Decision details

Councillor Clarence Barrett, Cabinet Member for Financial Management, ICT (Client) and Transformation, introduced the report.

The Corporate Performance Report provides an overview of the Council’s performance for each of the strategic goals (Clean, Safe and Proud).  The report highlights areas of strong performance and potential areas for improvement. The report highlighted areas of strong performance and areas for improvement. The report used the traffic light (red, amber, green) (RAG) method of indicating direction of travel (improving, worsening or unchanged) in order to show this clearly.

In total, 59 Corporate Performance Indicators had been included in the Quarter 2 2016/17 report.  Of these, 35 (59%) were either statutory or reported to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and 24 (41%) are local performance indicators. Of the 59 indicators, 54 had been given a RAG status.

In summary:

•           38 (70%) have a RAG status of Green.

•           16 (30%) have a RAG status of Red or Amber.

This is a very slight improvement on the position at the end of Quarter 1, when 69% of indicators were RAG rated Green and 31% were Red or Amber.

The current levels of performance were interpreted in the context of increasing demand on services across the Council.  A Demand Pressure Dashboard was included that illustrated the growing demands on Council services and the context that the performance levels set out in this report had been achieved within.

It was reported that the Quarter 2 outturn was not available for ‘Percentage of children and families reporting that Early Help services made an improvement to assessed needs’ (PI 27) as the methodology for measuring the “distance travelled” by children, young people and families known to Children’s Services was changing. The current survey methodology was to be replaced with findings from the Outcomes Star, a tool that practitioners across the service were currently piloting which tracks the client’s progress before, during and after an intervention.

In addition. It was noted that the indicator ‘Percentage of 16 to 19 year olds (school years 12-14) who were not in education, employment or training (NEET)’ (PI 44) was a national indicator that was being changed in Quarter 3 2016/17. It was proposed that for Quarter 3, the new performance indicator is included in the Corporate Performance Report, replacing the existing performance indicator. 

As approved by the Cabinet through the Quarter 2 2015/16 Corporate Performance Report, the quarterly Corporate Performance Reports were being considered first by the individual overview and scrutiny sub-committees, then the Overview and Scrutiny Board (bi-annually) and finally by the Cabinet.  Work was undertaken with Committee Services when setting the annual corporate calendar to ensure that the Overview and Scrutiny Board and the Cabinet still received the reports within the same timescale as last year, but with the individual scrutiny committees having had the opportunity to scrutinise the data in advance.  The time taken to complete the entire reporting cycle had therefore been shortened.

It was reported that no specific pieces of work have been commissioned by any of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees as a result of the Quarter 2 performance report.  However Members of the Children and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee would be scrutinising the recruitment campaign for new foster carers.  Going forward, Members of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee would also receive information regarding waste minimisation workshops and events so that they can promote these to residents.

Whilst the PIs currently included in the Corporate Performance Report provide both Members and officers with vital performance information that can be used to improve services, they were currently not ‘outcomes focused’.  They provide information about activities and actions, but not what impact these have on local residents and local communities.

It was noted that as part of the ongoing development of the new corporate vision, work was underway to develop a smaller number of more outcomes focused performance indicators that would more accurately measure the Council’s progress in delivering its key transformation plans and strategies.  These would likely include a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative indicators as well as key milestones for major transformation programmes.  In keeping with the Council’s renewed focus on transparency, work is also underway to review the Council’s approach to target tolerances from next year onwards.  This work is expected to be completed by Quarter 2 of 2017/18.

Reasons for the decision:

To provide Cabinet Members with an update on the Council’s performance for each of the strategic goals (Clean, Safe and Proud).

Other options considered:

No other options were considered.

Cabinet:

1.         Reviewed the performance as set out in the appendix to the report and the corrective action being taken.

2.         Noted the content of the Demand Pressures Dashboard.

3.         Approved the revised approach to assessing the percentage of children and families reporting that Children’s Services have made an improvement to their assessed needs with effect from Quarter 3 2016/17.

4.         Approves the replacement of the indicator relating to the ‘Percentage of 16 to 19 year olds (school years 12-14) who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)’ with the new national indicator measuring the ‘Percentage of 16 to 17 year olds (school years 12-13) who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and not known’ with effect from Quarter 3 2016/17.

5.         Approves the amendment of the target tolerance relating to the percentage of Housing repairs completed on time (PI 35) to zero, in line with the contracted performance level.