Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Performance Monitoring Panel held on 24 January 2023 (enclosed).

AGREED:

That the minutes of the Performance Monitoring Panel meeting held on 24 January 2023 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

An update on actions which arose at the 24 January 2023 Performance Monitoring Panel meeting including tracking of previous outstanding actions (enclosed).

AGREED:

That the actions and responses be noted.

Where a Councillor has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest the Councillor must declare the interest to the meeting and leave the room without participating in any discussion or making a statement on the item, except where a councillor is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of dispensation.

There were none.

There were none.

There were none.

There were none.

Consideration was given to the Key Decision Plan dated 6 March 2023.

AGREED:

That the Key Decision Plan be noted.

To provide an update on how the Council is performing for the period 1^st October 2022 to 31^st December 2022 (report of the Assistant Director – Corporate enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Corporate which provided the Panel with an update on how the Council had performed for the period 1 October 2022 to 31 December 2022.

The Business Intelligence and Change Manager introduced the report which provided an overview of how the Council was performing against its key performance indicators. Full details were provided at Appendix A.

The Business Intelligence and Change Manager outlined the following key points of the report:

·       Improvements in performance had been seen since Q2 but further progress was required in the following areas which were below target:

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members referred to the Council’s performance metrics and considered the 22 per cent performance stated as ‘below’ or ‘slightly below’ target, to be poor. Nonetheless, members noted the Customer Contact Service performance and stated confidence in the Head of Customer Contact who had continued to lead on improvements. Concern was raised in respect of the increased demand on the Customer Contact Centre which indicated a gap in outgoing communications from services to residents. The reasons for the increase in Customer Contact Service demand needed to be understood and addressed.
  • The Business Intelligence and Change Manager stated that:
    • the new telephony system would provide metrics relating to ‘avoidable contacts’, ‘first time fixes’ and ‘breakdown on contact type’ and therefore greater context would be available;
    • it was anticipated that the stated data would come forward for Q1 2023/24; and
    • services were working with the Customer Contact Centre regarding anticipated increased demand.

• Members were concerned about the reduction in performance in respect of the processing of housing benefit claims and asked for the reasons behind this. It was important that claims were processed quickly.

• Members referred to the FOI performance and asked for examples of the questions posed.
  • The Business Intelligence and Change Manager responded that a summary of FOI requests would be compiled and circulated to the Panel after the meeting.

• Members referred to point 3 of the report regarding 2 per cent of missing data and asked which service(s) this related to.
  • the Business Intelligence and Change Manager confirmed that the missing data related to a single performance indicator, and this was in respect of waste data requested from Lincolnshire County Council. It was expected that the data would come forward for Q4.

• Members referred to the Homelessness performance and asked for details of the number of homelessness in the district and whether all those who were homeless wished to be housed.
  • the Homelessness Reduction Manager responded that SHDC was aware of one person, at the date of the current meeting, who had chosen to remain homeless;
  • legislation set out ‘priority need’, where provision of council housing was obligatory, such as in cases of domestic abuse; and that of ‘non-priority need’, where support was given;
  • the cost-of-living crisis had impacted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70.

To provide the Panel with an update on Leisure Provision (report of the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture which provided the Panel with an update on Leisure provision.

The Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture introduced the report which included the following main areas:

• background to the report;
• Q2 and Q3 2022/23 performance;
• the contractual position;
• future leisure facilities;
• the Castle Swimming Pool usage data was appended at Appendix A;
• the Castle Sports Centre usage data was appended at Appendix B; and
• the Peele Leisure Centre usage data was appended at Appendix C.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members were concerned by the decreased usage levels at the Peele Leisure Centre and stated that increased promotional activity was required for this facility. What was the reason for the decreased usage?
  • The Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture responded that:
    • post-Covid, the Peele Leisure Centre usage had not recovered as strongly as the Castle Sports Centre facility;
    • whilst sales against target for the Peele facility had been on track, some regular users had not returned after Covid which had, in part, been attributed to its location on a school site (University Academy Long Sutton);
    • Parkwood had recently made the following investment to upgrade the gym equipment which would be promoted through social media campaigns and leaflet-drops:
      • replacement treadmills;
      • heavier weights;
      • installation of TVs; and
      • a squat rack was due to be installed .
    • Parkwood had reported a significant decrease in usage by the University Academy Long Sutton which had impacted overall usage figures.

• Members questioned the quality of the marketing activity and stated personal lack of awareness of promotional campaigns. Members suggested that mutually beneficial promotional campaigns with local businesses could increase the awareness of the district’s leisure facilities.
  • The Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture would relay the comments to Parkwood.

AGREED:

a)    That after consideration of Q2 and Q3 2022/23 Swimming Pool and Leisure Facilities performance outcomes, the comments of the Panel be noted; and

b)    That the approach taken to develop the future options and opportunities for leisure provision in South Holland be noted.

