Agenda item

Consideration was given to the report which confirmed how the Council Plan represented the core document that underpinned the Council’s overall vision, setting out headline priorities, indicators and measures that would demonstrate its delivery. Alongside it sat the Council’s Performance Management Framework which explained to all Council staff how robust performance monitoring and management arrangements were required to ensure effective implementation.

To ensure that the delivery of actions and their impact was assessed, formal quarterly performance reports were required to be submitted to the public Cabinet and Commissioners’ Decision-Making meeting, with an opportunity for pre-decision scrutiny consideration in line with new governance arrangements. This report was the fourth and final report in the 2017/18 reporting cycle covering quarter 4 (1st January 2018 to 31st March 2018).

The Performance Report and Performance Dashboard/Scorecard (Appendices A and B) provided an analysis of the Council’s current performance against 14 key delivery outcomes and 72 measures. This report was based on the current position of available data, along with an overview of progress on key projects and activities which also contributed towards the delivery of the Council Plan.

At the end of the fourth and final quarter (January to March 2018) 25 measures had either met or had exceeded the target set in the Council Plan. This represented 43.9% of the total number of indicators where data was available or where targets have been set. The direction of travel was positive for 32 (49.2%) of the indicators measured in this quarter. The Priority area with the highest proportion of targets met was Priority 4 (Extending Opportunity and Prosperity).

Members expressed disappointment at the failure to hit targets against priority measures relating to Children and Young People’s Services and sought assurances that a ‘Plan B’ existed to improve performance. In response, the Cabinet Member took an alternative view on the data supplied and considered that social workers were better supporting children and young people and outcomes were improving as a result. Reference was also made to the need for smarter working to help reduce costs and refine processes to work with families to keep children at home rather than entering care. Assurances were provided by officers in respect of the tests applied before children entered the care system.

Reference was made to the challenging target in respect of smoking reduction in Public Health and Members asked for information on the approaches being used to tackle the issue. In response, it was advised that it was an aspirational target that had proved challenging to meet. The new ‘Get Healthy Rotherham’ service had been launched in April 2018 and was expected to help make inroads to improve performance. Members reiterated the need to focus on preventing children and young people from smoking, which would further assist in improving health and meet the target in the longer term.

Clarification was sought of performance levels for information, advice and guidance in adult social care. In response, Members were reminded that it was a challenging year for the service which necessitated the need for an improvement plan to take positive action. It was noted that additional staff from mental health, occupational therapists and people from the voluntary sector were brought together to empower and provide good quality advice and information at the first point of contact. Improving satisfaction with these service was a key area of work for the directorate during 2018-19 and would also form part of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Members made reference to the steady year on year increase in the direct payment system in adult social care and sought to understand what further measures would be required to better meet the target and address any examples of unwillingness to move over to the system. In response, Members were advised that it was the choice of an individual, but further development of strength based assessments and encouraging individuals to find the solutions would be key, along with improvements in customer experience and communication.

Reference was made to performance in respect of the maintenance of unclassified roads and what the likely impact would be. In response, the Assistant Director of Community Safety and Street Scene confirmed that it was an issue facing all highways authorities, however Rotherham had benefited from the 2020 Roads Programme which had seen an extra £10m invested in the road network to arrest problems on unclassified roads, as well as improve the state of major routes maintained by the Council. Reference was made to the impact of the bad winter on the road network and it was confirmed that some additional funds had been received from central government to deal with the issues presented by the inclement weather.

Separate to the report under consideration, reference was made to the general dissatisfaction with the South Yorkshire Police Connect system and the frustrations of residents across the borough in reporting and receiving responses from the police. The Leader of the Council reported that the Cabinet Member for Waste, Roads and Community Safety had raised the Council’s concerns in writing to the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire and the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police.

Discussions also focused on performance in respect of spend on agency, interim and consultancy staff and the percentage of employee performance and development reviews undertaken across the authority. Members reflected that it was disappointing to see the latter indicator not being on target.

Assurances were sought in respect of the way in which Cabinet Members held Strategic Directors and other officers to account for performance indicators across their portfolios. The Leader of the Council confirmed that performance was regularly kept under review by all Cabinet Members and that robust arrangements were in place. Members reiterated that the role of Overview and Scrutiny Management Board was to hold the executive to account and it would continue to do so throughout the year with the receipt of the Council Plan Performance Monitoring updates.

Resolved:-

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    That the specific issues in respect of Connect and South Yorkshire Police be raised when the Safer Rotherham Partnership present their Annual Report on 18 July 2018.

3.    That Cabinet Members continue to monitor performance, hold officers to account and alert relevant scrutiny Members to issues at the earliest opportunity.