To report performance for the period April to December 2008 against the Corporate Plan 2008-11, the Local Area Agreement and the Herefordshire Community Strategy, and other key indicators where data is available against which a RAG rating or direction of travel judgement can be made, taking account of the separate but complementary financial performance report, risk and progress against the action plans produced following the Crookall review.

The Cabinet Member Corporate and Customer Services and Human Resources presented the report to Cabinet and advised that the style of the report was to be reviewed, so that in future it would be shorter and more analytical.  Cabinet noted the report, which outlined performance for the first nine months of 2008-2009 against the Corporate Plan 2008-11, the Local Area Agreement, the Herefordshire Community Strategy, and other key indicators.  In particular Cabinet was informed that no schools within the authority were now under special measures.

The report also took into account the separate but complementary financial performance report, risk and progress against the action plans produced following the Crookall review.  Cabinet noted that whilst overall the picture was one of improvement as many more indicators than in the last report (to the end of September 2008) were on course to reach their target, a significant but smaller minority than before were flagged red.  This was either because they were not expected to achieve target, or because robust evidence of action being taken to achieve target had not been provided.  Members were also advised that many of the judgments on indicators relating to adult social care were based on forecasts, due to the lack of updated data from the Frameworki system; this information was expected to be available at the end of March 2009. 

It was noted that the economic downturn would prove challenging and had impacted on a number of targets, such as numbers of young people not in employment, education or training.  However Members also noted that the authority had improved performance significantly, whilst at the same time turning what earlier in the year had been a large projected overspend in the council’s budget into a small projected underspend. 

The Chairman of the Strategic Monitoring Committee described his committee’s consideration of the report.  It has expressed some concern about some aspects of street cleaning and waste collection and wanted greater clarity on what was being done to provide more affordable housing.  The Cabinet Member Environment and Strategic Housing responded and explained that Cabinet would be asked to approve land at Elmhurst and some sites on Council owned land for an option appraisal, which if approved, provided the potential for the building of affordable homes.

RESOLVED

         THAT Cabinet:

a)            considers performance to the end of December 2008 and the measures taken, where necessary, to improve it; and

b)           notes progress in implementing the action plans produced following the Crookall review.