Agenda item

(Interim Transformation Programme Manager) To consider the attached report.

The Interim Transformation Manager, G Nicholas advised that the Corporate Plan 2018-2023 was the authority’s key strategic planning document. The Plan laid out the journey that the Council would take to transform the organisation to be ‘Ready for the Future’. The plan linked the key external drivers influencing council services, with a set of corporate aims and objectives, grouped under three corporate ambitions.

A Corporate Specification for each year (previously called the Key Action Plan) detailed how the Corporate Plan was being delivered through operational objectives, with these in turn linked to annual service business plans.

The success of the Corporate Plan was assessed through the achievement of a set of benefits, each measured through one or more performance indicators, focussed on what the Council achieved for customers. Management Board, Cabinet and the Scrutiny Committees had overview and scrutiny roles, to drive improvement in performance and ensure corrective action was taken where necessary.

The Interim Transformation Manager highlighted the performance indicators that had not achieved their quarter targets and the reasons for this, as follows;

·         M2.2 – Number of days to process benefits claims – The target had not been met, although process had now been adapted and it was hoped that it would meet the target in the next quarter.

·         M4.3 - Number of New Residential Properties Built or Acquired by the Council – The value was 8 and remained static. It related to the Council House Building Programme and the Housing & Property Portfolio Holder advised that 5 homes from phase 3 had been handed over.

·         M9.6 – Delivery of the Technology Strategy - The new projects added had reduced the overall percentage of completions and a number of projects were on hold due to the accommodation work.

·         M10.2 –Annual Council Tax collection - This had marginally missed the target.

Further updates included;

·         M2.1 Number of Safeguarding Concerns and M3.1 – Number of Community Champions and volunteers –Both indicators had met their targets in quarter 2; and

·         M8.3 – Number of Governance Meetings – The figure had been inputted incorrectly as 61 and should have been 16.

The Committee commented on M1.2 Number of ‘take-away’ restaurants signed up to ‘Tuck In’ pledge, enquiring about the associated costs, whether the hygiene stars were involved and that the Rock N Roe details were incorrect as previously mentioned at the Neighbourhoods Select Committee on 20 November 2018. The Acting Chief Executive advised that this was an Essex County Council (ECC) initiative and funded by a number of stakeholders, which aimed to increase awareness of healthier alternatives in take away shops. The hygiene ratings were completely separate and the details regarding the Rock N Roe would be corrected.

Councillor J H Whitehouse asked for further information to be provided at the next Communities Select Committee regarding the Buckhurst Hill Social Isolation Pilot Project Report mentioned in Corporate Objective 3.1 – Enabling communities to support themselves and the three thematic Health & Wellbeing Action Groups mentioned in M1.1 – Delivery of the Epping Forest Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee noted the outturn position for Quarter 2 2018/19, in relation to the achievement of the Corporate Plan for 2018-2023.