Agenda item

To receive the Quarter Three - Performance and Risk Report 2023-24, considered by Cabinet on 6 February 2024.

The Chairman noted that within the agenda pack was a report providing a quarter three update on performance against the stated missions in the Council’s Business Plan 2022-23. A Strategic Risk Summary was also included. The report had been considered by Cabinet on 6 February.

Leader of the Council, Richard Clewer introduced the report with reference made to how the report enables the Council to be data based and increasingly make efficient use of data through Performance Outcome Boards. It was noted that a Performance Outcome Board working in parallel from a corporate basis was also to be set up.

It was noted that written questions were received from Councillor Jo Trigg, which received the verbal responses during the meeting and would be attached to the minutes.

The following comments were received by Committee Members, which included but were not limited to the subject of childhood obesity and what the Council was doing to combat this, with reference to the daily mile. It was stated that leisure was part of the answer to this, and though the Council had limited levers, work was being targeted more towards those at the bottom end of the financial scale, with the examples of the FUEL programme and Street Tag cited. The need for the response to be a package incorporating food and exercise was suggested.

It was questioned whether repeat referrals to children’s services was on the rise, with it responded that Wiltshire data rates were low in comparison to others and whilst it had gone up, this was a moment in time and the data should rather be considered in longer periods of time. Recently the Council had had an Ofsted inspection and would continue to audit and review thresholds in this area.

Further detail was provided regarding Carbon Literacy training, with it noted that the success was measured by accreditation, with the Council currently having a bronze status and aiming for silver and then gold. It was noted that currently 117 officers had received the training and silver accreditation would happen once 750 officers had received the training. Detail was also provided about how those trained would partake in a pledge and therefore it would be important for the rollout to follow a logical sequence starting with senior officers responsible for teams.

A point was raised about new public vehicle charging points requiring a variety of adaptors to be used. It was agreed by the Director that this point would be taken away for a response as there was a contractual reason behind why different charging units require different adaptors.

Clarity was provided that generally there tends to be more potholes reported in Spring than in Winter, with 4,935 potholes reported last April compared to 1,943 in December.

Clarity was also sought as to who provides scrutiny for the service level risk registers, to which it was outlined that top level risks on the strategic risk register are discussed at Performance Outcome Boards, with the potential for anything coming from these Boards to be taken to the relevant scrutiny committee. An example was provided of how the Children’s Select Committee recently sought to see the risk register for clarity, however it doesn’t take the registers by default.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee agreed to note:

1. The updates and outturns against the measures and activities mapped against the Council’s priorities.
2. The Strategic Risk Summary.