Agenda item

To consider the report from Business Improvement and Development.

The Business Improvement Officer Liz Gingell presented the report which provided data for Quarter 4 (1 January to 31 March 2018) on the progress made in respect of the Teignbridge Ten (T10) programmes.  Each T10 project had actions with performance indicators and/or projects which monitored progress against targets and milestones. There was also an overview for 2017 and 2018 as well as the key achievements and review of the proposed performance targets for 2018-20.

The report included the outcome of the Council’s Strategy Satisfaction Survey, which included a more detailed set of questions to a much wider audience including face to face interaction with residents and also respondents of the resident’s panel. A finance overview for 2017/18 revenue and capital budgets also set out the actual spend against the year-end estimate (outturn) and the base budget for the same financial year.  A total of 87 Performance Indicators (PI) reports were included, with 24 of the 44 PI's with targets performing above or well above target, whilst 11 PI’s were underperforming.  The detail of the actions being taken to rectify performance detailed in Appendix A was set out below:-

CSROH 5.1 - Number of rough sleepers on a snapshot date (Y1 – 2) - A Member welcomed the Council’s emphasis on this issue and support of vulnerable individuals and he felt this Council should be proud, and applaud the work of officers who were both sympathetic and empathetic in their approach.

CSROH 1.3 - Number of self-build homes provided - A Member commented on the relatively low number of plots for self-build properties. It was noted that the target of 31 per year related to a Local Plan target. Work would be undertaken to consider a compounded target for this PI by the Business Manager, Simon Thornley.

Clean Scene Summary - Council policies on dog fouling and access restrictions - A Member commented on the dog fouling restrictions and recent tragic incidents involving dog attacks on Dawlish’s black swans. He was concerned at the lack of progress made and uncertainty of the enforcement and requested a PSPO for the  Dawlish Lawn to be implemented as soon as possible. A request would be sent to the Environmental Protection Manager, David Eaton to pursue.

CSCLS 5.1 - Household waste recycled and composted - The Chairman referred to the static figures and the proposed Member Working Group on recycling and waste.He advised that some background work was needed, but action sooner rather than later was desirable.

CSCLS 7.1 -% of monitored sites not meeting the air quality standard for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – A Member referred to the upgrade of the South Devon Highway and sought an assurance that air quality monitoring would continue in the adjacent locations. It was noted that this request would be passed to the Environmental Protection Manager. The Chairman also suggested that with the change in the traffic flow it would be useful to obtain similar data for Newton Abbot.

Going to Town summary –

·         Working with and supporting continued Town Centre Management – Members commented on the excellent work carried out by the street sweepers in Bovey Tracy, keeping the streets  clean and tidy and also welcomed the update regarding the Town Centre Manager post for Teignmouth and Dawlish.

CSGT 6.1 - Number of new homes provided in town centres – The lack of a target was noted.

CSGP 1.1 - Satisfaction with new development in your area - The Chairman referred to the site of new developments which were below target.  He welcomed the proposed annual Members’ Planning Tour which would visit all the sites surveyed this year, with a likely date of September or October.  A Member was aware of the risk of costly appeals, but suggested that with their local knowledge they were often well placed to comment on planning matters. The Chairman suggested it would be worthwhile to see if the planning tour could highlight any such instances.

CSGP 2.1  - % satisfaction with open space/play facilities on new residential developments – The lower satisfaction level could also be in part due to the trigger point for delivery which may not have been reached in some instances and officers would explore the available resources. 

CSGP 4.3 - Implementation of projectsin South East Devon European Site Mitigation Strategy – A Member referred to the last meeting of the South East Devon Habitat Regulations Executive Committee in April when discussions took place relating to a proposed Visitor Management Plan for Dawlish Warren. The plan would be a valuable resource. The Interim Head of Commercial Services Tony Watson advised that officers would be investigating all options available to mitigate the impact on the nature reserve.

CSHAH 5.8 - Working days list due to sickness absence average per employee -  The Human Resources and Organisational Development Manager, Gloria Lloyd attended the meeting and confirmed that this PI had undergone rigorous analysis.  An exercise collating information relating to actions based on activity, benchmarking with other local authorities as well as case studies had been carried out. The analysis and benchmarking showed that the 18 year trend of negative reporting was in fact incorrect. It was deemed important to acknowledge this and celebrate the changes made to reflect correct data recording. National statistics showed that the level of attendance should not fall below 96%, and when the attendance rate for Teignbridge District Council was recalculated, taking account of annual leave and bank holidays, the figure rose to 97.3%.  It was also felt that by the very nature of the role, data relating to staff absences working in the Recycling and Waste teams should be separated. It was noted that an update would be made to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 10 September.

CSZH 3.4- % of waste recycled and composted from our own operations and buildings - The Business Improvement Officer confirmed that the actual recycling rate was 37.2% and that the target had been revised to 40% for this year and 45% for 2019/20.

CSZH 1.1-1.3 - Gas/Electricity and Water Utilities - In response to a Member's comment it was agreed to set targets for all three performance indicators.

CSWE 6.4 - Cost of management as a % of total cost service - The Chairman sought clarification in relation to the identified figure of £126.03.  The Finance Officer, Steve Wotton advised that the note related to Quarter 3 and at that time the year-end estimate was £126.03. The actual year-end figure of £100.38 was lower due to a large additional income sum received very late in the financial year.

CSWE 6.5 - Number of full-time equivalent staff - A Member enquired about the specific reasons for the increase of 30 full-time staff and if that figure related to one department or was across the Council.  The HR and OD Manager confirmed that the fluctuation in staff was seasonal and included both full-time and part-time employees. It was proposed that a change of measurement to the average FTE/year rather than the number on 31 March was made each year. A full explanation for the increase would be provided in the HR report to Members at the next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10 September.

Appendix B

The Business Improvement Officer referred to the detail for the proposed PI targets from 2018/19 to 2021/22 and the rationale behind the figures as set out in Appendix B. Members also raised a number of issues relating to the following:-

CSCLS 5.1 - Household waste recycled and composted - A Member inquired about the rationale for a 60% target and then the subsequent year’s target was reduced to 56%. The Business Improvement Officer undertook to contact the Waste and Cleansing Manager, Chris Braines to review the target.

CSCLS 5.3- Residual waste per household - The Member sought clarification of a similar anomaly and a lower figure in the following year. The target would be similarly reviewed.

CSCLS 7.1 - % of monitored sites not meeting the air quality standard for nitrogen dioxide - A Member referred to the target and enquired about data to track any improvements following the opening of the new South Devon Highway.  He was concerned about the level of monitoring of the air-quality and requested the Environmental Protection Manager to provide further information.

CCLMUG 4.2 - Proportion of commuters by non car modes from the survey of new dwellings - A Member referred to the proportion of commuters and it was noted that the data needs to be reviewed. A request would be made to the Business Manager Development Management, Nick Davies to provide the information.

CSZH 1.1-1.3 - Gas, Electricity and Water consumption- The Chairman referred to the previous reference to this and lack of target. He felt that was a real potential for some savings to be made in respect of these utilities. A target would have to be identified to establish if this was possible and the Interim Head of Commercial Services would speak to the Environmental Protection Manager.  However, he was pleased to report that the accommodation at the Council offices were now at maximum capacity to ensure a meaningful target.

Members noted the report.