Annex 2 – Performance – Council Plan Outcomes
1 It is likely that due to impacts of COVID, a number of the indicators will see a significant change both in terms of their numbers and their direction of travel in future reporting periods. The majority of the performance measures within the Council Plan have a lag between the data being available, and the current reporting period and therefore impacts will not be immediately seen, and may occur over several years as new data becomes available.
2 Within the updates on the Council Plan indicators, are a number of indicators which show the status of economic, community or corporate recovery since the start of the pandemic.
Well paid jobs and an inclusive economy
Business Rates
3 During March 2020, the Government was aware of the impending impact of COVID-19 on businesses and sought to mitigate the impact through a mix of grants and business rate reliefs at a local level including business rates discount of 100% for qualifying retail businesses. The grants scheme is now closed (28th August) and although reliefs have been applied to qualifying businesses, this scheme has not officially been closed. There were 1,771 businesses with a rateable value under £51,000 who received the discount, 657 businesses with a rateable value over £51,000 and 38 nursery discounts. The total value of the awards was over £70.2 million.
4 In addition, 2,205 small business grants totalling over £22 million, 1,386 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants totalling over £25 million and 670 applications for the enhanced micro grant scheme totalling over £2.2 million have also been paid to qualifying businesses. City of York Council were the 12th fastest authority in distributing business grants to those who needed it most during COVID-19, and were quick to respond to support the shielded and vulnerable, recruiting volunteers and organising community hubs.
5 The 2020-21 collection rate for Council Tax up to the end of September 2020 was 54% (1.85% below the target collection rate and 1.34% below the collection rate at the same point in 2019-20).
Median earnings of residents – Gross weekly pay
6 In April 2019, the estimated median gross weekly earnings for full-time resident employees in York were £574.60, which is an increase of 12% from £512.60 in 2018. In recent years, the increase in earnings has been fastest among the lowest paid occupations. However, taking inflation into account, real pay is still some way below its historic level. Nationally the increase was 2.9% and regionally, 3.4% over the same period. Data for 2020/21 will be available in November 2020.
% of working age population qualified – to at least L2 and above
7 In 2019-20, 83% of the working age population in York were qualified to at least L2 and above (GCSE grades 9-4), which is higher than the national and regional figures (75.6% and 72.5% respectively). This result ranks the city of York third regionally. The 2019-20 figure has remained stable compared to 2018-19 (83.2%). York performs in the top quartile compared to other Unitary authorities and is ranked 4 out of 56 Unitary LAs. Data for 2020/21 will be available in December 2020.
% of working age population qualified – to at least L4 and above
8 In 2019-20, 49.1% of the working age population in York were qualified to at least L4 and above (certificate of higher education or equivalent), which is higher than the national and regional figures (40.3% and 34.2% respectively). This result ranks the city of York first regionally. The 2019-20 figure is an increase from 2018-19 (47.9%). York performs in the top quartile compared to other Unitary authorities and is ranked 5 out of 56 Unitary LAs. Data for 2020/21 will be available in December 2020.
GVA (Gross Value Added) per head (£)
9 In 2018-9 (the latest available data), the GVA per head in York was £30,258 which was the second highest figure regionally. Apart from a slight dip in 2015-16, the GVA per head has been increasing annually since 2009-10 where it was £25,976 per head. Data for 2019-20 will be available in December 2020. Based on predicted economic trends nationally, it is expected that there will be a negative impact on GVA values in future years.
% of vacant city centre shops compared to other cities
10 At the end of Q2 2020-21, there were 53 vacant shops in the city centre, which is an increase from 43 at the same point in 2019-20. The number of vacant shops equates to 8.28% of all city centre shops, which is lower than the national benchmark in Q1 2019-20 of 11.7%. The York figure has not fluctuated a great deal in the past 10 years, with a high of 9.2% in 2016-17 and the national benchmark figure has remained stable too, with a high of 12.3% in 2013-14. This measure will continue to be monitored along with a number of new measures looking at vacancy rates within secondary shopping centres to broaden the economic picture of the city. These will include Clifton Moor, Monks Cross, Haxby Village and Acomb High Street.
11 In the financial year up to the end of August 2020, there were 287 new business start-ups in the City of York Council area. The figures are seeing signs of recovery but are still lower than at the same point during 2019-20 (412).
% of working age population in employment (16-64)
12 In Q1 2020-21 (the latest available data), 80.10% of the working age population were in employment, which is higher than the national and regional figures (76.2% and 74.6% respectively). The York performance gives the city a ranking of first regionally and represents a continued yearly upward trend.
