates the Council’s commitment to improve inclusivityin Sefton. The draft Strategy reaffirms the Council’s commitment to recognising care experience as a protected characteristic and it recognises the work the Council needs to prioritise internally. The Strategy would also help to deliver the seven key objectives set out in the draft Workforce Plan.

It was moved by Councillor Ian Maher, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the Corporate Plan 2023-2026 be approved;

(2)      it be noted that the next Corporate Peer Challenge is planned for 21 to 24 November 2023;

(3)      the Workforce Plan 2022-2026 be approved; and

(4)      the Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2023-2027 be approved.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive which presented the draft Corporate Plan, Workforce Plan and the Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for consideration and subject to comment, submission to Council for approval.

The report indicated that as part of the Council’s response to the feedback to the Local Government Association Peer Challenge Revisit in April 2022, the draft Corporate Plan contains the Council’s five priorities for the next three years:

·       Children and Young People

·       Health and Wellbeing

·       Adult Social Care

·       Working for Our Communities Every Day

·       Inclusive Growth

The Corporate Plan will run for a three-year period and the progress on its delivery will be reported to the Cabinet on an annual basis. Delivery of the plan will be monitored through existing mechanisms and plans such as the Children’s Improvement Plan and Service Plans. The next Corporate Peer Challenge is planned for 21 to 24 November 2023.

The draft Workforce Plan outlined the vision for the Council, values and behaviours, and the priorities to be focused upon to achieve the vision. It demonstrated the value, skills and flexibility of the Council’s workforce; and highlighted that the next few years will present a different set of challenges and opportunities for Sefton and the Council’s workforce and set out how the Council is planning to respond to the following seven key objectives:

·       Increased awareness and engagement across the whole organisation

·       Increased engagement with our partners and communities

·       Consistent and targeted training and development

·       Strengthened support for staff

·       Maximise effectiveness and inclusivity in our HR processes and procedures.

·       Improved monitoring and measurement of progress

·       Establish and strengthen monitoring and governance structures

The draft Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy aims to make the Council a more inclusive and diverse place for people to work, recognises theneed to work with partners to remove barriers for under-represented groupsacross Sefton and demonstrates the Council’s commitment to improve inclusivityin Sefton. The draft Strategy reaffirms the Council’s commitment to recognising care experience as a protected characteristic and it recognises the work the Council needs to prioritise internally. The Strategy would also help to deliver the seven key objectives set out in the draft Workforce Plan.

The Chief Executive praised the work been undertaken by the following staff networks:

·       Sefton Council Christian Workplace Group

·       Sefton’s Black and Ethnically Diverse Staff Group

·       Sefton LGBT+ Staff Network

·       Sefton Disability Staff Network

·       Sefton Women's Network

The Chief Executive also reported that members of staff had been nominated for the Municipal Journal Awards 2023 in the following categories:

·       Care and Health Integration – Sefton Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifecourse; and

·       Rising Star – Lizzie Todd – Sefton Library Service

Decision Made:

(1)      the Council be recommended to approve the draft Corporate Plan 2023-2026;

(2)      it be noted that the next Corporate Peer Challenge is planned for 21 to 24 November 2023;

(3)      the Council be recommended to approve the draft Workforce Plan 2022-2026; and

(4)      the Council be recommended to approve the draft Equalities, Diversity  ...  view the full minutes text for item 146