Agenda item

The Cabinet considered a range of indicators linked to key priorities and themes and the approach to managing risk.  The details were set out in the report and its Appendix.

In the ensuing discussion, the following main points were made:

(a)    The Cabinet Member for Transformation and Commissioning introduced the report and commented that of the 45 indicators in the Corporate Balance Scorecard, 20 had been rated as green and 9 as red. The following risks had been rated as red:

·         Looked After Children – this service was currently being revived and would change significantly in the next 12 months

·         Older people funded in permanent Care Home placements – capital was being invested to help old people maintain their well-being longer

·         Condition of the roads – Low levels of public satisfaction remained despite the good work undertaken by the Council to improve the condition of roads

·         Household Waste collected per head

·         Local areas as a place to live – All methods of communication were being revised to improve satisfaction levels

·         Staff Appraisals completed – All staff appraisals should be completed by the end of December

·         Sickness rates – This indicator should be looked at as a whole rather than in isolation. Sickness absence was not seen as an HR issue but more as a matter for the relevant department.

 The Corporate risks remained unchanged.

(b)     The Leader of the Council commented that the Balanced Scorecard needed refreshing to ensure that the performance management mechanism tracked the indicators that were important in the new Corporate Plan. Some of the targets were challenging therefore the gap between actual performance and where the Council wanted to perform was not decreasing. The number of Looked After Children was increasing and the Council was required to step in regardless of numbers which was the right thing to do yet this had a negative impact on the indicator;

(c)     It was recognised that many businesses failed within the first 3 years from set up. The Council would wish to encourage new business set ups and provide support for them; and

(d)     It was encouraging that 82.2% of local residents were satisfied with the local area as a place to live. However congestion was an issue for residents and impacted on their level of satisfaction and the Council needed to respond. Household waste tonnages were going up as more houses were being built in the County. However recycling rates per head had dropped perhaps due to a lack of understanding and the Council was looking at ways to educate the public to improve recycling rates. The Council continued to subsidise and encourage the take up of compost bins because the type of waste that was compostable was heavy and therefore expensive to landfill.

RESOLVED:  that

(a)        the latest update of the Corporate Balanced Scorecard for Quarter Two 2016/17 be received, the 20 indicators rated as 'green' noted and the actions being taken to improve performance for the 7 indicators rated 'red', where there has been an update in Quarter Two 2016/17, considered;

(b)       the latest refresh of the Corporate Risk Register including actions to mitigate the two risks that are rated 'red' be noted; and

(c)        the Chief Executive be authorised in consultation with the Leader of the Council to refresh the indicators that sit on the Corporate level Balanced Scorecard to reflect the new 2017-2022 Corporate Plan with effect from 1 April 2017.