Priorities

North Herts District Council published its first Corporate Plan in 2005. This high level strategic document set out our ambitions and aspirations for our district for the next 10 years – 2005 through to 2015.

The Annual review for 2011/12 has now taken place. The new strategic document replaces the former Corporate Plan 2005-15 and sets out what the District Council will be doing to make North Hertfordshire ‘a vibrant place to live, work and prosper’ in 2011/12.

Priorities for the District 2011/12 (323Kb)

Vision

We have a clear vision for the area which involves Making North Hertfordshire a vibrant place for people to live, work and prosper. The vision is not just the District Council’s vision, it belongs to and was created by all of the partners in our Local Strategic Partnership.

The many agencies, organisations and individuals involved in the partnership are all working to achieve this vision for the place we live and work in through the development of the district's Sustainable Community Strategy , published in 2009.

The LSP focussed on the ten themes of the Sustainable Community Strategy and through its work in a number of partnership arenas, has progressed with this vision for the district. We have recently restructured the LSP, downsizing its membership and refocusing partners on the latest issues affecting the district. There will be a core which remain of interest in the longer term such as community safety, and protecting our local environment, but there will also need to be flexibility regarding future skills and employment opportunities in order to respond to the current challenges facing our economy.

Priorities

The Council has identified three priorities:

town centres
green issues
sustainable development

which have informed the basis of our corporate business planning process from 2009/10. These are the areas on which we will concentrate our resources and activities to deliver and will be identified in the action plan attached to the strategic document, although we will keep our priorities under constant review and changes may still take place prior to the completion of this 2015 plan.

In addition to the three priorities the Council wishes to work in a way that delivers increasing value for money, performance and customer satisfaction and this is also reflected in the draft plan. Many aspects of the day to day business of the Council fall into this Value for Money category.

Annual review

The annual review of the Corporate Plan provides an opportunity for the Council to consider the narrative elements in relation to the agreed priorities for the following financial year. The annual review also considers necessary changes to action plans for the short and medium term reflecting progress with previous actions, new actions to support the priorities informed by our residents' changing needs or from consultation.

If you have any comments on the Priorities for the District 2011/12 strategic document, please contact Liz Green, Head of Policy and Community Service on 01462 474230. Alternatively, email liz.green@north-herts.gov.uk. This link opens a new message window in your default email program