Meeting documents

Date

3^rd November 2004

Reporting Area

Council Performance

Lead Director

Peter Rowntree

Transport

· Improvements in car parks (visibility and environmental changes, police working) have reduced car crime to within 1% of `0304 target (down 14% on last year). Police have formally thanked the Council for the contribution of Parking staff and Community Wardens in managing this situation.

· Legal position regarding use of Council vehicles on public service routes clarified - initiative to be pursued as part of Passenger Transport review

· Local Transport Plan 2006 -'11 - joint working established with three other ex Avon authorities with positive engagement of Local Strategic Partnership

· Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study now received - Executive decision to consult on and appraise options.

· Sub Regional Forum established for Heads of Transport and Executive Members

· Wellsway reconstruction completed with £2.3m additional funding above the Local Transport Plan settlement - improving bus infrastructure and surface quality

· £0.8m external funding from over 4 sources enabled 6.5 km cycle route Bath/Radstock/Frome

· Bus gate review completed and timing changes to be implemented

· National design award for Charlotte Street Car Park project.

Housing & Supported living

· Council approved the costings for the concept designs for the Community Resource Centres, including 3 designed for dementia day care centres.

· A Members workshop took place at the end of May to further develop the Affordable Housing Strategy.

· A new Housing Enforcement Policy has been agreed, which will assist the Council in carrying out good enforcement practice.

· Council have agreed the enhanced EPH Reprovision Program and the budget of £26.266m

· The new statutory requirements for families with dependent children and expectant mothers in Bed & Breakfast accommodation have been achieved.

Resources

· Successful completion of stage 1 of People Services with co-location of HR/Payroll staff ahead of schedule and payroll upgrade.

· Revenues and Benefits Service - the Mini-Review by Resources Overview & Scrutiny Panel accepted that whilst service is not upper quartile it was satisfactory given the resources available.

· Revenues & Benefits awarded Investor In People accreditation and also commended in Municipal Journal achievement of the year awards in category of People Management.

· Ten staff in revenues and Benefits Service fully established as official homeworkers.

· European election successfully delivered.

· Bath South Area Committee pilot started successfully

Social Services

· Leadbitters have been appointed as the construction partner to take forward the building phase of the Community Resource Centres. Green Park Day Centre has now closed.

· Recommendations for changes to the homecare service has been agreed.

· Children & Family Services provided "Safeguarding Children" training for front line managers across the Council.

· The Department of Health's Valuing People Support Team has rated as "excellent" all B&NES strategies for people with learning difficulties that were submitted in 2003.

· Excellent progress is being made on the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. Bath and North East Somerset has recently been identified as having the 4th lowest teenage conception rate in the country.

· Agreement has been reached with Education and the Primary Care Trust to pool budgets with Children and Family Services for residential placements of looked after children.

· Social & Housing Services have been successful in a bid for Government "Invest to Save" money. A grant of 1.3million over 3 years has been awarded to pilot an `inreach' nursing team to registered nursing homes.

· CareFirst, a major new client record system, was successfully implemented on in March.

Community Safety

· Significant falls in vehicle crime and burglary achieved last year are being maintained.

· There has been significant progress in meeting national waiting time targets for access to drug misuse services. All services are now meeting the average waiting time of 2-3 weeks.

· Good progress is being made in improving responses to domestic violence. This includes multi agency training, planning of prevention and support work in schools, improving responses in the criminal justice system, including the possibility of a specialist domestic violence court and successful local publicity.

· Action against bogus callers through delivery of the Elder Aware programme and the Trickster musical

· Completion of Just Art pilot project with evaluation report and exhibition.

Equalities

· The new Corporate Equal Opportunities Policy and Equality Commitment have been written and consulted on. These are now awaiting for Executive and Full Council ratification.

· Equality Standard for Local Government Co-ordinators have been nominated from each Service.

· Development of Corporate Workers Challenge Groups.

Environment

· Waste collection rationalisation study progressing. Organic and green waste trials exceeding expectations.

