Agenda item

To review the Quarterly report to Cabinet on the scorecard and the strategic risk summary. Considered by Cabinet on 19 November 2024.

The Chairman noted that on page 127 of the agenda pack, was the quarter two update on performance against the stated missions in the Council’s Business Plan 2022-32. The report was considered by Cabinet on 19th November.

The Chairman stated that Children’s Select Committee had held a detailed discussion regarding Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) yesterday and would continue to monitor activity in that area. Additionally, regarding risks, it was suggested that the Committee focused on those risks that exceed the council’s risk appetite, which were the first six risks listed with the report; one of those risks related to failures in corporate health and safety, which would be the subject of the next agenda item.

Perry Holmes, Monitoring Officer and Director for Legal and Governance, introduced the report which included the main risks that would prevent the Council from providing its business plan priorities. It was suggested that the risks included were different as the report consisted of a new nuanced way of looking at the way risk affects business.

Members of the Committee discussed the report and requested further detail on the uptake of health checks; to which it was clarified that the corporate target was to be above 45% uptake and that though before the pandemic this had been 44%, the percentage was now 33% with data being used in order to make improvements following the implementation of a new data management system. Further points were made regarding health checks including how outreach could be the issue for low uptake rates, with points also made in relation to how different mediums of communication needed to be used to meet all demographics, including those who might not use technology.

Clarity was also provided regarding why street homelessness had not been included within the housing scorecard, to which it was noted that such data was recorded and discussed at the Performance and Outcomes Board as well as the Environment Select Committee. Furthermore, the performance indicators had been approved by the Leader of the Council and that the Council possessed a large amount of data therefore judgement calls had to be made on which data to include within the report.

It was agreed that the Committee would be provided with a breakdown of the figures relating to the housing register.

A point was raised regarding the number of care experienced 16/17-year-olds in education and training and how that trend had decreased, to which clarity was provided that Wiltshire Council performed well in this area compared to other authorities and that the data within the report was from the last quarter, therefore there was likely to be a shift in the future. It was suggested that particular concern for this area could be directed towards the Children’s Select Committee.

It was suggested that the report could be further tailored to categorise risks as areas which the Council has a high degree of control over areas the Council has a high degree of influence over, areas which the Council had little control or influence over. Furthermore, the importance of considering trends rather than the numbers was stressed as well as how some of the targets were date defined and others were not. It was therefore suggested that if implemented, the Committee should focus on areas that the Council had a greater ability to influence, potentially encouraging Select Committees to investigate downward trends.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved:

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee agreed:

a)    To note performance against the selected measures mapped to the Council’s strategic priorities.

b)    To note the Strategic Risk Summary.

c)    That the further data regarding properties within each housing bands requested to be circulated to the Committee.

d)    To ask the Select Committee chairs to consider whether any of the performance metrics or strategic risks reported require further exploration at select committee level.