Agenda item

To consider the attached report.

The Service Director (Business Services), P Maginnis reported on the Quarter 3 performance in relation to the Key Performance Indicators & Work Programmes within the Corporate Plan. She advised that the performance measures had been streamlined to enable improved focus on how Corporate Objectives were being met. The Corporate Plan Quarterly Reporting provided details on an exception basis for Amber and Red RAG Ratings or items worth noting.

The Service Director reported the following updates;

Stronger Communities

·         Increased Customer Satisfaction – The target originally set had been 75%, which had been increased to 80% and the actual target achieved was 83%.

·         Improved Customer First Contact – The annual target had been set at 45% but the actual was currently 40.17%. The Contact Centre had taken on other services areas and hoped to achieve the target by the end of the financial year, following the increased improvement of 4.56% in the last quarter.

Stronger Place

·         To deliver the Council Housebuilding Programme/Building or acquiring new affordable properties in the District – Phased 2 had been completed and progress was being made on phases 3 and 4 in 2020.

·         Local Plan Programme – A member working group had been established to assist with the issues concerning the Habitats Regulation Assessment and what progression the Council could make, whilst awaiting the Main Modifications and further direction from the Planning Inspector.

·         St John’s Road Programme – The target had only been missed due to the delay in the Cabinet meeting, which had been because of the General Election in December 2019.

Stronger Council

·         People Strategy Programme – There had be a number of work streams which would be completed by the end of the financial year and a new strategy would be presented from 1 April 2020. Furthermore, the Stronger Council Select Committee had requested a workshop on the new structure that would be presented to the Cabinet and Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

·         Accommodation Strategy Programme – There were a number of working groups involved and the Decant Strategy and full ICT surveys would establish further requirements of the Civic Offices.

The Strategic Projects Portfolio Holder raised concerns about the low target set for the Improved Customer First Contact and it not being achieved. The Service Director advised that a Customer Strategy had recently been adopted and training was being provided to staff, to ensure that as many customer enquiries at first point of contact could be resolved.

Councillor I Hadley enquired about the number of staff in the Customer Contact Centre, their response time and whether there was any second line dedicated support officers. The Service Director advised that there were the equivalent of 15 full time members of staff in the Customer Contact Centre and response timelines had been set out in the Customer Strategy. The Customer Contact Officers did not have any second line support as any enquiries they could not resolve, were passed onto the relevant technical officer.

The Community & Partnership Portfolio Holder asked whether an update could be given on the Council Housebuilding Programme - Phase 2, Burton Road, Loughton. The Service Director advised that this phase had now been completed.

The Planning Services Planning Portfolio commented that the target for mid June 2020, for the consultation on the main Modifications in the Local Plan Programme, could possibly slip due to the Planning Inspector advising that her schedule was very busy. Also the comments sections for the St John’s Road Programme appeared to be missing some text.

            RESOLVED:

That the Quarter 3 Performance in relation to the Key Performance Indicators & Work Programmes within the Corporate Plan be noted.