Agenda item

To enable the Committee to scrutinise the performance monitoring system and whether it is capturing the right level of data to support delivery of the Corporate Plan and its priorities and projects, and to make recommendations thereon. In addition, to scrutinise whether there is performance, as identified in the monitoring data, that warrants scrutiny of an activity and to determine whether and how that scrutiny should take place; including it, as appropriate, in the work programme.

The Committee had before it a report of the Deputy Chief Executive which presented the Performance Report for Quarter Two (July to September 2019) including the emerging Corporate Plan 2020/2024 and Priorities and Projects 2019/2020.

Members were reminded that the Priorities and Projects for 2019/20 had been approved by Cabinet at its meeting held on 19 July 2019 when it had also been agreed that the next phase of this work would be to develop specific deliverables (for the priorities and projects) in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holders and that those would be incorporated into the Performance Report(s) in line with the Quarter Two timetable and presented to Cabinet, so Cabinet could endorse the deliverables before they were subject to scrutiny by the Council’s overview and scrutiny committees. Those Performance Report(s) had subsequently been agreed by the Cabinet at its meeting held on 8 November 2019.

The Committee was aware that the purpose of the report now before it was to submit the relevant performance data so that it could undertake scrutiny of it in so far as:

“(a)    Is the performance monitoring system capturing the right level of data to support delivery of the Corporate Plan and its priorities and projects – and to make recommendations thereon?

(b)    Is there performance as identified in the monitoring data that warrants scrutiny of an activity – and to determine whether and how that scrutiny should take place; including it as appropriate in the work programme?”

It was reported that the Quarter 2 position demonstrated that of the 22 indicators and projects where performance was measured, 19 (86%) were on, or above, their expected target, 1 (5%) was not currently in line with expected performance and for 2 (9%) the Council currently had no data available.

The Committee was also updated on the progress made in relation to the various work strands of the “Transforming Tendring” transformation project.

Members were informed that any feedback from this Committee would be presented to a future meeting of the Cabinet as a separate reference report.

The Council’s Head of People, Performance and Projects (Anastasia Simpson) gave the Committee a verbal update in respect of the indicators and projects with particular focus on the indicator that was currently listed as “Behind Target”, together with those indicators which previously had had no available data and for which some information had now been provided.   She also updated the Committee on the progress of the Council’s new Corporate Plan. The consultation period had now closed and Cabinet would be requested, as a result of that consultation, would be requested to include within the Plan a link to Essex County Council’s “Essex Ambitions and Visions” document before it was submitted to full Council for formal adoption.

Mrs Simpson also gave verbal updates on several projects including:-

Manningtree Underpass;

Local Plan Section 1 progress;

Westleigh House – demolition and resurfacing of land as an addition to the High Street car park;

IT – security compliance accreditation awarded;

New Homes in Jaywick Sands – evaluation work with private sector company; and

Carbon Neutrality – Consultant appointed.

Members made comments regarding the Corporate Plan 2020-2024 and the Priorities and Projects for 2019/20 in that in respect of Effective Regulation and Enforcement, there was no obvious link to the Priorities and Projects 2019/20.  Members requested that reference to Customer Services  made it clear that it was Digital Customer Services.  The Committee asked what were the milestones in relation to the Cultural and Heritage Strategies and queried why the Holland Haven & Seafront Opportunities had been removed.

Members said that the Plan seemed to be more focused on coasts and towns and there was not enough on the rural economy and towns and villages.

Officers responded to other questions raised by Members on various topics within the report and appendices  and where an answer was not immediately available, the Head of People, Performance and Projects and the Human Resources and Business Manager undertook to respond to Members as soon as possible after the meeting.

After some deliberation by the Committee it was RESOLVED that:

(a)   the Committee notes the contents of the Performance Report Quarter 2 2019/2020; and

(b)   the Chief Executive be requested to arrange, as soon as practicable, an All Member Briefing at which Members can receive an update on both the Local Plan and North Essex Garden Communities, particularly in light of the resumption in January 2020 of the Public Inquiry into Section 1 of the Local Plan and also the recent decision by Colchester Borough Council to not contribute, at this present time, any more monies to the funding of NEGC Ltd.