Agenda item

(Senior Performance Management Officer) To consider the attached report (FPM-015-2015/16).

The Director of Resources presented a report on the Quarter 2, Key Performance Indicators 2015/16.

The Director of Resources reported that the Council was required to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions and services were exercised, whilst having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. As part of the duty to secure continuous improvement, a range of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) relevant to the Council’s service priorities and key objectives was adopted each year and performance against all of the KPIs was reviewed on a quarterly basis.

A range of thirty-six Key Performance Indicators (KPI) was adopted for 2015/16. The KPIs were important to the improvement of the Council’s services and comprise a combination of former statutory indicators and locally determined performance measures. The aim of the KPIs was to direct improvement effort towards services, the national priorities and local challenges arising from the social, economic and environmental context of the District.

Progress in respect of all the KPIs was reviewed by Management Board and Overview and Scrutiny at the conclusion of each quarter, and service Directors reviewed KPI performance with the relevant Portfolio Holder(s) on an on-going basis throughout the year. The Select Committees were each responsible for the review of quarterly performance against specific KPIs within their areas of responsibility.

The position with regard to the achievement of target performance for the KPIs at the end of the second quarter (30 September 2015) was as follows:

(a)          26 (72%) indicators achieved target at the end of Q2;

(b)          10 (28%) indicators did not achieve target at the end of Q2; although 1 (10%) of these KPIs performed within the agreed tolerance for the indicator; and

(c)          27 (75%) of indicators were currently anticipated to achieve the cumulative year-end target. 

The Director of Resources advised that RES001 – Sickness absence had reduced compared to this time last year and further training for Managers had been arranged in relation to stress and mental Health awareness, which had been highlighted by further investigation into this KPI. RES002 – Invoice payments also looked like it would reach its target as well.

The Committee was asked to note the second quarter of 2015/16 in relation to the KPIs for 2015/16.

Councillor D Stallan asked whether there was any reason for the slippage in KPI RES002 – Invoices payments. The Director of Resources advised that there was no one reason, although factors such as annual leave may of possibly impacted the figure but only for a short period and was quickly recovered. The Assistant Director of Accountancy also monitored this KPI monthly and the introduction of e-invoices should also improve the performance.

Councillor A Lion advised that he had concerns for NEI011 – Commercial Rent Arrears. The Director of Resources advised that the figure was slightly behind, although it was improving and if required further details could be obtained from estates.

Resolved:

(1)        That the performance in respect of the second quarter of 2015/16 in relation to the Key Performance Indicators be noted.

Reasons for Decision:

The KPIs provide an opportunity for the Council to focus attention on how specific areas for improvement would be addressed, and how opportunities would be exploited and better outcomes delivered. It was important that relevant performance management processes were in place to review and monitor performance against the key objectives, to ensure their continued achievability and relevance, and to identify proposals for appropriate corrective action in areas of slippage or under performance.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

No other options were appropriate in this respect. Failure to review and monitor performance could mean that opportunities for improvement were lost and might of had negative implications for judgements made about the progress of the Council.