Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive and Head of Improvement

 

Summary

 

This report covers the Council’s performance for the period April to June 2009 as measured through the Performance Management Framework

 

Recommendations

 

The Executive is recommended to:

 

1)                    Confirm that the responses in paragraph 2.1 to the issues raised in the 2008/09 Annual Performance Report are satisfactory or to request any further information or action.

 

2)                    Note the many achievements referred to in paragraph 1.3.

 

3)                    Agree officers’ report in the second quarter report performance report on the items shown in paragraph 1.4 where performance did not meet the required target or there are issues of concern.  

 

Recommendations agreed

 

Additional action: Councillors Wood, Macnamara and Morris to be provided with a monthly high level variance analysis of car parking income.

The Chief Executive and Head of Improvement submitted a report that covered the Council’s performance for the period April to June 2009 as measured through the Performance Management Framework

 

The Leader of the Council requested that Councillors Wood, Macnamara and Morris be provided with a monthly high level variance analysis of car parking income.

 

Resolved

 

1)              That the responses below to the issues raised in the 2008/09 Annual Performance Report be confirmed as satisfactory:

 

 

Cherwell: A District of Opportunity

a.   The ongoing impact of the economic recession on meeting targets for the provision of new homes and jobs, the rising demands on services such as Housing Benefits and Economic Development and the reduced income for Building Control, Development Control, and Land Charges.

 

New Homes.  The first quarter of 2009/10 saw 215 (net) new dwellings provided of which 10 were change of use or conversions.  This is against a target of 376 for the whole year.  The completion of the 86 assisted living and frail elderly sheltered apartments on the former Spirit motors site on the Southam Road in Banbury was a significant contributor to this.

 

Jobs.  The target for new jobs created will be met, but will be exceeded by the number lost.  Unemployment is rising, but remains below the regional average.  The Council’s efforts are concentrated on helping individuals through job clubs and businesses through the enterprise service rather than encouraging inward investment where very few enquiries are being received.

 

Income.  Building Control.  As a result of the predicted downturn in development activity the 2009/10 income budget of £391,000 was set 16% lower than the 2008/09 budget of £465,000.  The income to date this year is £110,000 against a profiled budget of £98,000, representing a surplus of 12% to date.  Development Control income was £14,000 below forecast for the 1^st Quarter.  The income target for Land Charges in 2009/10 realistically reflects the current economic situation and so far is on target.

 

b.   The progress of major regeneration and development schemes:

 

Banbury Canalside.  The Council has retained consultants to prepare a draft supplementary planning document for public consultation in the autumn.  Work is proceeding on this, supported by the Homes and Communities Agency. 

BicesterTown Centre.  Since acquiring the development company, Sainsbury’s have reviewed the proposed scheme with a view to improving its financial viability.  It is anticipated that the board of Sainsbury’s will be invited to confirm their support for some amendments to the scheme in July, following which work on an amended planning application will commence.

South West Bicester.  Work continues with regard to the applicants request to review the planning obligation requirements for the site.  This is being jointly undertaken with the County Council.

 

c.   Delays producing the Local Development Framework due to the pressure of work and strategic uncertainties resulting from the eco-town proposal.

 

There have been delays progressing the Core Strategy within the Local Development Framework for two reasons.  Firstly, there has been some delay in completing the numerous pieces of technical work that make up the evidence base, some of which have been procured jointly with other services or other authorities.  Good progress is being made on these and it is expected that the majority of it will be completed by September 2009.  Secondly, it was not possible to progress the Core Strategy to the next stage in the absence of a clear strategic direction from the Government on the eco-town programme.  The publication of the Government's position on Eco-towns in July 2009 will provide the certainty to enable the Core Strategy to proceed.

 

The LDF Advisory Panel has met every month since March to provide early member input to the Core Strategy and meetings are planned through the autumn.  It is anticipated a document will be put to the Council for approval prior to further public consultation in the autumn.

 

d.   The performance for processing new benefits claims and changes in         circumstances.

 

The Housing benefit caseload continues to rise and currently stands at 8,400 claimants.  Although the back log of benefit claims remains constant (2220 down to 1973 (or 2 weeks)) the amount of new claims waiting for assessment has dropped (from 475 to 323). The length in period of time taken to process claims has dropped from 8 weeks to 6 weeks.

The contract with Capita is ongoing. The ICT connection between Cherwell and Havant has been improved and we now have 3 remote workers.  We also have an additional worker based at Cherwell (capita employee) to help with the backlog. Another 3-5 Capita staff will be based at Cherwell shortly. 

 

A Cleaner, Greener Cherwell

e.   Not meeting the target of reducing the CO2 emissions from Council           activities by 4%. 

 

The 4% reduction in CO2 emissions was not met as emissions remained unchanged.  A number of problems have occurred in the past on measuring emissions which makes meaningful comparisons difficult.  The 2008/09 data is much more robust because it was collected to a prescribed national process which was brought in for the National Indicator.  The impact of the re-development of Bodicote House, vacating the Town Centre offices and the Old House on reducing CO2 emissions will be significant in 2009/10 but made little contribution in 2008/09. 

 

A Safe and Healthy Cherwell

f.    The percentage of residents who when asked say they feel safe at home and in the community.

