Members considered details of progress that had been made against the Council’s 137 manifesto commitments. The Deputy Lead Member highlighted that 20% of commitments had already been met, a 5% increase since the last report. A further 77% were on target to be delivered by April 2019.

Cabinet was addressed by Margaret Morgan. Ms Morgan referred to Manifesto Commitment (08.05):

‘Further enhance our parks and open spaces through drinking fountains and other fountains / water feature’

The expected outcome was ‘Three more water fountains and 2 public fountains installed by September 2017’ and that the Previous Significant Next Action (SNA) was ‘Consultation on Commonwealth fountain options (Ongoing).’ Ms Morgan asked what were the options and where were they to be located?

The Lead Member for Culture and Communities explained that two drinking fountains had been installed at Oaken Grove and Datchet Riverside. The council was looking for a third site. A fountain had been installed on Clarence roundabout and another was being put in at Oaken Grove. Following internal consultation with the Mayor who had originally put forward the idea, it had been decided not to pursue the Commonwealth fountain. The Chairman suggested the fountain was a good idea and asked for more work to be undertaken on the idea. Ms Morgan commented that if the idea were to be pursued, improved consultation would be important. Simply advertising in a local newspaper was not sufficient. Funding also needed to be appropriate in times of austerity.

The Lead Member for Culture and Communities highlighted increased services in libraries. The Lead Member for Customer and Business Services explained that six processes under Channel Shift had been released, with a further eight to be available by the end of April 2017. The website had been completely revamped and residents were using the new digital services.

The Lead Member for Children’s Services explained that the commitment to reward teachers was amber, following feedback from headteachers that they would prefer to recognise teams or departments. The scheme was therefore under review. The council was also collaborating with WAM Get Involved to highlight opportunities to volunteer in schools. In relation to the commitment to increase promote school choice, the letters expressing local interest in pursuing selective education had been published on the borough website. The national responses were due in June 2017.

The Lead Member for Finance highlighted that core council tax had been increased by broadly half the inflation level and the Medium Term Financial Plan indicated there was a reasonable expectation this commitment could continue to be met. Fees and charges increases had been kept at or below inflation unless there had been a specific reason identified by officers, for example changes by neighbouring boroughs. The council had also increased funding for voluntary organisations, therefore a larger number of organisations had benefitted. The council continued to support the Berkshire Credit union. The council had a strong record in successfully pursuing benefit fraud.

The Lead Member for Highways and Transport explained that in planning for the arrival of Crossrail, a more integrated transport hub was needed. Several options had been explored but were not possible within the available funding. He had arranged a walkabout for members of the LEP Transport Board to see the challenges that were faced to develop the station area.

The Lead Member for Adult Services highlighted the commitment to use collaboration and influence with GPs to keep health facilities as local as possible. The borough was fortunate to be part of the Frimley Park Sustainability and Transformation Plan, one of the top five in the country. The plan should receive sufficient funding to pursue all its objectives. The planning application for a new Heatherwood hospital was expected to include provision for GP surgeries.

The Lead Member for Environmental Services highlighted the continued campaign against litter and dog fouling. In relation to parking, he praised the work by officers to install a new pay on exit scheme at River Street car park. There were a few issues to iron out, including when large numbers of people wanted to use the machines, which were being addressed. Meadow Lane car park would be rolled out in a few weeks.

The Lead Member for Planning highlighted the progression towards Regulation 19 consultation on the Borough Local Plan. The Plan included regeneration proposals for various areas in the borough. The council was focussed on enforcement matters; the team was now up to full strength. Work was taking place in relation to conservation areas, for example the Cookham appraisal was being updated.

The Principal Member for HR and Legal highlighted the commitment to multi-skill officers. A centralised training team had been created in October 2015. A comprehensive online training programme was available and a training needs analysis for the coming year was underway. Mental Health First Aid training was being rolled out for managers, with the aim of expanding it to all staff. On-demand coaching had been available since October 2016 for the leadership team.

The Principal Member for Maidenhead Regeneration and Maidenhead, in his capacity as Deputy Lead Member for School improvement, commented that the commitment to narrow the attainment gap for pupil premium children would be detailed in a report later on the agenda.

The Principal Member for Public Health and Communications highlighted that the borough had signed up to the Brighter Berkshire initiative which included a communication platform to discuss mental health issues. A borough specific strategy had been developed including a focus on suicide prevention with stretch targets. A comprehensive review of the drug and alcohol service had been undertaken in 2016, including far-reaching consultation. A new service would launch in April 2017 including an emphasis on dual diagnosis.

The Principal Member for Neighbourhood Planning and Ascot & the Sunnings commented that the commitment for better sport and leisure facilities in the area was being addressed through discussions with Charters School. The commitment to build a roundabout at the junction of the A329 and B383 had been hampered by the high costs of moving underground services. However, the council was looking at potential CIL receipts from developments at Sunningdale Park and Silwood. Until then junction improvements would be considered.

The Chairman highlighted the commitment to share more services with other councils to improve efficiency. Cabinet had received a report the previous month on a revised structure. On 3 April 2017 the externalisation of adult services would take place. The move to Achieving for Children was now scheduled for 1 August 2017, to allow for the democratic processes at Richmond and Kingston to take place. The externalisation of Highways was also on track for 1 April 2017.

The Lead Member for Customer and Business Services highlighted that town centre wifi would be implemented in May 2017 in Maidenhead and Windsor. The commercial offer was 30 minutes free wifi, which provided a revenue stream for the council at zero cost to residents. The wifi would be Royal Borough branded.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Cabinetnotes the report and:

i)     Notes the progress in delivering the manifesto commitments.

ii)    Requests Strategic Directors in consultation with Lead Members to continue to progress work towards delivering the unmet manifesto commitments