Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive

Recommendations:-

1.      That the overall position and direction of travel in relation to the Council Plan be noted.

2.      That measures which are not achieving their targets and the actions required to improve performance, including future performance clinics, be discussed.

3.      That the performance reporting timetable for 2019-2020 be noted. 

Consideration was given to the Council Plan, which was the core document that underpinned the Council’s overall vision. The Plan set out the headline priorities, outcomes and measures that would demonstrate delivery of the vision. The process for monitoring performance against the vision was set out in the Council’s Performance Management Framework which explained to all Council staff how robust performance monitoring should be carried out.  

The Council Plan for the period 2017-2020 was approved by Elected Members at the Council meeting on 12^th July 2017. Refreshed performance measures covering the 2019-2020 financial year were approved by Cabinet on 20^th May, 2019 and Council on 24^th July, 2019.

To ensure that the delivery of actions and their impact was assessed, formal quarterly performance reports were presented in public at Cabinet meetings, with an opportunity for Scrutiny consideration if required.  This report, therefore, was the first report in the 2019-2020 reporting cycle covering Quarter 1(1^st April, 2019 to 30^th June, 2019). 

The Performance Report and Performance Scorecard included in Appendix A provided an analysis of the Council’s current performance against thirteen key delivery outcomes and sixty-nine measures and was based on the currently available data.  It also included an overview of progress on key projects and activities which contributed to the delivery of the Council Plan.

At the end of Quarter 1 thirty-one measures had either met or had exceeded the target set in the Council Plan.  This represented 55% of the total number of measures where data was available or where targets have been set. This was a significant improvement in performance compared to Quarter 1 2018-2019 where only 47% of measures hit their targets. The priority area with the highest proportion of targets met was Priority 4 (Extending opportunity, prosperity and planning for the future) where 75% of measures (where data was available or where targets have been set) were marked as on target.

The direction of travel was positive for twenty-nine (53%) of the measures calculated in this quarter. This was an improvement compared to the 51% figure for last quarter and 45% in Quarter 1 2018-2019.

Councillor Allen, Cabinet Member for Cleaner Greener Communities wished to highlight that on Priority 3 the indicators that related to Culture, Sport and Tourism were already exceeding 25% at this stage in the year, which was positive.

It was further pointed out that in terms of street cleansing and grounds maintenance complaints, the number was less than it was at the same comparable period last year, but service requests had increased substantially.  Upon further investigation the concerns were about visual amenity and the significant weed growth this year.   Weed removal involved an annual treatment, but due to the weather this weed growth was over and above what would be expected. As a result steps were being taken to provide suburban grubbing out of weeds over the next few weeks and months across the major highways and there would be an additional weed removal programme administered.

Councillor Watson, Deputy Leader, also commented, given the overspend on social care, that the numbers of children on a Child in Need plan were below target and continuing to decrease.  This was as a result of the work being undertaken to bring those numbers down. 

In addition, the number of children on Child Protection Plans had not come down, but was not at the level expected.  In the medium to long term this should have a dramatic effect on finances.

Also worthy of note were the efficiencies in the SEND sufficiency model which were developing well.

Resolved:-  (1)   That the overall position and direction of travel in relation to the Council Plan be noted.

(2)  That measures which were not achieving their targets and the actions required to improve performance, including future performance clinics, be discussed.

(3)  That the performance reporting timetable for 2019-2020 be noted.