Agenda item

(CSP: 1-4, 8)

Purpose:  To present the basket of key accountable measures and activities for 2014/15; to report quarter four outturns against the key accountable measures and activities contained in the 2014/15 Council Performance Framework; and to report by exception those measures/activities not achieved/expected to be achieved and to cite remedial action that is being taken and the impact it has had.

RESOLVED that:

(1)       Progress against the key accountable measures and activities would be noted.

(2)       Those areas reporting as ‘red’ be reviewed to ensure that appropriate corrective or remedial action had been put in place.

Reason for the decision: This framework compiles and monitors progress in relation to the objectives laid out in the Council Strategy and on key activities and areas of risk from the Council’s individual service delivery plans. In doing so, it expresses the purpose and ambition of the Council and by extension the Council’s main focus of activities and key measures of success against which the Council can assess itself and publicly report progress.

Other options considered: n/a.

This decision is not subject to call in as:

·      Report is to note only

therefore it will be implemented immediately.

The Executive considered a report (Agenda Item 7) which presented the basket of key accountable measures and activities contained in the 2014/15 Council Performance Framework; reported quarter four outturns against these measures and activities; and reported by exception those measures/activities not achieved and the remedial action taken as a result/its impact.

The report informed of the progress made against the basket of 52 key accountable measures and activities aligned to the objectives set out in the Council Strategy. Of these 52 reported measures, outturns were available for 51, 40 of which were reported as ‘green’ – achieved or exceeded the targets by year end. This gave a percentage of 78.4% of measures with targets achieved or exceeded, the previous year’s percentage was 78.3%.

11 measures were reported as ‘red’ - meaning the Council had not achieved the activity or target within the year. Reported ‘reds’ at year end were:

Education

1.          KS1-2: Proportion of pupils making 2+ levels of progress in Writing.

Older people and vulnerable adults

2.          Maintain the proportion of adults with a learning disability who live in their own home or with their family (ASCOF 1G)

3.          Reduce the number of repeat safeguarding referrals through the monitoring and review of protection plans

4.          Decrease the level of delayed transfers of care from hospital and those attributable to social care from acute and non-acute settings (ASCOF 2C Part 2)

5.          Maintain the overall satisfaction of carers with social services. (ASCOF3B)

6.          Increase the number of carers receiving a carers assessment or review

7.          Maintain the percentage of people accessing a housing related support service who have been assessed as needing support who go on to achieve economic wellbeing by improving debt management skills

Infrastructure

8.          Aim to complete at least 75% of all works orders for permanent pothole and edge of road repairs within 28 days of the order date

9.          Bring 80 empty homes back into use by 31/03/15 using the councils framework for engaging with identified empty home owners

10.       Nos of West Berkshire premises able to receive standard broadband services 2Mb/s or above

Community safety

11.       Work with the Environment Agency and other partners to deliver flood alleviation scheme in Purley. 

The exception reports provided a narrative relating to these missed targets.

Councillor Marcus Franks commented that the successful delivery of 40 measures was a good achievement and showed how well the Council was performing. He also drew attention to the areas where services had outperformed anticipated outturns which included maintaining a low percentage of children receiving a child protection plan for a second or subsequent time within a two year period; as well as measures in relation to the road network and in Planning.

Councillor Alan Macro referred to the fact shown in the report that there had been a reduction in the number of planning applications received in 2014/15 compared to 2013/14. This would have contributed to the ability of the Council to determine planning applications within set timeframes.

Councillor Macro then turned to some of the red indicators and highlighted that some measures missed their target quite significantly. For the measure ‘increase the number of carers receiving an assessment or review’, there was an inconsistency in the exception report with 537 and 457 given as the achieved number against the target of 700. The number achieved needed to be confirmed. However, either way the number achieved was a very significant downturn from the previous year’s outturn of 682. Councillor Hilary Cole responded to this point by advising that the carer’s assessments were outsourced and there was a concern that data recording was inaccurate. It was therefore not necessarily the case that there had been a reduction in the number. This issue was being addressed and the numbers double checked.

(Post-meeting note: Regarding the discrepancy identified by Councillor Alan Macro, the figure of 457 was a typographical error and should read 537 as elsewhere in the document where the provisional number of carers receiving an assessment or review was reported.)

Councillor Macro then turned to the measure ‘bring 80 empty homes back into use by 31/03/15 using the Council’s framework for engaging with identified empty home owners’, with an outturn of 64 achieved. Councillor Macro felt the target set was modest when there was a shortage of affordable homes and all efforts should have been made to achieve this target. Councillor Cole was disappointed that it had not been possible to meet this target, she did however point out that the situation in this area had improved significantly in recent years. However, further improvements would continue to be sought. Councillor Cole made the further point that it was not possible to force people to bring their property back into use if they did not wish to, although Officers worked hard to try and achieve this target.

Councillor Lee Dillon was concerned at the high number of ‘red’ measures in relation to activity concerning vulnerable older people and adults (around 30% of the measures in this area). He asked what additional monitoring would be undertaken to avoid continued poor performance in this single important area. Councillor Cole acknowledged that there were red indicators in this area but was of the view that Adult Social Care was not a failing service. Actions were being put in place to ensure West Berkshire’s vulnerable residents were kept safe. This included a good deal of work being undertaken within the West Berkshire and Berkshire wide Safeguarding Boards. The arrangements for safeguarding adults matched those in place to safeguard children and young people. She was therefore confident that improvements would be made where necessary.

Councillor Graham Jones made the point that the Council set itself ambitious targets. There was therefore a possibility that some would be missed. Councillor Roger Croft agreed that it was important for aspirational targets to be set.

RESOLVED that:

(1)       progress against the key accountable measures and activities would be noted;

(2)       those areas reporting as ‘red’ be reviewed to ensure that appropriate corrective or remedial action had been put in place.

Reason for the decision: This framework compiles and monitors progress in relation to the objectives laid out in the Council Strategy and on key activities and areas of risk from the Council’s individual service delivery plans. In doing so, it expresses the purpose and ambition of the Council and by extension the Council’s main focus of activities and key measures of success against which the Council can assess itself and publicly report progress.

Other options considered: n/a.