Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Resources seeking the Board’s endorsement of the final proposals for the Best City Ambition and agreement to refer these to Council for consideration and formal adoption following the public and stakeholder consultation exercise which has taken place.

Further to Minute No. 93, 15^th December 2021, the Director of Resources submitted a report which sought the Board’s endorsement of the final proposals for the Best City Ambition and agreement to refer these to Council for consideration and formal adoption following the public and stakeholder consultation exercise which had taken place.

In introducing the report, the Leader emphasised how the Ambition looked to continue to develop collaborative working with partner organisations and local communities across Leeds in order to achieve a range of objectives for the city and to build upon the partnership approach which was adopted in Leeds in response to the pandemic.

Responding to a Member’s comments, the Board acknowledged the importance of ensuring that public facing documents and communications for the Best City Ambition were in a format that was easily accessible and understood.

Also, in response to an enquiry, the Board received further information regarding proposals on how performance against the Ambition’s objectives would be measured, with it being noted that there was an intention for performance data to be made available on a regular basis and that there would be the ability to present it at a more localised geographical level. In addition, it was highlighted that any tracking of performance data would need to align with any requirements which were developed nationally, such as those referenced within the Government’s recently announced Levelling Up White Paper.

A Member emphasised how the Ambition and the performance data it generated needed to be used to inform local decision making and to help maximise the inclusivity of such decision making.

In conclusion, it was highlighted that the proposals reflected a radically new approach, and that in acknowledging the comments made, the approach being taken may need to be adjusted as the Ambition developed in order to ensure that it remained meaningful and effective.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the Best City Ambition proposals, as attached at Appendix 1 to the submitted report, be noted, together with the composite Scrutiny Board response, as detailed at Appendix 4;

(b)  That it be noted that further development and graphic design work, which may include amendments to wording, will take place prior to publication of the Best City Ambition around 1 April 2022;

(c)  That full Council be recommended to adopt the Best City Ambition, as detailed within the submitted report;

(d)  That it be noted that the Director of Resources will be responsible for the next steps as outlined within paragraphs 10 to 18 of the submitted report, together with the new organisational strategy, as outlined in paragraph 17, which will be received by Executive Board later this year.

(The resolutions referred to within this Minute, given that they were decisions being made in accordance with the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules, were not eligible for Call In, as Executive and Decision Making Procedure Rule 5.1.2 states that the power to Call In decisions does not extend to those decisions made in accordance with the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules)