Agenda item

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to recommendations made by the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee in respect of the performance report for 2018/2019 (Second Quarter).

RESOLVED that the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations and the Portfolio Holder’s response thereto be noted.

Cabinet was informed that, at the meeting of the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 5 November 2018 (Minute 36 referred), that Committee had had before it a report of the Deputy Chief Executive which had presented the Performance Report for Quarter Two (July to September 2018), including the Corporate Plan and Priorities and Projects 2018/19.

The Deputy Chief Executive (Martyn Knappett) had outlined to the Committee the purpose of the Performance Report as a ‘snapshot’ performance management tool i.e. it helped the Council’s senior management and Members see if the Council was delivering what it had set out to deliver.

Appendix A to the report had contained details of the 18 indicators and projects where performance had been measured. Of those, 15 (84%) were on, or above, their expected target and 3 (16%) were not in line with the expected performance.

The Council’s Human Resources & Business Manager (Katie Wilkins) had given the Committee an update in respect of the indicators and projects.

In addition, the Deputy Chief Executive had given the Committee an update in respect of the “Transforming the Way We Work” Project. Matters that the Deputy Chief Executive had touched on included:-

(1)  Ongoing works at Pier Avenue and Northbourne Depot;

(2)  Barnes House Extension and Link – Tender Awarded;

(3)  Westleigh House – Timetable for demolition;

(4)  Town Hall works – Planning permission granted;

(5)  Firmstep: new customer portal;

(6)  Learning Zone – new e-learning platform; and

(7)  New HR Policies – Flexi Working and Remote Working.

In response to a question that had been submitted prior to the commencement of the meeting by Councillor Miles, the Deputy Chief Executive also gave an update on the Council’s regeneration plans for land at Mill Lane, Walton-on-the-Naze which included the old Fire Station building which was the subject of the petition considered by Cabinet earlier in the meeting.

 Having considered and discussed the information provided in the report the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee had:-

“RESOLVED that this Committee recommends to Cabinet that –

(a)     in the light of recent events, an in-year review of the milestones for the Garden Community project and the Local Plan be carried out with a view to establishing new, more realistic targets and milestones for these projects; and

(b)     an in-year review of the impact of the new National Planning Policy Framework’s definitions of ‘major and ‘minor’ applications on the Handling of Planning Applications speed of process figures be also carried out.”

The Cabinet had before it the written response of the Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder in which he thanked the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee for its consideration and its recommendations and commented as follows:-

“(a)    The milestones for the North Essex Garden Communities project and Local Plan will be updated upon confirmation of the next steps for the Local Plan Examination process. This will likely be confirmed in December 2018 and milestones updated in January 2019.

(b)     The handling of Planning Applications is measured in line with the Government’s Planning Performance Framework. An adjustment to the methodology for measuring speed of determination of major and non-major planning applications would have only a minor impact on performance. Performance against the targets for both major and non-major applications is good and the movement of some applications from one category to the other would be small.”

Having considered the recommendations of the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the response of the Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder thereto:-

It was moved by Councillor Stock OBE, seconded by Councillor Skeels Snr. and:-

RESOLVED that the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations and the Portfolio Holder’s response thereto be noted.