To report performance for the whole of the operating year 2007-08 against the Annual Operating Plan 2007-08, Best Value Performance Indicators, and the Direction of Travel indicators used previously by the Audit Commission.

The Committee considered performance for the whole of the operating year 2007-08 against the Annual Operating Plan 2007-08, Best Value Performance Indicators, and the Direction of Travel indicators used previously by the Audit Commission.

The Corporate Policy and Research Manager (CPRM) presented the report.  He said that whilst there had been clear improvement overall there were a number of areas that needed to be addressed. 

Targets had not been achieved for 36% of the performance indicators where the Council was the lead.  However, although the targets had been missed, performance had improved for 45% of these indicators compared with the previous year. 

Whilst performance against the majority of indicators continued to improve, performance against the targets in the Annual Operating Plan was more mixed.  He noted that in terms of two of the Council’s top priorities: Older People and Healthier Communities, 88% of indicators used in the Direction of Travel assessment had improved but only 1 of 8 indicators in the AOP achieved target.  In the case of Children and Young People 81% of indicators had improved over the year but only one-third of AOP indicators had achieved target.  He suggested there was particular scope for the Committee to challenge the failure to hit targets that were set locally.

He highlighted that the main risk to improvement was that the key points to emerge from the report would not be addressed, and that this would be reflected in adverse judgements under the Comprehensive Area Assessment in 2009.  This would be avoided if Directors ensured that the issues were picked up and addressed within their respective areas, updating service improvement plans accordingly.  

In the course of discussion the following principal points were made:

·         It was observed that performance against the Best Value Performance Indicators for planning showed a deterioration in performance compared with the previous year.  The CPRM said this was an example of a situation where statutory targets were still being met but the Service had made a trade off between performance and investment. 

·         Questions were asked about how the Council might be expected to fare under the new Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) regime, which would come into effect from April 2009, with the first published assessments in the autumn of that year.  The CPRM said that at the heart of this, although by no means the only factor, would be the Council’s performance, with its partners, in achieving the priorities and targets in the new Local Area Agreement. Although not yet officially confirmed, it seemed likely that there would be two complementary assessments under CAA: a scored assessment of the Council in its own right; and an area assessment of Herefordshire’s prospects for improvement, which would identify strengths and weaknesses but not give a numerical score.  This would simplify matters in one sense but would make some regional and national comparisons more difficult. The most important thing was for the Council and its partners to work together effectively to deliver the improvement in the areas they had  identified as the priorities for the county, based on a sound understanding of needs and the wishes and aspirations of people  and communities.

RESOLVED:

That    (a)        performance in 2007-08 be noted; and

            (b)       Directors prioritise and address the issues within their respective areas, including the updating of Service Plans