COUNCIL PLAN OVERVIEW REPORT
Q4 2020 - 21
January – March 2021
Chief Executive:
Timothy Wheadon
COUNCIL PLAN OVERVIEW REPORT
Q4 2020 - 21
January – March 2021
Chief Executive:
Timothy Wheadon
Section 1: Chief Executive’s Commentary
A strong and resilient economy
People have the life skills and education opportunities they need to thrive
People will live active and healthy lifestyles
A clean, green, growing and sustainable place
Strong, safe, supportive and self-reliant communities
Key
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Performance is very good |
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Performance is causing concern |
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Performance is weak |
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RAG rating not applicable |
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Missing data |
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Missing target |
1 Introduction
1.1 This report sets out an overview of the council’s performance for the fourth quarter of 2020/21 (January - March 2021). The purpose is to formally provide the Executive with a high-level summary of key achievements, and to highlight areas where performance was not matching targets or expectations, along with any remedial action that is being taken. It complements the detailed Quarterly Service Reports (QSRs) and is based upon the performance data that is available to all Members online.
1.2 As everyone will know the council continues to function in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and many Members and staff have been focused on leading our community response. Some actions in the departmental service plans have been put on hold, deferred, or modified. Indeed, presentation of this report has been delayed because key officers involved in its production were deployed to the Council’s surge testing efforts in May and June. Nevertheless, at the end of the fourth quarter progress showed:
▪ 101 actions (89%) are green (14 complete, 87 in progress)
▪ 11 actions (10%) are amber (2 complete, 9 in progress)
▪ 1 action (1%) is red (in progress)
1.3 Section 3 of this report contains information on the performance indicators across the council for each of the strategic themes. Again, the picture was positive particularly in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, in a number of the “red” cases, the indicator is meaningless in relation to performance. Obvious examples include attendances at libraries and sport and leisure facilities which were open at reduced capacity. The status for the key indicators in the Council Plan in the third quarter is:
▪ 26 (74%) green
▪ 2 (6%) amber
▪ 7 (20%) red
21 further indicators have no set target or data is currently unavailable.
2. Overview of Q4 and what went especially well
2.1 Putting these obvious challenges to one side, teams delivered services to a high standard during the period, especially in response to Covid-19. I have highlighted here a small selection of examples from across the organisation.
2.2 The national lockdown in March 2020 fundamentally changed the delivery of services within Bracknell Forest. Service areas implemented business continuity plans with the vast majority operating as closely as possible to business as usual. It is inevitable that Covid-19 has had a significant impact on our whole population, and this has been reflective in the council’s activities over the past 12 months.
2.3 There have been many positive achievements despite a wholesale change in our way of working. The adaptability, flexibility and resilience of the teams should be mentioned with a continued high level of service provided throughout the year whilst the council responded to the Covid-19 Pandemic. A year that each quarter showed the strength and resilience of the services, and their ability to both have a clear plan for the year and to adapt to the changing environment that is part of the world of local government. There had been many high points throughout the year and the year’s plan has had to adapt to many unexpected and unplanned events. Resource plans have had to be focused and refocused, all while delivering services at the high standard that Bracknell Forest residents expect.
2.4 Within Highways and Transport the A3095 (south) highway improvement scheme was largely completed in the quarter. The forthcoming A322 Sports Centre Roundabout improvement scheme is the next major scheme and the work due to on the A3095 corridor works gives an effective alternate route. The LED lighting ‘revisit’ project has regained the momentum lost earlier in the pandemic and remaining work will continue through 2021. The Winter Maintenance Programme has been effectively delivered, with cyclical maintenance programmes running to near-normal levels.
2.5 Within Parks and Countryside, Lily Hill Park was awarded Local Wildlife Site status. Our parks and countryside sites remain in high demand with increased use throughout the Pandemic. The Look Out has adapted its offer to deal with the various restrictions that have been in place over the year. This has also enabled a review of the services provided with a future transformation of the site being developed to bring together this learning and creating a service which makes the very best of the forest location.
2.6 After a wait of several months the reopening of retail centres has been the focus of activity making sure the retail areas within the Borough were prepared for the 12 April reopening date. Within Bracknell Town Centre demolition works for the former Bentall's unit have now commenced, and Sports Direct and associated shops were secured for Princess Square. Work on that store is now visibly underway.
