Contact: Sue Sylvester, ext 7493, e-mail: [email protected]

1 Summary

The following decisions are sought:

· That Cabinet note the performance indicator results for 2003/04 and future targets in relation to the selected basket of key best value performance indicators and in the context of the operational commentary.

· That Cabinet agree the messages in the general conclusions about performance, which will form the basis for reporting in the annual Performance Plan

2 Reason for the recommendations

This report supports Aim 5 of the Corporate Strategy, improving performance by ensuring that performance results are available to support policy and strategic decision making.

3 Other options considered and rejected

Not applicable

4 Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker, or member, or officer consulted

Not applicable

5 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

Not applicable

6 Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent

Not applicable

Approved by: (signature) Date: (date of decision)

7 Background

7.1 Each year the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the Audit Commission set out the definitions and data which must be reported for each Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI). The full set of data relating to the 100+ BVPIs is then collated and published annually, by 30 June, on the Performance Plan website (formerly Best Value Performance Plan). The Best Value Performance Indicator results are subsequently audited by the District Auditor.

7.2 The Performance Plan continues to be the principal means of accessing the full set of performance data. A commentary from each nominated operational manager is attached to each BVPI, so each indicator is set in context with other relevant plans and activity.

7.3 In addition to the Performance Plan it is important that Cabinet members are advised of key results. It is not desirable to examine every performance indicator result in depth as definitions change, some indicators are deleted and others added. In recent years, Cabinet has received reports in relation to a `basket' of 44 indicators. This report continues that approach. The `basket' was originally based on a selection of BVPIs used by Kent CC. These indicators had a relatively stable history which allowed comparison of performance over time and, at that time, with other south east counties. Since 2002 three or four PSA and CPA indicators have been added to the `basket', and indicators that have been dropped from the national suite of BVPIs have been removed from the `basket'.

7.4 Cabinet will recollect that in March 2004 they received a report on BVPI performance in 2002/03, comparing Hampshire's performance with that of the other 33 County Councils. Once the outturn figures for 2003/04 have been finalised, audited and published by the audit commission for all authorities, a comparative performance report will be produced for Cabinet.

8 Outturn results (2003/04)

8.1 Operational managers and PI Co-ordinators are currently collating results for the year just ended. The deadline for their publication in the Performance Plan can be particularly difficult for some indicators, especially those that are cross-referenced to the close of accounts and for Social Services who are operating to a different timetable for the Department of Health.

8.2 Appendix 1 provides the 2003/04 results for the basket of 44 BVPIs reported in previous years, with an indication of whether the figure provided is actual or estimated. Outturn figures for all the BVPIs will be published in the Performance Plan on 30 June at www.hants.gov.uk/corporatestrategy .

8.3 Analysis of these early and unaudited figures must be treated with caution. However, year on year comparison (2002/03 to 2003/04) of the whole suite of BVPIs indicates improved performance for 52% of all comparable BVPIs (excluding, date, `yes / no' and `context indicators)', with a further 12% of indicators showing stable performance. Overall we have had a positive upward trend in performance since 01/02 (55% of indicators improving or remaining stable) with the increase being most marked from 02/03 to 03/04.

8.4 Performance 2003/04 against target figures set for 2003/04 indicates that targets were achieved for 48% of the indicators (all BVPIs where outturn could be compared against target). They were not achieved for 52% of indicators - a reflection of the `stretching' nature of many of the targets, some of which are nationally set.

9 Targets for future years

9.1 The requirement to publish targets for the current year plus the following three years still remains. Targets are set on the assumption that current levels of funding will continue. Appendix 1 includes the target figures that nominated operational managers have set.

10 General conclusions on performance indicated by the PI results

10.1 The following commentaries place the results in context, and will be published on the Performance Plan website. (It must be noted that some of these commentaries are long term and have not been changed since last year).

Policy and Resources:

County Treasurers Dept:

The Council has consolidated its position in relation to payment of undisputed invoices and does well compared with other County Councils. That said, results fall short of the Government target of 100% which is unrealistic in a large devolved authority with 30 day payment policy. It is hoped to improve this indicator to 92.5% but even in the longer term 95% is a more feasible aspiration than the Government's 100% requirement.

IT Services:
We are still on track to reach the government-set target of all appropriate services being electronically available by the end of 2005.

A great deal of the work over the past year has been devoted to putting in place the building blocks for new services - such as the tools for building electronic forms on our web site. New facilities have been put in place that will allow us to make radical changes to our web services over the next 12 months, and we should expect to see significant improvements as a result. New services have come on stream during the year, such as the "Occupational Therapy Direct" hotline service, which is helping to cut waiting times for people who need equipment to help them to live independently in their own homes. As was the case last year, we still have some of the most difficult work ahead of us, making new services available, rather than just improving the provision of information.

Human Resources:

The diversity in employment aims of the Corporate Equality Plan and Race Scheme have progressed well during the year. A workforce audit has been completed and the new HR record system (SAP) configured to enable more accurate reporting on a wide range of HR related data. The results have informed workforce plans and departments are now able to take action to make improvements.

Property, Business & Regulatory Services:

The Trading Standards performance measure is a percentage score against a comprehensive checklist of enforcement best practice for Trading Standards services. Hampshire has worked to achieve a maximum score against the checklist.

The target against the performance measure, which looks at how many of the Council's public buildings are accessible for disabled people, was exceeded by 4% making 74% compliance.

