Agenda item

Quarter 2 Performance Monitoring 2015/16

Minutes:

The Adults and Communities Director, Matthew Kendall, was invited by the Chairman to discuss the pressures affecting the projected overspend within the Adults’ Services Delivery Unit and the measures in place to deliver budget savings, including the recovery plan.

 

The committee observed that the targets for performance indicators AC/S12, S13 and S14 were relatively low. The director undertook to circulate a breakdown of the compactor data sources. It was clarified that carers in the context of these measures were unpaid family carers and the genesis of the quality of life score in AC/S14 was aggregated data from a survey. The director undertook to confirm the highest score possible on that survey. The director also agreed to circulate further information about the use of direct debit payments in AC/S16.   

 

Following review of the key performance challenges for the delivery unit, together with its efforts to reduce overspend, the committee was concerned that the savings target was ambitious and questioned whether it could be adjusted.

 

Councillor Levine moved a motion to recommend that the Policy and Resources Committee note and consider the potential impact of the proposed savings target on the Adults Delivery Unit. The motion was seconded by Councillor Cooke and following debate, agreed unanimously.  

 

The Family Services Director, Nicola Francis, was invited by the Chairman to discuss the performance of the Family Service and the reasons for overspend within that service, together with its recovery plan. Further to discussion concerning indicator FS/S10, the director agreed to provide the adoption scorecard to the committee. The committee noted that one of the contributing factors to the projected overspend was the number of permanent staff that were paid above the midpoint scale at which the budgets has been set (section 1.13 of the report) and questioned whether this created an unfair pressure. The director undertook to circulate information confirming how many social workers were salaried above the midpoint scale.

 

The Chief Operating Officer, John Hooton, undertook to provide a detailed report concerning the performance of the Customer and Support Group (CSG) together with a report reviewing the CSG contract, for consideration at the committee’s next meeting. In response to questions from the committee regarding ICT operations, the Chief Operating Officer further agreed to provide a report on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library methodology assessment.  

 

The Director of Street Scene, Graham Lawson, addressed the committee and answered questions about the performance of the service together with the waste action plan. Further to discussion of SS/S3 the committee emphasised the importance of maintaining an accurate public perception of how waste and recycling was collected and subsequently managed by the council, e.g. by labelling food waste collection receptacles.

 

Officers from highways provided context to the budget pressures overspend and savings targets and answered the committee’s questions concerning reactive and pro-active highway maintenance.

 

The committee discussed the correlation between the performance indicators presented in quarterly monitoring reports and the key measures which were of particular concern to commissioning officers. In response to discussion about the role of other theme committees in reviewing performance indicators and targets, the Head of Programmes and Resources, Tom Pike, offered to explore this further with Members. 

 

As the time of the meeting approached 10pm during consideration of this item of business (and with reference to rules 16.1 and 16.4 of the Meetings Procedures Rules in the Council Constitution) officers undertook to answer any outstanding questions of the committee at its next meeting.

 

RESOLVED that the Performance and Contract Management Committee:

 

1.         Recommend that the Policy and Resources Committee note and consider the potential impact of the proposed savings target on the Adults Delivery Unit. On review of the key performance challenges for the delivery unit, together with its efforts to reduce overspend, the committee is concerned that the savings target is ambitious and asks the Policy and Resources Committee to consider whether it could be adjusted.

 

2.         Note the Quarter 2 2015/16 revenue budget and capital position contained in report paragraphs 1.11 and 1.17.

 

3.         Note the agency costs for the Quarter 2 2015/16 as detailed in report paragraph 1.19.

 

4.         Note the Transformation Programme position as at the 30 September 2015 as detailed in report paragraph 1.20.

 

5.         Note the treasury position outlined in report paragraph 1.21.

 

6.         Approve the £55.326m capital acceleration and slippage of the outturn for 2015/16, as outlined in Appendix E to the report.

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