Issue - meetings

(a)       That having considered the 2013/14 Mid Year Service Performance Reports, the comments of the Committee are fed back to the Policy, Performance & Partnerships Team, which is responsible for the overview and monitoring of improvement targets, for inclusion in the report to Cabinet; and

(b)       That future performance reports from Heads of Service include detail on sickness absence trends.

The Committee was requested to note and consider the 2013/14 Mid Year Service Performance Report covering April to September 2013 and to comment on the new approach to performance reporting.

The relevant officers each gave a short presentation on performance in their respective areas, outlining work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within the report.

Finance

Councillor Clive Carver referred to the downturn in the percentage of undisputed invoices paid within 30 days and asked if a single point of contact was available for suppliers to pursue these queries with the Council.  The Corporate Finance Manager explained that the relevant authorising officer was the first point of contact for such enquiries and that the AP/AR Control Team was responsible for co-ordinating responses across the Council.  The Head of ICT & Customer Services said that the introduction of the P2P procurement system would help to improve performance, to be further aided by plans to centralise invoice processing with a central point of contact.  He added that due to the current inconsistent use of dispute codes on invoices, the figure shown in the report may not reflect the true position.

Members stressed the importance of timely payment of invoices, particularly to smaller businesses.

Councillor Peter Curtis commented on the level of long-term sickness absence in Finance and said it would be helpful to show changes in sickness absence levels.  On employee turnover, he asked whether the temporary appointments made to address the backlog of work in the Clwyd Pension Fund would become permanent to ensure that there was no repeat.  The Corporate Finance Manager agreed to provide a separate response on this.  Members agreed with the suggestion made by the Head of ICT & Customer Services that future reports by Heads of Service include detail on sickness absence trends.

Human Resources & Organisational Design

In referring to the forthcoming changes in the organisation and reduced budgets, Councillor Alex Aldridge said that individuals who opted for redundancy should not be re-employed in a different role.  He also sought assurances that individuals in detriment as a result of Single Status would be given opportunities to be redeployed in other roles.

The Head of Human Resources & Organisational Change acknowledged the need to balance significant projects with cost implications and said that improved terms and conditions for the workforce under Single Status would benefit those delivering services. There was planned investment to support individuals at the stage when outcomes were made available and results were due to be circulated during the first week of December 2013 followed by Trade Union ballots.  Under the workforce programme, work was being carried out to identify areas of potential reduction and entitlements for Early Voluntary Retirement (EVR) to ensure that this was affordable and to provide incentive for individuals.

In response to a comment from the Chairman, it was noted that the Local Government Pension rules did not prohibit a former employee from returning to work, however there was a need to set  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48