Chief Executive's Dept: The Community Strategy was published in June 2004.

Meetings with Police have established a more robust basis for collecting data about burglaries and vehicle crimes so that they relate directly to the Council's administrative area.

Education:

Two indicators measure the percentage of unfilled places in primary and secondary schools. In both primary and secondary schools the targets were achieved as there were fewer surplus places than the target. As primary school pupil numbers fall it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the target. Agreed proposals to reorganise primary provision in some areas will help and other areas for potential primary reorganisation have been identified. The School Organisation Plan identifies some areas of the county where there will be an increasing number of surplus places in secondary schools.

The range of indicators relating to pupil achievement are key to achieving targets in the Corporate Strategy and in the local PSA. The results for the BVPI measuring the proportion of 15 year olds achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C shows an improvement on 2002/03 results, although the very ambitious target for the indicator was not met. Progress is in line with national trends. At KS3 performance and targets for 2003/4 were broadly in line except for performance in ICT which was lower than the target. At KS2 performance was in line with national trends. The Education Development Plan focuses on raising pupil attainment as does the national KS3 strategy and primary and literacy strategies. The local PSA target is very challenging and the 2003/4 budget gave priority to supporting school improvement activities to meet it.

There were improvements in shortening the time taken to issue the first statement of special need although targets were just missed. This was anticipated because of the introduction of new systems which will, when fully working, increase efficiency.

Provisional figures show a decline in the number of exclusions per head of the school population enabling the BVPI targets to be met. This is in line with national trends. Following a Best Value Review of the Education Other that at School (EOTAS) Service an action plan is being developed to further improve performance in this area.

Absences fell in both primary and secondary schools but the BVPI targets were narrowly missed. Sustaining high attendance is crucial to achieving pupil performance and local PSA targets. The role of the Education Welfare Service in tackling attendance has been the subject of a Best Value Review.

Social Care:

As in many other southern local authorities, there are challenges in Hampshire to improving performance in providing intensive home care for older people due to:

·   The need to invest additional resources to drive up performance at the same time as meeting rising demand

·   market capacity shortages driving up costs

·   rural environment leading to significant carer travel.

The very strict definition of intensive care, which excludes Direct Payments and in which Hampshire excels, makes it difficult to gain national recognition for improved performance. As set out in the Public Services Agreement monitoring report there is an extensive action plan designed to drive up activity for this indicator.

There is also a need to increase the percentage of people receiving a statement of their needs and number of clients receiving a review. These activities can be seen as bureaucratic and intrusive for clients and have not received a high priority in the past. Work to contact all known clients and to automate some counting procedures is underway, though these measures are not anticipated to result in an underlying improvement. The Council's new social care management information system SWIFT will provide a more robust and systematic way of recording information and issuing statements of need.

Improved performance in supporting care leavers into employment, education and training is being addressed by the creation of a specific team, whose aim is to facilitate the transition through leaving care and maintaining the corporate parent role for young people who have left care. Links with some care leavers from previous years have been lost and this will affect the early achievement of targets.

Environment:

The performance targets relating to waste were, for the most part, met or exceeded. The level of recycling was marginally higher than target, although composting was slightly down due to the introduction of collection authority green waste schemes.

This increase in the unit cost of waste disposal was higher than expected because waste volumes unexpectedly decreased in 2003/04. A significant amount of waste disposal expenditure is fixed in nature and therefore decreases in volumes have an adverse impact on the unit cost calculation. Despite this increase the costs, although high, are low in comparison with recently awarded disposal contracts elsewhere in the country.

The number of passengers using public transport is dependent primarily on market conditions in the bus industry. The County Council is seeking to influence the result through action it takes to improve services, infrastructure and marketing to supplement what the operators provide. The positive results of this activity should become more apparent in 2004/05.

Road casualties are reducing as a result of plans and strategies being put in place. Road condition is improving as a result of increased investment.

The target percentage of planning applications dealt with within the prescribed 13 week period was not achieved. However, notwithstanding the apparent dip in performance, the 2003/04 Customer Satisfaction Survey showed that 91% of applicants are satisfied with the service. The Regulatory Committee is considering how the service can be improved.

Recreation and Heritage:

The implementation in libraries of the People's Network has reversed the decline in the number of visits to libraries. The satisfaction results from the first tranche of libraries in the 3 year Public Library User Survey indicate a shortfall against the target and performance for one of the three indicators, 118b, since the 2001 survey. The Discovery Centre developments, it is hoped, will sustain the increase in the number of library visits and improve the satisfaction performance in the PLUS survey over the next 2 years.

The increase in the number of school pupil visits to Museums reflects the extended learning programmes developed by the Museums service for schools and the joint working with the Education department to support the curriculum.

10.2 The commentaries on the Performance Plan website relating to each individual Performance Indicator will be vital to put this performance in context and to provide the rationale for how the targets have been arrived at.

Recommendations

· That Cabinet note the performance indicator results for 2003/04 and future targets in relation to the selected basket of key best value performance indicators and in the context of the operational commentary.

· That Cabinet agree the messages in the general conclusions about performance, which will form the basis for reporting in the annual Performance Plan

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB The list excludes:

1. Published works.

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

File Location

PI file containing returns made by Held by the central PI Co-ordinator

departmental officers in the Policy Unit