Five year plan for Council agreed

A strategic plan which will see the Council focus on growing Orkney's economy, strengthening its communities and developing local infrastructure over the next five years, was agreed by Councillors at today's meeting of the Full Council.

The 'Council Plan 2023 – 2028’  sets out the key priorities for the Council over the next five years as well as the actions and projects that will need to be completed to meet those.

The priorities were developed following feedback from the public, as well as reflecting national priorities set by both the Scottish and UK Governments, the core services which the Council provides day to day and new duties arising from recent legislation.

A consultation was carried out at the end of last year on the draft version of the plan with that consultation finding that the majority of respondents thought the priorities that had been identified were the correct ones - although feedback suggested at that time that more clarity was needed on the performance indicators being used, so that they could better show that the Council were making a difference through their actions.

Progress on the final plan will now be reported to Councillors every six months, with the actions attached to each priority subject to review depending on the changing political and financial landscapes affecting the work and resources of the Council.

Councillor James Stockan is Leader of Orkney Islands Council. He said: "Putting together this important document has been a key focus of this Council since the elections in May last year. The views of elected members  - and in turn local people - sit at the heart of this document.  I believe that it will give a significant 'direction of travel' to this organisation over the next five years, ensuring that we direct our resources to the things that matter most to our communities.

“The financial challenges that we will face in the coming years are huge.  As a result there will be resource constraints and difficult decisions to make  - but the exploration of strategic projects to optimise income streams for the future will provide some balance to this. ”

Oliver Reid is the Chief Executive of Orkney Islands Council.  He said: "Having only recently joined the organisation I have been hugely impressed by the talent, energy, drive and wholehearted commitment to our communities that exists within our organisation.  The new Council Plan exemplifies all of that and I look forward to leading our staff in working through the delivery plan, reviewing our progress with the Elected Members as we go."

A copy of the Council Plan and its associated delivery plan is available at https://www.orkney.gov.uk/council-meetings.htm?postid=6999&postdiaryentryid=15350