Issue - meetings

That the comments/observations of the Committee are fed back to the Policy, Performance & Partnerships Team who are responsible for the overview and monitoring of improvement targets, for inclusion in the report to Cabinet.

The Committee received a report to note and consider the 2013/14 year end service performance report produced under the adopted business model of the Council, covering the period January to March 2014.  The responsible officers each gave a short presentation on performance, outlining work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within the report.

Finance

The Chair offered her congratulations to the Revenues & Benefits team for their excellent work in providing assistance.

Councillor Paul Shotton welcomed the news that the Council was the joint highest performer in Wales for the collection of Council Tax and the second highest in collecting Non Domestic Rates (NDR).  He stressed the importance of residents being able to seek assistance from the Flintshire Connects offices and asked for an update on footfall at the offices.  The Chief Executive said that monthly statistics would be shared with the Committee.

In response to a question from Councillor Clive Carver on Court action taken by the Council for two outstanding amounts of NDR, the Revenues & Benefits Manager explained that the two companies had exposed a legal loophole in changes to NDR charges on empty properties.  He said that the Council had paid a proportion of the legal costs which could not be recovered beyond £70, as set out by the Welsh Government (WG), however an administration grant from WG was used to cover partial costs such as legal action.  When asked for the approximate cost to the Council of the Court action, the Revenues & Benefits Manager estimated this to be around £9K but would confirm the actual figure after the meeting.  The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance said that the loophole was of national significance and was proud that Flintshire had been at the forefront of instigating legal action to stop this practice.

Councillor Robin Guest felt that the Council should be offered a contribution from the WG or central Government in recognition of the positive outcome from the legal action.  On the success in Council Tax collection rates, the Revenues & Benefits Manager said that the emphasis of work had changed to debt management to proactively assist customers and resolve future payments which was supported by the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and the Fair Debt Policy which was in place to assist households.

Councillor Mike Peers remarked on the need to improve sickness absence figures in the Council and asked that commentary in the report reflect the current position rather than stating that the target had not been met but had improved from the previous year.  When asked about the amount of uncollected Council Tax, the Revenues & Benefits Manager said that this was in the region of £180K per annum.

The Chief Officer (People & Resources) commented on the need for a consistent approach to reporting attendance management and benchmarking within the new portfolio area to give a better understanding.  Proactive actions were taken to address absences, with reports reflecting long and short-term absences.

The Chief Executive said that attendance figures  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15