Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive

Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee considered a report of the Chief Executive which indicated that the One Coventry Plan sets out the Council’s shared vision and priorities for Coventry. The Annual Performance Report, which was appended to the report, details performance towards priorities between April 2021 and March 2022. The One Coventry Plan is currently being refreshed (Minute xx below refers) . The report set out performance towards the current One Coventry performance metrics, but also includes the emerging metrics to provide a baseline for the new One Coventry Plan. As before, for each of the priorities, the report sets out the trends, actions taken and performance metrics to provide an assessment of the progress made against previous years and with other places.

The report highlighted Coventry’s year in the spotlight at UK City of Culture, which had happened during a period of continued significant national and international challenges, including Covid-19 pandemic related issues and the worst escalation in hostilities in Europe since 1991 with Russia’s war on Ukraine, which is one of the reasons behind the rapid rise in the cost of living. The impact of this cost of living crisis on communities is yet to be fully realised, as people right across the City face rapidly rising energy, fuel, food and housing costs. The report highlighted the One Coventry approach, with the Council, partner organisations and community groups right across the City responding to the twin challenges of the Covid -19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis taking on additional duties. The report also indicated that there will continue to be more indirect impacts as residents and communities who previously have never needed local authority support face difficulties.

The One Coventry Plan 2016-2024 is measured using 75 metrics, of which 32 metrics improved; 8 stayed the same; 18 got worse; can’t say for 10 metrics; and progress is not available for the remaining 7 metrics. This means, 69% (40/58) of directional metrics (excluding cannot say or not available) improved

or stayed the same. As with last year, several metrics are not available this year. This is because there is limited data on school performance because of exam cancellations last summer.

Many of the Council’s key priorities have an equality dimension or address an inequality caused by economic or social circumstances. Consequently, the report also sets out how the Council addresses these equality and health inequalities and also includes emerging metrics against the proposed new One Coventry Plan 2022-2030. Where available, this report detailed the current performance and the direction of travel for those metrics over the past year. This is intended to establish a baseline for comparison in future years.

Following a comprehensive presentation, the Committee asked questions, sought assurances and made comments on a number of issues including:-

·  Crime rates in the City and comparatives with other Cities in the West Midlands and pre pandemic levels

·  Staff sickness levels and the reasons for this

·  Tree planting statistics in the City and  work being undertaken by Tree Wardens

·  The definition of “Healthy Life Expectancy”

·  The impact that industrial action has had on household waste collection commercial and recycling rates, together with flytipping

·  Recent disappointing Ofsted inspections at 2 primary schools in the City

·  The evaluation of the City of Culture year, which will take place in 2024 and work being undertaken in that regard

·  Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) rates in the City and how these are measured by the Office of National Statistics

·  New job creation figures in the City

·  Information in relation to the number of children in the City who do not have access to a computer and intranet at home and the impact that this has on educational outcomes

·  The impact that poverty has on inequalities

·  The amount of money spent by the Council on agency workers and options to create an in house employment agency

·  Data on staff profiling (it was noted that this information was currently being compiled for a separate report)

·  How air quality is monitored and how this data is used to inform decision making

·  In relation to Domestic Abuse, the success of the “Ask Angela” scheme and how this could be extended to cover retail premises and increasing publicity as to where those experiencing Domestic Abuse can access support

·  Policing figures in the City

·  Data in relation to road casualty statistics, including information on motorbikes/motor scooters/electric scooters

·  Dropped kerb installation rates in the City

RESOLVED:-

1)  That all of the indicators in the report that have not been met be considered by the appropriate Scrutiny Board as part of their Work Programme

2)  That Cabinet be recommended to review the spend on agency staff and officers be requested to explore the viability of creating an income generating Coventry City Council employment agency

3)  That the following be recommended to be amended in the One Coventry Plan Annual Performance Report 2021-22 report:-

a.  Information on how many children in the City do not have access to a computer and the intranet at home

b.  Additional information on air quality monitoring to highlight the robustness of the process

c.  Within the road casualty statistics, information on motorbikes/motor scooters/electric scooters

d.  The inclusion of a reference to poverty in the inequalities section

4)  That the following actions be undertaken:-

a.  That officers be requested to the Office of National Statistics to ask that students are not included in unemployment data

b.  That information on jobs created by sector be circulated to the Committee

c.  That an explanation as to why sickness absence at Coventry City Council is higher than national comparator data be provided as part of the Finance and Corporate Services Scrutiny Board (1) ‘s consideration of this matter

d.  That information on rates of recycling for commercial waste and how this may have been impacted by industrial action be circulated to the Committee.

e.  That information on the data set used to define “Healthy Life

Expectancy” be circulated to the Committee

f.  That in relation to Domestic Abuse, officers consider extending the “Ask Angela” scheme to retail premises and increase publicity as to where those experiencing Domestic Abuse can access support