Issue - meetings

That the report be noted and Members support the new approach to performance reporting.

The Head of ICT and Customer Services introduced a report to provide an update on the streamlined and corporate approach to performance reporting. 

To date, quarterly reports had been submitted to the relevant Overview & Scrutiny Committee which were detailed in nature.  The effectiveness of this approach had been considered and it had been decided that quarters one and three would focus on the monitoring of the Improvement Plan activity and quarters two and four would report on performance and would be presented by the Heads of Service.  These would focus on performance exceptions, both good and poor and would ensure that ‘business as usual’ was still being monitored and reported against.  Appendix 1 to the report detailed the accountability mapping of the Council’s priorities and identified which Overview & Scrutiny would lead on each priority.  The first report would be submitted to Cabinet in October 2013, followed by quarterly updates. 

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management said that it was important that the Improvement Plan had been adopted and that this approach would provide the opportunity to streamline and focus attention on what it was felt was relevant. 

Councillor Marion Bateman asked a question about smart meters being implemented in the Council’s housing stock and was advised by the Head of ICT and Customer Services that he would ask the Head of Housing to provide a response following the meeting. 

The Leader of the Council said that in the past the Outcome agreement had not necessarily been aligned with the priorities of the Council.  He welcomed the accountability mapping of the priorities in appendix 1 which identified which Overview and Scrutiny Committee would monitor each of the priorities. 

Councillor Paul Shotton welcomed the more streamlined approach and asked if priorities would be added to.  In response the Head of ICT and Customer Services said that the priorities had been agreed but that there was a need to ensure that they were adaptable and flexible. 

Following a comment from Councillor Ian Dunbar, the Leader of the Council provided assurance that Economy and Enterprise was a key priority for the Council. 

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and Members support the new approach to performance reporting.