Council Adopts Amendments To Key Plan

Councillors in Neath Port Talbot have approved a series of amendments to the Council’s Corporate Improvement Plan and extended the plan until September 2017. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The amendments which are contained within an addendum to the Plan, were formally adopted at a meeting of full Council on Wednesday 15th March and enable the Council to carry out its duties under both the existing Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 and the new Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, whilst continuing to deliver its ‘Rising to the Challenge’ priority programme. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 aims to improve the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales, now and in the future. The Act requires the Welsh Government along with 43 other specified public bodies (including all local authorities) to ensure that, when making their decisions, they take into account the impact they could have on people living their lives in Wales in the future. The Act also requires the Council to publish a statement (well-being statement) setting out our improvement and well-being objectives and the steps we will take to meet them. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The addendum sets out how it will meet the Act’s “sustainable development principle” in terms of seeking to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The addendum also demonstrates how our improvement and well-being objectives will contribute towards the seven well-being goals contained within the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Council Leader, Cllr. Ali Thomas OBE said: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The amendments to the Corporate Improvement Plan will allow the Council to continue to make progress on the six priorities within our ‘Rising to the Challenge’ programme, whilst meeting the statutory requirements of the new Act. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Bearing in mind the forthcoming Local Government elections in May, the extension to the existing Corporate Improvement Plan will provide the new Administration with the opportunity to review the objectives and establish its own programme for the term of the Council.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

A new Corporate Plan will be produced in September. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​