Agenda item

This annual report of the Director of Resources presents assurances to the Corporate Governance & Audit Committee on the effectiveness of the council’s corporate performance management arrangements.

The annual report of the Director of Resources presented assurances to the Corporate Governance & Audit Committee on the effectiveness of the council’s corporate performance management arrangements. It provided Members with the opportunity to review the council’s corporate performance management arrangements, using the cycle of internal control framework, to enable them to determine whether these arrangements are up to date; fit for purpose; effectively communicated and routinely complied with.

In attendance for this item were:

·  Marianna Pexton – Chief Officer Strategy and Policy

·  Tim Rollett – Intelligence and Policy Manager

It was acknowledged that 2022/23 is a transitional year for the performance arrangements. At the start of the year the strategic ambitions of the council were set out in the Best Council Plan which provided the framework for the council’s performance management arrangements. The Plan was superseded by the Best City Ambition, adopted by Full Council in February 2022, which set out the outcomes for the city. As well as including an updated performance framework, the Ambition incorporates a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to help measure progress over time against the outcomes and priorities, this had been done in consultation with Scrutiny Boards. It was noted that KPI’s related to finance, workforce and some more specific such as killed or seriously injured on roads.

The reporting mechanism for the KPI’s would through Corporate Leadership Team and a corporate report to Executive Board. It was noted that the team would be continually reviewing the KPI’s, and it was recognised that there was more work to be done as the KPI’s become embedded.

Responding to questions from the Committee the following information was provided:

·  It was noted that the team had received comments on the new KPI’s from Scrutiny Boards which would enable benchmarking against other core cities and neighbouring authorities which would feed back to Scrutiny Boards in performance reporting.

·  Arrangements to enable service learning from contact centre engagement are well embedded, new arrangements have better systematised arrangements to ensure strategic oversight and learning within performance monitoring.  Future reports will set out these arrangements.  Members asked that future reports identify gaps in those arrangements and action to be taken to address these.

·  Members questioned whether the council’s engagement approach is reactive, based on information received through complaints and customer contact, rather than proactive engagement.  Members recognised that individual services undertake surveys in relation to budget and travel etc. but were of the view that more could be done to improve services and become proactive instead of reactive. 

·  Members asked what work was undertaken to ensure that engagement was consistent and systematic across the council and its directorates to enable a big picture view.  It was noted that there is a very small corporate team to provide advice and guidance, but the range of services delivered means that there are a variety of approaches.

It was acknowledged that the central team does not have budget and resources to undertake all surveys across the council, but that officers would look at oversight arrangements in more detail, and that the committee would have oversight of this work.

RESOLVED – To:

a)  Receive this report and the attached Appendix 1 as together providing key forms of assurance on the robustness of the authority’s corporate performance management arrangements.

b)  Be added to the work programme to be reported quarterly with supporting governance arrangements and processes in place.