Agenda item

That the Annual Performance Report 2016/17 be adopted. 

                        The Chief Executive introduced the report to endorse the 2016/17 Annual Performance Report for the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 prior to publication.  He advised that the Annual Performance Report was a statutory report which provided an overview of the Authority’s performance in achieving its improvement priorities as set out in the 2016/17 Improvement Plan.  The Chief Executive provided background information and context and advised that the Report had to be adopted by Council prior to 31 October 2017.

The Chief Executive and Corporate Business and Communications Manager gave a joint presentation which covered the following areas:

·         the Annual Performance Report

·         Council Plan 2017-2023

·         format and content

·         performance overview 2016/17

·         progress overview

·         highlights

·         areas for improvement

·         performance overview

·         Wales Audit Office – 2016/17 view

·         overview

·         next steps

·         Council Plan

Councillor Aaron  Shotton moved the recommendation to adopt the Annual Performance Report and expressed his thanks to the Chief Executive and the Corporate Business and Communications Manager for a detailed and informative presentation.  He spoke of the opportunity to celebrate the Authority’s achievements and interventions which had made a “real” difference to the residents and local communities in Flintshire.   However, he acknowledged that there were also areas where there was further work to be done to achieve the outcomes set out in the Council Plan. 

Commenting on the Authority’s achievements, Councillor Shotton drew attention to the progress and improvements as detailed in the report and presentation around housing, social care, skills and learning.  He also spoke of the work and success of the Authority in terms of developing the social enterprise sector and referred to the recent Flintshire Business Awards event and the number of socially responsible businesses which were supported by the Authority and had been put forward for awards in that event.  Councillor Shotton commented  that  it was particularly pleasing and well deserved that Café  Isa, Mynydd Isa, had won the award on the evening. 

Councillor Shotton concluded by commenting on the achievement that Flintshire was ranked top out of 22 authorities across Wales as the most improved Authority between 2015/16 and 2016/17, and said it was important that the contribution and hard work of the Authority’s workforce in making that achievement possible was recognised. 

Councillor Dennis Hutchinson expressed his appreciation for the much improved Household Recycling facilities at Buckley and Mold.  He referred to the number of new council houses being built in Flintshire and commented that there was a shortage of supply in some areas, citing Buckley as an example.  He  urged  the Authority  to  address the situation to ensure that there was adequate provision of council houses in the County, and reiterated his concerns around the need for new council houses in Buckley.  Councillor Hutchinson also expressed his appreciation to Councillor Attridge and to the Chief Officer (Organisational Change 2 ) for their work and support to address the issue of unlawful encampment on Buckley Common. 

Councillor Bernie Attridge responded to the concerns expressed by Councillor Hutchinson around demand and supply of new council homes in Flintshire and provided details of the new build sites and schemes which were under construction  or proposed in the County.  He gave assurance to Councillor Hutchinson that the Authority was working to address the need for affordable housing and was robust in its search and negotiations for suitable and available land for such schemes.  He concluded that he was optimistic that an announcement may be made in the coming months on a new scheme in the Mold area.

Councillor Mike Peers acknowledged the overall progress that had been made against the improvement priorities which he said was to be celebrated.  However, he felt that it was important to retain focus on the performance measures which had not met target to ensure that there was improvement going forward.  He asked that a summary be included of the performance measures which had not met target in future reports to enable Members to compare performance.

Councillor Peers expressed concerns around the need and demand for affordable housing and felt that with regard to the planning applications submitted by private developers,  there was a need to ensure sufficient density on site to trigger the affordable housing contribution.  He suggested that there was a need to review the policy and for the Housing Strategy Team to engage more fully with Planning to achieve the outcomes required for affordable housing.  In response the Chief Officer (Community and Enterprise) gave an assurance that there was close collaboration between the Housing Strategy Team and Planning.  She explained that where there was good evidence of a demand for affordable housing the service worked hard to ensure there was the appropriate mix of housing units on the development.

Councillor David Healey said that Flintshire’s quartile performance as outlined in page 63 of the report was a remarkable achievement in view of the financial stringency and austerity that had taken place in recent years and congratulated  officers and staff on their hard work.  Councillor Healey said he was particularly pleased with the progress made to help Flintshire’s most vulnerable residents in  matters of housing, homelessness, welfare reform, and poverty, and commended the Authority on the work it had undertaken .  He also spoke of his appreciation and the need to commend the members of local communities who had come forward as  volunteers to support and maintain services at risk in local areas, and cited the successful community asset transfer scheme of Hope library as an example. 

Councillor Hilary McGuill said the reduced time to complete Disabled Facilities Grants was welcomed.  However, she expressed concerns around the backlog of school repair and maintenance works outstanding and said it was false economy to delay such work.  The Chief Executive acknowledged the points made and advised that the issue of school estates was a nationwide problem and was due to capital availability and insufficient investment.  He said that the under-funding for repairs would remain an amber risk for the foreseeable future.

In response to a query from Councillor Arnold Woolley concerning the take up by residents of the financial assistance available to repair homes the Chief Officer (Community and Enterprise) advised that there was no problem in the take up of social grant loans.

The Chief Executive and Councillor Derek Butler responded to the concern raised by Councillor Woolley around the Northern Powerhouse and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the infrastructure, and the Mersey-Dee Alliance.  The Chief Executive explained that a presentation would be made shortly to provide an outline of the North Wales Economic Growth Deal bid which would explain the relationship with the Mersey Dee Alliance, Flintshire’s influence, and cross-border collaboration.  Councillor Derek Butler gave an update on recent developments on the Mersey-Dee Alliance and commented on the cross-border and cross-party working which had taken place and gave an assurance that significant work was in progress which  the Growth Deal would build on.

Councillor Neville Phillips commented on the need for additional affordable housing in Buckley and also on the demand for extra care provision to be built in the area and suggested that the Princess Avenue site in Buckley could be considered as building land for such schemes in the future.  The Chief Executive acknowledged the points made by Councillor Phillips and said it was recognised that the town of Buckley would be the next priority for any future scheme, however, he explained that  there was no resourcing plan available at the current time to extend the extra care provision.

Councillor Carol Ellis spoke of the valuable contribution made by Members and officers who had worked collaboratively through the Social & Health Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee to achieve improvements.  She also spoke of the value of enablement and the significant difference it had made to the  demands on social and  health care services and expressed her appreciation for the work of the Senior Manager Integrated services Lead Adults and her team.

Councillor Ian Roberts commented on the improvements in skills and learning and the need to congratulate staff in schools on the excellent progress achieved and cited the improvements in performance indicators at  Foundation Phase, and Key Stages 2, 3, and 4, as examples.  He also commented on the work and achievements of pupils who had worked hard and achieved significant personal progress but had not been reflected in the indicators.   In conclusion Councillor Roberts also concurred with the  concerns made by Councillor McGuill concerning the backlog of repair and maintenance works in schools and the need for capital investment.

RESOLVED:

That the Annual Performance Report 2016/17 be adopted.