Agenda item

A report of the Strategic Director providing performance monitoring information and results for the fourth quarter of 2018-19 and end of year outturn in respect of the Corporate Plan objectives and key performance indicators, including anti-social behaviour and housing repairs complaints.

 A report of the Strategic Director providing performance information for the fourth quarter of 2018 – 19 and end of year outturn, in respect of the Corporate Plan objectives and key performance indicators was submitted (item 6 on the agenda filed with these minutes).  Additional information regarding anti-social behaviour and housing complaints was included.

At the invitation of the Committee the relevant Cabinet Lead Members and Officers attended to assist the Committee with the consideration of the red performance indicators. 

The Cabinet Lead Member for Housing sent his apologies.

a)     performance indicator SLE2 – PR (completed the milestones in the Local Development Scheme (LDS) 2018-2021 for the preparation of the local plan).

The Cabinet Lead Member for Planning, Inward Investment and Tourism Strategy and the Head of Planning and Regeneration stated that:

·         it was necessary to take the appropriate time to ensure the information in the Local Plan was accurate and evidence based.

·         the Local Plan currently in place alongside the core strategy mitigated risks and provided context for planning applications.  It was important for the Local Plan to be kept updated as an out-dated Plan could be more easily challenged by Developers.

·         as further information was requested mid-year by the Local Development Framework Project Board and with competing priorities in the team the project timelines in the LDS had slipped. There was no direct impact on the Council and residents.

·         the revised LDS had been submitted and agreed by the Cabinet in March 2019. 

b)     performance indicator SLE4 – RS (complete phase 1 of the Beehive Lane car park improvements).

The Cabinet Lead Member for Regulatory Services, Enforcement and Licensing, and the Head of Regulatory Services stated that:

·         the delay to installing car park railings on the top floor of the carpark was a result of multiple factors, including priority given to procurement of the fire detection system, only one tender had been received, the project was likely to be too small for larger companies, smaller local companies didn’t necessarily have the health and safety expertise required and it was challenging to retro-fit safety railings to an existing car park.

·         other car park providers had been contacted for advice and to compare their approaches to similar issues.

·         temporary fencing had been installed to ensure the carpark was safe.

·         a new approach to encourage more tenders was being taken.  A structural engineer would be contracted to help provide H&S expertise in a bid to encourage smaller local companies to apply.

c)     performance indicator ERM2 – LS (1) (invest in our housing stock through delivery of kitchens bathrooms and heating installations to provide high quality homes for Council tenants)

The Cabinet Lead Member for Performance of Major Contracts and the Head of Landlord Services stated that the delay in the delivery of bathrooms did not affect the decent homes standard as the replacement programme was organised around component dates.  If a property was void and required a new kitchen / bathroom it would be replaced as part of the programme to get the property let again.

In respect of Appendix 2, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and housing complaints, the Head of Landlord Services noted that the housing repairs complaints included complaints from all teams in the repairs service.  With respect to ASB behaviour complaints it was noted that cases opened in error or as duplicates resulted mostly from several complaints about the same issue being raised as individual cases and then being closed so only one case was open regarding the issue.

RESOLVED

1.            that the Head of Landlord Services provides further information regarding the number of residents who were informed that the replacement of their bathroom would not be occurring during the council year due to slippage;

2.            that the Head of Landlord Services discusses with the Community Safety team the inclusion of an additional category for cases closed as duplicates/entered in error.

3.         that the performance results, associated commentary and the explanations provided be noted;

Reasons

1.         To confirm that the Council informed residents of the situation when they had been told at the start of the year that their bathroom would be replaced.

2.         To enable further scrutiny of this matter to determine if it is an issue.

3.            To record the information contained in the 2018-19 Quarter 4 Performance Monitoring Information report and end of year outturn.