Agenda item

To present the report of the Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation.

The report of the Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation incorporating the third Scorecard of the 2019/20 financial year portraying the Council’s position against its operational objectives at the end of Quarter 3 was presented for the Committee’s consideration and scrutiny.

The Portfolio Member for Corporate Business reported that at the end of Quarter 3 it was gratifying to be able to report that 86% of performance indicators continue to perform above target or within 5% tolerance of their targets and that the Council continues to improve in the exercise of its services.

The Programme, Business Planning and Performance Manager confirmed that the Quarter 3 Scorecard reflects one of the Council’s best performances since the scorecard monitoring report was introduced in 2013. For 2019/20 the performance monitoring KPIs have been aligned to the Council’s three strategic objectives; at the end of Quarter 3 the performance thus measured has been as follows –

•           Under Objective 1 (Ensure that the people of Anglesey can thrive and realise their long-term potential) 9 out of the 13 KPIs are ragged Green.

•           Under Objective 2 (Support vulnerable adults and families to keep them safe, healthy and as independent as possible) 12 out of the 17 KPIs are ragged Green.

•           Under Objective 3 (Work in partnership with our communities to ensure that they can cope effectively with change and developments whilst protecting out natural environment) 4 out of the 6 KPIs are ragged Green and 2 are ragged Yellow.

In discussing the report the Committee requested further analysis and explanations from the Officers in relation to the following aspects of performance which were off-target. The Committee was advised that –

•           With regard to Indicator (04b) – Total % of written responses to complaints within 15 days (Social Services) which was RED with a performance of 59% against a target of 80%, the Service is working with the Complaints Officer to improve performance and with team managers to ensure a timely response to complaints. However, the figure does not reflect the fact that in cases where the complaint is complex, the Service does ask for the complainant’s agreement to exceed the timescale and it keeps the complainant informed of the position. Whilst the Service responds promptly to the receipt of a complaint and also in discussing the complaint with the complainant it is only with regard to providing a written response that the Service is underperforming.

•           With regard to Indicator 19 – Rate of people kept in hospital while waiting for social care per 1000 population aged 75+ which was RED on the scorecard with a performance of 6 against a target of 3, the new area based domiciliary care contracts are generally supporting people to be discharged quickly when they have established packages in place. However, due to the pressure of ensuring that reablement is provided to all people new to services, ensuring sufficient capacity is a challenge. To

address this, the Service is aiming to ensure that those receiving re-ablement do actually require it and that the Service also works to move individuals when the re-ablement period is complete. The Service continues to strengthen its partnership with BCUHB to facilitate swift discharges from all hospitals with particular attention turning to community hospitals. Additionally, the Service will be reviewing internal processes by holding weekly meetings with its re-ablement provider to ensure timely discharges from all hospitals.

•           With regard to Indicator 43 – percentage of planning enforcement cases investigated within 84 days which was AMBER with a performance of 69% against a target of 80% 69%, there continues to be good progress being made given the historic backlog of work in this area and the current performance demonstrates a significant increase as new processes are embedded, capacity and expertise are improved and the backlog is cleared. It is anticipated that this improvement will continue for the remainder of the financial year with the expectation that the Enforcement Service will start 2020/21 in a stronger position.

•           With regard to Indicator 8 – number of visits to leisure centres which was Amber on the Scorecard with a performance of 385k visits against a target of 396k visits, the target set for 2019/20 was based on the performance of a busy 3018/19. Due to some essential maintenance and upgrade to the leisure centres it has not been possible to reach the proposed targets so far this year. However, the number of direct debit payments has increased thereby ensuring that a consistent income stream is received when visitor numbers are off-target. Whilst an increase in the figures for the January to March period should see performance coming close to target, further upgrades and the repair of storm damage caused by recent severe weather are likely to have an impact on Q4 performance. In response to a request for clarification of the process for giving notice of café closures within the leisure centres – it being pointed out that school children have found the cafés closed with little or no prior notice, assurance was provided that the matter would be raised with the relevant managers and a response circulated to members of the Committee bearing in mind also that vending machines are provided where there is no café provision.

•           With regard to Indicator 17 – Landlord Services: Average number of days to complete repairs which was ragged Red on the Scorecard with a performance of 15.49 days against a target of 12 days, the change in the Repairs and Maintenance Policy in October, 2018 has had an  impact on this indicator as reported in Quarter 2. The Housing Service will continue to monitor this indicator and take action as necessary to improve performance

•           With regard to Indicator 36 – Landlord Services: Percentage of rent lost due to properties being empty which was ragged Red on the Scorecard with 1.55% lost against a target of 1.15%, the poor performance of Indicator 35 on the scorecard (the average number of days to let lettable units of accommodation) in Q1 and Q2 has had an impact on this Indicator and it has not been possible to claw back as much as was hoped.  Some properties have been vacant for longer than the Service would have liked as it addresses outstanding work in relation to “acceptable fails” (where the tenant has refused access for WHQS work) to bring them up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standards, whereas others e.g. the units at Llawr y Dref - although they are now ready to let - are vacant whilst the Service seeks to ensure the most suitable tenancies. These factors as well as setting a very ambitious target for this indicator have contributed to the below target performance.

•           With regard to Indicator 38 – Percentage of waste reused, recycled or composted the Committee wanted to know why the indicator was ragged Yellow on the Scorecard when the Authority’s recycling performance is among the highest nationally in the UK. The Principal Waste Management Officer advised that the Service has been examining this indicator internally due to what appears to be the low percentage figure. Previously, the Authority’s black bin waste was collected by Potters Waste Management with in the region of 120 to 140 tonnes of additional recyclable material further extracted from this waste by Potters in the period from April to May 2018 and any residual waste then exported to Sweden. Following an on-site fire this figure reduced to 40 tonnes per month. The Authority’s black bin waste now goes to the Parc Adfer facility and although this is positive in terms of decarbonisation the waste is not treated beforehand in the same way as it was by Potters; this is an issue the Service is looking into. On the plus side the waste incinerated is used to generate electricity and the resulting ash is also recycled.

•           With regard to Service resilience generally regarding which the Committee sought assurance particularly in light of the additional pressures which may be placed on services by the impact of Coronavirus, the Committee was advised that each service has in place its own business continuity plan and that the SLT is monitoring the situation. The Head of Democratic Services is the single point of contact in Anglesey for communications at regional level. The region is in turn in contact with Public Health Wales with regard to keeping the public informed and Public Health Wales along with Welsh Government are providing regular updates. The Services’ Business Continuity Plans are also updated accordingly.

Having considered all the information presented as well as the clarifications provided by the officers at the meeting on the points raised, it was resolved to note the areas which the Senior Leadership Team are managing to secure improvements into the future as outlined and to recommend the mitigation measures relating thereto.

NO ADDITIONAL ACTION WAS PROPOSED