13 At the end of September 2020, there were 12,972 people in York receiving Universal Credit, of which, at the end of August 2020, 7,113 were not in employment. These figures are considerably higher than the same period in 2019-20 (5,743 and 3,242).
Getting around sustainably
P&R Passenger Journeys
14 In 2019-20, there were a total of 3.98 million Park and Ride passenger journeys into and out of the city. This is lower than in 2018-19 (4.24m) and the lowest in the previous seven years (with a high of 4.61m in 2015-16). Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, lower numbers than normal were seen during March 2020, which partly explains the decrease since 2018-19.
Local bus passenger journeys
15 In 2019-20, 11.6 million local bus passenger journeys originated in the local authority area. This is slightly lower than the number of journeys in 2018-19 (12m) but overall, there has been a steady increase over the previous seven years (from 9.7m in 2012/13).
% of ROAD and pathway network that are grade 4 (poor condition) or grade 5 (very poor condition) - Roadways / Pathways
16 In 2019-20, 20% of the road network was classed as in poor or very poor condition. This is a slight decrease from 2018-19 and 2017-18 (23% and 24% respectively and reflects the investment in the highways maintenance programmes in the last few years. In 2019-20, 3% of the pathway network was classed as in poor or very poor condition. This remains relatively low compared with previous years, with the highest being 6% in 2015-16. Data for 2020/21 will be available in November 2020.
Area Wide Traffic Levels (07:00 -19:00) (Excluding A64)
17 Between 2011-12 and 2016-17, the number of vehicles on the city’s roads increased year on year to a high of 2.2 million. Since then the numbers have slowly decreased to a provisional figure of 2.15 million in 2018-19. This slight decrease in numbers is set against a backdrop of a city with an increasing population. Data for 2019-20 will be available in November 2020.
Index of cycling activity (12 hour) / % of residents actively cycling and national comparisons
18 From a baseline in 2009 (31,587), there has been a 20% increase in cycling activity in 2018. The highest level seen since the baseline was established was in 2014 where there was a 29% increase above the baseline. Data for 2019 will be available in November 2020.
19 Statistics about walking and cycling in England in 2019 were published during August 2020. The data is based on two main sources, The National Travel Survey and the Active Lives Survey. The picture for York residents is a positive one with a higher than average proportion engaging in both walking and cycling (the percentage of adults in York who walk or cycle five times per week (50%) is higher than regional and national averages (34.1% and 35.8%).
20 Community mobility data has been available regularly from Google since the start of the pandemic to track how visits to places such as shops and transit stations are changing. The data reflects significant changes to the activity of the residents living and working in the city compared to a baseline taken in January. At the end of September 2020, there had been a 20% reduction in retail and recreation activity, 13% reduction in grocery and pharmacy activity, and a 42% reduction in the use of Public Transport.
Index of pedestrians walking to and from the City Centre (12 hour in and out combined)
21 From a baseline in 2009-10 (37,278), there has been a 26% increase in the number of pedestrians walking to and from the city centre in 2018-19. This is 16% higher than in 2017-18. This is the highest increase seen since the baseline was established. Data is gathered on an annual basis over the course of one day; it is a count of pedestrians crossing an inner cordon set just beyond the inner ring road and includes off-road routes such as riverside paths. Data for 2019-20 will be available in November 2020.
% of customers arriving at York Station by sustainable modes of transport (cycling, walking, taxi or bus – excluding cars, lift, motorcycle or train)
22 In 2018, 73% of customers arrived at York station by sustainable modes of transport which is an increase from 71% in 2017 but lower than 75% in 2016. The data is gathered by an annual survey which takes place for a five- hour period in seven locations around the station. Members of the public are asked how they arrive at the station and the results are flow weighted to take into account the split of people arriving at each entrance. Data for 2019 will be available in November 2020.
Good Health
and Wellbeing
23 There has been an increasing demand for adult social care in 2020-21, partly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Customer Contact Workers record the number of contacts received to ASC, whether made by email, telephone or other methods. During 2020-21 Q2, they received 4,810 contacts, which is an increase of 63% on the number received during 2019-20 Q2 (2,960). Around 30% on contacts each month are resolved using Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG).
24 There has been a notable fall throughout 2020-21 in the number of individuals in residential/nursing care placements, mainly due to the Covid crisis. At the end of 2020-21 Q2, this number was 558, compared to 666 at the same point in the previous year. CYC have been relatively successful in ensuring that the number of new admissions to residential/nursing care have been low, partly because of the policy that people should no longer be placed in residential/nursing care directly following hospital discharge.
