AGENDA ITEM 8
BOROUGH OF POOLE
CABINET REPORT
8th December 2009
MID YEAR PERFORMANCE UPDATE FOR 2009/10
PART OF PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN – YES
STATUS - POLICY
1.PURPOSE
1.1To report on the Council’s performance mid year 2009/10.
2.DECISION REQUIRED
2.1The Cabinet is recommended to approve the report on service and financial performance.
3BACKGROUND
3.1The Council is an ambitious organisation exemplified by its mission statement “Striving for Excellence…for the people of Poole.”
3.2The overall ambitions the Council wishes to achieve over several years are defined in the five strategic objectives and six priorities in the corporate strategy known as “Striving for Excellence”. This drives the annual business planning process in Service Units
3.3The Council’s specific ambitions for 2009/10 were articulated in the business plans used by Service Units to define performance targets and allocate of resources. The measures used include value for money, customer satisfaction and impacts on the quality of life of local residents.
3.4The Service Unit business plans incorporate the performance targets that the Council has agreed to with its partners in the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and the Multi-Area Agreement (MAA).
3.5 This report gives and overview of the Council’s performance mid year 2009/10 in the context of “Striving for Excellence” and the Service Unit business plans.
4OVERVIEW OF THE COUNCIL’S PERFORMANCE IN 2009/10
4.1For a more detailed update of ‘progress to plan’ with key measures and milestones for the current year please refer to Annex A.
4.2 Striving for Excellence - an overview of performance in the first half year:-
The Children’s Services Board monitored all “red” indicators and assured themselves that good progress is being made, though bullying remains a target for improvement. The number of Looked after Children has risen, reflecting a national trend but the stability of their placements has improved. Overall, standards of achievement in schools have improved in line with expectations with the exception of KS2 English. There has been excellent progress in the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, though the timescale for submitting the Outline Business Case had to be re-negotiated. Other major projects (not funded through BSF) are on time and budget. Progress on the Age of Transfer project suffers from not yet having a dedicated project manger but is getting back on track.
Poole’s economy reflects the national position with job losses, an increase in benefit claims and little likelihood of achieving our Bridge to Work target. Development has slowed but not stopped (e.g. new John Lewis store & Old Orchard Plaza). However, there has been significant progress in town centre regeneration with all agreements now in place and tenders invited (see separate agenda item) as well as other significant road improvements such as the West Quay Road re-alignment.
There has been a significant increase in demand for adult social care which is stretching budgets and performance. Following a critical review of adult safeguarding, the situation has improved significantly in line with the agreed action plan, including work to establish a new Adult Safeguarding Board. Good progress has been made with regard to moving people with severe learning disabilities from hospital to their own homes. Council adopted a Charter for Older People and a number of specific schemes were initiated such as the exchange of bus passes for tokens that can be used on Community Transport. The Council received Level 3 of the Equalities Standard.
A strong platform for improvement was established with the start of the Carbon Management Plan in April and the implementation of specific initiatives such as the Sterte bio-mass boiler. Performance in overall environmental cleanliness is high but public expectations continue to rise. In planning, the action plan following the Pitt Review is being implemented and the Peer Review completed.
Poole remains a safe place to live and there have been reductions in a number of crimes such as criminal damage and assault. However, anti-social behaviour rose (from a low level compared to other urban areas) and the response has concentrated on the worst areas. Targets in respect of brief intervention therapies / alcohol harm are not being met.
The recession has affected the number of housing new starts though working with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) we have had some significant successes such as the rent to buy homes at Harbour Sail. Poole took the lead in working with HCA to develop a sub-regional bid for funding under their Single Conversation. We expect to receive green flag status for housing when the CAA results are announced.
We expect to reach our 2009/10 efficiency targets. The Asset Management Plan process is now more embedded in our work. Employee First Phase 1 was implemented on schedule and on budget delivering the predicted cashable savings; the Efficiency Review Programme was developed in time for next financial year. However, the economic challenges facing all local authorities are so much greater than when Striving for Excellence was last reviewed and so our efficiency work has to have even greater priority to protect front line services. This is our highest risk area.
5INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF PERFORMANCE
5.1The first results under the new Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) will be publicly announced on 10th December ’09. CAA has two component parts:
1.An Area Assessment of Poole the town - which assesses how well the Council and all its key partners understand and collectively respond to the needs of the people of Poole through
2.A scored Organisational Assessment of the Council – which separately considers how well we manage delivery of our services and how well we manage our financial, natural and human resources and council assets
The Audit Commission will be publishing outcomes for all Local Authorities on the ‘One Place’ website which aims to be the first choice site for independent information on the performance of local public services throughout England.
5.3The Poole Partnership Performance Management Group (PMG) and the Government Office for the South West (GOSW) receive reports on performance against the LAA and Performance Reward Grant Targets. We are still on target to achieve a significant proportion of the available reward grant, progress is being closely monitored by the PMG.
6“STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE”
6.1An interim draft of “Striving for Excellence” has been prepared to support the 2010/11 Medium Term Planning Process.
6.5A final draft version of Striving for Excellence will be presented to Members with the Medium Term Financial Plan early in the New-Year, giving Service Units a clear context for the preparation their final business plans for the ensuing year.
6.6An output of this process will be the development of a Corporate Performance Scorecard and it is against this that future Corporate Performance Reports will be presented.
6.7This will be informed by progress with agreed actions, targets and milestones articulated in Striving for Excellence, which in turn will be informed by a range of other strategies, and plans where responsibility for delivery of some areas rests with Council i.e. the Children and Young People’s Plan and corporate initiatives such as the Equalities Action plan.
7.FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
7.1.In summary the Council’s in-year budget monitoring continues to estimate a broadly balanced position for 2009/10. However the actual £375,000 surplus (0.4% of budget) is a net position of a number of significant variances incurred during the course of the year. These include a forecast £1m overspend in a combination of Adult and Children’s social care costs due to increases in demand for Looked after Children services and Older People’s Homecare. This pressure is offset by a number of significant areas of additional savings, grants and rental income including the impact of a lower than assumed pay award.
7.2.The Council is assuming that this forecast surplus will not be available at year-end to underpin either the budget for 2010/11 or the Medium Term Financial Plan. This is on the basis that the forecast overspends in both Adult’s and Children’s Social Care continue to steadily rise and the Council remains exposed to a number of significant risks, which could impact on the final outturn for the year. These include the Continuing Health Care status of a number of individuals in the Learning Disability client group that are currently in dispute and a capacity claim from a bus operator in respect of the Concessionary Fares scheme.
7.3 However in support of the Council’s overall financial position all Service Units are now being encouraged to consider both the need to fill any vacancies that arise, and the need to incur any expenditure not already committed. This is in anticipation that such action will increase the forecast surplus for 2009/10 and enable support to be provided to the medium term financial position of the Council.
8.Equalities
8.1TheCouncil achieved its target of reaching Level 3 of the Equality Standard for Local Government in September 2009. This was externally verified by an IDeA Peer Assessment. At the same time the Borough undertooka three year review of its Promoting Equality, Respecting Diversity (Equality) Scheme and Council adopted itsFairness for All Scheme (September 2009-12).The review and adoption of the new Scheme enabled the Council to meets its current statutory disability, gender and race equality duties to review these areas of work at least every three years.
Officer Lead –
Bridget West, Corporate Performance Manager
Background Papers:
Striving for Excellence
CAA
Fairness for All Equality Scheme
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