Agenda item

(Performance Management Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-064-2009/10).

(1)        That the Council’s performance against the objectives, targets and actions contained in the Council Plan for 2006 to 2010, for the year to 31 March 2009 be noted;

(2)        That the performance for the first eight months of 2009/10, in relation to the Council’s key priority objectives for the year be noted; and

(3)        That the Council’s proposed key priority objectives for 2010/11 be agreed as a work-in-progress.

The Performance Management Portfolio Holder presented a report regarding the Council’s performance against the Council Plan 2006-10 and the Council’s key priority objectives for 2009/10, as well as outlining the proposed key priority objectives for 2010/11.

The Portfolio Holder stated that the Council Plan for the period 2006-10 was the authority’s key strategic planning document, setting out the service delivery priorities over the four-year period, with strategic themes matching those set out in the current Community Strategy for the District. The Action Plan attached at Appendix 1 of the report outlined the Council’s performance against the objectives of the Council Plan. Although the statutory requirement to publish a Best Value Performance Plan had been removed from 2009/10, this process traditionally provided an opportunity for the Council to articulate its key priority objectives for each year, and, at its meeting on 5 February 2009, the Cabinet had adopted a range of specific key priority objectives for 2009/10. Attached at Appendix 2 to the report was the progress report of the Council’s performance against each of the Key Priority Objectives for 2009/10. To enable the Council to focus on key priorities and improve performance, it was also now necessary to adopt the Council’s key priority objectives for 2010/11 and the proposals were attached at Appendix 3 of the report.

Concern was expressed at the apparent abrupt change of priorities, the lack of longer-term objectives and the need for the proposed objectives to inform other strategies such as the Capital Strategy. The Leader of the Council explained that the current uncertain economic circumstances had necessitated a change of priorities, cross-cutting across all the Portfolios. It was acknowledged that the current list did not contain much detail, but it was linked to the Council’s Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The Cabinet was requested to agree the proposed priorities as an interim measure before further refinement was undertaken.

There was some uneasiness voiced about two of the options within the Council Plan to increase Affordable Housing within the District, involving the use of Green Belt land and further development on urban spaces within existing estates. It was felt that both options should only be pursued as a last resort. It was emphasised that the Council Plan had been developed in 2006 and these options would be fully reviewed for the new Plan. However, the Cabinet was reminded that the District still had a requirement for more affordable housing. The Portfolio Holder added that further discussions had taken place with Harlow Council about sharing the resources of their contact centre, but that there were no plans at the current time to implement a full-scale contact centre at the Civic Offices.

Decision:

(1)        That the Council’s performance against the objectives, targets and actions contained in the Council Plan for 2006 to 2010, for the year to 31 March 2009 be noted;

(2)        That the performance for the first eight months of 2009/10, in relation to the Council’s key priority objectives for the year be noted; and

(3)        That the Council’s proposed key priority objectives for 2010/11 be agreed as a work-in-progress.

Reasons for Decision:

It was important that the relevant performance management processes were in place to review and monitor performance against the Council’s key objectives, priorities and targets, to ensure their continued achievability and relevance, and to identify proposals for appropriate corrective action in areas of under performance.

The annual identification of key priority objectives provided an opportunity for the Council to focus specific attention on how existing weaknesses would be addressed, opportunities exploited and better outcomes delivered for local people.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To not set any specific key priority objectives for 2010/11, although this might mean that opportunities for improvement were lost.