Corporate action plan 2025-27 agreed

Coming at a critical time for the authority, the action plan ensures a continued focus on key priorities for local communities and businesses, while also addressing a number of other demands, such as preparing for devolution and local government reorganisation.

Council leader, Cllr Alistair Beales, said:

“We have already accomplished a great deal – for which I would like to commend the hard work of our committed staff team – and our action plan celebrates this.

“But, as always, there is more we want to do. Our 2-year plan for 2025-27 sets out how we intend to continue delivering our vision of creating a welcoming rural district, with vibrant communities and successful, growing businesses.

“Local government in Norfolk is about to undergo fundamental change and until we have a final decision about its future structure there is a lot of uncertainty.

“However, while preparing the Borough Council for whatever the Government’s decision may be, it’s important we don’t lose sight of what we set out to do two years ago when we published our corporate strategy.

“That strategy, which set out our priorities and plans for the borough, remains at the heart of what we are trying to achieve for West Norfolk.”

The corporate strategy lasts for the four-year term of the current administration and has four key priorities: to promote growth and prosperity to benefit West Norfolk, to protect its environment, to deliver services efficiently and effectively, and to support the borough’s communities.

Work across the council has already resulted in a number of achievements, such as a spending review that resulted in savings of £6million, offering 100% council tax relief to people on the lowest incomes, helping more than 300 students to access skills support, assessing 100% of fly-tipping cases within a day of being recorded, awarding nearly 100 grants to support local business and installing 30 EV charging points in council car parks.

The two-year plan agreed by Cabinet today builds on previous plans and sets out a series of actions under each priority to show how it will continue to be delivered until the end of the strategy’s term. These include:

• The completion of an investment plan for West Norfolk to prioritise investment in infrastructure and projects that will deliver better employment opportunities, improved transport and connectivity, the right homes to meet local needs and healthier lives.
• Actions the council is taking in its bid to become Net Zero by 2035 and create opportunities for householders to access environmentally-sustainable home energy supply.
• How the council will use resources effectively to deliver services, including delivery of savings targets in the council’s medium-term financial strategy and aligning spending decisions on the Community Infrastructure Levy to corporate priorities.
• Improvements to customer service and increased use of partnership working to help improve health outcomes for our communities.

It also sets out key work in the council’s transformation programme, helping to modernise the council and prepare for the forthcoming changes to local government.

Cllr Beales added:

“People tell us they want transparency and accountability in the way decisions are made and I agree. Our key projects are in our plan, which is published for anyone to read. If anyone has a question about what we’re doing, they can call or email, or better still attend a meeting and ask it in person.”

The Corporate Action Plan is published on the council’s website at: west-norfolk.gov.uk/actionplan.