Agenda item

(a)       That  Part 2 of the Council Plan – on performance milestones and measures for the year be supported, subject to the clarification of details;

(b)       That an all member workshop on Social Values be held in due course; and

(c)        That contact be made with  Lee Waters, AM,  the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport  to inform him of the Council’s work on social value when the strategy was ready.

The Chief Executive introduced a report to present Part 2 of the Council Plan.  This was to share performance milestones and measures for the year and invite feedback for Cabinet which would consider the document the following week.  He provided background information and context.  Part 1 of the Council Plan had set out the Council’s intent, and Part 2 sets out the performance measures, targets and milestones against which achievement would be measured and evaluated.

The Corporate Business and Communications Executive Officer advised on the detail in the report.  The achievements to be attained during 2019/20 were clearly described in Part 1 of the Council Plan.  Part 2 ensured that those achievements could be monitored for progress and tracking.  The two types of measures used were qualitative milestones, when plans or strategies were projected to be attained, and quantitative, numerical measures for targets to be met.  Part 2 of the Council Plan identified the classification of all numerical measures.  Milestones or measures had been set to monitor progress against each activity or plan.  Risks to be managed and mitigated throughout the year were being worked through and would be covered in the first monitoring report.  The Corporate Business and Communications Executive advised that later in the year, comparison data with other authorities in Wales would be provided to compare our position.

Councillor Patrick Heesom referred to the Finance and Business Planning Cycle report which had been submitted to the meeting of the Committee on 17 January 2019, and said the measures had been well indicated in terms of portfolio.  He said he supported the report but commented on the need for the Council Plan to be more focussed and prioritised.  He referred to the Ambitious Council and said there were shortfalls in the way the Council was making progress with that part of the Plan.  He expressed concerns on how the highways infrastructure was managed.

In response to the comments made by Councillor Heesom on the transport network, Councillor Carolyn Thomas advised that the Authority was working with the Welsh Government (WG) and Transport for Wales.  Councillor Heesom had been invited to attend a meeting to discuss his concerns with the Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) and herself. 

The Chief Executive acknowledged the concerns raised by Councillor Heesom around the limited role of the Council in economic development but emphasised that the Council Plan could only include those services which were a Council function.  He continued that everything that was in the Plan was given equal priority and it was our collective responsibility to deliver the milestones and measures. 

Councillor Paul Johnson referred to the Council Plan (Part 2) 2019/20, which was appended to the report, and  asked what were the aims and objectives of the social value framework.  He commented that the social value framework could mean many things to different people.  He said this was an important part of the Council Plan and asked that the work  on social value be brought back for consideration and development to a future meeting of the Committee. He also suggested that a Task and Finish Group be set up to take this forward, or that an all Member workshop be held. 

Officers responded to the comments made by Councillor Johnson, and acknowledged the additional points raised around procurement.  The Chief Executive welcomed the suggestion of a workshop.  The Chief Executive and Councillor Carolyn Thomas commented on the amount of social value work done by the Council, citing the benefits of large contracts, public transport,  and play schemes,  as examples.

Councillor Richard Jones commented on the need to provide a better explanation in the report on why/how the Council proposed to manage reductions in  service areas.   The Chief Executive explained that it was not proposed to reduce current services, however, there was a need to discuss the standards expected in services and the budget requirements to meet them. 

Councillor Richard Jones said it would be helpful if a copy of the Council Plan was attached to future reports.  The Chief Executive explained that a matrix  with all relevant information had been shared with Members, however, there had been a poor response over the performance information required by Members. 

During discussion Councillor Jones sought further clarification on the information provided in the appendix to the report under the following sub-priorities:  baseline information relating to Highway Networks (page 76), Local Development Plan (page 56), Becoming Work-ready (page 53), Flexible Funding Programme (page 52), baseline data Universal Credit/Welfare Reforms (page51), Housing needs of vulnerable groups (page 46), and Independent Living (page 33).

Councillor Aaron Shotton said it was important that the social value of the work that was underway in Holway as a pilot project was measured.  He also said there was a  need to convince partners in other sectors  of the valuable work being carried out.  He referred to the suggestion of a workshop and asked if there was a need for evidence of what was being done in Wales to be taken into account.  He made reference  to the WG policy on procurement.  It was agreed that contact would be made with  the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport  in due course to inform him of the Council’s work on social value.

Councillor Hilary McGuill referred to page 44 of the report and asked that the 2019/20 target figure be revisited as she felt it was too low.  She also referred to page 53 of the report and  suggested that the wording of the achievement measure be amended to read ‘Number of individuals needing support through the mentoring service that enter employment, learning or volunteering’.

Councillor McGuill also commented on the need to “invest to save” and asked if consideration could be given to the purchase of new equipment which would help to save the Council the high cost of repairing pot-holes on road surfaces in the future.    Councillor Carolyn Thomas explained that there was no capital fund available to purchase equipment but gave reassurance that more repair work had been undertaken this year.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That  Part 2 of the Council Plan – on performance milestones and measures for the year be supported, subject to the clarification of details;

(b)       That an all member workshop on Social Values be held in due course; and

(c)        That contact be made with  Lee Waters, AM,  the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport  to inform him of the Council’s work on social value when the strategy was ready.