Issue - meetings

Service Performance Report 2024-25 Quarter 4

Purpose

To provide an update on progress on the Council’s priorities and service performance for Q4 2024-25.

Recommendation

That Cabinet resolves to NOTE overall progress on the Council priorities and service performance for 2024-25 Q4 (January-March 2025).

Additional documents:

Decision:

To provide an update on progress on the Council’s priorities and service performance 2024/25 Q4 (January to March 2025).

Councillor Mike Evemy, Leader of the Council introduced the report which was duly NOTED by Cabinet.

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to provide an update on progress on the Council’s priorities and service performance for Q4 2024-25.

The report was introduced by Councillor Mike Evemy, Leader of the Council, given that the report had been presented to Overview and Scrutiny on 14 July Councillor Evemy confirmed that he and the officer were happy answer questions.

It was noted that Councillor Andrea Pellegram was responsible for street signs and that the report should be updated on p.189 to reflect that.

Members noted that leisure centre performance had exceeded targets, with gym memberships and visitor numbers performing strongly despite the fragile economy. This success was attributed to Freedom Leisure, the provider in place for nearly two years. It was also reported that delivery of the cultural strategy, previously listed as behind target, had now commenced.

Concerns were raised regarding the unresolved crossing issues on the Spine Road in South Cerney, which were seen as critical for health, safety, tourism, and active travel. Members requested an update, noting the involvement of the sustainable transport officer. Clarification was provided that the issue related to a road crossing near a historic bridge, which could not be moved and continued to present constraints.

ACTION: Business Information and Performance Lead to provide an update on the Spine Road Crossing.

Members discussed the electrification of taxis in relation to climate goals, and it was agreed that while Councillor Mike McKeown, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Digital, would lead, close coordination with the Councillor Andrea Pellegram, the Cabinet Member responsible for licensing, would be necessary to support implementation.

It was further noted that 45 households had installed solar and attention was drawn to Cotswold Housing First an exemplary model helping those in most need to resolve the challenges they faced.

Cabinet welcomed the fact that 14 village halls had received grants from the Rural England Prosperity Fund.

Councillor Blomefield, as Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, informed Cabinet that she wished to invite representatives from Freedom Leisure to attend a meeting together with the responsible Cabinet Member for Health, Culture and Visitor experience

It was noted that planning service performance had exceeded all application determination targets, and the rate of appeals allowed remained well below target, which was welcomed. While the Planning Advisory Service had raised concerns about reliance on extensions of time, it was acknowledged this practice was common and appropriate in certain circumstances. Members highlighted the importance of continued focus on underperforming areas, with portfolio holders committing to work with lead officers to improve future outcomes. The receipt of grant funding to support delivery was also noted positively.

RESOLVED that Cabinet NOTED the report.

Meeting: 07/07/2025 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 201)

Webcast for 07/07/2025 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee

201 Service Performance Report 2024-25 Quarter 4 PDF 550 KB

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

Purpose

That the Committee scrutinises the report and agrees any recommendations it wishes to submit to Cabinet on 9 July 2025.

Cabinet Member

Councillor Mike Evemy

Lead Officer

Gemma Moring

Alison Borrett

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to provide an update on progress on the Council’s priorities and service performance.

The Leader of the Council and Senior Performance Analyst made the following points:

The overall performance of the Council was mixed.
The highlights were: Publica phase 2 transitions, Cotswold Home Solar had 27 household completed and 18 with deposits, ‘Strengthening Communities’ events.
Areas performing above target: customer satisfaction, planning applications determined within time targets, high-risk food premises inspections, gym membership and Leisure Centre visits.
Areas performing below targets were: Affordable homes, missed bin collections.

In questioning and discussion the following points were noted:

UBICO had been fitting the replacement of street signs work around other commitments, indicating a lack of a clear, dedicated process. A written response to Members was offered as a follow up.
Delivery of the District Council’s cultural strategy, now reconfigured as a plan, was off target due to a timing issue; the cultural strategy was scheduled for Cabinet consideration on Thursday.
It was confirmed that future reports would aim to include specific dates to ensure clarity about the timeframes being referenced.
The Director of Communities and Place would consider using temporary staff to address the backlog of 561 planning enforcement cases, subject to budget and suitability.
Shared Prosperity Funds must be spent within the year. Future schemes, including potential collaborations with GCC such as the safe crossing project, would be considered on an annual basis to ensure funding was not tied up in undeliverable projects.
The waste collection service relied on a single narrow access vehicle, highlighting the need for a backup to prevent future service disruptions.
A Member sought clarification on the leisure centres’ monthly site inspection ratings scale and requested separate feedback on user satisfaction and usage specifically for Chipping Camden Leisure Centre. It was confirmed that the service breaks down data by site, and a written response with this information would be provided to the committee.
Concerns were raised about cleanliness at leisure sites and a request made for more detailed KPI information on cleanliness in future reports for constructive review. Councillor Hodgkinson, as portfolio holder, was actively engaged with the contractor and monitoring efforts to improve the cleanliness standards of the leisure centres.
Freedom of Information requests performance was below target and statutory requirements had been missed. Data would be circulated to update Members on the details.
Missed bin collections had increased. Following last year’s round changes, waste collection has mostly stabilised, though missed collections remained above target (101 vs. 80). The Council was working closely with Ubico to address recurring issues and improve customer communication. It was recognised that standards needed to improve, and work was ongoing to achieve this.
The new Interim Chief Executive would be reviewing the delivery of the Corporate Plan with officers to ensure expected progress was being made. Where there were delays or blockages, these would be discussed and shared with the Leader and relevant portfolio holders.
Some targets were statutory, while the remaining 60-70% were set ... view the full minutes text for item 201

Issue - meetings

Service Performance Report 2024-25 Quarter 4

Meeting: 10/07/2025 - Cabinet (Item 115)

Meeting: 07/07/2025 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 201)

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