Issue - meetings

Purpose of Report

To present to Executive the strategic performance measure targets for 2024/25 for final approval.

Decision

That the strategic performance measures and their targets for 2024/25, as set out in the officer’s report, be approved.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None.

Reasons for the Decision

Performance measure targets were reviewed on an annual basis This ensured the measures being reported to senior management and members on a quarterly basis continued to provide a clear picture of the council’s service area performance. Additionally, all performance measure targets were reviewed annually to ensure the targets remained achievable but suitably challenging.

Target setting for 2024/25 had focused largely on the analysis of the council’s performance outturn trend over recent quarters/years, alongside the expected impacts over the coming year. Benchmarking data had been used by service areas in this process, however, the availability of this data was limited due to local authorities reporting on the measures most relevant to their own authority and services, rather than there currently being a requirement for all local authorities to report on all measures in the same way.

As with previous years, some measures had seen their targets relaxed due to increasing financial pressures on the council, resource impacts, recruitment pressures and the cost-of-living crisis, all of which would inevitably continue to impact on performance. However, in some cases the targets had been increased where some improvement in performance was expected.

Those measures performing above or below target were highlighted within a quarterly Operational Performance Report as success stories or measures of concern requiring monitoring / action.

Between December 2023 and February 2024, Directors, Assistant Directors and Service Managers, working with Portfolio Holders, were asked to review the existing strategic performance measures and their targets to ensure they remained suitable for monitoring service performance during 2024/25.

The performance measures, their high and low targets and details of the removed/new measures for 2024/25 were provided at Appendix A of the officer’s report. Justifications for changes to measures and targets had been provided by the service area within this appendix.

It was noted that the Office for Local Government (Oflog) was developing a new tool named the Local Authority Data Explorer, which would bring together a selection of existing performance measures to enable improved benchmarking to take place for different levels of local authorities in the future. At this stage there were a limited number of measures included within the trial system. All measures which were relevant to district councils were already included within the existing performance measures set for City of Lincoln Council and would therefore continue to be monitored during 2024/25. An ongoing review of the performance measures available within the new Local Authority Data Explorer system would take place throughout 2024/25 to ensure the measures being monitored by the council continued to be the most appropriate measures to monitor performance.