Agenda item

The Committee gave consideration to a report from the Change, Project and Performance Officer in relation to the Progress and Delivery report for quarter two of 2022/2023. It was explained that the report set out the performance across the council for the period of July to September 2022. The report also saw the introduction of the performance improvement plan, which provided further context and the extra level of assurance requested previously by Members, as to why measures within services were reporting as underperforming, with the plans showing what was being done in direct response to this. It was highlighted that this was a positive step forward in terms of Council performance management and would continue to provide the positive response needed to the challenges faced within some services.

It was highlighted that the Change, Project and Performance Officer would work collectively with the Service Leads and Directors to complete the performance improvement plan, with the more detailed plan then being managed at service level with oversight by the Senior Management Team, including clear links to the objectives of both teams and individuals. The plan included measures where performance had remained below target for two consecutive quarters or more. Additional information was then provided by the Team Manager as to the reasons relating to the measure reporting below target, the impact this had, the actions in place to improve performance and when it would be expected to see the improvement following the action.

The Officer explained she would explain the overview of Council performance, and the improvement plan elements, in the order in which the report was written.

Members were advised that overall performance was looking very positive. Over 78% of all measures were either exceeding or within agreed tolerance of their targets, compared with 68.4% in quarter one. Similarly, services with measures exceeding target for two consecutive quarters or more had increased from 76% in quarter one to 83% in quarter two.

There were six measures which featured in the improvement plan this quarter: four in operational and commercial services, one in homes and communities and one in finance business and property services.

The first two measures were corporate health measures, the first being the average time taken to pay invoices. This measure had been identified as one to be reviewed within the 2023/24 measure and target setting which would commence shortly. The intention being that the target be amended to keep in line with the council’s contractual standard payment terms, meaning that the measure, whilst reporting as underperforming, was in fact not underperforming in terms of contractual payment terms.

The second of the corporate health measures was overall customer satisfaction which had been attributed in part to the major service change with the introduction of the purple lidded bins. It was anticipated this would now improve and was supported by the T24 programme reviews.

Members heard that the measure relating to the average number of calendar days from receipt of a completed Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) application to the completion of work, was already on an upward trajectory in terms of performance. At the start of the 2022/23 Progress and Delivery cycle, April was reporting 302 days whereas September was 170, averaging 171 for the quarter. The improvement in the process resulted from the T24 review undertaken at the end of 2021 where actions were put in place to target the areas of the process where improvements were identified.

With regard to the average number of stalls on a Tuesday and Saturday market, it was explained that these measures were covered by the three year action plan approved by the Prosperous Communities Committee in January 2022, with a three-phased approach to regenerating the Markets having been approved. It was highlighted that it was currently year one of this plan and the transition phase, with actions already underway before looking to move into the development phase in 2023/24.

The final measure was the recycling rate. It was explained that the summer has been exceptionally dry and as a result there was reduced garden waste sent for recycling. In addition, the introduction of the purple lidded bin and the initial bin rejections had had a short term reduction on the recycling rate, however through the targeted communication plans in place, to assist customers as well as Officers on the ground, it was expected for this to improve.

The Chairman thanked the Officer and welcomed the inclusion of the performance improvement plan, noting it was helpful in providing the additional information and assurance where services were underperforming.

On inviting questions from Committee Members, there was widespread praise for the presentation of the report and the performance improvement plan. There were discussions regarding the number of market stalls and the strategy to improve the markets, with one Member of the Committee commenting that markets in other areas appeared to be more successful, with sold out spaces and waiting lists to be allocated a stall. The Member also enquired as to the number of empty properties behind the stated 1% in the report and requested that figures be provided on a ward-by-ward basis. His final comment was regarding the length of time for a DFG application to be completed, noting it had long been an area of underperformance and seeking greater assurance that this would be further addressed.

The Change, Project and Performance Officer undertook to provide the empty property details to Members after the meeting, and provide increased narrative regarding the market stalls element in the next report. With regard to the DFG completion information, she explained that as part of the performance improvement plan work, there would be even greater focus on this area in the next report and that Officers sought to provide Members with the details regarding the elements of the process that were within the control of the Council.

In response to comments from a Member of the Committee providing additional information to aspects of the report, such as the number of residents in Market Rasen left homeless by recent flooding and the success of walking cricket and other activities at Market Rasen Leisure Centre, the Officer confirmed that the homeless figure following the floods was relating to those who had required Local Authority intervention to rehome, rather than the number affected by the flooding. She confirmed she would feed the additional leisure activity information into the next report.

There was further discussion regarding the performance of the markets, and questions raised regarding the impact of a three year plan rather than immediate action. The Chairman confirmed there was work underway already seeking to make those improvements.

The final comments from the Committee Members revolved around the reduced quantity of green waste, whether there had been any cost savings arising from that, and whether the time to process a DFG had reduced because the discretionary DFGs were no longer being processed. It was confirmed by Officers that there had been no cost savings from the reduced amount of green waste and further details of the breakdown of the DFGs would be shared with Members after the meeting.

Having been moved and seconded, and with thanks again expressed to all involved, the Chairman took to the vote and it was unanimously  

            RESOLVED that

a)    the Progress and Deliver Quarter Two (July – September) 2022/23 report be approved; and

b)    the Progress and Deliver Performance Improvement Plan for Quarter Two (July-September) 2022/23 be approved.