Agenda item

Vincent Godfrey (Strategic Commissioner) was in attendance for this item. 

1.            Miss Carey introduced this report which set out the key areas of performance for the authority.  Of the 35 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) included in the report 22 were rated as Green, 10 were rated as Amber and 3 were rated as Red. 

a.    Customer Service

                                          i.    customer complaints not being responded to in target had improved.  The way in which customers were contacting the council continued to shift towards online methods.  

b.    Environment and Transport

                                          i.    Waste Management – target exceeded with 99% of waste diverted from landfill. 

                                        ii.    Greenhouse gas emissions reduction was ahead of target and on track to deliver the five year target.

2.            This report would be discussed at County Council and during the year Governance and Audit have looked at data quality to reassure Members that the information is properly audited.  Miss Carey congratulated KCC for having achieved so much alongside producing huge savings. 

3.            Vincent Godfrey commented that the report reflected strong performance with 22 of the 35 KPIs rated as Green.   Of the 10 rated Amber, all of those had hit the floor standard, (the level of performance expected) but they had not hit the stretched target level to get to Green. There were 3 Red measures:

a.    “Percentage of Education, Health and Care Plans issued within 20 weeks”: KCC was not solely responsible for accountable for performance with this target, this was largely dependent on colleagues to make plans and future reports would show demarcation between health and the local authority. 

b.    “Percentage of 16-18 year olds who start an apprenticeship”:  this had improved slightly, and there was a positive trend. 

c.    “Number of admissions to permanent residential and nursing care for older people – rolling 12 months”:  overall the trend was improving, however this KPI was marginally short of the target.

4.            Of the 8 targets showing a worsening trend, 3 remained Green and 4 were very marginal.   

5.            The Leader commented on the utilisation of the Apprenticeship Levy, it was important to consider the totality of Apprenticeship Levy being paid by both private sector business and public bodies.  It was concerning that the number of young apprenticeships had dropped nationally and KCC should monitor the 16-25 cohort to ensure the post 16 education supports apprenticeships. 

6.            Referring to EHCP it was important to differentiate between the responsibility of the Health Care partners and KCC, and the number of EHCPs that lead to a place in a special school, and how that compares to national figures.  The issue of High Needs Funding in schools was an issue of great concern and this would be monitored.    

7.            Mr Whiting commented on page 75 of the report, which stated that the Kent and Medway Energy and Low Emissions Strategy was out for public consultation, Michael Payne would be taking the strategy to Kent Leaders on Thursday 27 June and it would go out for public consultation after that date. 

8.            Mr Gough referred to EHCP timeliness, he concurred that these were not plans solely put together by the local authority.  There had been a deterioration in the timeliness of the production of the plans in the last two years and there had been a huge increase in demand.  This placed financial strains on the authority and also caused great distress to parents.

RESOLVED that Cabinet note the Quarter 4 Performance Report.