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Agenda Item No. 8

 

The Vale of Glamorgan Council

 

Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny Committee: 25th January 2018

 

Report of the Managing Director

 

Quarter 2 (2017-18) Performance Report: Corporate Health

 

Purpose of the Report

  1. To present the performance results for quarter 2, 1st April-30 September 2017 for the Corporate Plan Well-being Outcomes and Corporate Health priorities.

Recommendations

  1. That Members consider performance results and progress towards achieving key outcomes in line with the Corporate Plan Well-being Outcomes and Corporate Health.
  2. That Members consider the performance results and remedial actions to be taken to address areas of underperformance and to tackle the key challenges identified.

Reasons for the Recommendations

  1. To ensure the Council clearly demonstrates the progress being made towards achieving its Corporate Plan Well-being Outcomes aimed at making a positive difference to the lives of Vale of Glamorgan citizens.
  2. To ensure the Council is effectively assessing its performance in line with the requirement to secure continuous improvement outlined in the Local Government Measure (Wales) 2009 and reflecting the requirement of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act that it maximises its contribution to achieving the well-being goals for Wales.

Background

  1. The Council's Performance Management Framework is the mechanism through which our key priorities and targets are monitored and realised in order to secure continuous improvement.
  2. As part of the review of its Performance Management Framework, the Council has adopted a Corporate Plan (2016-20) which reflects the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and identifies 4 Well-being Outcomes and 8 Well-being Objectives for the Council.
  3. Since May 2016, each Scrutiny Committee has received performance information linked with the Council's Well-being Outcome with which that Committee is aligned. In addition, Corporate Health priorities are considered by the Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny Committee.
  4. Work remains ongoing with Officers and the Member Working Group to further develop the format of the quarterly performance reports. At the most recent meeting of the Working Group, consideration was given to a new style of report format. The new style of report is intended to present the reader with a more accessible view of performance for the Well-being Outcome and draws together information from a wider range of sources. An additional overall Corporate Plan Summary Report has also been developed to draw together a summary of all activity associated with the Corporate Plan. The main changes to the reporting format from the previous style is as follows:
  • A new high level Corporate Plan Summary Report has been developed which provides an overview of the contribution to the national Well-being Goals and overall progress against the Corporate Plan's Well-being Objectives and Corporate Health. This overview has been designed for use by all elected members, Council staff and customers and will be appended to the Cabinet and Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny quarterly performance report. A web link to the Corporate Plan Summary Report will also be included within the quarterly performance reports to all Scrutiny Committees.
  • The revised Well-being Outcome and Corporate Health reports continue to report similar information previously received by Elected Members however, they are now being presented in a more focused and user accessible way and designed to be viewed digitally. The report focuses on highlight and exception reporting with detailed performance information appended. This report has been designed for use by Scrutiny Committees and Cabinet.
  1. The performance report is structured as follows:

Section 1: States the overall RAG status attributed to the Well-being Outcome.

  • Position Statement: Provides an overall summary of performance in relation to the Well-being Outcome and highlights the main developments, achievements and challenges for the quarter.
  • Performance Snapshot: Provides an overview for each Well-being Objective, describing the status of Corporate Plan actions and performance indicators. A RAG status is attributed to actions and measures under each Well-being Objective to reflect overall progress to date and contributes to the overall RAG status for the Well-being Outcome.
  • Performance Exceptions: For ease of scrutiny, any actions or PIs attributed a Red status are presented here including commentary on the performance. Members have requested additional direction of travel information to be included in the performance exceptions section and this is reflected in the new report format.
  • Achievements: Highlights the key achievements to date in delivering the intended outcomes for the Well-being Outcome.
  • Challenges: Highlights the key challenges that are or could impact on achieving the intended outcomes for the Well-being Outcome.

Section 2: Corporate Health - Managing our Resources

  • Provides a summary of the key achievements to date in delivering intended outcomes and challenges that are or could impact on achieving the intended outcomes on key issues relating to the use of resources and the impact on delivering improvement during the quarter. The focus is on key aspects relating to People, Finance, Assets, ICT, Customer Focus and Risk Management (both service level and corporate risks) contributing to the Well-being Outcome.

Glossary: Provides an explanation of the performance terms used within the report.

  • The performance report uses the traffic light system, that is, a Red, Amber or Green (RAG) status and a Direction of Travel (DOT) to aid performance analysis.
  • Progress is reported for all key performance indicators and actions by allocating a RAG performance status.
  • The risk matrix defines the level of risk by translating impact/magnitude and Likelihood/Probability into an evaluated level of risk.

