Agenda item

Matthew Wagner (Chief Analyst, Strategy, Policy, Relationships & Corporate Assurance) was in attendance for this item.

1)    Mr Wagner outlined the report for Quarter 1 (Q1), April to June 2023 and highlighted the changes as agreed by Cabinet to include the management action against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) rated Red. Mr Wagner said that out of the 38 KPIs contained within the Quarterly Performance Report (QPR), 16 achieved or exceeded target (rated Green), 11 achieved and exceeded the floor standard but did not meet the target (rated Amber), and 11 did not meet floor standard (rated Red).It was noted that in regards to the direction of travel, four indicators showed a positive trend (two more than the previous Quarter), 24 were stable or with no clear trend (remaining the same as in the previous Quarter) and 10 were showing a negative trend (one fewer than the previous Quarter).

2)    Further to comments and questions from Members, it was noted:

·         that thanks and recognition was given to the Developer Contribution (S106) team for their work in securing additional funding for the Council.

·         In response to the percentage of routine pothole repairs completed within 28 days, work had been undertaken to review the contract with Amey to improve their processes and ensure they were operating in the most effective way. A realigned schedule of rates had been agreed, along with a number of additional management actions which received regular attention from senior officers within Amey. Pressures within Highways and Transport were often weather dependent; however, plans were in place to ensure continued and improved delivery of service as the winter season approached.

·         A number of projects were underway to both streamline and improve the response time for Freedom of Information requests and Data Protection Act Subject Requests.

·         There had been an increase in the number of complaints received within the Growth, Environment and Transport Directorate; however, additional staff resourcing had been deployed to support officers in the drafting of responses. Work continued to be done to identify improved models of operational delivery.

·         In response to the percentage of complaints responded to within timescale relating to Special Educational Needs, four additional staff were deployed to help reduce the backlog and the impact of that performance would be reflected in future Quarterly Performance Reports.

·         In response to the number of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments completed within the 20 week timescale, since September 2022 the number of vacancies within the casework team had reduced from 100 to 10 with further investment being allocated to the retaining and training of our own staff. Additional staffing would positively impact on the backlog of EHCPs, the performance of which would be demonstrated in future Quarterly Performance Reports.

·         Adult Social Care and Public Health continued to face significant challenge in the recruitment of staff, in line with that experienced across the entire Social Care system, resulting in a lower proportion of Care Needs Assessments being delivered in 28 days. This would continue to be prioritised as part of the ongoing work to improve the service delivery model.

·         In response to the reduced percentage of children in foster care placements, in-house or with relatives, due to the increased number of children placed in Kent by other local authorities this had created additional pressure around the recruitment and retention of foster carers to manage capacity; and resulted in increased caseloads for Social Workers. These elements had been a considerable challenge for a long period of time despite the amount of work or additional national funding to address the difficulties.

3)     RESOLVED to note the Quarter 1 Performance Report.