Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 244/05 of the Strategic Director. 

Introduction and Report Summary

This report compares the Council’s performance against that of the national top and bottom quartile data for 2004-05 which was published by the Audit Commission in mid- January 2006.

The Contact Officer for this report is Robert Woodside, Principal Performance Management Officer (01235 520202 ext 499).

Recommendation

That Members note the Council’s performance against the national top and bottom quartile results for 2004-05 and that active management of Best Value Performance Indicators is undertaken through the Corporate Governance Reporting process.  

(Time: 3.35pm to 3.50pm)

The Executive received and considered report 244/05 of the Strategic Director regarding Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPI).  The report compared performance against the national top and bottom quartile data for 2004/05, which was published by the Audit Commission in January 2006.  Amended pages 116 to 118 were tabled at the meeting.  These showed arrows indicating whether the performance had improved, reduced or stayed the same. 

Members noted that eight indicators had improved, moving up from a lower to a higher quartile.  Nineteen had stayed the same and eight had dropped to a lower quartile.  It was these eight with worsening performance that the Executive concentrated on:

• BVPI 11a, the percentage of top earners that were women, had reduced.  This was an indicator not a target.  The Council appointed to posts on merit.  In 2004/05 the effect on this indicator had been negative, whereas in other years it might be positive.  As an organisation, the Council was shrinking so the opportunity for this indicator to improve in the near future was limited, unless a vacancy occurred.  However, any appointments would still have to be on merit.  This was not an indicator the Council could control
• BVPI 12, the number of days sick per member of staff, had crept back up.  Members asked for Scrutiny Committee to be invited to investigate this and satisfy itself that everything was being done to minimise this or to ask for further action to reduce staff sickness
• BVPI 14, the number of early retirements of staff, had predictably worsened due to the effect of senior management restructuring.  In the current year performance would improve as no early retirements had been approved
• BVPI 17a, the number of staff from ethnic minorities, as with BVPI 11a above, this was something the Council could not control as it had a policy of making staff appointments on merit
• BVPI 76a, the number of benefit claimants visited per 1000 caseload, had dipped in 2004/05 but had improved in the current year
• BVPI 106, the number of new homes built on 'brown field' sites, again this had dipped in 2004/05 but was improving in the current year.  Members considered that 92% was still very high for a rural District, despite having just dropped out of the top quartile
• BVPI 109b, the percentage of minor planning applications determined within eight weeks, had dropped in 2004/05 but had recently improved
• BVPI 109c, the percentage of other planning applications determined within eight weeks, had also dropped in 2004/05 but like BVPI 109b above, had recently improved.  The Portfolio holder reported that he and the key Planning officers were investigating ways to improve performance further for this and indicators 109a and 109b

The Executive also looked at the other indicator performances.  With twice as many in the top or middle quartiles than the bottom quartile, Members asked the Chief Executive to send a message of congratulations to staff on this achievement in what had been a very difficult year. 

RESOLVED

(a)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 238