Agenda item

To consider a report by the Corporate Improvement Manager (copy enclosed) presenting a baseline report for the Corporate Plan 2012 – 17.

11.15 a.m.

The Corporate Improvement Manager (CIM) submitted a report (previously circulated) seeking members’ consideration of the draft baseline report for the Corporate Plan 2012 – 17 including measures used for monitoring delivery of the Plan and the baseline position as at 1 April 2012.

In guiding members through the report, the CIM provided some background information to the performance management process and reported upon the work carried out to date in defining the corporate priorities and determining which indicators and performance measures to use. [The priorities relating to ‘Developing the Local Economy’ and ‘Modernising the Council’ were currently being developed and would feature in the next performance report.]  Comparison of performance reports against the baseline would be undertaken in order to evaluate progress in delivering outcomes in the Corporate Plan.  An explanation of the Council’s strategy for setting “excellence thresholds” and “interventions” for each indicator and performance measure was also provided in order to put performance into context.

Members noted the difficulties in deciding which indicators and performance measures should be used, particularly where performance measures could not be benchmarked against other councils in Wales.  They also accepted the rationale to only use relevant national indicators and to use different benchmarking groups if Wales was not deemed to be the most appropriate comparator for a particular indicator or performance measure in order to provide meaningful data.  In response to a question from Councillor Gwyneth Kensler, the CIM confirmed that the Council responded to the annual consultation on national indicator sets in terms of relevance and usefulness but only minor changes had been made to indicators as a result.

In response to questions the CIM and the Corporate Improvement Officer (CIO) elaborated upon some of the benchmarked illustrations used within the report, clarifying that the fluctuations reflected the changes to the Council’s position compared to other Welsh authorities over previous years.  The Council’s default position was that being in the top quarter of councils in Wales was “excellent” and being in the bottom half became a “priority for improvement” and that status had been colour coded accordingly within the report for ease of reference.  The CIO added that the new ranking of Welsh authorities would be available in August which would enable the Council to reassess its position at that time.

Councillor Arwel Roberts queried the research being undertaken by Glyndwr University regarding the indicators to be used for the priority to ensure access to good quality housing.  The CIM advised that the Council had been working with the University to develop data sets in order to provide the necessary indicators.  The intention was to provide a measure of the current supply of social housing, affordable housing and market housing together with a measure of housing need and pent-up demand.  The Chair mentioned work the university was undertaking in his ward where there was a high concentration of social housing looking at community facilities, open space, size of gardens and reported upon a meeting he would be attending on 4 March.

The committee considered future reporting arrangements and agreed to establish a Corporate Plan Performance Management Sub-Group to examine in detail performance reports in advance of the main committee meeting.  Members also agreed that a pre meeting briefing session be arranged before their next meeting on 11 April on the performance management framework and indicator thresholds.

RESOLVED that –

(a)       the draft baseline report for the Corporate Plan 2012 – 17 be received and noted;

(b)       a Corporate Plan Performance Management Sub-Group be established consisting of Councillors Colin Hughes, Arwel Roberts and Gareth Sandilands to examine closely quarterly performance reports in advance of the main committee meeting, and

(c)        a pre meeting briefing session be arranged before the committee’s next meeting on 11 April on the performance management framework and indicator thresholds.