Issue - meetings

To receive a report presenting an update on the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2022/23 and project delivery.

Executive Councillor: S Ferguson.

The Cabinet has considered and commented on progress made against the Key Actions and Corporate Indicators in the Corporate Plan and current projects (as summarised in Appendix A and detailed in Appendices B and C of the submitted report).

With the aid of a report prepared by the Business Intelligence & Performance Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Cabinet were presented with an update on the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2022/23 and project delivery.

The Executive Councillor for Customer Services summarised the progress made in delivering the Key Actions for 2022/23 over the reporting period where it was noted that the action relating to consultation and engagement on the Climate Strategy had moved from amber to a green RAG status. Additionally it was reported that the action relating to social housing and the delivery of affordable homes remains amber owing to delays with planning design issues at a site located in Warboys. Referring to the Corporate Indicators, the Executive Councillor for Customer Services provided an explanation on those relating to the time taken to process Housing and Council Tax Benefit claims, supply chain and skill shortages which were affecting the delivery of affordable homes, the lower than expected number of food safety inspections undertaken, the positive results which had been achieved in respect of homelessness preventions, the countywide problem which existed around reused/recycled/composted household waste rates and the low uptake of the “Good to Go” scheme. Finally, the Cabinet received details on the status of corporate projects. The only one identified as being significantly behind schedule related to the Revenue and Benefits Service e-billing project which had been pushed back owing to the prioritisation of the Energy Bill Rebates scheme. The Government had also announced another similar scheme which would delay the project further.

Having acknowledged the appointment of a Project Manager and Project Support Officer to support biodiversity within the Council’s Parks and Open Spaces and in celebrating the successes achieved to improve the percentage of planning applications processed on target when compared to the previous quarter, the Executive Councillor for Customer Services went on to report the views of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance & Growth). In noting that a report on the Market Towns Programme would be submitted to the Cabinet at its March 2023 meeting, it was

RESOLVED   

that Cabinet note the progress made against the Key Actions and Corporate Indicators in the Corporate Plan and current projects, as summarised in Appendix A and detailed in Appendices B and C of the report now submitted.

To receive the Corporate Performance Report 2022/23 Quarter 3.

By means of a report by the Business Intelligence and Performance Manager (a copy of which was appended in the Minute Book)  the Corporate Performance 2022/23 Quarter 3 Report was presented to the Panel.

The Panel were presented with an update on Corporate Performance by the Executive Councillor for Customer Services notably;

·  Performance Indicator KA1 had been changed to Amber as was rightly requested by both the Panel and Cabinet in the Quarter 2 Report.

·  Under Performance Indicator KA19, it was noted that Warboys site had experienced delays due to amends being made to the application however this is expected to be heard at the April meeting of the Development Management Committee and will be progressed from there.

·  PI1 was noted to be red as green waste recycling had been lower than expected following an exceptionally dry summer.

·  PI20 early interventions on homelessness preventions had been more successful which had therefore resulted in a lower case work for homelessness cases which could arguably be a positive.

·  The PI26 target is to be reconsidered as there does not appear to be demand for this from the voluntary sector.

·  PI13 it was observed that Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support service had been heavily impacted by postal strikes which had consequently affected the length of time taken to process claims.

·  PI19 it was noted that due to nationwide supply issues the final delivery was expected to be impacted.

·  PI27 the Food Standards agency COVID recovery plan had resulted in changes to the operation of inspections and this had impacted upon the performance as a result.

·  It was further observed that the eBilling scheme was delayed as the team had undertaken unprecedented but vital work on the Energy Bills rebate.

Councillor Howell observed that the Good to Go scheme for charities was seen to be helpful purely for the purposes of Council funding and required a lot of work for the application process. The Panel heard that the team were mindful of this and would be reviewing in light of the lack of interest from the voluntary sector.

Councillor Gray observed that amber may be a more realistic indicator for KA5 as it was optimistic to claim this project was on track.

It was further observed by Councillor Gray that some indicators had no set target which therefore made it difficult to ascertain progress. The Panel heard that this was acknowledged and that the targets and indicators would be reviewed with the introduction of the new Corporate Plan in the coming months.

Councillor Cawley enquired whether an update could be provided on the backlog of both planning applications and also enforcement cases. The Panel heard that although work was being done on the quality of data available so that accurate reporting could be supplied, a further detailed response would be provided to the Panel after investigation.

Following an enquiry from Councillor Gleadow  the Panel were assured that recruitment was ongoing to fill a long term absence within the Environmental Health team which had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67