 

The Cherwell Community Safety Partnership will continue to support a wide range of measures to inform and reassure the local community about their safety.  We will include a question on this issue in the 2009 Customer Satisfaction Survey.

 

g.   The overall numbers visiting BanburyMuseum were below target, despite the continued high overall usage.

 

The museum has received over 60,000 visits in the first three months of 2009/10.  In the same period the previous year there were 54,000 visitors, giving an increase of 12% over the year.  The Education Service has also seen strong growth, with over 700 users in June, one of the Museum’s best monthly figures ever.

 

An Accessible, Value for Money Council

h.   Collecting Council Tax and National Non Domestic Rates (both performed below target, albeit marginally, at the year end).

 

The collection of revenue for both Council Tax and Non Domestic Rates is above target.  However it is anticipated the collection figures will be affected by the economic situation.

 

i.    The number of days lost through sickness per employee. 

 

The performance in the first quarter is well within target with an average of 1.37 days sickness for each full time equivalent employee against the target of 2.01 days.

 

j.    Not meeting the target of 70% of residents feeling well informed about the            Council.

 

Last years target of 70% was not achieved. We will use the 2009 Customer Satisfaction Survey to understand the reasons why and how our communications can be improved. 

 

k.   The performance for processing of minor and other planning applications. 

 

A significant improvement in performance has been achieved with processing targets now being met for both Minor and Other applications and the level of outstanding applications is consistent.  Work is continuing to achieve further and sustainable improvements in performance through improving processes and improving the use of existing IT systems.

 

2)              That the many achievements as set out below be noted:

 

Cherwell: A District of Opportunity

·        38 affordable homes have been delivered and so we are well on the way to the target of 100.

·        Bicester Job Club was launched and is running successfully alongside Banbury Job Club

·        The number of household in temporary accommodation is now at a record low of 51(and only 44 families).  This is down from a peak of 438 in December 2005 and down from 63 at the end of 2008/09.

·        The contract for the Parsons Street Banbury improvements is due to start on 20 July.

·        The Council and Charter Housing have joined together to employ a Youth & Community Worker who will work in Bretch Hill in Banbury.  The project has attracted £156k of funding to support various initiatives on the estate.  Also the Council and Charter Housing are supporting the provision of an outreach worker for the victims of domestic violence.

·        The Keys Court affordable housing scheme in Banbury was launched on 30 June providing thirty units of rented and shared ownership housing.

·        The processing of minor planning applications has moved from red to green.  78% of applications were processed within time against a target of 65%.

 

A Cleaner, Greener Cherwell

·        Recycling is 55% against target of 50% for the year.

·        Waste to landfill was reduced by 400 tonnes against an annual target of 1000 tonnes.

·        New waste re-cycling street units installed as part of the Kidlington High St improvements.  To be rolled out next in Banbury and Bicester.

 

A Safe and Healthy Cherwell

·        All crime is 3% down compared to last year.

·        98 incidents were recorded on CCTV with 57 arrests made as a result.

 

·        The modernisation of Bicester and Kidlington leisure centres was completed to time and budget. 

·        The number of school pupils visiting Banbury Museum was exceptional, exceeding the target by 33%.

·        The Community TV project initiated which will provide screens at 14 locations delivering public information.

 

An Accessible, Value for Money Council

·        The performance on managing staff sickness has improved significantly with an average of 1.37 days sickness for each full time equivalent employee against the target of 2.01 days.

·        The Scores on the Doors initiative, providing hygiene ratings for food premises, was launched on the website in June and received 18,807 hits.

·        Excess Charge Notice collections are significantly higher in June 2009 at £32,636 than a year earlier at £19,370.  This is mainly due to the new members of staff settling into their roles and the introduction of the new enforcement policy.

·        The grass cutting schedule in now on the website.

·        Out of 369 customers questioned 97% were satisfied with the customer service they received when contacting the Council (the target is 90%).

 

3)              That officers’ report in the second quarter report performance report on the items below where performance did not meet the required target or there are issues of concern:

 

Cherwell: A District of Opportunity

·        The contributions received from developers to pay for infrastructure improvements are low and may be reduced further because of the impact of the recession and the reduced number of planning applications.

·        There are issues with the County Council about who will resource the introduction of residents parking schemes and civil parking enforcement and this is delaying their introduction.

·        The processing of major planning applications has moved from green to red, with only 20% of applications processed within the set timescale against a target of 60%.  It should be noted the contentious nature of the applications considered in this quarter is a major contributor to this.

·        The Oxford Economic Partnership is amending its governance arrangements.  The role of the district councils is still to be agreed and there is a risk they could lose influence.

 

An Accessible, Value for Money Council

·        The time taken to process new benefits claims and changes of circumstances is not yet improving.  This is expected to improve as the connections to homeworkers and Capita are improved and additional resources allocated.

 

Reasons - This report sets out the Council’s performance in the first quarter of 2009/10 as measured through the Performance Management Framework.  Central to this is the Corporate Scorecard, which is made up of the Council’s priority performance targets.  The Corporate Scorecard covers seven areas of performance.  These are: performance against the Local Area Agreement; the Community Plan; the Corporate Plan promises; Priority Service Indicators; Financial Performance; Human Resources; and Customer Feedback. 

 

Options

 

Option One	To review current performance levels and consider any actions arising.
Option Two	To approve or reject the recommendations above.