Issue - meetings

Council, Priority and Service Performance Report - 2021/22 - Q1

Purpose

To provide an update on progress on the Council’s priorities and service performance.

To provide information on the Council’s financial position

Recommendations

a) review overall progress on the Council priorities, service delivery and financial performance for 2021-22 Q1; and

b) approve the proposed changes to the performance indicator set.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Deputy Chief Executive introduced the report, with Cabinet noting the financial performance information from the first quarter of 2021/22.

In response to a query from a Cabinet Member around planning (the possibility of adding a service metric around income aligned to building control), the Deputy Chief Executive informed the Cabinet that Officers would look further into this matter.

The Cabinet noted the work which had been undertaken by Officers to pay out £33 million to 2100 local businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was further noted by Cabinet that a phased rollout of the cashless parking initiative had taken place to ensure that any issues arising could be rectified before the entirety of the scheme went live.

Members noted that work was being undertaken to clear a backlog of support claims, including those related to Council Tax and Housing Benefit.

The Council had experienced an increase in public demand for green waste collection services which had resulted in an increase in revenues collected in this area.

In relation to the call time waits experienced by the public when calling the Council, Cabinet noted the importance of the performance measure in this area being able to clarify the average time it took to speak to a member of staff.

Although early in the financial year, Cabinet noted the current financial position which was matching the forecasted budget. The significance of Council car parking income was recognised with the Covid-19 pandemic having had a significant impact on revenue during 2020 and early 2021 when visitor numbers to the area were dramatically reduced due to nationwide restrictions.

Cabinet noted the increase in the number of planning applications when compared to the same quarter in 2020 which had placed a significant demand on the Council’s planning service.

Funding had been secured by the Council from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for a specific project. Cabinet noted the importance of recognising that successful bids for Government funding were extremely complex processes. The Council had been recognised by the DWP for a recent innovative bid for funding which had been successful.

Councillor Stephen Andrews introduced a proposal for a Task and Finish Group which would focus on performance management and reporting. At a recent meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, it had been recognised that the performance across all areas of the Council should be displayed clearly and be easily understandable. The work of the proposed Task and Finish Group would seek to identify any performance trends, both positive and negative. Cabinet agreed that the formation of the Task and Finish group would be beneficial.

Cabinet agreed it was important to capture relevant data so that performance could be accurately compared with other local authorities.

Resolved that Cabinet approved the proposed changes to the performance indicator set.

Record of Voting - for 7, against 0, abstention 0, absent 1.

Issue - meetings

Council, Priority and Service Performance Report - 2021/22 - Q1

Meeting: 06/09/2021 - Cabinet (Item 29)

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