The East Kent Services Committee, comprised of representatives from Canterbury City Council, Thanet District Council and Dover District Council, is scheduled to meet on Tuesday 7 October 2025. The main item on the agenda is the approval of the PartnershipOne Business Plan for 2025/26, which outlines the company's objectives and financial projections for the coming year. The committee will also discuss the PartnershipOne Strategic Plan 2025-2028, which provides a broader overview of the company's long-term goals and priorities.

PartnershipOne Business Plan 2025/26

The committee will be asked to consider the annual business plan submitted by PartnershipOne for 2025/26. PartnershipOne is a local authority trading company (LATCo) that delivers key transactional services, such as customer services, council tax, business rates, corporate debt and benefits, on behalf of Canterbury City Council, Dover District Council and Thanet District Council.

The business plan covers the revenues, benefits and customer services activities to be delivered during 2025/26. The report pack includes supplementary papers that add relevant context: the PartnershipOne Strategic Plan 2025/28 and a background and high level breakdown of the business plan.

The business plan sets out what PartnershipOne will do within its first year to help meet its strategic priorities and achieve its vision, whilst supporting the strategic aims of its partners. According to the report pack, PartnershipOne's vision is:

to be recognised as an excellent service provider, deploying innovative solutions. Approaching everything with an open and honest 'can do' approach, backed by the best people.

The plan details activity against each of the six enabling goals set out within the strategic plan, and provides success criteria for each. A broad theme summary against each is below:

• Establish Identity: Outcomes are around embedding the company culture and developing trust with the Authorities as well as transparency around cost and process.
• Focus on Core Service: Outcomes are around delivering against KPIs[^3] and keeping within agreed financial envelopes, whilst having regard to Local Government Reorganisation.
• Investing in our staff: Outcomes are around embedding reward and recognition, praise and talent planning.
• Being recognised for its service: Activity against this theme will apply from year two onwards and will build on the achievements of the other goals in year 1.
• Seek trading opportunities where appropriate: Activity during year 1 is around protecting core service delivery but understanding company capacity and identifying potential future opportunities for Board consideration.
• Added social value: Activity during year 1 is around maximising discretionary awards for residents and the wider involvement in community activities through the 'donate a day' scheme.

The report notes that the arrangement with PartnershipOne requires the provision and agreement of an annual business plan. It also notes that the business plan for 2025/26 has been reviewed by officers and the option to approve it is recommended. However, the committee could make recommendations for the Cabinets to refuse to approve the business plan and/or request amendments be considered by PartnershipOne.

The draft budget within the business plan shows the company making a small surplus in year 1, which the report describes as a prudent position for year one of company operations, and notes that PartnershipOne is currently on course to exceed the budgeted surplus.

PartnershipOne Strategic Plan 2025-2028

The PartnershipOne Strategic Plan 2025-2028 is also included in the report pack. The company vision is:

to be recognised as an excellent service provider, deploying innovative solutions. Approaching everything with an open and honest 'can do' approach, backed by the best people

The strategic plan lists six enabling goals that will help achieve that vision over a three-year period:

• We will establish our new identity and develop trust with our stakeholders
• We will deliver excellent, customer focused core services to our stakeholders
• We will develop our people to achieve their potential
• We will be recognised for our efficient and effective service delivery and be an exemplar for others
• We will seek appropriate trading opportunities to drive income for our stakeholders
• We will add tangible social value to the communities we serve

The report pack states that the annual business plan will detail what will be achieved against these goals each year and how success will be measured.

Other Items

The agenda also includes items such as apologies for absence, substitute members, appointment of chair and vice-chair, minutes of the previous meeting and declaration of any interests. There is also an opportunity for any other urgent business to be dealt with in public, and any other business which falls under the exempt provisions of the Local Government Act 1972¹ or the Freedom of Information Act 2000.