New Corporate Plan lacks focus on targets
The new five year Corporate Plan drafted by Redland City Council lacks focus, compared to the current plan which ends in June 2015.
The Council’s Corporate Plan 2015-2020 is supposed to:
- guide how Council prioritises and delivers services, programs and facilities to our community over the next five years
-
influence Council’s annual budget and Operational Plan
according to a Council brochure about development of the new draft Corporate Plan.
A side by side comparison of the new draft with the current Corporate Plan shows that many “strategies” have been replaced with vague “outcomes”. Measurable targets are hard to find in the new plan. The focus on achieving the intended outcomes of the long term Redlands 2030 Community Plan has been replaced with platitudes. Some issues have been dropped altogether.
Here are examples of side by side comparisons between old “strategies” and draft new “outcomes”
| 2010-2015 Corporate Plan | 2015-2020 Corporate Plan |
| 1.2 Stop the decline in population of the koala and other species at risk through advocacy, protecting and restoring vital habitat and increasing community engagement and action | 1.2 Threatened species are maintained and protected, including the vulnerable koala species. |
| 1.6 Address the decline in the health of Redlands waterways and improve water quality, aquatic populations and their biodiversity | 1.1 Redland City’s natural assets including flora, fauna, habitats, biodiversity, ecosystems and waterways are managed, maintained and monitored. |
| 3.1 Address the social, cultural and economic needs of island communities by partnering with residents and other tiers of government to deliver infrastructure, facilities and services | 3.2 Communities on the islands and foreshores enjoy equitable access to development opportunities and community services. |
| 5.7 Support a sustainable future for rural areas by developing and implementing a rural strategy that recognises the city’s heritage, economic, environmental and scenic values and promotes sustainable rural industries and activities | Seems to have been dropped totally from the new plan |
| 6.6 Promote Redlands as a high quality tourism destination and encourage the development of sustainable naturebased, heritage and eco-tourism | 6.1 Council supports infrastructure that encourages business and tourism growth. |
| 8.5 Be transparent and consistent in the way we manage the organisation, its risks and obligations and ensure we are delivering against our priorities | No specific “outcome” for the issue of transparency |
To gain a better appreciation of the difference between the ‘old” and “new” Corporate Plans Redlands2030 has prepared a detailed comparison.
Overall, it seems that the new plan is less ambitious and less focused on achieving the community’s expectations as set out in the Community’s long term 2030 Community Plan.
Instead, the new draft Corporate Plan appears to be a document designed to support a pro-developer agenda while avoiding any troublesome performance targets designed to maintain or improve the quality of life in the Redlands.
Measuring performance against the current Corporate Plan
Before developing a new plan it’s good practice to review the current one. Redlands2030 has encouraged the community to do this in a post titled:
Assess Council performance against its 5 year plan
Even if you don’t have the time to complete the survey you might find it interesting to see how others have assessed Council’s performance.
Have your say
The proposed new Corporate Plan 2015-2020 is the subject of public consultation until Friday 24 April 2015.
If you are concerned about what direction Council might take over the next five years, read the information and have your say.
You could also contact your local councillor if you are concerned about the proposed new Corporate Plan.
Redlands2030 – 20 April 2015
Update 26 April 2015 – Submissions to Council
Here is a link to the Redlands2030 submission on Council’s draft Corporate Plan 2015-2020
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
One Comment
The Corporate Plan and the process of making a new Corporate Plan has been a disappointing charade of consultation beginning with an obscurely worded survey over Christmas. Some Councillors disowned the Plan as merely words (or to that effect) and one claimed his constituents had better things to do. Now the Corporate Plan is said to be merely an internal document….almost asking the community why they want to be involved..
There is no report evaluation or measure of performance of the achievements against goals of the previous Plan. In lieu are we supposed to find and read the various annual reports, in the Minutes etc ….that seems to be the Council’s retort to date.
The Corporate Plan is supposed to be about implementing the Redlands 2030 Community Plan, some Councillors, by word and action would like to see this acclaimed statement of community values and goals “erased” from the public record and replaced with a “faith based” reverence to the current elected members. Surely we are entitled to see some strategic planning that goes beyond the election cycle.
Redlands2030 has done a great job…seemingly against the sway of Council…in keeping some attention on the Corporate Plan. But so far it seems the news isn’t good. The group should keep it up, because next time it could go all the way under the radar and transparency and accountability will be further depreciated.
Is it Council’s policy to make community participation and engagement as obscure and as difficult as possible?
How is that a community group must work so hard to make the Corporate Planning process at all intelligible
Is it that the preferred Corporate Plan of at least some of our Councillors would read something like…”don’t you worry about that”….?