Agenda item

To seek approval to the priorities, projects and performance indicators to be monitored as the performance management framework for the Council for 2018/19.

RESOLVED that the actions and targets included in the Performance Reports 2018/19 and the Priorities and Projects 2018/19, as attached at Appendix A to item A.3 of the Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder, be approved and that monitoring against these indicators be undertaken on a quarterly basis by the Cabinet and by the two Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

There was submitted a report by the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate Resources (A.1), which sought Cabinet’s approval to the priorities, projects and performance indicators to be monitored as the performance management framework for the Council for 2018/19.

Cabinet was aware that at the meeting of the full Council held on 5 July 2016 a new Corporate Plan for the period 2016 to 2020 had been agreed. Since then it has been the practice each municipal year to develop a suite of Priorities and Projects that set out in more detail the most important priorities and specific key projects for that year. The Priorities and Projects were supplemented by the departmental and service performance targets which identified the detailed actions and targets for the delivery of the Council’s priorities, against which robust performance monitoring could take place throughout the year.

It was reported that for 2018/19 the Priorities and Projects had been determined through discussions with the Leader, Deputy Leader and members of the Cabinet. At the full Council meeting held on 23 January 2018 the Leader had announced the Priorities and Projects for 2018/19. Since then some refinement of those Priorities and Projects had taken place and they had also been informed by the recommendations and report following the recent LGA Peer Challenge.

Consideration had been given to the required outcomes from each of the items included in the Priorities and Projects 2018/19 and those wewre set out in the body of the report.

Cabinet was aware that from May 2018 there would be two Overview and Scrutiny Committees. The Community Leadership Committee would retain a focus on external partnerships and the Council’s influencing role in the community. The Resources and Services Committee would focus on the work of the Council and the resourcing and delivery of its services. Up to now all performance monitoring had been subject to scrutiny by the former Corporate Management Committee. Whilst it was proposed that the majority of the performance framework would continue to be reported to the Resources and Services Committee for scrutiny; the targets that related to the Council’s partnership and influencing work would be compiled into a separate report for consideration by the Community Leadership Committee.

To that end the two Performance Reports 2018/19 including the Priorities and Projects 2018/19 were attached as Appendix A to the Portfolio Holder’s report. They set out the suite of targets and indicators for the year. The “Current Position” column would be completed during the year and the progress monitored both by Cabinet and by the two Overview and Scrutiny Committees, as appropriate.

The Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor I J Henderson, declared a personal interest when the discussion touched on the Mayflower 400 project insofar as he was a member of Harwich Town Council which was a funding contributor to the project.

Councillor I J Henderson also requested that he be informed in writing whether the waste, recycling and street sweeping contract had been signed and, if so, when it had been signed and that this request be recorded within the minutes.

Having considered the priorities, projects and performance indicators to be monitored as the performance management framework for the Council for 2018/19:-

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor Fairley and:-

RESOLVED that the actions and targets included in the Performance Reports 2018/19 and the Priorities and Projects 2018/19, as attached at Appendix A to item A.3 of the Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder, be approved and that monitoring against these indicators be undertaken on a quarterly basis by the Cabinet and by the two Overview and Scrutiny Committees.