25 The COVID-19 pandemic, particularly since the peak of the “first wave” in May, has led to an increasing demand for home care services. At the end of 2020-21 Q2 there were 758 people in receipt of a home care service; this is 7% higher than the corresponding figure at the end of 2019-20 Q2 (710), but this number had fallen in the second half of 2019-20 before beginning to rise substantially in this financial year. The numbers receiving reablement varies considerably from month to month, with the number at the end of 2020-21 Q2 (105) representing a 27% decrease on the number a year earlier (143). However, this, itself is 40% higher than the number reported in July 2020 (75).
Proportion of adults in contact with secondary mental health services living independently
26 The percentage of all adults in contact with secondary mental health services living independently, with or without support, remains high, with, at the end of July 2020, 67% of them doing so. Based on the 2018-19 results, York is the 8th best performing LA in the country with a performance of 84%, compared with 59% in all unitary authorities and 63% in its statistical neighbour group.
27 At the end of July 2020, 17% of all clients in contact with secondary mental health services were in employment – a figure that has consistently been above the regional and national averages. Based on the 2018-19 results, York is the 2nd best performing LA in the country with a performance of 22%, compared with 10% in all unitary authorities and 11% in its statistical neighbour group.
Delayed Transfers of Care (DToC) from hospital which are attributable to adult social care, per 100,000 population
28 There had been a downward trend in the number of days that patients are delayed leaving hospital that are “attributable to adult social care”. In the 12 months to the end of February 2020, which is the latest period for which information has been published by NHS England, there were on average eight beds per day occupied by people subject to delayed transfers of care attributable to CYC’s adult social care. This is lower than in the previous 12-month period (11 beds occupied per day on average).However, reporting on DToC has been stopped since February due to the COVID-19 pandemic and at the time of writing no decision has been made as to whether or not DToC reporting will resume.
Overall satisfaction of people who use services with their care and support
29 The latest (2019-20) Adult Social Care User Survey showed that 68% of those who responded stated that they were “extremely” or “very” satisfied with the care and support they received. This is an improvement from 2018-19, where 64% gave one of these answers. These results are provisional until NHS Digital publish Survey outcomes for all LAs in December, but it is expected that York will be above regional and national averages for this measure.
% of reception year children recorded as being obese (single year)
30 There was an above average participation rate in the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) in York during 2018-19: 97% of reception children and 98% of Year 6 children were measured, compared with 95% of reception children and 95% of Year 6 children nationally. The 2018-19 NCMP found that 9.5% of reception children in York were obese, which is not significantly different from the England average (9.7%), although the York figure has risen slightly from the 2017-18 level (9.3%). Of Year 6 children in York, 15.1% were found to be obese in 2018-19, which is significantly lower than the England average (20.1%) and represents a decrease of 2.3 percentage points from the 2017-18 level. There is a wide variation in obesity rates at ward level, and there is a strong correlation between obesity and deprivation at ward level.
31 The NCMP programme for 2019-20 was discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the point the programme stopped the coverage was 38% for year 6 pupils and 57.2% for reception. Whilst some partial data is available for 2019-20, a robust update on child obesity in York may not be available until the end of the 2020-21 measurement year.
Healthy Life expectancy at birth – Female/Male (slope index of inequality)
32 Average Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy for males in York (80.1 years and 65.5 years) is above the England average (79.6 years and 63.4 years). Average Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy for females in York (83.4 years and 65.3 years) is also above the England average (83.2 years and 63.9 years). For males and females, the average life expectancy is comfortably within the top half of unitary authorities who share a similar population size.
33 The inequality in life expectancy for men in York is 8.4 years. This means there is around an 8-year difference in life expectancy between men living in the most and least deprived areas of the City. This inequality for men has improved (fallen) in the most recent measurement period (2016-18) after three successive increases in previous periods. The inequality in life expectancy for women in York is 6.2 years. This means there is around a 6-year difference in life expectancy between women living in the most and least deprived areas of the City. This inequality for women has worsened (risen) for two successive periods, there has been a fall in life expectancy for women living in the most deprived decile in York, and a rise for those living in the least deprived decile. However, York is still below the national average for men (9.5 years) and for women (7.5 years).
% of adults (aged 16+) that are physically active (150+ moderate intensity equivalent minutes per week, excluding gardening)
· 72.8% of people in York did more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week compared with 63.3% nationally and 62.5% regionally. There has been no statistically different change to the York value from that 12 months earlier.
· 17.3% of people in York did fewer than 30 minutes per week compared with 24.6% nationally and 25.6% regionally. There has been no statistically different change to the York value from that 12 months earlier.
35 The Active Lives survey also showed that 84.1% of adults aged over 16 in York took part in sport and physical activity at least twice in the previous 28 days. This is above the national (77.7%) and regional (76.7%) averages. Data covering the period of May 2019 to May 2020 will be published in November 2020 and will be reported on in the Q3 Monitor.
