Performance Management

The Council achieves its aspirations by using performance information to improve the way that we work.

 

We do this by comparing our performance over time and with others. This enables us to identify actions for improvement, identify and reduce risks to drive service improvement and achieve the outcomes for our citizens.

 

An effective performance management process provides management systems and an organisational culture that focuses on continuous improvement through knowing where we are, what we need to achieve, how to measure our progress, detecting performance problems and providing options to remedy them.

 

Performance Management provides many benefits:

 

For the customer/citizen:

• Provides services which are continuously improving.
• Provides services which meets the needs of users.
• Makes the Council more accountable to residents and the community.
• Provides a basis for effective communication.

For the organisation:

• Identifies corporate priorities and ensures everyone is pulling together and focusing on achieving them
• Develops an understanding of staff and elected member training needs.
• Ensures work is achieved on time to agreed standards and with the resources and skills needed.
• Provides evidence of continuous improvement.

For elected members:

• Cabinet members become fully engaged in the work of directorates and receive timely briefing on issues.
• Scrutiny members are able to monitor and question performance.

For employees:

• Provides clarity and understanding of where each individual contributes to the vision and direction of department.
• Increases job satisfaction, pride and self-esteem by clarifying roles, targets and achievements.
• Offers opportunity for learning and development.

 

The Performance Management Framework outlines the Council's mechanisms for monitoring, measuring and assessing its performance. Linked to this document is an Annual Planning Cycle that identifies the key performance activities that will be completed that financial year. Internal arrangements focus on embedding a performance management culture which drives continuous improvement.

 

Quarterly Reports and Performance Indicators

As part of the review of its Performance Management Framework, the Council has adopted Vale 2030 its Corporate Plan for 2025-30, which reflects the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and identifies five Well-being Objectives for the Council. We have also refined performance reporting and the approach to monitoring and scrutinising this to

enable the Council to continue to meet its duties under the Local Government & Elections (Wales) Act. The Council’s performance framework is aligned to Vale 2030 to enable progress to be tracked on all five Well-being Objectives (keep performance under review) and demonstrate how the steps the Council intends to take will contribute to achieving multiple well-being objectives and in turn the national goals.

 

A number of Performance Indicators (PIs) have been agreed by the Council to help better demonstrate progress in achieving our Well-being Objectives. This includes a mix of service user, citizen perspective measures and service outcome measures that will enable each Directorate to demonstrate progress over the year towards its identified priorities and Vale 2030. Our PIs help us to understand how well we are delivering our services and activities and focus on whether customers are better off as a result of what we do.   

 

Performance reports have been designed to provide a high-level overview of performance aligned to the five Well-Being Objectives in Vale 2030, through the three annual self-assessment questions. These are reported on a biannual basis to Scrutiny Committees & Cabinet, and Power Bi updates are reported quarterly to the Strategic Leadership Team.

 

The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires the Council to set and publish annual Well-being Objectives that maximise its contribution to achieving the Well-being goals for Wales and report its progress in meeting these.