Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Henry Caunce, Mick Davies, Mike Devaney, Keth Iddon, Thomas McGowan and Alan Cullens (Executive Member for Resources).

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any personal interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda. If the interest arises only as result of your membership of another public body or one to which you have been appointed by the Council then you only need to declare it if you intend to speak.

If the personal interest is a prejudicial interest, you must withdraw from the meeting. Normally you should leave the room before the business starts to be discussed. You do, however, have the same right to speak as a member of the public and may remain in the room to enable you to exercise that right and then leave immediately. In either case you must not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter.

There were no declarations of interest by Members relating to the items on the agenda.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meetings of the Corporate and Customer Overview and Scrutiny Panel - Efficiency Gains Sub-Group held on 13 December 2007, 17 December 2007, 30 January 2008, 4 February 2008, 5 February 2008 and 8 February 2008 (enclosed). 

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meetings of the Corporate and Customer Overview and Scrutiny Panel - Efficiency Gains Sub-Group held on 13 December 2007, 17 December 2007, 30 January 2008, 4 February 2008, 5 February 2008 and 8 February 2008 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Members of the public who have requested the opportunity to ask a question(s) on an item(s) on the agenda will be asked to put their question(s) to the Panel. Each member of the public will be allowed to ask one supplementary question within his/her allocated 3 minutes.  

No members of the public requested to speak at the meeting.

The Sub-Group are asked to consider the enclosed scoping document, project plan, information checklist witness checklist and inquiry action plan. 

The Sub-Group considered the enclosed scoping document, project plan, information checklist and witness checklist.

RESOLVED – That the Inquiry documentation be noted.

Best Value Performance Indicators – Performance trends 2003/04 to 2006/07 (No 20 in the Inquiry box file). 

Schedule of responses from feedback sessions with Directors and other officers (No 24 in the Inquiry box file). 

Verbal update on the Value For Money Program. 

Members considered Best Value Performance Indicators – Performance trends 2003/04 to 2006/07 and clarified several points.  There will a change in the reporting mechanism for performance as the current Best Value Performance Indicators are being phased out.  There are 200 indicators currently out for consultation as part of the Local Area Agreements.  The sub-group discussed the full list of indicators.

An exercise was undertaken to establish which of the best value performance indicators from the current performance reporting regime would remain important in terms of measuring service quality as a measure of efficiency in 2008/09 and beyond.  A number of the more useful indicators in determining quality of service delivery will be retained in the National Indicator Set or in the Value for Money indicator set to be adopted by the Council.

The list below details those indicators recommended to be important going forward which do not meet either of these two criteria particularly given the inclusion of a value for money indicator in the National Indicator Set which will assess the Council's delivery of net, ongoing cash-releasing value for money gains that have impacted since the start of the financial year.  

BV3: Overall satisfaction with the Council,

BV2a: The equality standard for local government in England,

Ombudsman: average number of days to respond to complaints,

BV4: Percentage of user satisfaction with complaints handling,

BV8: Percentage of invoices paid by agreed date or within 30 days,

BV9: Percentage of Council Tax collected: Adjusted for deprivation,

BV10: Percentage of NNDR collected,

BV12: Average number of days lost to sickness absence,

BV111: Satisfaction of applicants with planning service (CPA indicator E3),

BV86: Cost of waste collection per household,

BV90a: Satisfaction with waste collection (CPA indicator E8A),

BV90b: Satisfaction with recycling adjusted for deprivation (CPA indicator E8B),

BV89: Satisfaction with cleanliness of public space - adjusted for deprivation (CPA indicator E38),

BV64: Number of non-LA-owned vacant dwellings returned to occupation or demolished during

the year as a direct result of action by the authority (CPA indicator H23),

BV183a: Average length of stay in B&B accommodation (in weeks) (CPA indicator H14),

BV183b: Average length of stay in hostel accommodation (in weeks) (CPA indicator H15),

BV203: Percentage change in the number of households in temporary accommodation at 31

March (CPA indicator H22),

HIP Percentage of homelessness acceptances that are repeat applications,

BV119a: Satisfaction with sports and leisure facilities (CPA indicator C5),

BV119e: Satisfaction with parks and open spaces (CPA indicator C9),

BV175: Percentage of racial incidents reported to the council that resulted in further action (CPA indicator H19).

The sub-group noted a schedule compiled with responses from the interviews with the directors and the external auditor.  

The Business Improvement Manager updated the sub-group on the Value For Money Program.  Service reviews will be undertaken during 2007/8 as part of a 3-year programme.  These will involve the study of activities and processes undertaken within directorates with a focus on driving out waste and inefficiency and further enhancing the customer experience.

RESOLVED – That the evidence  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the draft Final Report of the Sub-Group (to follow).

The report will be presented to the meeting of the Corporate and Customer Overview and Scrutiny Panel to be held on 11 March.

The Chair introduced the report and asked the sub-group for comments page by page.  Members clarified several points. 

It was noted that some comments were required from Directors on the schedule of responses.  It was AGREED that these be undertaken before the report was presented to the Panel.  

RESOLVED – That the report be presented to the meeting of the Corporate and Customer Overview and Scrutiny Panel to be held on 11 March.