Agenda item

Report attached.

The report before Members set out the proposed Corporate Performance Indicators for 2017/18.

The Council’s new Vision for the borough, four strategic priorities and the supporting outcomes and delivery statements were approved as part of the Council’s Budget 2017/18 at the Cabinet meeting on 8 February.

In line with this new Vision, a new set of Corporate Performance Indicators (PIs) had been developed which set out how the Council would measure progress in delivering the strategic outcomes and delivery statements. These indicators were approved in principle by Cabinet on 12 April, subject to consideration of feedback from the Overview and Scrutiny Board. The final set of corporate PIs for 2017/18 was due to be agreed by the Cabinet at its June meeting.

The report set out (at Appendix 1) the draft new set of Corporate Performance Indicators and the proposed targets for 2017/18 for review by the Overview and Scrutiny Board prior to the finalisation of the individual Service Plans, which would go live in July 2017. 

Underpinning each of the four new priorities was a set of strategic outcomes and delivery statements that explained how each outcome would be achieved. The proposed new set of Corporate Performance Indicators had been designed to measure the Council’s success in implementing these delivery statements and the wider strategic outcomes.

The draft Corporate Performance Indicators for 2017/18 offered a more outcomes-focused set of indicators that measured the Council’s progress in delivering its key transformation plans and strategies. The indicators included a mixture of both qualitative and quantitative measures as well as key milestones for major transformation programmes.

Members noted the proposed inclusion of a number of engagement / perception measures, which would provide Members with direct feedback from residents and service users regarding their overall wellbeing; how they felt about living in their local area; how satisfied they were with Council services, and the outcomes that these services have helped them to achieve.  As a result, there were more indicators that could only be measured annually than has been the case in previous years.  However, where this was the case and where possible, quarterly corporate performance reports would include commentary and narrative on the actions being taken in pursuit of these objectives and targets.

Given that the proposed new Corporate Performance Indicators were closely aligned to transformation plans and strategies, they were less service specific and more cross-cutting across a number of service areas than the current set. As such, many of the new corporate PIs would not fit neatly into the remit of one of the Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committees. In light of this, it had been agreed in principle that, from 2017/18, Corporate Performance Reports were only reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Board on a quarterly basis, followed by Cabinet, with the reports being made available simultaneously to all Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committees.

The Chairmen of the Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committees would still be able to request reports on performance against particular indicators as required and would still be able to commission more detailed analysis / investigation of areas within their remits that they considered warranted further consideration. 

Members were advised that there was an error on PI 2. The figure for drugs should have read 35% and the figure for alcohol should have read 10%.

During the debate Members agreed that it would be useful to know which of the performance indicators were statutory requirements and which were local indicators.

Several Members commented that the overview & scrutiny process had not been considered when the indicator set had been drawn up and that the indicators served only to promote the Administration’s aspirations. Members also questioned the level of consultation that had taken place with Members.

Several Members suggested that overview & scrutiny should be looking at more operational targets and should be driven by backbenchers and not the Administration

In response officers commented that there had been extensive dialogue with all political groups and that operational performance would still be monitored and tracked.

Members also agreed that it would be useful if indicators could be identified as to whether they were statutory or local indicators.

Several Members highlighted that the indicators were not representative of what resident’s concerns were throughout the borough and that overview & scrutiny going forward should be looking at resident’s concerns relating day to day operational issues as problems still existed with data held by the Council and how it dealt with issues raised by residents.

In response officers commented that the Council was working hard to improve the quality of its data held and improving the sharing of information corporately.

Officers also commented that the aspirational targets took into account the rising property/land prices in the borough that would see extensive regeneration of the area to allow for the maximisation of development/business opportunities.

Members commented that residents had concerns regarding such issues as the environment, planning, parking and homelessness.

Several Members commented that this set of PI’s were strategic and of more benefit to the Administration and that operational performance indicators of benefit to the Overview & Scrutiny Sub-Committees.

Officers commented that there would be a resource implication on providing two sets of indicators.

The consensus between Members was that each Overview & Scrutiny Sub-Committee should nominate two performance indicators that they wished to monitor and receive updates on.

It was AGREED that an item be put on the agendas for the next round of Sub-Committee meetings to allow for discussion and nomination of the indicators the Sub-Committees wished to scrutinise.

It was AGREED that the Corporate Performance Indicators and Targets for 2017/18 be agreed by Cabinet in June and individual Cabinet Members signing off the associated service plans before they went live in July 2017.