Agenda item

The Chairman, Councillor Dean Cohen, introduced Agenda Item Three Quarter Three Corporate Performance, which he reminded the committee was being reviewed under the new scrutiny methodology agreed by members. Under the revised methodology members had been provided with access to quarterly financial outturn and performance data and invited to identify specific topics and issues for discussion at the meeting.

Councillor Daniel Thomas, the Cabinet Member for Resources and Performance, provided the committee with an overview of corporate performance for Quarter Three before addressing the specific issues raised by the committee.

The first issue identified by the committee related to debt management. The Cabinet Member informed the committee that he was happy with the overall performance of the council in this area. The Cabinet Member drew the committee’s attention to the recently published Debt Management Strategy which sets out the council’s policies and procedures in relation to the billing, collection and recovery of monies owed to the council.

The Cabinet Member advised the committee that particular attention was being paid to the number of vulnerable adults that were included as debtors to the council noting that the strategy includes the provision of information relating to debt advice and potential statutory benefits and discounts.

With regard to how the council compares to other local authorities and the private sector the Cabinet Member informed the committee that this data was not currently available but that he would instruct officers to forward this information to the committee.

Action: Officers to provide the committee with benchmarking data in relation to debt management and other local authorities and the private sector

The committee raised the issue of the borough’s changing demographics particularly in reference to an increasing number of residents over the age of 65 and how this may impact on the council’s debt management in future years. The committee enquired as to whether any forecasting had been undertaken to consider this issue. The Cabinet Member informed the committee that officers could undertake some forecasting exercises and report their findings back to the committee.

Action: Officers to provide the committee with forecasting data in relation to an aging population and possible consequences for debt management.

The committee had also requested information relating to value for money and performance indicator 2001 – the percentage of services that are in the high performance/low spend quadrant of the Capital Ambition analysis.

The Cabinet Member informed the committee that although performance had dropped on this target for quarter three the council was still ranked third overall in London behind Kingston upon Thames and Wandsworth. The Cabinet Member also reminded the committee of the variation between London boroughs in reporting standards.

Following discussion on value for money performance the committee next discussed the council’s performance in relation to processing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

Stephen Evans, the Assistant Director for Strategy, and Aysen Giritli, the Head of Governance, informed members that the council was receiving an increasing number of complex requests requiring a significant amount of resource to be devoted to answering them. However, the committee was informed that the imminent implementation of a new system for processing FOI requests would increase the council’s capacity for processing these requests in a timely and efficient manner.

The committee requested that they be provided with an indicative cost for answering a typical FOI request.

Action: Officers to provide the committee with an indicative cost for answering a typical FOI request

The final performance indicators addressed under the agenda item related to Adult Social Care and Health and performance targets relating to residential nursing care.

Councillor Sachin Rajput, the Cabinet Member for Adults and Kate Kennally, the Director of Adults Social Care and Health, responded to the committee’s questions noting that the directorate’s strategy was based upon supporting more opportunities for people to live in their own homes particularly in relation to disabled people.

The Director informed the committee that the challenges faced in meeting the performance targets are based around demographic pressures including an increasing number of people living with dementia. The Director informed the committee that while caring for the borough’s older residents would remain a challenge the council was making significant progress in relation to younger adults.

Resolved that –

1)     The committee note the responses of Cabinet Members and officers in relation to Quarter Three Corporate Performance.

2)     The committee, in consideration of Quarter Four Corporate Performance, receive an in-depth report in relation to CPI-1009: The number of homelessness acceptances.