What we and our partners are trying to achieve, our objectives, how well we're performing and how we work in practice.

The Strategic Planning & Performance Service is responsible for the following areas:

• Corporate Plan – outlines the vision and ambitions for the district, our strategic direction and priorities and targets for the next three years
• Service Plans - how our services contribute to delivering the Council’s priorities and objectives
• Corporate Performance Management – managing and delivering the Council’s Performance Management Framework to ensure that we are effectively delivering against our priorities and objectives and delivering improvements in the district
• Policy Development – coordinating an effective Council response to changes in legislation and national policies  
• Responding to the External Regulatory Framework – ensuring that we work with inspectors like the Audit Commission to ensure the Council responds effectively to the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) and, from April 2009 the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA), which measures how effectively we work ourselves and with our partners.