To note the Council’s 2007 Comprehensive Performance Assessment and direction of Travel statement issued by the Audit Commission on 7 February.

The Committee was informed of the Council’s 2007 Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) and Direction of Travel statement issued by the Audit Commission on 7 February.

The report to Cabinet on 21 February was appended to the report.

The Corporate Policy and Research Manager (CPRM) presented the report.  He reported that, as predicted in the Integrated Performance and Finance Report presented to the Committee in February, the Council’s overall CPA score, relating to performance up to the end of March 2007, had fallen to 2*.  The reason for this was the fall in the rating for Housing from 2* to 1*.  He drew attention to the table in the report showing star ratings by government office region.

The Audit Commission’s assessment of the Council’s direction of travel was that the Council was improving adequately.  The CPRM referred to the Commission’s summary quoted in the report, noting that it gave a mixed picture.  On the positive side, it stated that, “Performance has improved in most priority areas”, which was an improvement on the 2006 judgement that overall service levels had been maintained.    He also highlighted the references in the summary to improvements in Children’s Services, Adult Social Care and tax collection and benefits administration.  On the negative side, the summary referred to increased costs in collecting waste and limited progress on the Council’s business transformation programme.  He noted that value for money overall was described as reasonable, but that this was not measured consistently across the Council.  The inspectorates had developed some non-mandatory performance indicators for value for money that were being considered by officers.  He also mentioned the Commission’s reference to the significant weaknesses  that the Council had identified in the governance of ICT, which also noted that plans to address them had been agreed.

He drew attention to the table in the report showing direction of travel assessments by government office region.

He advised that the key to improvement was to continue to steadily improve performance against the performance indicators and to ensure the delivery of improvement plans, including those involving joint work with the Primary Care Trust, to improve value for money and to strengthen internal control arrangements.  If this was done, he considered that the Council should be well-placed for the Commission’s 2008 assessment, published in early 2009, to judge the Council’s direction of travel to be “improving well”.

In the ensuing discussion the following principal points were made:

·         The report had stated that the change in rating of the performance of the housing service did not represent a deterioration in performance but was a result of a one year change in the selection of indicators used by the Audit Commission.    It was asked how the assessment of other authorities’ Housing Services had been affected by this change.   The CPRM said that there was a mixed picture.  When the CPA had been introduced the assessments had been made on the basis of performance against performance indicators and an inspection.  The Council’s Housing Service had been given the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77

To confirm the Council’s 2007 Comprehensive Performance Assessment and Direction of Travel statement issued by the Audit Commission on 7 February.

The Corporate Policy and Research Manager presented the report, which confirmed the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) and the Direction of Travel for 2007 issued by the Audit Commission on 7 February.  He drew attention to the tables in the report comparing Herefordshire with other authorities.  In respect of CPA Herefordshire was one of three two star authorities in the West Midlands.  He added that the fall in the Council’s overall CPA score from three star to two star was due to a one year only change in the selection of indicators used for housing, which had caused it under the mechanical scoring system to fall to one star.  This was despite Strategic Housing’s performance having secured notable improvements as regards the number of families in bed and breakfast accommodation.

With regard to the Direction of Travel assessment, it was noted that performance had improved in most priority areas, particularly in exam results, arrangements for looked after children, tax collection and benefits administration and with the speed of planning applications, street cleanliness and recycling levels.  Value for money had been judged to be reasonable, but not measured consistently.  Progress was judged as being made in most improvement plans but the overall picture was not being reported clearly. 

Cabinet noted that Herefordshire was now the only authority in the West Midlands that was judged as only improving adequately in the West Midlands.  With regard to the next Direction of Travel assessment it was stated that currently 62% of performance indicators were on track to improve in 2007/08 compared with 2006/07 and that action was being taken to achieve an even better outturn.  If the Council was also successful in delivering the improvement programme, it should be possible to achieve the Improving Well category in 2008.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services thanked officers for their complimentary reference to achievement in Children and Young People’s Services and the good work that was being carried out.

RESOLVED

THAT the report be noted.