Agenda item

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:

Health Indicators on Obesity, TB and Diabetes in the City

Housing indicators on Social Housing, Homefinder performance, numbers of empty properties and the numbers brought back into use.

The Committee requested that Officers look to add a further narrative to the report which provided additional context to the report and accentuated the positives and highlighted the challenging environment in which the Council was currently operating.

Members identified some additional work programme items for Scrutiny from the report, which included the new funding formula for school finance, fly-tipping and early involvement of Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee in the development of the 2017/18 Council Plan performance report.

The Chair, Councillor Brown thanked officers for all the work that went into producing the document.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The Council’s performance during 2016/17 as set out in the performance report be noted.

(2) Cabinet be informed of the additional indicators and information requested for future reports by the Committee at their meeting on 1^st August, 2017.

(3) Scrutiny to have involvement early in the process for the development of the Council Plan Performance Report for 2017/18.

(4) The Committee support the request being made to the Cabinet Members for City Services and Strategic Finance and Resources for additional funding to be made available to deal with the issue of fly-tipping and the Cabinet Members be informed accordingly.

(5) The new funding formula for school finance be considered by the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) once further information is available.