To set out a package of monitoring measures to ensure successful implementation of the Sustainable Products Policy (report of the Assistant Director - Regulatory enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Regulatory which set out a package of monitoring measures to ensure successful implementation of the Sustainable Products Policy.

The report was introduced by the Climate Change and Environment Officer who outlined the background to the report and the monitoring measures that had been identified. Appendix A detailed the monitoring measures action plan.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members welcomed the report and acknowledged the importance of the policy.

• Members asked whether the suppliers framework incorporated a cost margin for green credentials. Whilst it was important that the Council operated sustainably, costs also needed to be controlled.
  • The Climate Change and Environment Manager stated that:

§  the introduction of the new Procurement team from April 2023 would increase awareness of the Sustainable Products Policy throughout Council services and that implementation of the policy was in the early stages;

§  whilst a cost margin for green credentials had not yet been agreed, the introduction of a margin was considered to be beneficial;

§  until such time that a cost margin be introduced, procurement choices would continue to be made on an ad basis through the consideration of social, economic and environmental factors.

• Members stated the importance of recycling within the S&ELCP. In addition, as SHDC was now part of the wider partnership, greater economies of scale could be achieved to mitigate the increased costs of sustainability.

o   The Climate Change and Environment Manager responded that whilst recycling was commended, that the recycling process itself incurred environmental costs and therefore a broader view, of prior consideration of the necessity of procured items, needed to be taken.

• Members requested that performance be monitored against stated baseline measures, so that progress and transition was identifiable.

o   the Climate Change and Environment Officer responded that baseline measures were key to monitoring progress, and that these would be informed by the initial audits.

AGREED:

a)    That following consideration of the outlined monitoring measures to support the successful implementation of the Sustainable Products Policy, in line with the Council’s commitments to resource and waste management and mitigation and adaption to Climate Change, that the monitoring measures be approved; and

b)    That the comments of the Panel be noted.

To receive the Task Group’s interim report and recommendations following scrutiny of Public Transport in the S&ELCP area (report of the Assistant Director - Strategic Growth and Development, on behalf of the Partnership Scrutiny Task Group, enclosed).

Consideration was given to the Task Group’s interim report and recommendations following scrutiny of Public Transport in the S&ELCP area.

The Chairman of the Task Group, Councillor C Brewis, introduced the report on behalf of the Assistant Director – Strategic Growth and Development, by expressing gratitude to the full membership of the Task Group for the progress achieved to date. The following points were highlighted to the Panel:

• the scrutiny process had included broad consultations from both within and beyond the Lincolnshire boundary, and needed to continue;
• the Task Group had considered short-term, medium-term and long-term needs and ambitions for public transport in the S&ELCP area;
• it was considered that the creation of a Transport Co-ordinator post would be beneficial to the S&ELCP; and
• Lincolnshire County Council had indicated that their co-operation would be forthcoming in the seeking of innovative solutions for public transport issues within the S&ELCP area.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• The Chairman thanked the Task Group for the report and stressed the importance of the collaborative approach taken/sought between the three partnership authorities of the S&ELCP and Lincolnshire County Council, in order to achieve results.

• Members noted the extensive work that had taken place and that ensuing progress would benefit the whole of Lincolnshire. Whilst some of the recommendations were longer term solutions, others could be implemented quickly to benefit the residents of South Holland.

AGREED:

That after consideration by the Performance Monitoring Panel, the Joint Scrutiny of Public Transport in the S&ELCP area interim report and associated recommendations be noted.

To set out the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel and to consider the Draft Partnership Scrutiny Work Programme 2023/24 (report of the Interim Assistant Director – Governance (Monitoring Officer) enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Interim Assistant Director – Governance which set out the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel.

The Performance Monitoring Panel Work Programme consisted of two separate sections, the first setting out the date of the future Panel meetings along with proposed items for consideration, and the second setting out the Task Groups that had been identified by the Panel. An additional section outlined the draft Partnership Scrutiny Work Programme 2023/24.

The Democratic Services Officer outlined the following updates to the Panel.

Appendix A had awaited the confirmed schedule of meetings for 2023/24 and would be updated with items, in liaison with the Chairman, in due course.

Appendix B detailed the Task Groups of the Panel. A further meeting of the South Holland Centre Task Group would take place before the end of the current administration.

Appendix C was an addition for this meeting only and detailed the Draft Partnership Scrutiny Work Programme for noting.

Members considered the report and stated that the Joint Scrutiny of Public Transport Task Group needed to be represented on the Partnership Scrutiny Work Programme as the work was incomplete.

AGREED:

That the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel and the Draft Partnership Scrutiny Work Programme be noted.

The Chairman concluded the meeting by extending gratitude to members who would be standing down at the next election, and by extending good wishes to those who would be standing for re-election. Gratitude was also extended to officers for their dedication during the current administration and to the press for their reporting and attendance at Performance Monitoring Panel meetings.