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 October, 2010, across the areas of Customer Access, Human Resources and Payroll, ICT, Procurement and Revenues and Benefits.

Key points for this period included:-

Customer Access

-              All performance targets achieved

-              Initial problems had been experienced with the new Repairs and Maintenance Service transfer.  Formal performance review meetings had been held to resolve the situation and progress being closely monitored

-              Successful update of Siebel CRM to enable automatic tracking of avoidable contact

-              Continuing work with Strategic Directors and management team to identify achievable benefits from the Customer Service Consolidation programme

-              4 complaints received in October; 1 upheld, 1 partially upheld and 2 not upheld

-              Funding for the Out-of-Hours Coroner Service had been withdrawn and the Service suspended pending further discussion.  This had had a significant impact and meant that certain burials which may have taken place under former arrangements may not take place in the timescale of cultural requirements

Human Resources and Payroll

-              All performance targets achieved

-              HRP Server Refresh proposals agreed at the end of October with the first meeting having taken place

-              Following discussions with ICT it was agreed to hold the PSe autumn upgrade until migration to the new servers complete

-              Version 11 of YourSelf went live on 8^th November, 2010

ICT

-              All performance targets achieved

-              The main data storage system, FAS940, had reached the end of its life and was to be replaced

-              HR and Payroll application was also in urgent need of replacing. 

-              Work had begun on migrating all of the systems to new hardware and would be complete early in 2011

-              Continued rolling programme of desktop refresh.  Over 70% of the computers were now laptops

-              Riverside House data centre would be complete in approximately 10 months and handed over to RBT ICT.  There would then be 3 months to migrate all systems from the Civic Data Centre

-              Meetings held with RMBC ICT Client and Sheffield’s Head of IS Governance and Service Assurance to identify a solution to meet the needs of the new shared Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Planning Service

-              No complaints received

Procurement

-              All performance targets achieved.

-              Former BVP18 achieved 94.47%.  The current year to date position was 95.22%, an improvement on the same point during 2009/10 when performance achieved a year to date figure of 94.22%

Revenues and Benefits

-              Council Tax Collection Rate 64.94% at the end of October, 2010, 0.2% 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 2,538 Council Tax Liability Orders referred to the bailiff up to the end of September, 2 of which were classed as vulnerable cases

-              Average number of days taken to action a Council Tax Change of Circumstance was 10.99 days.  This was better than the performance level which the service aimed to achieve i.e. 14 days

-              NNDR collection rate was 70.58% at the end of October, 2010, 1% up 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

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

-              The number of cases under NNDR Deferral Scheme currently stood at 207 allowing for a deferral of £435,491

-              The benefits caseload had increased to 30,290

-              7 complaints were closed during October; 5 closed not upheld, 2 closed upheld

Discussion took place on the report with the following issues highlighted/raised:-

-              The number of calls/complaints received by the Contact Centre with regard to the newly transferred Repairs and Maintenance Service

-              Meetings had taken place with CYPS and EDS regarding Customer Service Consolidation.  It was hoped to shortly have a proposal for the way forward

-              The number of different printers in service particularly those used by Members

-              There had been really good performance with regard to BVPI8 but it was noted that there would be a deterioration in the figures for December due to the adverse weather conditions and only one day’s post being received during the week commencing 29^th November, 2010

Resolved:-  (1)  That RBT’s performance against contractual measures and key service delivery issues for October, 2010, be noted.

(2)  That the Performance and Improvement Team Manager provide an update on the number of calls/complaints received by the Contact Centre regarding the Repairs and Maintenance Service.