To report the Council’s performance for the first six months of 2008-09 against the Corporate Plan 2008-11 and national performance indicators used externally to measure the Council’s performance, taking account of the separate but complementary financial performance report, risk and progress against the action plans produced following the Crookall review. 

Cabinet considered a report on the Council’s performance for the first six months of 2008-09 against the Corporate Plan 2008-11 and national performance indicators used externally to measure the Council’s performance, taking account of the separate but complementary financial performance report, risk and progress against the action plans produced following the Crookall review.

Introducing the report, the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Customer Services and Human Resources underlined the importance of focusing on specific areas of good or poor performance rather than generalities, so as to ensure that areas that needed to improve were clearly exposed and the necessary remedial action followed through by lead Cabinet members and the relevant managers.

The Corporate Policy and Research Manager (CPRM) highlighted further improvements that had been made following feedback from Members on the new style of report that had been presented for the first time in October.

Having drawn attention to the improved position overall in relation to Corporate Plan indicators but the deterioration in aggregate as regards those that had been used up to now by the Audit Commission for assessing direction of travel, he highlighted specific issues identified in the report in relation to the Council’s top priorities.

Children’s indicators showed a mixed picture. Continuing concern about some aspects of assessment and youth services, and newly red-rated indicators in respect of absenteeism and young people not in education, employment or training but improvements in the timely review of child protection cases, referrals going to initial assessment and children with a named social worker. The CPRM drew attention to the Director’s commentary, which reported good progress with recruitment and the new Framework system, both of which should help to improve a number of key indicators in the months ahead.

In relation to adult social care, he highlighted the positive developments highlighted in the Director’s commentary but also the six newly red-rated indicators, most of which were because of delays in Council and Primary Care Trust (PCT) discussions necessary to provide a basis for robust reporting and management of performance.

Finally, he highlighted the continuing challenges in tackling homelessness during the credit-crunch and recession.  Although a number of indicators remained red-rated, successful preventative action had been taken and overspending reduced. 

The Chairman of Strategic Monitoring Committee referred to the following areas which the Strategic Monitoring Committee had discussed in relation to this report:

(i)                  the overall position in relation to the Corporate Plan and the direction of travel indicators;

(ii)                the importance of establishing robust baselines; 

(iii)               concern regarding the delays in conducting discussions with the PCT that were essential to improving some areas of performance; and

(iv)              concern about the one new risk with a high score even after mitigating action, namely ‘Lack of planning by other parts of the organisation is having a significant impact on the ability of the ICT to deliver to customers’ timescales’.

The CPRM explained that a rigorous view was taken regarding the need for robust baselines to be established as quickly as possible. Some were complex or had to be provided by Government or depended on the results of the new national Place Survey or other surveys. There was a clear timetable for each and, where the baseline was not yet in place, progress was assessed, wherever possible, by reference to key actions or proxy indicators that, if achieved, should contribute to better performance against the relevant indicators.

RESOLVED:   That Cabinet

(i)                 notes the performance to the end of September 2008 and the measures being taken, where necessary, to improve it; and

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