Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Head of Community Engagement (Partnerships).

The Assistant Head of Community Engagement (Partnerships) presented the corporate performance monitoring update report and progress as at September 2012 on actions in the Corporate Plan 2012 – 15 to the Panel.  The report provided an update on developments in, and plans for, improving corporate performance management arrangements in the future.

The report identified those activities with a ‘red’ status, where further intervention was likely to be necessary to achieve the stated outcome or realise the benefits of projects programmes. Members were advised that there was only one activity - Completion of New Homes in the District - where performance on the delivery of planned outcomes had not at that stage been achieved as planned.

The Head of Regeneration and Planning had stated that the performance indicator for completion of new homes in the district was coloured red to reflect the serious level of under performance with the completion of new homes in the district in relation to a target of 400 homes per annum. It was acknowledged however that much of the influence over new housing was outside of the council’s control. It was advised that the performance indicator for completion of new homes in the district would now be coloured amber, as the Council’s new Local Plan, which proposed housing schemes on green field sites, had been approved for public consultation. The indicator would be turned amber in recognition of the Council’s proactive action to mitigate the private sector’s poor performance.

The Panel queried how changes to planning regulations and the current economic climate had affected revenue coming into the Council. It was agreed that a report regarding this matter be requested for inclusion in the Work Programme for a future meeting of the Panel. 

The Principal Human Resources Officer advised members on the issue of reducing sickness absence. It was advised that the Council aimed to reduce the number of days lost to sickness absence per employee to less than 9.0 days by the end of the current financial year. For the financial year 2011/12 an average of 9.56 days was lost to sickness absence. It was advised that this figure was an average, which covered both long-term and short-term absences and did not mean that all employees had 9 days of sickness absence in a year. The majority of absence was long term in nature, which had a disproportionate impact on average absence levels,

The Panel was advised of a range of actions taken by the Council to assist employees in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including enhancements to the range of supportive measures available to employees who required additional assistance in returning to or remaining in work during a period of ill health. . In addition, the Council’s Sickness Absence Management Policy had been revised, following consultation and agreement by JCC and the Personnel Committee. It was expected that the introduction of a revised Sickness Absence Management Policy would have a further positive impact on absence levels.

It was advised that a new Payroll/Human Resources system, was being developed, which would give Managers much earlier access to absence information and make available more detailed statistics on sickness absence, which would allow greater identification of any issues that required addressing. The Human Resources element of the system was expected to be operational by April/June 2013.

Members asked questions regarding reducing sickness absence and the Principal Human Resources Officer provided answers accordingly.

Resolved:

(1)        That the Corporate Performance Monitoring Update report be noted. 

(2)        That a report be requested for inclusion on the agenda of a future meeting of the Panel regarding how the current economic climate and changes to planning legislation has affected revenue coming into the Council.