The Chief Executive will submit a report (Document “A”) which provides a summary of the council’s performance against its key performance indicators.  This report also proposes a set of measures and targets for the 2019/2020 municipal year.

The report is also being considered by the Executive at its meeting held on 9 July 2019.

Recommended –

That the progress against performance metrics outlined in the report be considered.

 (Laura Copley - 01274 437381)

The Chief Executive submitted a report (Document “A”) which provided a summary of the council’s performance against its key performance indicators.  The report also proposed a set of measures and targets for the 2019/2020 municipal year.

The report had also been considered by the Executive at its meeting on 9 July 2019.

The Head of Policy and Performance stated that despite the challenging circumstances facing the Council, there had been a number of achievements in respect of growing the local economy and enabling people to lead independent lives.  Earnings had improved to a level above the target alongside a reduction in the local gender pay gap.  In addition there had been a sharp increase in the numbers of those with learning disabilities being enabled to live independently from a care home setting.  However a number of challenges remained and these were set out in the report.

During the discussion Members asked a number of questions. The questions together with the responses are detailed below.  All Strategic Directors and a number of other senior officers were present at the meeting to respond to service specific questions around performance.

A Member questioned why the Markets Service was designated with Museums and Libraries cultural attractions, when it should be an economic indicator. In response the Head of Policy and Performance acknowledged that this could be amended in readiness for the mid year performance reporting.

In response to a question regarding skills, it was mentioned that the offer to young people should be enhanced to encourage better take up of vocational courses such as NVQ Level 3.  The Member stated that schools continued to focus on ‘A’ Levels and that this was the advice given to young people at 16 as a route into University, and it was therefore important that careers advice was more varied to ensure that all options to post 16 education and training were considered.  The Strategic Director Children’s Services acknowledged that this was a key area of challenge and there was a concerted effort to engage with schools on a ‘broad offer’ and not just to promote the academic studies route.

A Member stated that excess weight in children at primary age was still an issue and the direction of travel in this area had changed little over the years.  In response the Manager for commissioning stated that a new contract had been commissioned to start in August, which would incorporate more grassroots work to be undertaken in conjunction with the Council’s Partners, with a view to making people in the district more active and having a more family centred approach to tackling levels of obesity.

A Member commented that the Better Health, Better Lives, Active Adults indicator did not allude to activities outside of organised sports activities  and there needed to be a broader outlook, inclusivity and encouragement of other activities, if the Council was to make real inroads.

In response it was acknowledged that other more casual activities such as walking and gardening were being encouraged as a part of a wider strategy to get people to become more active, and to this end the Council was also working with businesses, including its own staff to encourage the take up of physical activity.

In relation to a question on the relatively low number of staff who had received a performance review,  it was stressed that although the levels were poor, this last year had been very much a transition year, and there had not been an opportunity to have a full performance cycle to benchmark.  A task group had been set up to ascertain why performance reviews were still not being undertaken with a view to overturning this trend.

A Member stated that his understanding was that performance reviews should have been ‘sorted out’ when the HR Plus contract came into being some years ago and ensured that each employee had a annual performance review. In response it was explained that the HR Plus contract was coming up for renewal soon and a review into the effectiveness of the contract would be undertaken in due course, and that this could be shared with the Scrutiny Committee.

In response to a question on departmental savings and why a number of these were not being achieved, it was stated that a robust process was now in place to challenge individual departments on spend and ensure that the necessary savings were being made.  It was mentioned that for example in Adults Services a new process had been agreed where individual services would make the necessary savings and these were being regularly reviewed to ensure they were being met, hence a much more stringent process was now in place.

In relation to a question regarding Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision, it was stressed that the aspirations around SEND provision had not changed, albeit the numbers going down the SEND route were small and sometimes difficult to capture as an indicator.

In response to a question on Safer and Active Communities and the lack of detail in the report around crime rates, it was explained that there was a detailed plan behind the information contained in the report, and this could be shared with Members to provide a better picture.

Resolved –

(1)       That this Committee requests the Executive to separate Libraries and Museums from Markets in relation to the total number of visits to cultural attractions, in readiness for the mid year performance reporting.

(2)       That this Committee requests that a report be presented to this Committee which relates to the Evaluation of the HR Plus Contract.

ACTION:       Head of Policy and Performance (Resolution 1)

                        Director of Human Resources (Resolution 2)