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 Corporate Scorecard for Quarter 1 2023/24 was presented for the Committee’s consideration. The scorecard report portrays the current end of Quarter 1 position against matters relating to customer service, people and financial management and performance management.

The report was presented by Councillor Carwyn Jones, Portfolio Member for Corporate Business and Customer Experience as a positive and encouraging portrayal of performance in the first quarter of the 2023/24 financial year with 89% of the performance indicators performing above or within 5% tolerance of their targets. The report highlights several areas where performance has been good in relation to the NERS indicators, the number of empty homes brought back into use, Adults’ Services, waste management, homelessness, disabled facilities grant installations and planning specifically indicators 35 and 37 (the percentage of planning applications determined within time and the percentage of enforcement cases investigated within 84 days respectively). The Corporate Health Performance indicators and Customer service indicators have also performed well, and at the end of the first quarter the Council is Green and on target with regard to attendance management with 2.1 days having been lost to absence per FTE in the period. The performance against Indicator 09 (the percentage of FOI requests responded to within timescale) at 84% has improved compared to the same quarter last year but because of the change in target from 80% to 90% completed within timescale, is ragged Amber for the first quarter of 2023/24. The performance for this and indicators 29 and 30 in relation to Housing Services (turnaround of lettable units and rent lost to properties being empty) and indicator 36 in relation to the Planning Service (the number of planning appeals dismissed) which are off target will continue to be overseen and monitored by the Leadership Team to secure improvements into the future. The Council like many others is facing financial challenges and budget pressures are beginning to emerge due to the ongoing and well documented cost of living crisis. The financial position will be reviewed closely during the year.

The Portfolio Member said that he hoped the information presented provides Scrutiny with the assurance of the maturity of the discussions around performance and that while good performance is highlighted and acknowledged, the focus remains on maintaining performance going forwards and ensuring that further progress and improvements are made in the areas identified.

The Committee welcomed the report and was pleased by the consistency of performance overall. In scrutinising the details of the report, Members raised and discussed the following issues –

·         Recognising that 89% of the Authority’s PIs exceed or are within 5% tolerance of their targets at the end of the first quarter, assurance was sought that the remaining 3 underperforming indicators will improve.

·         Noting that a budget overspend is forecast for the end of the 2023/24 financial year, the Committee sought clarification of the mitigation measures in place to address pressures on service budgets and the arrangements for monitoring them.

·         That the previous performance report to the Committee in June 2023 referred to arrangements to amend the current scorecard to ensure its alignment with the new Council Plan 2023-28. The Committee wanted to know what changes had been made or are planned for the scorecard and the timeframe for their implementation.

·         In relation to Performance Indicator 29 (The average number of calendar days to let lettable units of accommodation excluding DTLs), the Committee sought further information about the background and context to the PI and asked for clarification of the challenges envisaged in trying to reduce the time taken to turnaround the units, and linked to this indicator, the performance against Indicator 30 – the percentage of rent lost due to properties being empty.

·         The variance between income and budget – Financial Management Indicator (03) where the performance was ragged Red.

·         In welcoming the improvement in the Disabled Facilities Grant indicator (Indicator 28), the Committee wanted to know what had contributed to the positive performance and whether there were any lessons to be learnt and shared with other services.

Officers and Portfolio Members responded to the points of discussion by providing assurances as follows –

·                     That the performance reports to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee over time have shown that where the Leadership Team has investigated the performance data and identified areas for improvement and has led on that process then progress has subsequently been made e.g. the improvement in performance from Quarter 4 2022/23 to Quarter 1 2023/24 with regard to Indicator 09 - the percentage of FOI requests responded to within timescale. There is therefore confidence in the ability of the Council’s performance management approach and system and in the guidance and direction provided by the Leadership Team to deliver continuous improvement as evidenced in the reports to Committee and on that basis, it is hoped that the next quarter will see further progress being made. 

·                     That although the Council budget is projected to be overspent at year end, the factors that could influence the outcome one way or the other in the remaining 9 months of the financial year are numerous and varied. The Director of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer referred to some of those factors as including a rise or fall in the demand for services, the number and complexity of cases presenting in children’s social care, and the effects of the weather in terms of income generated over the summer months and impact of bad weather over the winter on roads and infrastructure. Added to those is the uncertainty around the pay settlement for non-teaching staff for 2023/24, the level of inflation and energy costs as well and the continuing cost of living crisis which could result in more people seeking help from the Council. Where there are budget pressures specifically in children and adult social care then discussions are being held with the service to identify ways of managing expenditure and costs while still responding to needs. The Council’s other services have been asked to review all non-essential expenditure. Should the situation persist, then there are options for curtailing expenditure for example by not filling vacant posts but mindful of the potential effects on capacity and service provision. Whilst a budget overspend can be met from the Council’s reserves, this will reduce the ability to use those reserves to balance the budget for 2024/25. The financial position will be kept under close review and should become clearer at the end of Quarter 2.  With regard to the variance between income and budget this is due to the way in which Social Services income has been recorded having been accounted for in the wrong period. The data will be adjusted before reporting to the Executive and is expected to be much closer to budget so is primarily an accounting issue rather than an issue of significantly reduced income.

·                     That the intention had been to develop a new scorecard so that its targets are in alignment with the objectives of the new Council Plan 2023-28. That work has taken until August to complete meaning that the new scorecard would have to be introduced midway through the financial year making reporting on performance throughout the year difficult. Whilst a new draft scorecard has therefore been prepared it has been decided with the agreement of the Leader and informal Executive that the current scorecard should remain effective until the end of March 2024 to ensure consistent reporting on a yearlong basis. The new scorecard will be trialled in quarters 3 and 4 to ensure the KPIs are appropriate and add value. Elected Member input into the new scorecard will be invited over the autumn and winter so that the scorecard is ready to be implemented on 1^st April 2024. It is considered that such an arrangement would better facilitate the transition from the current scorecard linked to the previous Council Plan to the new scorecard linked to the 2023-28 Council Plan.

·                     That performance against Indicator 29 regarding the number of days taken to let lettable units of accommodation has declined because of the high number of properties that require significant work to bring them back to WHQS standards before they can be re-let again. Of the 45 properties which were empty for over 40 days, 30 (66%) of those were classed as in need of major works. As the number of properties that require significant work increases, the turnaround of those properties becomes more difficult because of the lack of available workers to complete the works required. It is expected that performance against the indicator will improve as the number of major works properties reduce thereby increasing capacity to complete properties. The performance of Indicator 30 (percentage of rent lost due to properties being empty) is directly connected to Indicator 29 since the more time it takes to let a property the greater the rent income lost.

·                     The improvement in the Disabled Facilities Grant Indicator 28 has been influenced by the type of work completed within the quarter for example if the work completed is relatively straightforward then the number of days on average taken to deliver the grant reduces. It is hoped that performance against the indicator will remain Green for the year but is dependent on the number of care plans coming through the system and the nature of the adaptations required.

Having reviewed the Corporate Scorecard for Q1 2023/24 and having noted the responses of Portfolio Members and Officers to the issues raised it was resolved –

·                To note the Corporate Scorecard report for Q1 2023/24 including the areas of improvement outlined along with the areas which the Leadership Team is exploring and investigating to manage and secure further improvements into the future in relation to FOI requests, the time take to re-let lettable units of accommodation, rent lost due to empty properties and planning appeals and,

·                To recommend the scorecard report and mitigating measures outlined therein to the Executive.