The Cabinet Member for Financial Management, Transformation & IT introduced the report.

The Corporate Performance Report provides an overview of the Council’s performance against each of the strategic goals.  The report highlights areas of strong performance and potential areas for improvement.

Corporate performance reports have historically identified where the Council is performing well (Green) and not so well (Amber and Red).  However, in keeping with the Council’s renewed focus on transparency, it was agreed by the Cabinet (at its meeting on 12 April) that the previous practice of applying agreed “tolerances” to each indicator would cease, such that performance against each indicator would be reported simply as either on target or better (Green) or outside of the agreed target (Red). 

Where performance has been classified as ‘Red’, ‘Corrective Action’ is included in the report. This highlights what action the Council will take to improve performance.

Also included in the report are Direction of Travel (DoT) columns, which compare:

•           Short-term performance – with the previous quarter (annual outturns for 2016/17)

•           Long-term performance – with the same time the previous year (Quarter 1 2016/17)

For Quarter 1, data or narrative has been gathered for 30 of the 48 Corporate Performance Indicators.

•           19 (63%) have a RAG status of Green (on track).

•           11 (37%) have a RAG status of Red (off track).

The current levels of performance need to be interpreted in the context of increasing demand on services across the Council.  Also attached to the report was a Demand Pressure Dashboard that illustrated the growing demands on Council services and the context that the performance levels set out in this report have been achieved within.  This shows particularly significant increases in the number of referrals to Children’s Social Care and the number of assessments carried out by the service compared with the same period the previous year.

The Demand Pressure Dashboard also depicts a significant reduction in switchboard contact as well as a notable rise in online non-integrated forms in Quarter 1.  Furthermore, it illustrates continued increases in online payments, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) payments and service requests / applications, indicating a degree of success in shifting customers towards online methods of doing business with the Council.

Cabinet:

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

2.         Noted the content of the Demand Pressures Dashboard attached as an appendix to the report.

3.         Agreed that the performance indicator “Commence construction of a new Market House in Romford, and deliver the transformation support programme for 2017/18” be replaced with “Deliver the Romford Market Transformation Support Programme for 2017/18”, and the wording of the Corporate Plan be amended accordingly.

Reasons for the decision:

To provide Cabinet Members with an update on the Council’s performance against each of the strategic goals set out in the Corporate Plan.

Other options considered:

Not applicable