2.7 During the last year the Public Health team have joined Place, Planning and Regeneration to strengthen the ‘whole Council’ approach to health and wellbeing. This team obviously has been at the forefront of pandemic, in particular dealing with numerous health protection initiatives and leading on the development of the Council’s Outbreak Management Plan. This was developed with colleagues from across the council. Outside of covid-19, work has recommenced on developing the Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Bracknell Forest with a Health and Wellbeing Board workshop undertaken to inform the strategic priorities to be developed.
2.8 In Delivery Directorate, 3 important strategies were agreed in this quarter. The Customer Experience Strategy talks to how we will continue to engage with the residents and visitors of the borough in a smart, efficient and technically competent manner, enabling customers rather than just serving them. The second strategy that is linked, is the Digital and ICT strategy. This strategy talks to our journey of using modern IT tools to improve the council’s delivery of services, plus increase access and provide resilient systems. The third strategy was the Climate Change strategy, that has measurable, ambitious, annual targets.
2.9 The Climate Change strategy has been a true coproduction between Officers, the Executive, the Overview and Scrutiny Commission and the public who participated in the Commission’s review process. Several projects, covered by the strategy, have already moved to the implementation stage. In quarter 4, we have delivered real borough wide change, via our “greening waste” strategy. This project implemented a weekly door-step food waste collection service, while encouraging residents to recycle more, by reducing our residual waste collection service to three-weekly; the first in Berkshire to do so. Our “easy as 1,2,3” campaign has been very successful so far, collecting 536 tonnes of food waste for March, against a projected target of 325 tonnes. That initial success has been sustained in subsequent months.
2.10 Along with the national picture, events since March 2020 have fundamentally changed the delivery of education provision within Bracknell Forest. Much emphasis was placed on ensuring children were given opportunities to catch up on any learning lost during the lockdown. Schools also provided blended learning which included face to face and remote learning for those who needed to self-isolate due to Covid-19. The council is grateful to all in the education service especially Headteachers and other school leaders, and managers who have consistently supported children and young people throughout.
2.11 In picking out these highlights there is a real danger of overlooking the special efforts of teams who are not mentioned. The simple fact is that the whole organisation has responded magnificently and continues to deliver effective services.
What are we doing about things not going so well?
3.1 Uncertainty around the on-going impact of Covid-19-related pressures continues. Government guidance in lockdown 3, saw leisure, libraries and other non-essential retail closed. Over and above our own services, the closing of non-essential retail also impacted on car parking income for the Town Centre. Taken together, our customer facing services within the Delivery Directorate, as revenue generating services, took the brunt of the customer and financial impact. However, government funding support for these services has mitigated much of the lost income to the council. Contract Services has also been successful in applying for specific grants to support our service delivery partners. To this end, they have secured £220k from the National Leisure Recovery Fund for our leisure centres.
Forward Look
Going forward, the council’s strategic objectives will continue to progress in the coming weeks albeit within the constraints of the Covid-19 restrictions and in the context of the council’s community response to Covid-19.
Timothy Wheadon
Chief Executive
The provisional end of year position for the General Fund indicates an underspend of -£3.615m. This reflects that while most areas of the Council have seen their costs and / or income significantly affected by the Covid pandemic, the additional funding provided by Government has proved sufficient to cover the impacts in the 2020/21 year. Consequently, it has not proved necessary to draw down all of the Corporate Contingency included in the budget to recognise “normal” financial risks, with the remaining balance of £1.9m comprising more than half of the under spend.
It has been resolved at CMT to allocate the Covid funding provided to cover additional costs to service areas that have reported pressures during the year, which have not been mitigated by the income support for lost sales, fees, and charges. This recognises the difficulty in determining whether pressures experienced in the year relate solely / partly to Covid or to other factors.
Details of individual variances are outlined in each department’s Quarterly Service Report (QSR). This net under spend comprises the following significant variances:
Central
· Additional consultancy costs associated with planning appeals (£0.156m).
· Loss of income within Traffic due to the pandemic, particularly from Street Works (£0.131m).
· Additional income for Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspaces (SANGS) capacity (-0.129m)
· Loss of income from the closure of The Lookout due to the pandemic (£0.274m).
· Transfer of government grant into Central to cover Covid-19 costs (-£0.481m).
Delivery
· An overspend in ICT relating to the purchase of computer software and licences and revenue contributions to capital (£0.198m).
· Underspends on running costs in Office Accommodation (£0.120m) and Registration of Electors / Elections (-£0.105m).
· An overspend within Waste Management primarily relating to the cost of waste disposal (£0.457m).
