Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director, Corporate and Support Services.

The document is the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Report (PPRR) for the Corporate, Customer and Community Services Portfolio for 2014/15. This provides a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities and budgets over the year and specifically during the fourth quarter of 2014/15. It includes full-year out-turn performance and financial data for the Portfolio, or forecast / provisional data where this is not yet available. The report also includes the final position for the 2014/15 portfolio savings programme.

Scrutiny Committee is asked to:

·         Consider the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Report;  

·         Review the progress against priorities, performance, budgets and savings targets for 2014/15;

·         Highlight key areas of and responsibility for taking forward corrective action to address any performance or resource issues;

·         Highlight any significant issues or changes to be fed back to the Executive alongside the Corporate Performance and Resource Report;

·         Identify how areas of strong performance and good practice can be shared in other services.

Officer Contact: Peter Owston on 474 3274 or email: peter.owston@stockport.gov.uk or Susan Wood on 218 1032 or email: susan.wood@stockport.go.uk

The Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Report for the Corporate, Customer and Community Services Portfolio for 2014/15  (copies of which had been circulated) providing a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities and budgets over the year and specifically during the fourth quarter of 2014/15. It included full-year out-turn performance and financial data for the Portfolio, or forecast/provisional data where this was not yet available. The report also included the final position on the 2014/15 portfolio savings programme.

The Deputy Executive Leader and Portfolio holder for Support and Governance (Councillor Iain Roberts) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The increase in sickness absence compared to the previous year was raised. A report on sickness absence, including a breakdown and trends, would be submitted to the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee. Members requested that this addressed the reasons for sickness absence and how the monitoring and reporting of sickness absence could be improved, together with comparative information with other local authorities and organisations.

·         The processing of invoices had improved in the last quarter as measures had been taken to tackle the backlog.

·         During Quarter 4, two of the public liability claims had been successfully defended at trial, with both cases based on the credibility of the claims. This had helped to send out a strong deterrent message to future claimants which needed to be better publicised.

·         Whether the target of repudiating 75% of public liability claims was achievable, given the reduction in the volume of claims. The Executive Councillor agreed to examine this issue, pending a detailed report from the Internal Audit and Risk Manager later in the year.

·         The reasons for the delay in the community capacity building within the Cheadle ‘Our Place’ project as a pilot for Locality Working was raised. It was noted that further update reports on Locality Working were due to be presented to the Committee.

·         A Member highlighted the significant cuts in general funding to local authorities as part of the local government finance settlement for 2015/16. These had been largely offset by increases in funding for health and social care integration and increases in incentive payments reducing the net percentage of cuts in spending power, but this meant that local authorities would need to focus on the Government’s priorities if they were to continue operating sustainably.

·         The collection of business rates from empty properties was only slightly behind the target following the adoption of a more robust approach to collection.

·         The Council’s plans for individual electoral registration following the General and Local Elections were discussed.

·         It was confirmed that the Council’s refreshed Corporate Risk Register would include shared risks relating to joint working with partners, along with mitigating actions.

RESOLVED – (1) That the progress against priorities, performance, budgets and savings for 2014/15 be noted.

(2) That the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services be requested  to submit a report to the next meeting of this Scrutiny Committee on sickness absence.