· Bath City Centre Co-ordination project launched. Cross Council group of Executive Members and Officers.

· Formal agreement to introduce discretionary charges for pre-application discussion on major planning schemes.

· Successful partnership Lottery Fund bid with Universities of Bath, Bristol & Envolve for University/ Student recycling project.

· Garden waste and cardboard collection scheme - continuation funds secured.

· Zero Waste consultant appointed to develop waste implementation plan.

· Contract with Business Link for provision of business support services negotiated. Focus impact on enterprise in regeneration areas.

· Local Plan revised deposit approved

Education

· Consultation progressing on two sites for new Keynsham School.

· Three school closures from North and Central Bath Review recommended.

· Special measures at Lime Grove School to be addressed by early merger with Summerfield School.

· Partnership for rapid improvement of Somervale School agreed with Norton Hill.

· School Standards Improvement Project nearing completion. Improvement to advisory systems and focus of work, particularly balancing needs of all schools against those in difficulty.

· 10 point action plan agreed between Education and Social Services to address issues from the "Children Bill".

· Agreement reached on temporary location for Key Stage 1 Behaviour Unit and possible permanent site identified in Norton Radstock in collaboration with school.

Leisure

· Tourism Services Contract agreed & signed off with Bath Tourism Plus.

· Heritage Services long term business planning and investment plan agreed; advisory Board to be appointed.

· Pump Room and Assembly Rooms catering contracts awarded to Searcy Tansley Ltd (Searcy's) effective June 2004.

· Roman Baths awarded £100,000 grant by Wolfson Foundation for environmental control measure in the Temple Precinct

· Bath & North East Somerset Resident's Discovery Cards issued approaching 15,000

· Roman Baths awarded the prestigious Sandford Award for heritage education

· Leisure partnership with Aquaterra has secured investment in Bath Leisure Centre and Culverhay and responses provided to Corporate Issues panel review.

· New irrigation tank & system at Approach Golf Course: work completed, partnership funding by Council & Aquaterra

· Chew Valley Sports Centre - operating contract implemented; School has taken responsibility for managing Sports Centre and will work with Leisure & Amenity Services to achieve business plan.

· 4 ex-Avon councils, along with Sport England, have agreed to develop a joint sports plan to cover the area; appointment of partnership manager funded by Sport England

· Sure Start has funded an officer who has been recruited to the library service

· Targeted libraries stock purchasing underway together with introduction of more collections to improve stock rotation. Book stock supplied to community venues including FOTEC and new Family History service launched to increase public access to library services

· Self Issue project commenced in Customer Services, Libraries & Information funded by Public Service Agreement (PSA)

· Draft of "Libraries as first stop shops" strategy produced, subject to staff consultation

Customers

· Keynsham Farmers Market project agreed - launch October 9th.

· Award of Crystal Mark Plain English Award for Community Strategy document.

· Customer facing teams have transferred to Customer Services, Libraries and Information in Action Line, Parking Shop, Riverside reception and cash offices in Guildhall and Keynsham.

· Racial Equality Council to hold surgeries at InfoPlus in Midsomer Norton.

· Implementing Electronic Government 3, statement agreed by Office of Deputy Prime Minister.

Transport

· Open Top Tour Buses control now dependant on secondary legislation - likely to be in place Autumn 2004

Resources

· Accommodation Strategy - Development of new building within the time frame will be challenging.

· Corporate Governance - Good progress on risk strategy but need to fully integrate into the overall planning process.

· Freedom of Information - HBS resourced project is underway to determine gap analysis and programme of compliance work.

Environment

· Toilet closures delayed and reduced following O&S panel review.

Leisure

· Leisure PSA targets not achieved 2003/4. Expected to fall short of the full Performance Reward Grant worth £298,163 but may receive a proportion of it.

· Unsuccessful bid made to Sport England's "Active England" fund therefore alternative funding is being considered.

· Funds being pursued to implement library home delivery and lending.