· An overspend on Car Parks due to the loss of income (£1.019m) partly offset by a reduction in running costs (-£0.353m).
· Financial support provided under the leisure contract because of the pandemic (£1.329m).
· A net overachievement of income at the Cemetery and Crematorium (-£0.230m).
· Transfer of government grant into Delivery to cover Covid-19 costs.
People
· An overspend on Education and Learning (£0.335m) resulting from overspends on staffing (£0.371m) and unbudgeted costs for renting modular classrooms during emergency roof repair works (£0.251m), partly offset by a number of underspends in particular a significant variance at the Open Learning Centre (-£0.107m).
· A net underspend on Children’s Social Care. The most significant variances included underspends on staffing (-£0.316m), care leavers support and maintenance costs (-£0.135m) and Childcare Solicitors (-£0.058m) and an overspend on care and accommodation costs (£0.243m).
· An overspend on care packages within adult social care, primarily due to an increase in the number and cost of learning disability clients (£0.856m). This was partly offset by underspends at Waymead, the in-house respite service, as it remained closed throughout the year (-£0.162m) and on staffing costs (-£0.250m).
· An overspend on externally provided social care primarily due to clients in the community requiring support with memory & cognition (£0.656m). An internal review of contracts within Forestcare helped achieve an underspend (-£0.184m).
· An underspend on Early Help and Communities (-£0.940m). The main elements were an underspend within Housing Welfare & Benefits (-£0.485m), largely caused by a reduction in the provision for bad debts, staff vacancies (-£0.425m) offset by an overspend on Housing Management and Property (£0.303m) in both running and staff costs.
· Transfer of government grant into People to cover Covid-19 costs (-£0.141m).
Non-Departmental/Council Wide
· A significant under spend on interest budgets (-£0.966m). Average cash balances have been substantially higher than those experienced in 2019/20, removing the need for any new borrowing in 2020/21. This has resulted from a combination of slippage on the capital programme, the underspend on the revenue budget and positive cashflows from grants being received and held for short periods pending their allocation.
· Higher than forecast capital receipts in 2019/20 and significant capital carry forwards into 2020/21 helped to create an under spend against the Minimum Revenue Provision (-£0.148m).
· An overspend relating to an additional payment to the Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (£0.241m), increases in the levy payable to central government (£0.649m) and reductions in the section 31 grant receivable from central government (£0.326m) because of the actual, more positive outturn position on Business Rates.
· The impact of the triennial pension revaluation on employers’ pension contributions was less than expected (-£0.088m).
· Other under spends primarily relating to pension recharges and joint arrangements, and the provision for bad debts and write offs (-£0.133m).
· Not all the Covid-19 LA Support Grant received from the government to help meet pressures resulting from the pandemic was required by directorates (-£1.810m).
· Not all the Contingency Fund was required in 2020/21, resulting in an underspend (-£1.930m).
Earmarked Reserves
· Transfers into the ICT Transformation (£0.189m) and the School Masterplans and Feasibility Studies (£0.055m) Reserves.
The final accounts will be presented to the Governance and Audit Committee once the external audit is complete
A full review of all the variances arising in 2020/21 will be undertaken so that any variances that have an impact in 2021/22 and beyond can be identified and built into the Council’s medium term financial plans.
The General Reserves balance at 31 March 2021 was £10.327m.
|
Department |
Previous Figure* |
For the last 4 quarters |
Notes |
|
People |
14.16% |
13.28% |
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Delivery |
5.55% |
7.61% |
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Resources |
7.21% |
5.26% |
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PPR |
10.62% |
8.86% |
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Chief Executive’s Office |
9.3% |
5% |
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Total Voluntary Turnover |
11.5% |
11.16% |
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* This figure relates to the previous 4 quarters and is taken from the preceding CPOR.
