Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive

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, which set out the Council’s progress against the Council Plan for the first half of 2017/18. A copy of the performance report was attached as an appendix to the report. The report was due to be considered by Cabinet at their meeting on 9^th January 2018. Councillor Duggins, Cabinet Member for Policy and Leadership, attended the meeting for the consideration of this item and indicated that this was the last time that the Council would be considering a half year performance report. The Committee also received a presentation providing a summary of the performance report including the significant performance issues relating to globally connected and locally committed.

The Council Plan set out the Council’s strategic direction and priorities for the ten year period 2014-2024. The current plan was last revised in July 2017. The report indicated that the Council sought to promote the growth of a sustainable economy and was committed to reform so that everybody, including the city’s most vulnerable residents, could share in the benefits of growth.

The performance report detailed the progress made towards the Council Plan from April to September 2017. It set out the Council’s performance across all areas and used indicators, along with contextual and comparative information to describe and explain how the Council and the city’s performance compared to previous years and to other places. Where possible, the report compared progress with previous years and it was noted that where previous data was unavailable, the data would form a baseline against which to measure future progress. This year the report also included data for groups with protected characteristics as set out in the Council’s equality objectives and the Council’s Marmot (health inequalities) agenda.

The Council Plan performance report was currently measured using 67 indicators. At half year progress was made or maintained in 31 indicators; 13 indicators had got worse; officers couldn’t say for 7 indicators; and progress was not available for the remaining 16 indicators either because they were updated less frequently or because data wasn’t available. The Committee noted that the progress had been made in the context of continued and sustained reduction in the overall resources available to the Council, £107m less core government grant in 2017/18 than the equivalent figure for 2010/11.

The Committee noted that the performance report also set out how the Council was addressing inequalities. Detailed progress was discussed at relevant Cabinet Member meetings.

The Council’s performance management framework, which set out how the Council planned and organised its resources to achieve its vision and priorities, was set out at a second appendix. Responding to the Council’s digital strategy, officers had introduced new methods to improve transparency and good governance with online digital performance dashboards and publishing more datasets on-line as open data. 

The Committee were pleased to note that the additional indicators, trend data and information requested for inclusion in future reports at their meeting on 12^th July, 2017 had now been included in this Council Plan half year performance report.   

The Committee questioned the Cabinet Member and officers present on a number issues and responses were provided, matters raised included:

·  The option to standardise a ‘start’ date to demonstrate progress made from a baseline

·  Further information on how many Council services could now be accessed on-line by Coventry residents

·  Future Council Plan performance reports to include an information about the impact of Coventry being the City of Culture 2021

·  The likely tourism benefits to winning the City of Culture bid and the importance of ensuring a lasting legacy for the city

·  The implications for the City Council of the increasing numbers of homeless people in the city, noting that the issue was due to be discussed at the Committee’s next meeting on 24^th January, 2018

·  Information about community safety and whether data was gathered from partner organisations.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The Council’s performance this half year as set out in the performance report be noted.

(2) Details about the number of on-line services now offered by the Council be circulated to members.

(3) Consideration to be given to including the impact of Coventry being the City of Culture 2021 in future Council performance reports.

(4) A copy of the presentation be circulated to members.