Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships containing details of the Council’s performance against its priority objectives.

The Panel considered a report by the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) containing details of the Council’s performance against the priority objectives in the Panel’s remit in the quarter to 30^th September 2010. Attention was drawn to the matters raised at the meeting of the Corporate Plan Working Group and, in relation to the measure to “maintain expenditure in budget” in the Leisure Centres, the Scrutiny and Review Manager reported that savings on premises and supplies of 20% and 21% respectively had been achieved through centralised procurement, better contract management and fewer building repairs being undertaken.

With regard to the measure for the “% of new employees still in post after 12 months”, the Panel suggested that this should be regarded as “green” because the two leavers were recruited on fixed term contracts, which had expired in the reporting period. In response to a question on the Council’s decision to use fixed term appointments in preference to making permanent appointments, the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships explained that this reflected the current economic climate and the potential need to reduce the size of the establishment. Councillor G S E Thorpe undertook to raise the monitoring and reporting of the Council’s employment priorities at a future meeting of the Corporate Plan Working Group.

Comment was made with regard to the “% of bids which attract funding” in the current year to-date and the Panel has noted that the External Funding Officer had now returned from maternity leave. It was suggested that the employment of maternity cover might have been self-funding had all the bids for external funding during the period been successful.

To consider a report by the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships containing details of the Council’s performance against its priority objectives.

To consider a report by the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships containing details of the Council’s performance against its priority objectives.

15 Minutes.

The Panel considered a report by the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) containing details of the Council’s performance against its priority objectives in the quarter to 30^th September 2010. Members endorsed for submission to the Cabinet the comments of the Corporate Plan Working Group, particularly with regard to the objectives where targets had not been achieved.

The Panel questioned the process through which targets had been set relating to the number of admissions to the Leisure Centres and in so doing, it was noted that the target figure took into account the receipt of external funding, which subsequently had not been awarded to the Council. The Panel endorsed a suggestion by the Corporate Plan Working Group that, in order for underlying trends to be monitored, changes in admissions/participants attributable to such developments should in future be reported separately.

RESOLVED

that the Cabinet be invited to consider the Panel’s comments as part of its deliberations on the report by the Head of People, Performance and Partnerships.