A Better Start for Children and Young People
36 The number of children in care has recently reduced but remains above the expected level for York. The increase in children in care has taken place over the course of the last year and is not directly attributed to the impact of COVID-19 at this time. The increase over the last 12 months more reflects continued recalibration within the children’s services system as progress is made to improve and strengthen practice. As improvement work continues we would expect a second recalibration where the number of children in care reduces.
37 The number of children subject to a child protection plan was consistently above regional, national and comparator data sets during 2019-20. This performance was attributed to recalibration within children’s services as part of ongoing improvement work. From April to September 2020 the figures show the second phase of this recalibration with a reduction in children subject to a child protection plan.
38 The number of contacts to early help increased significantly throughout the initial lockdown phase in response to COVID-19. Although contacts to early help have since dropped from a peak in June, they remain above a pre-COVID benchmark. Work is progressing within the MASH and with the safeguarding partnership to ensure a city-wide and multi-agency response to the increased demand.
39 The number of referrals to children’s social care dropped significantly during the initial phase of COVID-19 lockdown. This matched the experience seen nationally and regionally. In September, the number of referrals to children’s social care was higher than the equivalent figure for 2019. Whilst the year-to-date figure for referrals is below the same time period for 2019, modelling from the DfE would suggest we should expect higher rates of referrals to continue in the coming months.
Voice of the Child
40 Advocacy casework for children and young people who are in care or leaving care, going through the child protection process or wanting to make a complaint, has continued to be provided throughout this period. During this quarter, the service has received 18 new advocacy referrals; 9 of which were in relation to children and young people in care, 7 in relation to care leavers, 1 in relation to a child on a child protection plan and 1 from a young person solely under the remit of making a complaint.
41 Participation opportunities for young people in care and care leavers have been delivered during this period on a remote basis as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place. The Children in Care Council (Show Me That I Matter) and Care Leavers Forum (I Still Matter) have held six Zoom sessions, where they discussed various topics and were consulted on a number of different areas of work. These included the shaping of the Bright Futures Project, working with the Communications Team on a project looking at the design and development of communications from Children's Social Care, and attending a regional Yorkshire and Humber Children In Care Council meeting. Activity has also included promoting Show Me That I Matter's new Relationships Project, the Children in Care Councils contribution to the National Change the Label campaign and the promotion of national consultation and participation opportunities with Coram Voice and Become. In addition to this, they have delivered a remote training session to the Social Work Academy and taken part in individual consultation via email and messenger to provide feedback on a specific CYC Communications campaign.
42 York Youth Council meetings have continued to be delivered during this period on a remote basis as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions. Meetings resumed in late September, after the summer break, and so activity will be somewhat limited for this quarter. Three formal Zoom meetings have taken place since the start of the autumn term and the sessions have been points of communication for ongoing projects as well as opportunities for future projects as York Youth Council has invited guests to facilitate consultations and get involved with projects. Our Member of Youth Parliament has met several times now with our local MP and the Director for Children Services to discuss ongoing campaigns and promote the upcoming UK’s largest youth voice consultation, Make Your Mark 2020, which is co-ordinated by UK Youth Parliament.
43 The Quiz the Councillors Project is still an ongoing piece of work to encourage local democracy and engagement, by the means of a series of questions and answers to create Councillor Profiles to soon be displayed in schools and community spaces for young people to view. Representatives from York Youth Council have also taking part in a number of virtual, regional workshops, conferences and meetings, enabling them to communicate with different MPs from across the region about current issues, as well as other Youth Councils. York Youth Council are also working with North Yorkshire Police on their upcoming Knife Crime Campaign in response to the top issue raised by the most recent Make Your Mark results, and with the CYSCP on private adoption campaign. The UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award has been promoted and publicised by Youth Councillors within their schools and social media presence. Social media presence has grown with Youth Council also promoting the FFS campaign for COVID-19 regulations on the social media platforms Instagram and Twitter.
44 The impact of Covid-19 is far-reaching on the education sector. The cancellation of the May Pupil Census, Primary Key Stage Assessments and Secondary Key Stage exams means that reporting will look very different for the 2019/20 academic year, or will not be possible. The Department for Education (DfE) have not yet released full information on national reporting plans.
Secondary school persistent absence rate
45 The 2018/19 data shows that Secondary school persistent absence improved slightly to 13.2%, from 15.5% the previous year. Pupils who are disadvantaged and/or have special educational needs are more likely to have higher levels of persistent absence than their peers. Work taking place to develop curriculum pathways is designed to address this issue. York’s persistent absence rate is ranked 24 out of 152 nationally, where 1 represents the best performing LA and 152 the worst.
