Agenda item

Pat Jukes, Business Manager Corporate Policy:

a)    informed Performance Scrutiny Committee with agreed performance targets for 2021/22 for initial reporting in Q1 2021/22.

b)    explained that Appendix A detailed the measures chosen to have targets monitored. The targets had been proposed by Assistant Directors in consultation with their Service Managers and confirmed by Directors and Portfolio Holders.

c)    highlighted that due to the impact of Covid-19, service areas had considered the best way to measure performance in their service. This had varied, dependant on the nature of the service. Because of both the short and longer term impacts of Covid-19 on council services, all targets would be reviewed again from September to ensure they remained fit for purpose.

d)    explained that Customer Feedback measures had been removed due to short term difficulties in collecting these measures, but also to allow a complete review of our Customer Feedback Framework to enable more bespoke feedback, providing meaningful data which could be responded to appropriately.

e)    invited members’ comments and questions.

Performance Scrutiny Committee wanted it noted that they did not accept/agree the targets that had been set. The Committee stated that the targets should remain as they were and should have an explanation next to them as to why/how these targets had been changed. The Committee further stated that lowering the targets gave a message that the Council was striving for less when this was not the case and it did understand that targets had to be deliverable.

The Committee expressed concern over the process of target setting for 2021/22, as it was felt that Portfolio Holders had made decisions for their own portfolios without any scrutiny involvement. It was proposed that in future, Portfolio Holders attended the Performance Scrutiny Committee to present proposed changes and rationale for targets.

Members asked for the targets report to be brought back to the Committee with further explanations next to each target as to why there had been a change.