Agenda item

The Council considered a report, presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which sought approval of an updated Corporate Plan for 2020/21, which provided a clear direction for the work of the Council and priorities, for the forthcoming year.

The Mayor reported that over the past year, the Council had continued to drive change to improve Doncaster for all its residents and had observed:-

•   Record levels of employment and investment with an increase of average wage rates by 10% over two years;

•   The agreement of a South Yorkshire Devolution Deal which would unlock investment for Doncaster, whilst the Council pursued its ambition for a wider Yorkshire Devolution Deal;

•   The continued integration of health and care services, and a co-commissioning agreement with the Council’s health partners;

•   Improvement to early years education and GCSE results; and

•   The Council undertook ‘Doncaster Talks’ which was a Borough wide consultation to understand the issues that mattered most to residents

The Mayor stressed that there were still many challenges to face as a Borough, none of which were as important as the need to tackle the Climate and Biodiversity crisis, which was why she was pleased that the Council had declared an emergency and set up a commission to help shape its work going forward.

It was reported that the Council had seen first-hand this year, the devastating impact the climate could have on its communities, and she was proud of the collective efforts of the Borough’s communities, staff and partners, to help those in need during the response and continued recovery.

Members noted that the updated Plan was still framed around:-

•   The 4 Doncaster Growing Together priority themes; and

•   The cross-cutting ‘Connected Council’ theme.

The Mayor emphasised that there was a clearer alignment between the work the Council would prioritise and its 6 Imperatives, which were the outcomes and ways of working that must shape the Council’s work going forward which included:-

•   Embedding sustainability into all that the Council did for a cleaner and greener Borough;

•   Advance inclusive growth to achieve good economic growth for all of Doncaster;

•   Focus on early intervention and prevention, including supporting families and communities across the Borough;

•   Develop lifelong learning and skills to ensure all residents had access to opportunities to advance their lives and careers;

•   Ensure the Council was ‘Keeping it Real’ to understand its people and places, and building this into decision making; and

•   Being intelligence led to work smarter and more efficiently.

Members noted that the upcoming year would also see a new Borough Strategy being developed to help drive Doncaster in the 2020’s.  The Council was still delivering on its priorities with the significant budgetary challenges it faced and the uncertainty around funding following 2020/21, but despite this, it was an exciting time for Doncaster, and with the challenges that faced the Borough, came exciting opportunities.

The Mayor concluded by stating that the Council would continue to work with its partners to improve the Borough as a place to live, work, invest and visit, and she was grateful to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee for considering the plan and providing their feedback and support.

RESOLVED that the 2020/21 Corporate Plan, be approved.