Agenda item

Year Ahead Plan - Quarterly Progress Report

Cabinet Portfolio: - Leader

 

Strategic Directorate: - Assistant Chief Executive

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 21 December 2020 that provided a report on the on progress made in delivering the key activities as set out in the Council’s Year Ahead Plan in the plan. The Leader of the Council and the Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence attended the meeting to present the report.

 

The report noted that the Year Ahead Plan was the Council’s plan for operating in and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and that it set out key activities for the Council for the period September 2020 to May 2021. The  report stated that the plan detailed in the key activities that would be undertaken in order for the Council to support residents, communities and businesses through the ongoing challenges and uncertainties of the pandemic and also direct the Council’s ambitious plans for Rotherham’s future.

 

The Leader noted that of all the activities contained in the Year Ahead Plan:

 

·       18% (14) of the activities had been completed as planned,

·       70% (54) were on track to be completed on schedule,

·       4% (3) had been delayed,

·       8% (6) activities were still to reach their scheduled start date,

·       No activities were off track.

 

The Leader advised that the three activities that had been delayed had been impacted by the restrictions surrounding the pandemic.

 

The Leader provided further information surrounding the activity that had been taking place to deliver on the actions detailed in the Year Ahead Plan. A document that outlined progress against all of the actions contained within the Year Ahead Plan was attached as an appendix to the officer’s report.

 

Members asked how confident the Leader was that all the activities detailed in the Year Ahead Plan would be completed on time. The Leader assured members that there was high confidence that all the planned activities would be completed on schedule.

 

Members also welcomed the planned innovations surrounding an appointment based system for face-to-face customer service contact, noting that while the necessity of the change had come from the impact of the pandemic, the change would result in an improved experience for customers.

 

Members asked whether the services that were being provided by the Rough Sleeper Initiative team, that would be working to provide intense support for all non-priority customers placed in emergency accommodation and for those at risk of rough sleeping, would continue throughout the current year and into the future. The Cabinet Member for Housing, who was in attendance at the meeting advised that it was planned that the services offered would continue and that they would supplement the Council’s existing homelessness support services.

 

Members asked for further information on how council buildings would be used in the future, as new ways of working, with more staff working at home or flexibly in other ways would likely continue post-pandemic. Members noted any plans for the Council’s estate should be ambitious and innovative. The Leader noted that work around the rationalisation of Council buildings had been progressing for some years prior to the pandemic, and as such any further made changes as a result of the pandemic may be more limited due to the significant work that had already taken place.

 

The Leader noted that Riverside House had been designed around modern, flexible working practices with hot desking in place and an assumption being made that staff would be at times working flexibly. The Leader advised that as such any further changes to working practices and accommodation at Rotherham would be less wide ranging that at other local authorities who had prior to the pandemic had more traditional ways of working.

 

The Chair asked whether the current format of the document that outlined the progress made against the actions contained within the Year Ahead Plan would be used in future as the document did not provide the level of detail that previous progress reports on Council Plan actions had had. The Head of Policy, Performance and Information advised that the format of the report would evolve over time with more detail and visual aids added in future reports.

 

The Chair asked for further information on the monitoring surrounding activities not included in the Year Ahead Plan. The Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence Information assured the Chair that detailed monitoring was taking place of these activities and reports are routinely shared with cabinet members and the Leader.

 

The Chair thanked the Leader of the Council and the Head of Policy, Performance and Information for attending the meeting and answering member’s questions.

 

Resolved: -

 

1.    That Cabinet be advised that the recommendations be supported.

 

2.    That a report on performance against Year Ahead activities be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board on a quarterly basis

 

          and

 

that the report provides a detailed narrative on performance exceptions, both positive and negative, including direction of travel, and on the actions being taken to improve performance as required.

Supporting documents: