Agenda item

(Indicative timing: 10.05am – 10.35am)

The Panel had received information for performance and budget monitoring.

Performance Information for Quarter 1 (April to June 2022) -  the Management Information Analyst for performance relating to the Environment and Infrastructure (E&I) Directorate referred to the dashboard in the Agenda. The dashboard now also included additional data about business survival rate tables from the Office for National Statistics datasets and a summary of railway station usage/journey times for the main stations in Worcestershire.

Overall, the number of business enterprises had fallen however data was nearly a year out of date with new data available in November. There had been an increase in the number of short-term businesses. In future it was hoped to include some indication of comparison with other areas and the national average.

Inclusion of train journey times for all the main stations (not just Worcester) was hindered by factors such as where a passenger needed to change en-route, therefore the Officers were happy to revisit the Panel’s data needs.

Discussion points:

·         A Panel member commented that Redditch appeared to be underperforming and asked what could be done to improve train services and help drive business forward. The Assistant Director for Economy advised that the picture in Redditch was down to a number of factors, including the challenges experienced by a number of predominant sectors. The problem was not just connectivity and the Council was working with the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (WLEP) on a number of areas including business start-up, apprenticeships, schools and forward planning.

·         The Assistant Director for Economy, Major Projects & Waste added that plans for Redditch station were one element and the Worcestershire Rail Investment Strategy, currently being consulted on, was an important part of future growth.

·         A Panel Member was keen for more detail to show the quality (not just quantity) of jobs available in sectors such as business administration support and was advised that Chamber of Commerce wage surveys and the Worcestershire Jobs website would provide information on the range and level of jobs.

·         The current jobs market was quite tight, therefore some employers were increasing wages to attract candidates.

·         Panel Members considered whether information on educational attainment would add value and the fact that the range of courses on offer was important in changing the profile of jobs

·         It was agreed that it was important to promote the range of options available to young people leaving school since university was not appropriate for all, and the Officers reassured the Panel that they aimed to achieve this, as well as working with local universities to have the option of promoting Worcestershire for future careers.

·         The Council’s Skills and Investment Group Manager explained that the Team worked with school years 7 – 13 and that 89% of young people had received the appropriate level of support the previous year. However, some connecting work was required to ensure that colleges fed the needs of employers and not just those of students.

·         The Cabinet Member with Responsibility (CMR) for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills spoke about his involvement with education and career advice to young people – he felt that progress was mixed and a key mistake had been the withdrawal of career advice infrastructure in schools, which was not part of a teacher’s skill set. Work had since started in Worcestershire to give young people access to information and advice for all post 16 options, and he wanted to have a better supply of well-informed and prepared young people - Cabinet had confirmed £1.2million of funding to sustain and support this provision.

·         The high figure for adults in employment in Gloucestershire was thought to be due to the size of the population but it was agreed that this would be checked and the Panel advised accordingly.

·         A Member suggested that the target for Worcestershire homes and business premises to be connected to superfast broadband at 24 megabits per second was far too low and the bar should be lifted. The Officers suggested this could be raised at the next Panel meeting when the Annual Broadband update was discussed.

Information requested:

The Panel would be provided with or directed to Chamber of Commerce Wage Surveys

In-Year Budget Information for Period 4 – the Deputy Chief Finance Officer summarised the main points from the information included in the Agenda.

The position at period 4 forecast an underspend for the Environment and Infrastructure (E&I) Directorate overall, within which there was an overspend for areas under the remit of this Panel, and underspend for those relating to the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Panel. The forecast overspend was linked mainly to Transport Planning and Strategic Planning (reduced levels of capitalisation, inflationary increases and contractor costs to cover hard to recruit specialist vacancies). The forecast underspend in Economy and Sustainability was due to vacant posts.

The Directorate was working hard on areas of overspend including contract and utility costs to look at options for contract management whilst fulfilling the strategic response. The E&I Directorate had contributed £435,000 towards the £5.1m corporate savings target, £150,000 of which was from areas within the Panel’s remit.

Discussion points:

·         It was confirmed that cost increases within the Council’s contracts were significant for materials (as much as 30-40%) and staff costs, although this varied across the broad skillset involved.

·         Some specialist roles were proving particularly difficult to recruit to, despite having refreshed roles and advertising with support from Human Resources – salaries may be a factor in some cases but additionally, the recruitment pool for some skillsets was low.

·         The Panel was advised that while the Team responding to planning applications was stretched, the Directorate had arrangements in place to bring in external people to teams with vacant posts however, this cost significantly more.

·         The Team responsible for Section 278 agreements had 4-5 vacancies which was a third of the Team, with the vacancies being covered by additional resources, albeit not Council staff. Vacancy levels varied across different teams and the Assistant Director for Economy, Major Projects and Waste would confirm numbers.

·         There were a small number of apprentices across the E&I Directorate, and opportunities for more were considered although appropriate skills and attitude were important.

·         The Directorate worked very closely with contractors to mitigate cost pressures within contracts, including reducing fuel use, looking at streetlighting and giving more flexibility to cluster and manage jobs.

·         European energy efficiency grants for businesses were very much in demand.

·         Tendering of contracts was reviewed on a case-by-case basis with different approaches being considered as a way to reduce costs, for example short-term contacts where appropriate.

·         A Panel member commented that situations such as the rising cost of living necessitated new approaches which could sometimes be positive in the long-term.

Information requested:

-       Numbers of staff vacancies for the E&I Directorate.