Issue - meetings

The Chairman introduced the report and gave context to Members that the report had been approved by the Prosperous Communities Committee on 4 June 2024.

The Committee heard from the Performance and Programme Manager that the report summarised the progress and delivery data across the Council for quarter four of 2023/2024. The measures and targets for 2024/25 were approved by the Committee in January 2024. There was an overall summary of performance on page 121 of the report which detailed that 83% of all measures were reported as exceeding or at the agreed tolerance. There was a slight reduction from 85% reported in the previous quarter. Performance Improvement Plans were contained in the report and reported to the Prosperous Communities Committee, as well as the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee, and an additional report had been brought to the Management Team meeting to approve measures. The recycling rate had been added back into the report and demonstrated seasonal fluctuations with the collection of garden waste.

In terms of markets, the antiques market had been introduced in quarter four and had since withdrawn from the Saturday markets. It was anticipated that the position in the next quarter would reflect this change. The table on page 151 provided a breakdown of the number of stalls and trading performance, and targets had been set for 2024/25 with seasonal markets in place. A request for benchmarking information relating to land charges in markets had been submitted to local authorities. More information would be brought to the Committee in the quarter two report for 2024/2025.  

The Council tax collection rate measure was also highlighted on page 127 and there was a significant pressure on the budget with the collection of council tax. The report detailed actions in this area, such as signposting residents to money advice services, citizens advice and step change, and offering instalment plans to support residents over a longer financial period. The single person discount had been reviewed and additional revenue had been generated in this area.

Members raised concerns regarding the recycling rates and reporting of leisure centre dissatisfaction rates, and felt complaints were not being recorded in this area and suggested that this be reviewed. The Director of Corporate Services explained a report would be going to the Prosperous Communities Committee and agreed to take forward the issue regarding complaints. The Performance and Programme Manager explained a piece of work was being produced on recycling and would be reported back to Members.

Members asked for assurance regarding staff absence and asked if there were any gaps in resourcing. The Chief Executive assured Members that this was being managed and there were no significant vacancies.

The Chairman thanked officers for the thorough report and amount of work that went into producing the detailed report.

Members praised the 83% performance rate and felt officers were working extremely hard to deliver quality services across the district.

Having been moved and seconded it was

RESOLVED that

a)    the performance of the Council’s services through  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20

The Committee heard from the Change, Projects and Performance Officer regarding the Progress and Delivery report for quarter four (January – March) including performance improvement plan and year-end 2023/24 report.

Members heard how quarter four compared with quarter three and included a breakdown of the performance improvement plans in place and explained which of those would be moving forward and which were no longer valid owing to the changed performance measures. The officer highlighted the report contents per portfolio, and noted that it remained a ‘by exception’ report, meaning those areas that were ‘on target’ were not included. With regard to the year end report, there were additional measures in the current report which had not been in place the previous year, meaning there was no comparable data. The correlation with the Corporate Plan was further highlighted to the Committee.

The Chairman thanked the Officer and suggested that the Committee addressed the report according to each section.

There was considerable debate in relation to Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) and in particular the time taken to complete works required. It was recognised that DFGs had been the focus of the Committee on numerous occasions, with Officers reiterating that whilst the funding structure remained as it was, there was no opportunity to improve the timescales. It was highlighted that the funding strategy remained with Lincolnshire County Council.

With regard to the markets data, it was enquired whether there was any way of monitoring footfall within Gainsborough town centre, to be able to ascertain whether anecdotal evidence of increased footfall on market days was a true picture. It was confirmed that footfall cameras in the town centre were in the testing phase and that data would be available to share in the future.

Members of the Committee drew attention to the reduced rates of Council Tax collections and recognised that it was a worrying trend which could lead to significant financial pressures. Officers agreed with the potential risk, and offered assurance to the Committee that work was ongoing to improve collection rates and ensure the reduced collections did not continue.

In relation to rates of fly-tipping, a Member of the Committee enquired whether the increased fines had been shown to have an impact. It was explained that early indications showed that those who had been issued with fines at the new higher rate had been paying immediately. This was assumed to be in order to avoid the increasing costs if payment was delayed. It was also highlighted that the new measures for the 2024/25 reporting periods did include the fixed penalty charges so Members would see that information starting to be reported in future reports.

Further debate focused on matters relating to the market share for land charges, where it was explained a benchmarking exercise was underway, and also the cleanliness issues which had been raised regarding the Gainsborough Leisure Centre. Members were assured that Officers were visiting on a weekly basis to maintain oversight. With regard to the reduction in the number  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5