Issue - meetings

Decision:

(1)         That the Council’s productivity plan, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Executive be noted.

(2)         That the plan be endorsed ahead of its submission to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 19 July 2024.

Reason:

To comply with a request from the former Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to compile a productivity plan.

Options considered and rejected:

To note the productivity plan and choose not to endorse its submission to DLUHC ahead of the 19 July deadline.

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the Leader or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None.

The final Local Government Finance Settlement 2024-25 was laid before Parliament in February 2024. In the ministerial statement setting out the settlement, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities advised that, as part of a package of additional funding, the government would be asking local authorities to compile productivity plans, setting out how local authorities would ‘improve service performance and reduce wasteful expenditure …’.

The Executive considered a report that set out Guildford Borough Council’s draft productivity plan at appendix 1 that summarised recent steps taken to improve productivity and service performance, as well as the anticipated next steps.

The Executive noted that the council was making good progress on delivering the actions set out in its improvement plan and was content with the content of productivity plan.

RESOLVED

(1)         That the Council’s productivity plan, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Executive be noted.

(2)         That the plan be endorsed ahead of its submission to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 19 July 2024.

Reason:

To comply with a request from the former Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to compile a productivity plan.