Agenda item

This report presents Members with quarter three performance update against indicators and actions agreed in the Council Plan. 

Discussion:

The Assistant Director of Communications, Performance and Partnerships introduced the report, advising that it reported on an ‘exceptions’ basis, therefore only showing performance against objectives for only those indicators currently on an amber or red rating.

The Committee was advised that the Council was working hard to remedy the areas identified as not being on target. These included:

·        Timeliness of child protection assessments. However, a new structure came into effect in January 2011 to address the increase in demand and the results of the national Munro review of child protection in England were awaited

·        Continued challenges for the adult social care team with the number of personal budgets put in place unlikely to meet target.

·        Carer Assessments remained below target but a contract for enabling a trusted assessor to undertake carers assessments had been commenced

·        The number of people with a learning disability in employment. The performance for this indicator had decreased slightly from last quarter and the Council was currently undertaking a census to understand the issues and support needed to enable people with a learning disability to access employment.

Councillors expressed their concern at a target being set for the number of people with personal budgets. Members were supportive of people being offered them but considered that they should not be mandatory, or pushed onto people in order to reach a percentage target. The indicator also showed the number of people who had chosen to accept responsibility for organising their own budget but did not show how many people had been offered this overall.

A Member commented on the ‘tackling congestion’ indicator being shown as green which held no meaning to Councillors and the public when there had been delays across many areas in Medway, not least Chatham town centre, for several months.

With relation to roadworks, another Member requested that the Council considered implementing more stringent criteria for statutory undertakers (gas, electric, television, TV companies etc.) to gain access to the highways in Medway for repair works.

The Committee asked how much funding the Council received from the EU (European Union) and whether it was spent on specific projects. The Assistant Director of Communications, Performance and Partnerships responded that she would notify Members by e-mail of the full amount of funding received but that she could confirm that it had to be spent on specific projects and that there was another two years of EU funding to be delivered.

The Committee also discussed the “Love Medway” campaign and asked whether notices could be produced, stating for example, “that clearing up dog mess cost X amount and the clearing up of general litter cost X amount, where would you (the public) prefer this money to be spent?” Officers at the meeting undertook to take this suggestion back to the relevant officers running that campaign.

Other matters discussed by the Committee included: the website for the reduction in substance misuse allowing public feedback and tip-offs; the reasons for the increase in the number of children being referred for assessment; and Members congratulated The Old Vicarage Children’s Home for the “outstanding” performance rating it received.

Members also requested that the following successes were added to the report in the future: increase in allotment facilities; walking buses; and partnership work with the Police to dramatically reduce the number of prostitutes in New Road, Chatham which had been achieved by helping them to stop their reliance on drugs and assisting them to find another occupation. Members also wished to receive further details of the drop in number of young people going swimming before the re-introduction of the free-swimming initiative. Officers agreed to provide the information outside of the meeting.

Decision:

The Committee agreed to:

(a)   note the performance for Quarter 3 2010/2011 and the outcomes achieved against priorities;

(b)   request officers to respond to points raised during the discussion.