Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meetings held on 26^th April and 10^th May, 2017 were signed as true records, subject to the inclusion of Councillor N Akhtar in the attendance for the meeting held on 26^th April, 2017. There were no matters arising.  

Report of the Executive Director of People

Councillor Duggins, Cabinet Member for Policy and Leadership has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Executive concerning Council Plan 2016/17 End of Year Performance Report which covered the progress made towards the Plan during the period April 2016 to March 2017. A copy of the performance report was set out at an appendix to the report. The report was due to be considered by Cabinet at their meeting on 1^st August, 2017. Arrangements had also been put in place for a Members seminar to be held on 1st August to discuss the performance report.

Consideration of the report allowed Members the opportunity to identify any areas that required additional scrutiny.

The Council Plan was the Council’s corporate plan which set out the Council’s vision and priorities for the city. The current plan was last reviewed in July 2016. As part of the vision the Council sought to promote the growth of a sustainable economy, was committed to reform so that everybody, including the most vulnerable residents, could share in the benefits of the city’s growth, underpinned by a Council that was enabling communities to solve local problems, at a time of reducing resource.

The report used indicators, contextual information and comparative information to describe and explain how the Council and the city’s performance compared to previous years and to other places. Of the 68 headline indicators, 31 indicators improved, 12 stayed the same, 14 indicators got worse, 4 indicators couldn’t say and targets were not applicable for the remaining 7. Members noted that this progress had been made in the context of a sustained reduction in overall resources, with core Council funding reducing from £217m in 2010/11 to £122m in 2016/17.

The report also set out how the Council was addressing inequalities. Appendix 2 to the report set out the Council’s performance management framework which detailed how the Council planned and organised its resources to achieve its vision and priorities. The Committee were informed of the intention to introduce a revised performance management framework for 2018/19 onwards. 

Members questioned the officers on a number of issues and responses were provided, matters raised included:

·  An understanding of the categories for the indicators ie progress compared to status

·  Flytipping and reasons behind the increase and the use of cctv

·  Gross Value Added data and how this was collected and how performance compared with that of other Local Authorities

·  The development of purpose built student accommodation and whether this seemed to be resulting in Houses in Multiple Occupation being released back into family usage.

·  Student numbers in the city and student retention rates

·  Support for the reduction in hate crime

·  Footfall in the City Centre

·  Forecast numbers of young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training)

·  Clarification about life expectancy rates

·  Details about numbers smoking whilst pregnant

·  Whether trend data could be shown for indicators, for example smoking cessation to demonstrate how behaviours had changed over 5/10 years rather than just from 2015/16

Members requested the inclusion of additional indicators in future performance reports as follows:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Committee considered their work programme along with the work programmes for the five Scrutiny Boards which had been complied following discussions at the informal meetings of the Boards. 

RESOLVED that, having considered the content of the work programmes for Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee and the five Scrutiny Boards for 2017/18, the work programmes be approved, subject to the addition of the following:

·  Business Rates – Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee

·  Andy Street, WMCA Mayor to be invited to a future meeting to provide an update on his Renewal Plan and his plans for Coventry – Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee

·  Prevent Strategy – Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee

·  Skills and Resources at the City Council to support all the new developments in the city – Finance and Corporate Services Scrutiny Board (1)

·  Productivity and Skills, Comparison with WMCA – Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3).

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as a matter of urgency because of the special circumstances involved.

There were no additional items of public business.