A 'corporate plan' outlining the strategic ambitions of Hertfordshire County Council was criticised by the ousted former leader in a debate last week.

Former council leader Cllr Richard Roberts (Con, Kings Langley) took aim at the corporate plan presented by the Liberal Democrat-led administration, following the change in the county council's leadership in the May elections.

Cllr Roberts referred to the plan as "everything to everybody" and "motherhood and apple pie".

Another opposition member, Cllr Alexander Curtis (Con, Hoddesdon North) also criticised it as an "unambitious plan without specific measurable targets".

Hertfordshire County Council's corporate plan outlines the council's vision and priorities, summarised as "building a sustainable, inclusive and thriving Hertfordshire".

Members of the resources and performance cabinet panel met on Thursday, October 2, where council leader Steve Jarvis (Lib Dem, Royston West & Rural) himself appeared to present the plan. Councillors were briefed about its priority objectives, which are:

• Helping all children and young people to thrive and achieve their potential and ensure they grow up in safe, supportive and nurturing environments
• Fixing Hertfordshire's roads and buses: Addressing congestion, improving road safety and enhancing sustainable transport options
• Growing a more sustainable Hertfordshire: Promoting economic growth and protecting the environment by developing prosperous, resilient and green communities
• Supporting those most in need: Fostering compassionate and inclusive communities where every resident has support to lead a fulfilling, healthy and dignified life
• Delivering more: Making use of "scarce resources" and strong partnerships to deliver high-quality and trusted services that meet the evolving needs of residents

The development of this plan follows an initial 100-day plan introduced by the new administration, which highlighted objectives such as fixing potholes in a single visit, faster rollout of 20mph schemes when residents want them, and improving the environment by planting an extra 10,000 trees.

In a letter summarising the overarching goals of the plan, council leader Cllr Steve Jarvis said: "We want to create a county where every resident thrives and achieves their aspirations, where economic growth, innovation and industry are supported, and our environment is protected for future generations.

"We want to be a council that Hertfordshire's people recognise as being on their side.

"Hertfordshire County Council strives to do a good job – delivering hundreds of services that benefit our residents, businesses and local communities."

Councillors were told that the plan was not exhaustive, but highlighted the areas the administration will prioritise for the remainder of its term.

After the plan was presented, Conservative Cllr Alexander Curtis said: "There's nothing in the corporate plan on value for money for taxpayers. There's one line in terms of property, getting the best use of public funds out of it.

"It just concerns me that value for money doesn't appear as a consideration at any point in this corporate plan. You'll be aware that the corporate plan guides the council's decision-making, and I feel that not mentioning that just shows you that this isn't a priority for the new administration. I think that's a great disappointment to all Hertfordshire taxpayers who pay more council tax each year."

Cllr Curtis, who attended the meeting remotely after being injured in an accident, criticised plans for fixing roads, saying there was "too much [emphasis] on alternatives to cars" and not enough on holding utility companies to account over their management of roadworks.

He also took issue with "vague verbs" such as 'support' and 'deliver' and described the document as "unambitious", adding: "I think it's disappointing not to have much specific content in this corporate plan".

In response, Cllr Jarvis said: "In terms of value for money, as we've set out, the council will be under some considerable pressure in order to deliver not just this plan but its ongoing activities.

"In order to do so, it will clearly have to maximise its efficiency. We've talked about the need to make better use of the resources that we have, both human and in terms of property, and I think that quite clearly sets out our objectives to deliver value for money.

"We need to do more with what we've got, and that is all about delivering value for money."

Cllr Jarvis said he "had some difficulty" hearing the points made by Cllr Curtis, adding "the line was not entirely clear".

The council leader then addressed the complaint around utilities and roadworks, saying: "I'm sure that [Cllr Curtis] is aware that we've been lobbying the Government for the opportunity to have more significant penalties against those utilities who fail to comply with the terms of permits and things of that sort.

"I have to say, that's not in here because I regard that as an operational matter; it's something that absolutely we're committed to pressing on.

"In fact, we are in the process of setting up meetings with some of the utilities that most frequently dig up Hertfordshire's roads in order to explore with them how they may do that in a way that causes less disruption.

"I don't agree with Cllr Curtis's assessment that there is no ambition in the plan. I think to deliver significantly more for Hertfordshire's children, both in the area of looked-after children and in the area of other children at risk, and in the area of children with special educational needs and disabilities, to make a significant step forward in those areas at a time when the national situation is not helpful in that respect, I think is ambitious.

"So I don't think there's any lack of ambition there. Similarly, we have some objectives in order to improve the roads of Hertfordshire and bus services for people who use them. Once again, we hear regularly that there is an enormous national backlog in terms of maintenance spending. We don't expect the government to provide a lot more money in that area… but we are committed to making improvements using the resources we already have.

"We are committed to Hertfordshire moving as fast as it can towards a franchised bus service, which I think will transform the ability of people to get around by public transport."

Former leader of the council, Cllr Richard Roberts, observed: "We're in a place where our residents are less comfortable with the country they find themselves in. I don't think that is reflected in this corporate plan in any shape or form.

"That isn't to say that we shouldn't deliver all our services as good as we possibly can. This is a corporate plan. You could argue it's the perfect corporate plan because it's everything to everybody; it really is motherhood and apple pie.

"I just think that this is going to run into some reality. This isn't addressing the reality that might be coming down the track.

"You're a minority administration, you've really got to appease the Greens and you've really got to appease Labour, and that makes it even more difficult."

Despite criticisms from the Tories, councillors voted to recommend the corporate plan to the cabinet.