Agenda item

Councillor Elliott, Cabinet Member for Resources, introduced the report. He stated that this was the first time this report had been presented in this style. He added that KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) need to be regularly reviewed and formally invited the Panel to give their input. He suggested it would be useful to consider the KPIs being suggested by Government which would enable like for like comparisons across Councils. The Scrutiny Officer explained that the Government consultation ends on 12^th September 2025 and he would set up a meeting with the Panel late summer and feedback.

Panel members raised the following points and asked the following questions:

In response to a question from Councillor David, the Cabinet Member confirmed that all indicators had been signed off by Cabinet last year.

Councillor David stated that it is good to make a distinction between things the Council can influence and what it cannot. She asked if indicators allowed us to directly follow Children’s Services. The Cabinet Member agreed with the first point but pointed out that it has been suggested that the Government indicators may contain things that are not directly controlled by the Council. Regarding Children’s Services indicators, he asked what would be useful. The Executive Director explained that there are two issues – outcomes for young people (in the remit of another Panel) and financial issues. Councillor Moss stated that there was a Task and Finish Group looking at Family First.

Councillor Simon stated that the format does not expose critical areas of the Council and does not give enough context to enable comparison. The Cabinet Member stated that he took this on board and acknowledged the benchmarking opportunities if KPIs are the same in other Councils.

Councillor Moss stated that it would be useful to have a discussion on KPIs and that there would be a session on this. He stated that he would not want a return of league tables, the mood music is devolution. He asked about fair funding – looking at deprivation indicators and the element of accessibility of services in rural areas. The Cabinet Member stated that the fair funding review will have an effect on Local Government across the country. The officer explained that the consultation on the fair funding formula was complicated and will affect every local authority. He explained that deprivation is a significant factor and that we will lose as a result of that. We are not at the confirmed position currently. Councillor Moss suggested that a transition period would be in place for a significant time. The Cabinet Member stated that if the transition is good and we get stability, at least we can plan.

Councillor Halsall asked if there were any discussions around being a university city (a third of residents are students) and possible compensation for lack of council tax. The Cabinet Member stated that the response from the Minister suggested that they are looking at this.

Councillor Moss stated that previous measures of deprivation were on a ward level and he understood that the new levels would pick up smaller pockets of deprivation.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and officers.