Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive

A Briefing Note detailing Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee’s consideration of this report is attached.

The Cabinet 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. The report sets 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 highlights Coventry’s year in the spotlight at UK City of Culture, which has 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 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, the 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.

Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee considered the report at their meeting on 20 July, 2022  (their Minute 9/22 refers) and a Briefing Note was appended to the report detailing their consideration of this item. Cabinet noted that the One Coventry Plan had been updated to reflect the Committee’s recommendations in relation to some of the data contained in the Plan. The Committee had made the following Recommendation:-

1)  That the spend on agency staff be reviewed and officers be asked to explore the viability of creating an income generating Coventry City Council employment agency

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1)  Approve the Recommendation outlined above in relation to the spend on agency staff and the exploration of the viability of creating an income generating Coventry City Council employment agency.

2)  Approve the One Coventry Plan Annual Performance Report 2021-22.