HOW WE PLAN AND REPORT The NSW Local Government Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework acknowledges most communities share similar aspirations: a safe, healthy and pleasant place to live, a sustainable environment, opportunities for social interaction, education and employment, and reliable infrastructure. The difference lies in how each community responds to these needs. The Framework has been developed in recognition that council plans and policies should not exist in isolation - that they are inter-connected. It allows NSW councils to draw their various plans together, understand how they interact and get the maximum leverage from their efforts by planning holistically and sustainably for the future.
COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN
DELIVERY PROGRAM AND OPERATIONAL PLAN
The key document in the Framework is the 10-year Community Strategic Plan (CSP). The purpose of the CSP is to identify the community’s main priorities and aspirations for the future, and plan strategies to achieve them. These strategies will take into consideration the issues and pressures that may affect the community and the level of resources that will realistically be available.
The Delivery Program is a plan that covers the term of an elected Council. To create the program, we look at the Community Strategic Plan and ask what we can achieve over the coming term to bring us closer to the community’s vision and values using the resources identified in the Resourcing Strategy.
While Council has a custodial role in initiating, preparing and maintaining the CSP on behalf of the local government area, it is not wholly responsible for its implementation. Other partners, such as state agencies and community groups, may also be engaged in delivering the long-term objectives of the CSP. The Community Strategic Plan, Delivery Program and Operational Plan are organised under seven key focus areas that reflect the community’s vision and values. This provides a clear strategic alignment between Council’s long-term, mid-term and annual planning and reporting.
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LAKE MACQUARIE CITY COUNCIL
The Operational Plan outlines the actions Council will undertake in the coming year to achieve the Delivery Program strategies under each key focus area. The Operational Plan also details how Council will fund these actions.