Agenda item

Mark Gannon, Transformation & Strategic Partnerships Manager, presented the submitted report which summarised RBT’s performance against contractual measures and key service delivery issues for May, 2010, across the areas of Customer Access, Human Resources and Payroll, ICT, Procurement and Revenue and Benefits.

Key points for this period included:-

Customer Access

-              All performance targets achieved

-              Aston Customer Service Centre opened on 21^st June, 2010

-              4 complaints received 1 of which was closed but not upheld, 1 closed as partially upheld, 1 closed as upheld and the final complaint still being investigated

-              All KPIs for the Registration Service achieved with the exception of ‘Deaths registered within 5 days’ (79.21% against a target of 95%).  It was understood that where input was required from the Coroner’s Office delays may occur which were outside the influence of the Service

Human Resources and Payroll

-              All performance targets achieved

-              Distribution of P11Ds, annual statements to employees setting out tax paid on mileage claims etc., completed ahead of the statutory deadline of 6^th July

-              Further improvements to the Local Government Pension Form 9 progressing well

-              Soulbury pay award details received but required further work before implementation

-              Launch of the next phase of the Talent Pool had taken place with invitations taken from current part-time employees to register for additional hours

-              Change request written and a project manager assigned with regard to the need to improve server capacity for PSe

-              Version 10 Yourself release due shortly

ICT

-              All performance targets achieved

-              Following agreement on the scope of measure CCS1 (Project Delivery), dependent measure ICTO6 (Complex Change Requests completed to agreed specification) would commence reporting

-              Instances of downtime with regard to ICTO2 (Availability of Business Critical Applications) were not being reflected in performance reporting due to RBT only measuring uptime at server level as opposed to user level.  A ‘performance workshop’ arranged to resolve these issues

-              With the exception of 2 floors in Civic Building, all town centre buildings now had VOIP telephony.  Currently 50% of all RMBC’s telephone extensions had now been converted to VOIP.  The old telephony switch would be decommissioned as part of the closure of the building and the remaining 50% moved to VOIP prior to the move to the new building

-              Crinoline House was now empty and the ICT decommissioned

-              Workshops held between RBT, Directorate IT Champions and ICT Client to discuss service delivery and customer satisfaction

Procurement

-              All performance targets achieved with the exception of PO6 (catalogue orders) which achieved 16.21% against a target of 19%.  This target had been affected by changes in officer ordering behaviour to address transaction volumes

-              Former BVP18 achieved 96.90% in May, 2010, an improvement on the same point in 2009. 

-              The number of transactions handled by the Procurement Service increased with 208,506 transactions during 2009/10 against baselined volumes of 177,000

Revenues and Benefits

-              Council Tax Collection Rate 19.331% at the end of May, 2010, 0.15% lower than the same point in 2009/10

-              The target for 2010/11 continued to be a Council Tax Collection Rate which placed Rotherham in the upper performance quartile for Metropolitan District Councils with a minimum collection level of 97.0% regardless of quartile position

-              There had been 220 Council Tax Liability Orders referred to the bailiff up to the end of May, 2 of which were classed as vulnerable cases

-              Average number of days taken to action a Council Tax Change of Circumstance was 11.98 days.  This was better than the performance level which the service aimed to achieve i.e. 14 days

-              NNDR collection rate was 21.79% at the end of May, 2010, 0.16% down on the same point in 2009/10. 

-              The NNDR collection figure had been adjusted to incorporate the affect of the NNDR Deferral Scheme.  The year end target remained a collection rate which placed Rotherham in the upper performance quartile for Metropolitan District Councils with a maximum collection level of 98.5% regardless of quartile position

-              34 Business Rates Liability Orders had been referred to the bailiff in the current financial year up to the end of May, 2010

-              The number of active cases continued to fall due to a number of businesses who had applied successfully for deferment had actually gone on to pay their accounts in full and some cases where the payer had defaulted on payments and recovery actions had commenced. 

-              There were currently 272 active deferral cases allowing a deferral of £460,378

-              Rotherham was now the 6^th best performing MDC in the country with respect of Council Tax.  This was a drop of 1 place from 2008/09

-              Rotherham was now the 5^th best performing MDC in the country with respect of National Non-Domestic Rates, a significant improvement on 10^th in 2008/09

Discussion also took place on:-

-              Aston Customer Service Centre

-              ICT02

-              ICT

Resolved:-   That RBT’s performance against contractual measures and key service delivery issues for May, 2010, be noted.