· Negotiations continue regarding opening libraries on "Bank Holiday Saturdays" with Unison; potential funding issues.

· Planning permission for new St Nicholas School awaited

· £5 million capital funding bid to the Department of Health, Extra Care Housing Fund not successful. A second bidding round will commence in the autumn.

Community Safety

· Slippage in the Drug Action Team Treatment Plan due to staff vacancies. However this has not affected the provision of treatment to people with drug problems.

Leisure

· Limited Job Centre service introduced at Keynsham library.

· Library Link pilot at Writhlington.

Housing

· Workshops considered the requirements for the provision of Extra Care Housing and In-reach Nursing for the new Community Resource Centres. From these workshops referral, assessment and staffing arrangements need to be developed.

· The Supporting People Programme has agreed to commission, in partnership with Children & Families, the expansion of the Supported Lodging Scheme to include young homeless who have not been in care. With funding for support in place, additional landlords now need to be encouraged to take part in the scheme.

Community Safety

· Work has commenced on a feasibility study for a `Quality of Life' team looking at ways of improving co-ordination and effectiveness of staff delivering community safety work both at operational and planning levels.

· Liaison with Somer Community Housing Trust to identify opportunities for providing domestic violence refuge accommodation.

· Liaison with Play Rangers, and with Somer Community Housing Trust on initiatives including volunteer play rangers and park and play area clean ups

· The launch of the new young peoples drug service is on track for October. The service will share accommodation space with Connexions, providing easy access for young people.

Equalities

· Full Review of the Race Equality Scheme & Action Plan

· Development of an Equality Standard for procurement.

· Members & Parish Council Equalities training

Resources

· HR Improvement Project - Heads of Service group set up to steer implementation and ensure `buy-in' to strategies. Detailed project plans to be identified for key initiatives with allocation of resources and programmes for implementation cross-council together with associated activities not addressed in key projects.

· New Financial Management System - Roll out of additional modules will support and enable improvement of financial management within the Council.

· Development of an Accommodation Strategy will support better coordination of other strategic initiatives relating to working practices.

· Participation in Sub-regional structures to develop vision for area covering planning / transportation / economic development/housing/culture.

· RDA funding for roll-out of Broadband to South West small businesses

· Participation in E-Payments project development.

Environment

· Re-structure of Learn Direct centre and review of provision of Training Services will mean organisational change.

· Investment in new IT systems for Planning to provide on-line public access

· The pressure is on councils to increase speed of dealing with planning applications and changing our approach. Discussion with Open Planning Forum on range of issues, including Discretionary Charging, and change in approach to negotiation on applications. Essential for Planning Services to develop and achieve e-gov. targets and to improve service delivery.

· The responsibility for sustainability has transferred to Planning Service and work currently being undertaken to drive the agenda forward. Raising the profile of sustainability and giving it a key focus can be done through achieving real efficiencies in the Council.

· New inter-Service framework for dealing with strategic issues with regards to Western Riverside.

Housing

· The Disabled Facilities Grant has been cut by £38,000. This is a statutory provision which due to the demand has been overspent for the past two years. A prioritisation system has been introduced and is being constantly monitored to ensure the best use of the available monies. However, it is likely that waiting times will increase and performance against Key Performance Indicators could worsen.

Community Safety

· Changes to government funding may impact on the services which can be commissioned locally. The current Building Safer Communities fund is to be merged into a new Safer and Cleaner Communities fund with a wider remit.

· Lack of additional resources for work with survivors of domestic violence and perpetrators.

· The number of substance misusers seeking to access treatment could exceed capacity.

· Additional funding will be needed to meet the needs of primary alcohol users over time.

· Lack of short term housing poses a threat of relapse for abstinent clients of drug treatment services.

Resources

· Upgrade to Council Tax and Benefit system is slower making improvements to benefit processing time more difficult to achieve.

