Agenda item

Pat Jukes, Business Manager – Corporate Policy:

a)    presented and update to Performance Scrutiny Committee on agreed performance targets for 2021/22 for initial reporting in Q1 2021/22 and to provided additional supporting information on the rationale for the changes

b)    highlighted that Appendix A detailed the measures chosen for target monitoring. The targets were developed by the Assistant Directors in consultation with their Service Managers and then confirmed by Directors and Portfolio Holders, before presented to Performance Scrutiny Committee and Executive.

An additional column had been included for those measures with confirmed changes which summarised the rationale for the change and any planned next steps

c)    explained that there was a total of 19 proposed changes as follows:

·         Four measures had been removed altogether for 2021/22, all of which were targeted measures:

-       CS 4 – Average Customer Feedback Score (face to face enquiries – score out of 10). Not currently able to be collected

-       CS 5 – Customer Satisfaction with their Phone Call to Customer Services. Not currently able to be collected.

-       PRS 1 – Return on New Commercial Investments. Commercial property purchases no longer being pursued.

-       HM 3 – Percentage of Tenants Satisfied with Repairs and Maintenance. Not currently able to be collected

·         A further two currently targeted measures had been changed to volumetric measures due to ongoing uncertainty. The measures proposed were:

-       WBL 2 – Number of New Starters on the Apprenticeship Scheme

-       WBL 3 – Percentage of Apprentices Moving into Education, Employment or Training

·         Of the remaining targeted measures there were now 13 confirmed changes reflective of the current situation:

-       ACC 1 – Average Return on Investment Portfolio

-       REV 1 – Council Tax – In Year Collection Rate for Lincoln

-       REV 2 – Business Rates – In Year Collection Rate for Lincoln

-       REV 3 - Number of Outstanding Customer Changes in the Revenues Team

-       BE 1 – Average (YTD) Days to Process New Housing Benefit Claims from Date Received

-       BE 3 – Number of Housing Benefits/ Council Tax Support Customers Awaiting Assessment

-       BE 4 – Percentage of Risk-Based Quality Checks made where Benefit Entitlement was Correct

-       PH 3 – Number of Empty Homes Brought Back into Use

-       WM 1 – Percentage of Waste Recycled or Composted

-       RC 1 – Rent Collected as a Proportion of Rent Owed

-       RC 2 – Current Tenant Arrears as a Percentage of the Annual Rent Debit

-       HV 2 – Average Re-Let Time Calendar Days for all Dwellings – Standard Re-Lets

-       HV 3 – Average Re-Let Time Calendar Days for all Dwellings (Including Major Works)

d)    highlighted that following the call-in of the original report seen by Performance Scrutiny on 22 June 2021 and then by Executive on 24 June 2021, a Select Scrutiny Committee sat on Wednesday 26 July 2021 to decide on the way forward. It was agreed that:

·         The performance targets for 2021/22 as agreed at Executive on 24 June 2021 would not be revisited – so stand as approved

·         In future years the target setting process would be more robust, with fuller explanations and attendance by relevant senior officers at Performance Scrutiny Committee to explain the changes proposed and answer member questions

·         The performance target report would go back to Performance Scrutiny Committee on 10 August 2021 in its entirety, accompanied with further explanations in order that members had the opportunity to understand fully why the targets had been changed

e)    explained that as requested by CMT during the initial stages of developing the 2021/22 targets, there would be a review of the changed targets commencing in September 2021, in advance of the normal annual target setting process. This would focus on:

·         Understanding whether we could be in a position before the year-end to revert the two temporary volumetric measures back to targeted measures

·         Reviewing whether any progress had been made on identifying a different way of monitoring satisfaction

·         A review of the 13 target changes to determine whether the targets should remain for the rest of the year as set

·         Setting timescales for the formal review of all targets for 2022/23

f)     invited members’ comments and questions.

Question: Members asked for clarification on the timescale for both the short and long terms targets being reviewed at the end of Quarter 2 in September 2021.

Response: Both sets of targets would be looked at, with the short-term targets (those with proposed changes in 2021/22) being looked at first at the same timing as Q2 data, followed by the long-term targets as part of the normal annual review of targets.

Question: Members asked whether the targets that had changed due to Covid-19 would be changed once reviewed.

Response: If the targets needed to be changed then they would be.

Question: Members had concerns over the ‘white paper’ publication date being delayed and asked if it was a wise decision for the Council to stop advertising/educating residents about what recycling belonged in which bin.

Response: There was a lot going on at the moment regarding government consultations. Some aspects of the ‘white paper’ would move more quickly than others. Waste and recycling would be changing significantly over the next few years. More recycling initiatives were being rolled out locally and the education would be delivered alongside this.

Question: Members asked if it was common practice for garden waste to be placed into general waste bins.

Response: Garden waste should not be placed in domestic bins. If residents were found to be doing this then staff would be sent to try and educate the residents and explain how the process worked before enforcement action was taken.

RESOLVED that the rationale given for changes to targets for Q1 2021/22 be noted.