Agenda item

This report sets out quarter 2 performance against the Council Plan objectives for 2011/12. 

Discussion:

The Performance Manager introduced the report reminding the committee that the performance of each measure was rated green, amber and red to highlight whether the performance levels met the expected standard.

For the Council Plan performance for quarter 2 which covered July – September 2011, 32 key performance indicator measures of success could be rated:

Green – 24 measures have achieved or outperformed the target (75%)

Amber – 3 measures are below target but within acceptable variance limits

              (9%)

Red – 5 measures are outside acceptable variance limits (16%)

There were 4 performance measures which were not rated as they were ‘data only’ but have been included for information.

The highlights for Quarter 2 included:

·        a task group had been set up to investigate areas of Chatham Town Centre, where people socialised by street drinking and drug use, often resulting in anti-social behaviour

·        Love Medway phase 2 campaign was now underway. 1,790 reports were received via the Love Medway mobile phone app, the three most common issues being reported were fly tipping, non-offensive graffiti and fly posting

·        all 5 sites submitted for Green Flag status secured accreditation

·        Chatham Waterfront bus station opened on 10 October 2011 with one thousand bus services a day running from the new station

·        improvement to the existing half fare concession for young people was ongoing. Cabinet approved the scheme on the 4 October 2011. The documentation was being finalised for a January 2012 implementation following a formal consultation with bus operators

·        the first outdoor film screening at Rochester Castle attracted a paying audience to watch Ironclad, a film based on the 1215 siege of the castle.  The BBC were filming in Rochester and the Mystery of Edwin Drood would be screened on New Year’s Day and would be a good start to Medway’s Year of Celebrations.

Areas requiring development were:

·        results from the latest wave of the Tracker survey showed a dip in satisfaction with the Community Officers

·        employment figures had not achieved their targets for quarter 2 due to the closure of the Flexible New Deal programme

·        new registrations by local people accessing employment support services.

Following questions about the drop in satisfaction with Community Officers, the Performance Manager agreed to provide Members with an update at Quarter 3 giving the outcome of a recent meeting held with a focus group from the Citizens Panel to explore the awareness of the Community Officers, their functions most valued by the public and reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

The committee asked what legal powers were available to enforce the removal of graffiti on land not owned by the council and, in particular, land owned by Network Rail? Officers responded that land owned by Network Rail remained a national problem. There was a variety of legislation available to the council to use but it did not specify a time limit for the removal works to be undertaken and in some cases it was simpler and more effective for the council to carry out the work itself.

With regard to the waste contracts, Members expressed concern that the budget forecast showed £1.3 million overspend and officers were asked how this could be made sustainable in the future without creating an annual budget pressure. The Assistant Director for Front Line Services responded that the primary pressure was an annual increase, written into the contracts, linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI) which currently stood at 5.2%. This accounted for half the predicted overspend. Officers advised that they were due to meet with the contractors to investigate the possibility of the contractors being requested to re-consider this clause in the contracts. It would also be crucial to continue to raise the amount of recycled waste, as this was much cheaper than sending waste to landfill sites.

Members also questioned the purchase of carbon tax credits on the central budget and asked whether schools were aware of the burden placed on the council for taxable carbon emissions. Officers were asked if there was any incentive for schools to act on this, thereby having a direct effect on the budget. Officers confirmed that this issue was dealt with by the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee but did explain that the council’s energy consumption figures were converted into notional tonnes. The council was then taxed on that tonnage. As this was a corporate tax, it was split between the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) and the Business Support directorate. Schools did have the incentive to keep their fuel bills down and this had an effect on the carbon emissions used by the council.

Following reference to the red indicators for employment statistics and further information circulated at the meeting at the request of Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee, officers undertook to clarify, via a Briefing Note, the difference between the ‘Flexible New Deal’ and ‘Work Programme’ schemes.

Decision:

The committee agreed to:

(a)   note the outcomes achieved against priorities;

(b)   request a Briefing Note on the outcome of a recent meeting held with a focus group from the Citizens Panel to explore the awareness of the Community Officers, their functions most valued by the public and reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction;

(c)  request a Briefing Note on the difference between the ‘Flexible New Deal’ and ‘Work Programme’ schemes.