The success of an integrated planning process relies on the commitment of the Mayor and all councillors, the General Manager, Directors, and senior staff… in fact, everyone! All staff should be able to see how their individual work plan and their team’s work program achieve the Operational Plan, which achieves the Delivery Program, which achieves objectives of the Community Strategic Plan.

Without strong support, commitment and understanding of the suite of plans, the council will find it difficult to effectively achieve community outcomes. The Mayor, as spokesperson for the council, is the public face of the planning process. The Mayor is responsible for explaining the purpose of the Community Strategic Plan to the community and for encouraging public participation in the planning process.

The General Manager is responsible for guiding the preparation of the Community Strategic Plan and the council’s response to it through the Delivery Program and the Resourcing Strategy. The General Manager is responsible for implementing the Delivery Program and will report to council on the progress of delivery, to ensure that it is a ‘living’ document, which is regularly reviewed and updated as necessary.

Senior Staff will provide timely advice to the General Manager, as required, on the progress of projects/activities included in the Delivery Program and each Operational Plan. These staff will also be responsible for working with and supporting the General Manager in the development of the various plans, maintaining a watching brief over the implementation of the plans and advising the General Manager of any matters that may affect the delivery of the plans. They will also need to ensure that team and individual work plans support the achievement of the Delivery Program and Operational Plan.

A summary of the roles and responsibilities of key council players in the implementation of the Integrated Planning and Reporting framework can be found in the Integrated Planning and Reporting Handbook for local government in NSW – PDF