Agenda item

(a)       That the Committee notes and supports the overall positive performance;

(b)       That the areas of corporate and service under-performance against the Council Plan and the performance measures set for 2017 be noted;

(c)       That the Committee await the action plan to be published by Cabinet to address any areas of under-performance where they have a RAG status as Red or Amber, with a downturn performance trend; and

(d)       That Cabinet be informed that performance on rent arrears and appraisals should both be downgraded to Red risks.

The Chief Officer (Governance) presented the 2017/18 year-end progress report on the Council Plan for 2017-23 providing analysis on areas relevant to the Committee.

Attention was drawn to the section on current levels of performance showing that 58% of performance indicators had been met or exceeded.  As reported at the recent Member workshop, performance targets in last year’s Plan which had not been achieved and were not carried forward into this year were being monitored by Chief Officers through agreed action plans.  These would be included as part of performance reporting to the Committee and Cabinet.

Councillor Jones referred to the document on national public accountability measures (PAMs) which had been circulated at the workshop and highlighted a number of inconsistencies with the report, with some items missing from the Council Plan and others where outcomes differed.  He agreed to share his list of concerns with the Chief Officer so that these could be investigated.

He said that performance on Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) was self-induced and should be given a red risk rating rather than amber.  Whilst acknowledging the explanations previously given on actions to improve the percentage of employee annual appraisals, he felt that this should also be given a red risk rating.  On Green Council actions, he sought more information on ‘public transport infrastructure and vehicle procurement in Deeside’ for accessing employment, health, leisure and education.

The Chief Officer explained that PAMs were Welsh Government (WG) priorities and therefore not all were included amongst the Council’s priorities within the Council Plan.  Due to the challenges on DFGs, an increase in budget for 2018/19 had been agreed by the Council.

Councillor Heesom referred to discussion on the Internal Audit report on DFGs at the Audit Committee.  Councillor Attridge provided information on the professional oversight board which had been established to progress the issues and indication given by the Chief Executive that a similar model would be adopted if significant issues were identified in any other service areas.

On tenants’ debt levels, Councillor Jones asked what was being done to reduce rent arrears.  Councillor Attridge gave assurance that an action plan was in place and that progress was being monitored following the Internal Audit report.  He provided a brief overview of the update given to the Community & Enterprise Overview & Scrutiny Committee, reporting that a zero tolerance approach was being taken to resolve this long-standing issue.

In response to a query about the percentage of roads in overall poor condition, the Chief Officer pointed out that it was not necessarily wrong to lower targets as there were a number of factors to be considered.  On use of the National Procurement Service, he provided explanation on plans to remove the target for next year to ensure that purchasing arrangements achieved value for money.

Councillor Heesom referred to the analysis of current risk levels for strategic risks in the Council Plan and accountability issues, raising concerns that the Council Plan would not deliver on much-needed areas such as those benefiting young people, the A548 and Mostyn Docks.  In response to comments on the North Wales Growth Bid, Councillor Attridge and the Chief Officer explained the safeguards that were in place to involve Members on key decisions on the governance agreement, with the first stage due to be considered at the forthcoming Council meeting.

Councillor Mullin referred to the opinion of the Wales Audit Office that Flintshire was a high performing Council.

The significant upturn in the percentage of Council spend with Welsh and Flintshire businesses was welcomed by Councillor Johnson who suggested that these could be expanded to include spend arising from the North Wales Growth Bid.

In response to clarification sought by Councillor Woolley on the relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relating to the graphs in the report, the Chief Officer provided explanation on the structure of the Plan comprising 58 high-level activities underneath the eight priorities.  On the 4% ‘no data’ on the KPI performance RAG status, the Chief Officer said that trend data was not applicable for all KPIs but would check this with officers.

In response to a question from the Chairman on the payment of contractor invoices, the Chief Officer advised that this was not included in the report as performance was within contractual terms.

Councillor Bateman was pleased to note that the target for number of visits to Theatr Clwyd had been exceeded.  Councillor McGuill asked about liability for the car park which was in need of repair and was told that this was a Council asset to be addressed through the Capital Programme.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Committee notes and supports the overall positive performance;

(b)       That the areas of corporate and service under-performance against the Council Plan and the performance measures set for 2017 be noted;

(c)       That the Committee await the action plan to be published by Cabinet to address any areas of under-performance where they have a RAG status as Red or Amber, with a downturn performance trend; and

(d)       That Cabinet be informed that performance on rent arrears and appraisals should both be downgraded to Red risks.