· A series of budget pressures emerging in 2004/5 latest spending report means continued monitoring and control is essential

· Culture and Transport Key Partnerships still not established, causing lack of representation from these sectors in development and implementation of Community Strategy

Environment

· Significant impact on resources identified in connection with Western Riverside and other emerging projects such as Southgate (implementation), The Heart of Bath and Norton Radstock Regeneration (NRR). The procurement of adequate resource is essential in order to ensure the progress of these projects. There are recruitment problems due to the buoyant job market.

Education

· Funding for information sharing project (from DfES) could end September 2004. Loss of staff expertise, slowing down of progress, if no 2005/6 funding.

· Uncertainty over future funding of Adult Education, due to Learning Skills Council (LSC) decision not to proceed with sub regional service. Future of service in discussion with LSC and other major providers (like the Colleges)

· RDA funding tied to Economic Development leading to inability to support community aspirations for social projects.

Transport

· Local Transport Plan may raise some controversial local issues for consultation

Status

All Performance Targets No.

%

Key Performance Target

No.

%

RED

19

10

7

23

AMBER

30

15

9

13

GREEN

124

64

5

46

NOT KNOWN

22

11

18

18

TOTAL

195

100

39

100

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Ref No

Indicator

Best 25% of all English Councils

02/03

02/03 actual

03/04 actual

04/05 target

04/05 estimated outturn

Status

Comment

EDUCATION

EXAMINATION RESULTS

38

% of 15 year old pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent

53.90%

58.40%

60.08%

66%

61%

Red

Results improving against an ambitious Government target

39

% of 15 year old pupils in schools maintained achieving 5 or more GCSEs at Grade A*-G or equivalent

90.60%

90.00%

92%

97%

93%

Red

Results improving against a very ambitious Government target. Only 1% of pupils now leave without any passes

40

% of pupils achieving Level 4 or above in Key Stage 2 Mathematics

75.60%

78.00%

75.8%

88%

80%

Red

Minister has thanked us for an improvement better than the national average; unrealistic Government target

41

% of pupils achieving Level 4 or above in Key Stage 2 English

77.70%

79.00%

78.3%

88%

81%

Red

Minister has thanked us for an improvement better than the national average; unrealistic Government target

SCHOOL PLACES

34a

% of primary schools with 25% or more (and 30+) of their places unfilled

8.12%

14.70%

16.17%

16.17%

16.17%

Green

34b

% of secondary schools with 25% or more (and 30+) of their places unfilled

0%

7.70%

15.38%

15.38%

15.38%

Green

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN)

43a

% of statements prepared within 18 weeks;

- excluding those affected by "exceptions to the rule" under the SEN Code of Practice

98.55%

92.47%

91%

98%

92%

Red

Results improving on previous year; target ambitious

ABSENCE & EXCLUSION

44

Number of pupils permanently excluded during the year per 1,000 pupils

0.89

1.98

0.90

0.80

1.7

Red

Results from seriously challenging behaviour of an increasing number of pupils. Solutions include earlier intervention and increasing collaboration between schools to manage this.

SOCIAL SERVICES

CHILDREN

49

% of children looked after with three or more placements during the year

10.10%

10.10%

10.83%

10%

12%

Red

New CareFirst system encourages better reporting, the result is more accurate data on which this estimate is based.

50

% of children looked after who are leaving care aged 16 or over with at least one GCSE at grades A*-G or GNVQ

50%

80%

71.43%

60%

60%

Green

161

% of young people looked after, aged 16, who were engaged in education, training or employment at the age of 19

61.10%

54.50%

57.14%

50%

50%

Green

162

% of child protection cases which should have been reviewed during the year that were reviewed

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Green

ADULTS

53

Number of households receiving intensive home care per 1,000 65 or over

15.37

4.90

6.71

7.25

7.25

Green

56

Percentage of items of equipment delivered within seven days

Not Known

New

72.72%

95%

85%

Amber

New computer system for data at joint store is still being bedded in, improvements expected by year end.