Appendices

  • Appendix 1: Provides, by Well-being Objective, detailed information relating to the Service Plan actions which have contributed to Corporate Plan actions.
  • Appendix 2: Provides detailed performance indicator information linked to each Well-being Objective which show for our planned activities, how much we have done, how well we have performed and what difference this has made. It must be noted that any annual reported performance indicators that have been introduced in 2017 as part of the Council's revised Performance Management Framework will not be have data available until end of year as this year will be used to establish baseline performance. A Not Available (N/A) status will be attributed to all such measures with commentary provided confirming this status. We will continue to develop our key measures within each Well-being Objective to ensure these most accurately reflect our Corporate Plan Well-being Outcomes.
  • Appendix 3: Provides additional performance indicators which contribute to the Well-being Outcome but do not form part of the Corporate Plan basket of key performance indicators. These are made up of statutory and other national performance indicators.

Relevant Issues and Options

  1. An overall GREEN RAG status has been attributed to Corporate Health, to reflect the good progress made in integrating our business planning practices and in promoting a 'one Council' approach, to maximising limited resources to deliver our Well-being Outcomes. These developments have contributed to the achievements reported at quarter 2 and in the long term to achieving improved outcomes for Vale of Glamorgan citizens.
  2. A detailed report outlining the progress this quarter towards achieving our corporate health priorities is provided at Appendix A.
  3. 2 out of the 4 Corporate Plan Well-being Outcomes were attributed an overall RAG status of GREEN with the remaining outcomes, 'An Inclusive and Safe Vale' and 'An Environmentally Responsible and Prosperous Vale' reporting AMBER status.
  4. An overview of overall progress against the Corporate Plan Well-being Objectives and how this contributes to the national Well-being Goals is provided in the Corporate Plan Summary Report at Appendix B.

Resource Implications (Financial and Employment)

  1. There are no additional budgetary implications arising from this report, although underperformance in some areas may have a negative impact on external assessments of the Council and could put certain funding opportunities at risk. The report includes information relating to the use of financial, asset, ICT and people resources and how these are being deployed to support the delivery of the Council's well-being outcomes.

Sustainability and Climate Change Implications

  1. The Corporate Plan emphasises the Council's commitment to promoting sustainable development and our understanding of our duties under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act. The many different aspects of sustainability (environment, economy, culture and social) are reflected within planned activities as outlined in the Corporate Plan and demonstrate how the Council will maximise its contribution to the Well-being Goals.

Legal Implications (to Include Human Rights Implications)

  1. The Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 requires that the Council secure continuous improvement across the full range of local services for which it is responsible.
  2. The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires the Council to set and publish Well-being Objectives by April 2017 that maximise its contribution to achieving the Well-being goals for Wales.

Crime and Disorder Implications

  1. Activities to improve community safety are included in the Corporate Plan and one of the Well-being Outcomes is 'An Inclusive and Safe Vale' with a supporting objective 'providing decent homes and safe communities'. The Council's Performance Management Framework supports the delivery of actions associated with these objectives.

Equal Opportunities Implications (to include Welsh Language issues)

  1. 'An Inclusive and Safe Vale' is one of the Well-being Outcomes in the Corporate Plan with a supporting objective 'reducing poverty and social exclusion'. There is also a Well-being Outcome 'An Aspirational and culturally vibrant Vale' with a supporting action 'valuing culture and diversity'. The Council's Performance Management Framework supports the delivery of actions associated with these objectives.

Corporate/Service Objectives

  1. The Corporate Plan 2016-20 reflects the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations Act and identifies 4 Well-being Outcomes and 8 Objectives for the Council. These promote improvements in the economic, social and cultural well-being of residents in the Vale of Glamorgan which in turn will contribute to achieving the Well-being goals for Wales.
  2. The Council's Performance Management Framework supports the delivery of all of the Council's Corporate Plan Well-being Outcomes and Objectives.

Policy Framework and Budget

  1. This is a matter for Executive decision.

Consultation (including Ward Member Consultation)

  1. The performance information contained within the report is based on quarterly returns provided by service directorates to the Performance Team. Quarterly performance reports covering the Corporate Plan Well-being Outcomes and Objectives along with an overall Corporate Health Report will be considered by relevant Scrutiny Committees and the Cabinet.

Relevant Scrutiny Committee

Corporate Performance and Resources Scrutiny Committee

Background Papers

N/A

Contact Officer

Julia Archampong, Corporate Performance Manager

Officers Consulted

Corporate Management Team

Huw Isaac, Head of Performance and Development

Tom Bowring, Operational Manager Performance and Policy

Responsible Officer:

Rob Thomas, Managing Director and Sponsoring Director for Corporate Health