Agenda item

The Committee received the half year quarterly performance report for consideration.

Members discussed performance indicators relating to Community Safety, and were particularly interested in data relating to violent crime.  Members asked Officers to explain which crimes constituted ‘violent crime’.  Members also questioned Officers about the differences between the Council’s figures and the data reported in the British Crime Survey.  Members agreed that Officers should provide a briefing session where Members could be provided with more detailed information about the Community Safety figures.  Members requested that Officers should provide simple definitions of relevant terminology as part of this presentation.

Members discussed performance indicator ET09 relating to the dial-a-ride scheme and questioned the 2007/08 target.  Members commented that the target figure appeared to be lower than for the previous year and asked Officers to provide an explanation about why this had occurred.  Members also asked Officers to explain whether the Council was likely to achieve the new target and whether the Council monitored concessionary use of the Dial-a-Ride scheme.  Officers explained that the relevant Officer would need to provide Members with this explanation.  Members requested that a written explanation should be provided by the relevant Officer for the consideration of Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Members considered the performance data for priority three, Housing, and expressed concern that the Council appeared not to have performed according to target.  The Chair requested that the relevant senior Officer provide a brief, written explanation of the figures for priority three for the next meeting.  

Members discussed the wording for the Indicator Description for  BVPI79b(i) relating to Housing Benefit.  Members felt that this wording was not clear and requested that Officers reword the indicator description for the next time that the Committee considers the performance information.

The Committee considered the figures for indicator WM05 relating to the performance of the switch board and contact centre.  Members suggested that the target appeared unusually high for this indicator.  Officers explained that WM05 was a local indicator but that more detailed figures could be provided to explain the length of time it takes for a phone caller to be transferred from the Switchboard or Contact Centre to speak to a person.

As part of the item, Officers presented information about the computerised performance management system used by the Council.  Members and Officers discussed methods that could be used for presenting performance management data to Members at following meetings of the committee.  Officers provided Members with an example of how the performance data could be presented at following meetings.  Members discussed the example and agreed that the new presentation format would be useful.  However, Members requested that the year’s performance figures should be placed before data for preceding years (detailed from left to right on the page).  Members also requested that Officers refer to ‘average’ rather than ‘median’ under the benchmarking column.  Members agreed that it would be useful for the information to contain a glossary. 

Members welcomed the practice of assigning indicators in accordance with a traffic light system. However, Members requested clarification about how Officers would interpret indicator figures as being ‘red’, ‘amber’ or ‘green’.  Officers agreed to provide an explanation of what constituted ‘red’, ‘amber’ or ‘green’ performance.  Members asked Officers to gradually introduce this style of presenting the performance figures for Member consideration.  Members also agreed that when Officers had developed the proposed style for presenting performance data to a further stage they should report back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration.

Officers provided Members with a demonstration of the performance management software system.  Members agreed that Member access to the Ten system would be useful and questioned whether access would be possible using their own IT equipment.  Officers agreed to provide more information about how Members might access the Ten system using their own equipment at a future meeting. 

RESOLVED that

1)           a Member Briefing session be organised to explain Community             Safety figures and terminology in greater detail; and

2)         Officers be requested to

a)         provide an explanation of the 2007/08 target for the Dial-a-Ride             scheme and how the Council monitors concessionary use of the             scheme;

b)        provide a brief explanation of the Priority Three Housing figures                        for the next meeting;

c)         rephrase the indicator description for BVPI79b(i);

d)        provide more detailed figures about the length of time it takes    from somebody to be transferred from the Switchboard or Contact            Centre to a person;

e)         make minor changes to the presentation of the performance       indicators as detailed in the preamble above;

f)          provide an explanation of the traffic light system used in the       proposed new presentation of performance indicators; and

g)        provide further information about how Members might access the        Ten system using their own equipment;

all as detailed in the preamble above.