Cheshire East Council faces its most challenging set of circumstances since it was formed. Financial pressures are driving the need to close a £100 million budget gap to ensure financial sustainability and avoid issuing a S114 notice. Recent external review and inspections have identified several areas where the organisation requires significant transformation and improvement. At the same time the Council needs to reset its operating model and define its ambitions to help it capitalise on the borough’s strengths as well as being responsive to new developments including a new national government. The Council is preparing to launch a Transformation Portfolio to shape and deliver the widespread, fundamental changes it anticipates that it needs to make to respond to these challenges. It has already appointed an external transformation partner, Inner Circle Consulting and collaborated with them to identify a range of opportunities that could help the Council address financial and strategic challenges. It has carried out a readiness assessment of its current capability and capacity to successfully deliver the complex programme of change required. This work has led to the development of this Transformation Plan.