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Comparator data |
% |
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Total voluntary turnover for BFC, 2019/20: |
11.9% |
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Average voluntary turnover rate UK public sector 2016: |
10.0% |
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Average Local Government England voluntary turnover 2016: |
14.0% |
(Source: XPertHR Staff Turnover Rates and Cost Survey 2016 and LGA Workforce Survey 2016)
Staff Sickness
|
Department |
Quarter 4 20/21 (days per employee) |
Previous Financial Year (Actual Average days per employee) |
2020/21 Estimated Annual Average (days per employee) |
Notes |
|
People |
1.57 |
9.38 |
5.93 |
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Delivery |
1.42 |
6.61 |
7.67 |
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PPR |
0.68 |
4.06 |
2.47 |
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Resources |
1.86 |
8.29 |
4.65 |
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Chief Executive’s Office |
0.71 |
2.17 |
2.3 |
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Total staff sickness excluding maintained schools |
1.41 |
8.28 |
5.67 |
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Comparator data |
All employees, average days sickness absence per employee |
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Bracknell Forest Council 2019/20 |
8.28 days |
|
English Local Authorities 2017/18 |
8.6 days |
(Source: Local Government Workforce Survey 2017/18)
People
Sickness absence has decreased slightly over the last quarter. Children’s Social Care shows a large reduction from Q3 as does Commissioning. Adults Social Care is the only area where absence has increased but due to the nature of their work it is to be expected that they will have higher rates than other areas of the authority. Just over half (52%) of the absence for Q4 was attributed to long term sickness. Covid-19 related sickness absence stands at 16.5% of the total absence this quarter which has increased in line with national trends. Over the whole of 20-21 the People Directorate has had a lower absence level than BFC did for 19-20.
Delivery
Absence this quarter has decreased compared to Quarter 3. All areas except Property Services have reduced this quarter however levels remain low overall. In total just over half (52%) of the absence was due to long term sickness. These figures also include Covid-19 related sickness levels which have increase in the last quarter in line with national trends. 40% of the sickness was Covid-19 related this quarter. Delivery even with the Covid-19 pandemic has lower levels of absence than BFC as a whole in 2019-20.
Absence levels have risen slightly since the last quarter. 36% of the absence is down to long term sickness cases. Covid-19 sickness counts 18% of the total absence this quarter which has increased in line with national trends. For the whole of 2020-21 Central Directorates had a lower absence rate including Covid-19 than the BFC figure for 2019-20.
b) Summary of Complaints
|
Type of complaint |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
Total cumulative complaints |
Outcome of all complaints received year to date |
|
|
People: Adults |
Statutory |
12 |
5 |
10 |
9 |
36 |
1 – in progress 4 – upheld/fully substantiated 16 – partially upheld/partially substantiated 12 – not upheld/not substantiated 2 – no finding made 1 – external investigation |
|
Local Government Ombudsman |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 – Not upheld |
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|
People: Childrens |
Statutory stage 1 |
11 |
13 |
25 |
24 |
73 |
3 – in progress 4 – upheld/fully substantiated 31 – partially upheld/partially substantiated 20 – not upheld/not substantiated 11 - no finding made 4 – proceeded to stage 2 |
|
Statutory stage 2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
1 – in progress 2 – partially upheld/partially substantiated 0 – not upheld/not substantiated 1 - cancelled |
|
|
Statutory stage 3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 – partially upheld/partially substantiated |
|
|
Stage 2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
0 – upheld 6 – partially upheld/partially substantiated 0 – not upheld/not substantiated |
|
|
Stage 3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
0 – upheld 4 – partially upheld 1 – not upheld/not substantiated |
|
|
Local Government Ombudsman |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
1 – upheld 4 – Partially 1 – not upheld |
|
|
People: Housing |
Stage 2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
4 – not upheld |
|
Stage 3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
Local Government Ombudsman |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
Central |
Stage 2 |
6 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
15 |
3 – in progress 0 – partially upheld/partially substantiated 6 – not upheld 4 - upheld 2 – proceeded to stage 3 |
|
Stage 3 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
1 – in progress 6 – not upheld |
|
|
Local Government Ombudsman |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 – not upheld |
|
|
Delivery |
Stage 2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 – not upheld |
|
Stage 3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
2 – in progress 1 – proceeded to LGO |
|
|
Local Government Ombudsman |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 – not upheld |
People: Adults
There were 9 complaints in quarter 4. Compared to this time last year, this is two more.
People: Childrens
There were 32 complaints in quarter 4. Compared to this time last year, the figure is up from 24. This is 8 more.
Central
There were 4 complaints in quarter 4. Compared to this time last year, the figure is down from 6. This is 2 less.
Delivery
There were no complaints in quarter 4. Compared to this time last year, the figure is down from 1.
During quarter 4 audit reports with major recommendations were issued on raised cyber liability, reactive maintenance, management of commercial property, the Public Protection Partnership, busines rates and council tax.
During quarter 4 the Register was reviewed by the Strategic Risk Management Group and the Corporate Management Team on 4 February 2021 and CMT on 10 March 2021 respectively before being presented to the Governance and Audit Committee on 24th March. The following changes were agreed:
