The Leader of the Council on behalf of Councillor Clarence Barrett presented the report of Pippa Brent-Isherwood, Assistant Director of Policy, Performance and Community to Cabinet, detailing the highlights and areas required for improvement throughout the document.

The report sets out the end of year position. A total of 60 Corporate Performance Indicators have been included of these more than half are statutory or reported to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and 25 are local.  59 of the indicators are given a RAG rating with 68% on target or better and 32% with a RAG status of Red or Amber.  This represents a decrease on the position at the end of Quarter 3.

The Leader stated there is much to be proud of in the Borough but still improvements need to be made in various areas, all detailed within the report.

Notably, there is an increase in the number of volunteers providing their services to the Borough with 472 volunteers participating in 58 community clean ups.  In addition there is a reduction in planning appeals. The successful completion of drug treatment is now above target following the commissioning of a new provider. 8784 homes within the HRA stock met the decent homes standard. That represents 99.2%.

The percentage of young people leaving care in education, employment or training, at ages 18 to 21, was above target and an improvement on last year.

Improvements are needed regarding waste handling and fly tipping.  Planning applications need improvement and various measures are being taken to address this. The number of online transactions has been disappointing but with the new Council website and improvements planned for the coming year, it is anticipated this will improve as customers opt to use the website as their preferred choice of contact with the Council.

Overview and Scrutiny Committees will continue to select indicators that are of concern and in their work plans, will identify and address underperformance.

The issue of Levy Waste Tonnage performance is a major concern and a financial risk.  Controls to restrict waste volumes must be in place.  Campaigning alone will not be enough to mitigate the potential £10 million rise in costs expected, at the current rate, by 2027.  The cost of waste disposal needs to be brought to the fore to encourage everyone in the Borough to take more care with their waste disposal choices. The total levy is £64 million per year with a current increase in costs at approximately £1 million per year.  The cost will approach £90 million in the next ten years if unchecked.

Incinerators are a possible solution if transport costs are feasible and acceptable to residents.

There will be significant opportunities after 2027 to re-procure services and officers across ELWA are looking into this.

Cabinet:

• REVIEWED the performance set out in Appendix 1 of the report and the corrective action being taken.
• NOTED the content of the Demand Pressures Dashboard attached at Appendix 2 of the report.

Other Options Considered:

• There were no other alternative options available.