Agenda item

The Corporate Director Communities, Marianne Hesketh, has submitted a report, the 1^st Quarter Performance Statement 2023/24, April – June 2023.

The Chief Executive, Rebecca Huddleston, will attend the meeting and introduce the report.

The Corporate Director Communities submitted a report which gave a quick reference to quarterly progress against the council’s business plan projects and measures, along with commentary where issues had been identified.

The Chief Executive, Rebecca Huddleston, attended the meeting and introduced the report.

She explained to members that the business plan had last been refreshed in April 2023 as a short term refresh due to the all-out elections in May 2023. It was due for a more substantial refresh and this was hoped to come before committee at the next meeting in October. However, it meant that quarterly performance targets, including this one, would be measured against the previous business plan most likely up until quarter three. She told members that she was keen to set out corporate priorities and working towards these as soon as possible.

Members raised questions over the issues highlighted in the report, including the delays to the Local Plan review, town centre vacancy rates, the survival rate of small businesses and tourism in the borough.

The Chief Executive responded that delays to the Local Plan were owing to delays to legislation reforms and that officers were working on a revised timetable. In terms of business support, the council was using funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to commission support from Boost to work with local businesses to provide support, including training. In response to a question over the future of the local high street, she noted that there were distinct differences in the local economies in each area of Wyre, and each town centre needed to be looked at separately.

In response to a comment over the need for a dedicated Wyre tourism strategy, she said that officers were developing an economic development strategy for the borough, as well as a visitor and tourism strategy. She hoped these would play a key part in the new business plan.

The Chair thanked the Chief Executive for her attendance at the meeting.