To report end-year performance for 2008/09 against the Council’s key indicators from the Corporate Plan 2008/11, the Local Area Agreement and the Herefordshire Community Strategy, and any other indicators where data is available against which a RAG rating or direction of travel judgement can be made. (To Follow)

The Corporate Policy and Research Manager, Steve Martin, presented the report on the end of year Integrated Corporate Performance Report. He advised Members that future reports would be presented in a different, streamlined format; a briefing would be arranged before the new arrangements came into effect.  Cabinet was advised that, since the production of the end of year report, validated information as regards social care for both children and adults had become available from Frameworki.  This therefore replaced the forecast out-turn or earlier data used for judgements in the circulated report.  Members were assured that, although there were, as a result, some changes in the judgements as regards individual indicators, the overall picture as presented in the circulated report had not been altered significantly.

Cabinet was informed that, as usual, two main forms of judgement were considered in assessing performance: performance against the targets the Council had set and direction of travel (i.e. how the indicators did in 2008-09 compared with the previous year).  In relation to performance of key indicators against targets set, 63 indicators (56%) had achieved their target with 32 indicators (29%) below target (with a small number remaining amber because validated end-of-year information was, for good reason, not yet available).  This result was better than in the previous year, 2007/08, in which 32% of the targets had been achieved but 36% had not.  Members were advised that, in relation to the Local Area Agreement (LAA), 20 of the 30 indicators were on track, with 8 currently behind target.  As regards direction of travel, 55% of indicators showed improved performance compared with the previous year, while 40% had deteriorated: this compared with 60% and 30% respectively in 2007/08.

Responding to a question as to whether the authority might in some instances be setting unachievable targets, and that the number of red-rated indicators might therefore be presenting a falsely negative picture of performance, particularly since a number of red-rated indicators were close to achieving the requisite target level, the Corporate Policy and Research Manager stressed that performance should be considered in the wider context of the judgements outlined above.  In particular, it was important to note that, in the case of some indicators, whilst set targets had not been achieved, performance had improved compared with the previous year. Nonetheless, targets had been agreed as part of the performance improvement cycle, including the allocation of resources, so as to deliver the Council’s priorities, so they did need to be taken seriously.  It was acknowledged that, where performance had improved significantly on the previous year’s, this should provide a good basis for higher levels of achievement in the future. 

RESOLVED That Cabinet:

(a)    notes performance for 2008-09; and

(b)   agrees that directors should ensure that the performance issues arising are addressed within their respective areas.