196

For older client, % where the time from completion of the assessment to provision of all services is less than 4 weeks

Not Known

New

79.47%

90%

92%

Green

C26

Supported admissions of older people to residential/nursing care per 10,000 population aged 65+

Not Known

Not Known

122

93.7

120

Red

High level of EMI clients, we are currently exploring community based services as an alternative.

HOUSING

HOMELESSNESS

183a

Average time in Bed & Breakfast, households with children (weeks)

Not Known

7.50

8.70

5

7.8

Amber

Indicator subject to peaks and troughs, year end outturn difficult to estimate.

183b

Average time in hostels, households with children (weeks)

Not Known

10.20

13.60

10

15

Amber

Indicator subject to peaks and troughs, year end outturn difficult to estimate.

COMMUNITY SAFETY

126

Domestic burglaries per 1,000 population

8.89

16.82

12.54

15.18

15

Green

Figures to end August show reduction of 22.8% on last year

128

Vehicle crimes per 1,000 population

9.58

21.11

17.05

19.06

19

Green

Figures to end August show reduction of 30.5% on last year

PSA

Reduce accidental fire related deaths and injuries in the home

Not Known

17.4

Not Known

14.5

Not Known

Data not yet available from the Fire Brigade

ENVIRONMENT

WASTE

82a+b

% of household waste recycled

13.82%

26.10%

29.51%

34.10%

32.4%

Amber

Above last year but ambitious target

84

Kg of household waste collected per head

449kg

500kg

485kg

485kg

520kg

Amber

Unexpected rise in waste volumes

89

% satisfied with cleanliness standards

Not Known

Not Known

60%

Not Known

Not Known

Not Known

Next Government measurement due in 2006, local surveys meanwhile

LOCAL ECONOMY

Local 17

Average annual room occupancy in hotels and guest houses

Not Known

63.5%

55%

58%

57%

Green

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

Local 58

% of delegated applications determined within 8 weeks

Not Known

77%

75%

78%

80%

Green

TRANSPORT

HIGHWAYS

102

Number of passenger journeys made annually on local buses (millions)

Not Known

9.63m

9.75m

10.00m

Not Known

Not Known

Measured at end of year

103

% of population satisfied with local provision of public transport information

Not Known

Not Known

37%

Not Known

Not Known

Not Known

Next Government measurement due in 2006, local surveys meanwhile

96

% of defective principal roads

2.42%

21.98%

20.22%

19%

19%

Green

PARKING

Local 53

Streetscene issues identified and reported

N/a

New

2000

2200

7500

Green

Includes Community Wardens' work resolved at point of identification

RESOURCES

BENEFITS

78a

Speed of Processing

- Average time for processing new claims (days)

33.14

49

47.80

Green

78b

7.84

16

13.63

Green

80g

Overall satisfaction with benefits service

N/a

N/a

82%

N/a

Not Known

Not Known

Next Government measurement due in 2006, local surveys meanwhile

COUNCIL FINANCE

8

% of undisputed invoices paid within 30 days

94.94%

89.62%

81.55%

90%

85%

Red

Problems have been identified in Operations and Social Services which are being addressed

9

% of Council Tax collected

98.20%

96.50%

96.80%

97.20%

97.20%

Green

10

% of business rates which should have been received during the year that was received

99.00%

96.90%

96.60%

Green

PROPERTY

156

% of Council buildings open to the public in which all public areas are suitable for and accessible to disabled people

56.50%

25%

19%

25%

25%

Green

COUNCIL STAFF

Local 62

Would you recommend the Council as a place to work?

Not Known

59%

59%

62%

Not Known

N/K

Measured through annual survey

CUSTOMERS

3

% of citizens satisfied with the Council's overall service

Not Known

Not Known

50%

Not Known

Not Known

Not Known

Next Government measurement due in 2006, local surveys meanwhile

E-GOVT

157

% of interactions which are being delivered using internet protocols or other paperless method

58%

54%

60.51%

91%

Not Known

Not Known

A service wide survey is being carried out. No update is possible until survey results collated at end of September