Agenda item

Quarterly Service Reports (QSRs)

To consider the performance monitoring reports for quarter 3 (October – December 2017) of the 2017/18 financial year for the:

 

·                     Resources Directorate

 

The Chairman has asked that any questions arising from the reports should be referred to the Director of Resources in advance and only raised in the meeting if you consider the issue requires wider discussion.

Minutes:

The Commission noted the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the QSRs for the third quarter of 2017/18 (October to December 2017) relating to the Resources Directorate. 

 

As a result of Members’ comments and questions, the following points were made:

  • Councillor Finnie had requested information regarding the Volunteer Handbook which had been developed.
  • It was clarified that the work supporting L064 ‘Debt outstanding as percentage of gross debt’ was an ongoing process to recover monies and could be recovered in large amounts such as CIL invoices from developers. It was noted that the team was working hard to recover outstanding funds.
  • It was explained that the complaints figures in L257 related to the whole Council and therefore were not directly related to the figures in L261 and L262 which related to staff sickness absence and voluntary staff turnover.
  • In relation L261, Level of sickness, although the Quarter 3 figure (1.71) was above the target of 1.62 days this was a low target. It was acknowledged that staff in Resources had been supporting the delivery of other transformation projects during the proceeding six months and working to tight timescales. It was reported that this figure was good compared to other local authorities. Work was ongoing to support Resources staff and improve morale.
  • Due to the contractual nature of the issue raised in relation to 7.2.30 ‘Providing project management which supports the delivery and development of Coral Reef’ about additional fees it was not possible to provide a full answer in the public meeting. It was acknowledged that the RAG rating should be Red rather than Amber status and that an update would be circulated outside of the meeting when it was available.
  • Concerns were raised about the absence of detailed sickness and vacancy reporting in Quarterly Service Reports. It was noted that these were due to be reported as part of the Corporate Performance Overview Report but that this had a later publication date so was not available for consideration at this meeting. This was considered by members of the Commission to be an important measure of staff wellbeing and data would therefore always be out of date as the publication sequencing did not work with the meetings schedule. It was agreed that this needed to be discussed outside of the meeting.
  • Regarding 7.2.37, Agree a clear way forward for the Cooper’s Hill site, it was clarified that this was a complex site and officers were working through tricky covenant issues but the Green status reflected that discussions were underway with projections for future use looking more positive.
  • It was explained that changing financial rules did not affect income in the Property Investment Strategy (1.3.07) in the next financial year as it impacted on accounting processes but not yield. The Borough Treasurer would provide a more detailed response to the query.
  • There had been a challenging situation with the delivery of the Crematorium New Chapel due to issues with contractor workmanship and performance but they had not been significant enough to trigger compensation discussions but initial issues had now been resolved.
  • The information provided in the Quarterly Service Report about 5.2 ‘The right levels and types of housing are both approved and delivered’ related only to Council purchases for homelessness.
  • It was noted that the Downshire Homes Board were intending to provide an annual report and mid year update to Council.

Supporting documents:

 

Contact Information

Democratic services

Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk