Decision - Brighton & Hove City Council Corporate Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2015-19

77.1         Councillor J. Kitcat introduced the report which set out the council’s corporate plan and medium-term financial strategy 2015-19.  He noted that the corporate plan outlined the overall direction for the council over the coming four years, detailing its vision, principles and priorities.  The medium-term financial strategy complimented the corporate plan and detailed the strategic investment for services whilst seeking to address the financial challenges ahead for the council.  The population was growing and this placed increasing pressures on the city whilst the council had less income and was having to reduce its staff and services.  However, he hoped that the corporate plan could be supported and recommended it to the council.

77.2         Councillor G. Theobald welcomed the report and stated that he fully supported the corporate plan which now reflected the arguments that he had been putting forward for the last four years e.g. to become more efficient and enable citizens to play an active role in providing services etc.

77.3         Councillor Morgan stated that he wished to support the comments of Councillor Kitcat and to thank him for the work he had done and those officers involved in bringing the corporate plan forward and developing a flexible strategy that could be adopted following the elections in May.

77.4         Councillor Wealls welcomed the report and noted that it proposed the commissioning of youth services and the diversity of school provision, aspects that the Conservative Group had argued for and yet had been previously resisted by the Administration.

77.5         Councillor Kitcat noted the comments and stated that the council had had to take out £70m worth of efficiencies and would need to work with partner organisations and the third sector if the needs of the citizens of the city were to be met.  He therefore hoped that the council would endorse the plan.

77.6         The Mayor noted that the recommendations had been moved and put them to a vote which was carried.

77.7         RESOLVED: That the Corporate Plan 2015-16 be approved.