Agenda and minutes

No apologies for absence were received.

No declarations of interest were received.

No questions or deputations were received.

To consider for approval the draft Minutes arising from the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board meeting held on 8 February 2021.

The Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board:

RESOLVED:

To agree the Minutes arising from the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board meeting held on 8 February 2021 as an accurate record.

The report outlined the progress Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council had made in delivering the present Council Plan priorities and objectives and to seek the Scrutiny Board’s views about the plan for 2020- 2025. The report was introduced to by the Leader of the Council and Head of Business Intelligence and Improvement.

The Leader of the Council informed Members that the Council Plan period applied from July 2020.  The Council Plan addressed the Council’s priorities, objectives and desired outcomes in respect of economic development and growth, health and well-being, environment and inclusivity. 

The Council had produced the Solihull Economic Recovery Plan in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which addressed the needs of the borough’s residents, businesses and Solihull as a place and identified what actions were required of the Council to counter the economic and social impact of the pandemic. Detail within the plan addressed the role of town centres across the borough and the wider recovery programme moving forward.

Member’s attention was drawn to Appendix C of the report, which provided a summary of progress made in achieving Council Plan key deliverables during 2020/21.  Of all the reported delivery ratings, one was reported as red status.  The Leader reported that substantial progress had been achieved across a number of the Council’s priority areas, including the Kingshurst Town Centre Plan, the environmental programme (incorporating Wildlife Ways, Electric Vehicle Strategy, tree planting programme), the health and well-being agenda (currently dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic) and the on-going financial, funding and resource support made available by the Council to both people and places across the borough in response to Covid-19.

The Head of Business Intelligence and Improvement informed Members that the Council Plan, as approved on 7^th July 2020, provided the Council with its direction and vision and purpose, and had identified priorities and deliverables across 9 key areas for the 2020/25 period, which were:

• Enhance Solihull’s natural environment
• Improve Solihull’s air quality
• Reduce Solihull’s net carbon emissions
• Enable communities to thrive
• Sustainable, quality provision for adults and children with complex needs
• Take action to improve life chances in our most disadvantaged communities
• Revitalising our towns and local centres
• Increase the supply of housing, especially affordable and social housing
• UK Central (UKC) and maximising the opportunities of HS2

The Council Plan had been updated and refreshed since July 2020 with regard to the desired deliverables in 2021/22. Appendix B to the report provided the ‘Plan on a Page’ and established whether objectives were still fit for purpose and that the outcomes sought were the right ones.

Members were advised that since July 2020 a clearer picture, both locally and nationally, had emerged in respect of the economic and public health implications arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.  Further waves of Covid-19 had been experienced nationally since July 2020 and a clearer picture in relation to the short and longer term impact on public service demand,  for example regarding public/mental health and education services, had emerged during that period for areas such as;

·  Borough-  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The meeting is not open to the public during discussion of the following item because the report contains exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED:

That, pursuant to Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be now excluded from the meeting for the remainder of the business to be transacted, on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information in terms of paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the said Act.