Foreword by the Leader of the Council
Welcome to our Corporate Strategy which was adopted at Full Council on 23 November 2023. It sets out our ambitions for the four years up to May 2027.
Since the election in May 2023, my cabinet members, the members of the Independent Partnership, and I, in consultation with Labour colleagues, have been working together with the senior leadership team at the council to develop a four-year corporate plan which sets out our priorities and how we will achieve the targets we have set ourselves. We have undertaken to work openly and transparently so that everyone understands the decisions we are making and why we are making them.
As an independent partnership it is important that this document reflects the priorities of all of our members. Developing it has been an interesting and eye-opening challenge, but one I believe has led to a well-rounded strategy that focuses on the health, wellbeing and development of individuals and communities, as well as the growth of businesses. It is also a strategy that acknowledges the differences between the rural, coastal, and urban areas of our borough, and embraces new development as well as the preservation of our wonderful heritage.
Our aim is to ensure that any new developments taking place help achieve our objectives of providing affordable homes for local people and employment opportunities, supporting our climate change agenda, or whatever else might help our communities and businesses thrive, and is within our power to deliver or influence.
Running through the strategy is a desire to tackle those issues that impact on our environment and on broader climate change issues, including water quality, flooding and CO2 emissions. We want to ensure that over the term of this strategy the borough is cleaner, greener, and better protected. We will look to amend and adjust our policies to encourage individuals, businesses and developers to play their part as well as doing all we can to reduce our own impact on the environment.
Underpinning all the aims and objectives of this strategy is sound fiscal management. We want to ensure that the council remains in a strong financial position and is not left in a situation where it can only provide ‘essential’ services. This means we will be constantly monitoring performance and ensuring that we work both effectively and efficiently within the resources we have available to us.
Finally, we commit to working for West Norfolk as a whole, ensuring that we consider the needs of all our communities and developing the area as a place on the map.
A place where people choose to live, work, visit and invest.
Cllr Alistair Beales
