Decision Maker: Strategy and Resources Policy Committee

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: July 10, 2025

Purpose:

Content: 10.1 The Director of Strategy and Communications presented a 2025/26 Year Ahead  report outlining details of how the Council has worked hard to build the foundations of an effective council that listens and collaborates with its citizens and partners. This has included embedding our new Council Plan and Strategy Framework; working to rebuild our relationships and trust with communities, partners and Government; and driving performance and delivery across the organisation.   The Council Plan remains the Council’s North Star. Through Future Sheffield, we will continue to transform our organisation into one that is collectively focused outcomes and high performance, on intervening early to prevent challenges getting worse, and on maximising the strengths and potential of our communities and partners. To ensure that the Council stays at the front of the national and local policy agenda, this paper proposes that we should look to develop our approach to two policy areas in the coming year: 1) Prevention; and 2) Public Service Reform. There is an opportunity for Strategy and Resources Policy Committee to collaborate with fellow Policy Committees, communities and partners to further develop our policy agenda in these areas.     10.2 RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Strategy and Resources Policy Committee:-       (a) welcomes the continuing progress on the Council Plan, the Strategy Framework, including development of the Communities Strategy, and work to drive forward the transformation of Sheffield City Council; and   (b) agrees to the development of cross-cutting policy work on prevention and public service reform, harnessing the opportunities presented by multi-year funding settlements, the Sheffield Policy Campus and a greater focus on place-led change.     10.3 Reasons for Decision     10.3.1 This decision will enable our organisation to build on the momentum established by the City Goals and Council Plan by setting out a clear policy programme for prevention and public service reform. It is a critical underpinning to our Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and the Future Sheffield Programme, driving better outcomes for citizens and public finances by tackling the root causes of challenges and taking a whole-system approach to redesigning public services around the people we serve.     10.4 Alternatives Considered and Rejected     10.4.1 Alternative Option 1: Do nothing Rejected – Sheffield City Council have made a policy commitment to embedding prevention in everything we do, maximising the opportunity to deliver better outcomes for citizens, transform public services and reduce the pressure on public budgets. But, we need a clear approach – aligned to the Council Plan and the new Communities Strategy – which empowers our senior leaders and managers to drive the change, taking the opportunity to think and plan longer term. This mentality and focus has a critical role in our MTFS, maximising the opportunity of a multi-year budget settlement for local government.     10.4.2 Alternative Option 2: Develop a Prevention Strategy for SCC Rejected – We have our City Goals and Council Plan as the established strategic framework to guide us. We now need to empower managers with the tools and skills to make prevention the focus in budget setting and service delivery and match this with an accountability environment which challenges our teams to see the whole system and focus on the root causes rather than symptoms.