46 The May 2020 pupil census was cancelled by the Department for Education due to Covid-19. No guidance has been released on how attendance data will be presented for the period that the majority of pupils have been unable to attend school. This will have an impact on reporting of the secondary school persistent absence rate, which may not be available for 2019/20.
% of children who have achieved a Good level of Development (GLD) at Foundation Stage
47 75.6% of York’s 5 year olds achieved a Good Level of Development in 2018-19. This performance represents continuing improvement on already good performance in this area, as well as exceeding the national average (71.8%). This is in part due to the improving outcomes for both disadvantaged and SEN support pupils. York is ranked 19th best performing LA out of 151 nationally, and is above the family average.
48 There will be no data available for 2019-20 as the tests were cancelled due to the pandemic.
Education Progression (Average Progress 8 score from KS2 to KS4)and GCSE Results (% of pupils achieving 9-4 in English and Maths at KS4)
49 Progress 8 is a measure of the progress made by pupils between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4. A positive score represents progress above the average for all pupils and a negative score progress below the average for all pupils.
50 In 2018-19, the average Progress 8 score for Year 11 pupils was +0.22, which was an improvement on the already excellent performance in 2017-18. For the third year, York is in the top quartile for all Local Authorities for Progress 8.
51 73.6% of York’s 16 year olds leaving secondary school in summer 2019 achieved a standard grade (9-4) in both English and Maths. This is an improvement on the previous year (69.6%) and above the national average (65.7%).
52 The Department for Education are not planning on releasing data for 2019-20 due to the way in which Key Stage 4 results were calculated due to Covid-19.
% point gap between disadvantaged pupils (eligible for FSM in the last 6 years, looked after and adopted from care) and their peers achieving 9-4 in English and Maths at KS4
53 The KS4 landscape is particularly complicated in 2020 due to Covid-19. In 2020, all GCSE, AS and A level exams were cancelled and replaced by a combination of teacher assessment, mock exam results, course work and a standardised calculation. DfE are not planning on releasing data for 2019/20 due to the way in which Key Stage 4 results were calculated due to Covid-19.
54 Reducing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is a key priority in all phases of education across 0-19 years. In 2019, the attainment gap narrowed slightly to 29.4%, against the national average of 27%.
% of 16-17 year olds who are NEET who do not have a L2 qualification
55 The proportion of 16-17 year olds in York who are NEET remains at a similar level to historical trends and there is a correlation with disadvantage, with the majority of young people that are NEET being from the wards with the highest levels of deprivation. At the end of September 2020, 90.5% of young people who were NEET did not have a Level 2 qualification.
A Greener and Cleaner City
Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting
56 The latest provisional data of 46% in Q1 2020-21 shows that the amount of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting has decreased from 56% in the same period in 2019-20. This will be partially due to COVID-19 restrictions, as green bin collections did not start in March as usual. The provisional annual recycling rate has increased from 44% in 2018-19 to 48% in 2019-20 and York performs in the middle quartile compared to other Unitary Authorities (ranked 22nd out of 56 Unitary LA’s).
Residual household waste per household (kg/household)
57 Latest provisional residual waste (i.e. non-recyclable) per household data shows an increase from 107 kg in Q1 2019-20 to 123kg in Q1 2020-21 possibly partly due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The full year annual figures have decreased from 551kg in 2018-19 to 461kg in 2019-20. York performs in the middle quartile compared to other Unitary Authorities and is ranked 26th out of 56 Unitary LA’s.
Incidents - Fly tipping / Rubbish / Cleansing (includes dog fouling, litter and all other cleansing cases) / Graffiti – On Public/Private Land
58 The number of service calls received due to cleansing (including dog fouling and litter), graffiti and fly-tipping during Q2 2020-21 have all increased since Q1 2020-21 (cleansing from 405 to 534, graffiti from 74 to 144 and fly-tipping from 596 to 627). When it comes to measuring actions taken, as a proportion of incidents reported, of fly-tipping within Unitary Authorities similar to York, York is the second best in taking action against perpetrators.
Air Quality
59 Recent data has shown that York’s air pollution has significantly reduced during the Coronavirus lockdown. Analysis produced by a leading expert in air quality has shown improvements in air quality, compared to ‘business as usual’ figures, for specific areas of York where the council undertakes regular air quality monitoring (the highest reductions being 43% on Fishergate and 38% on Nunnery Lane). The average reduction across all York sites was 30%. This clearly demonstrates that traffic is a significant source of nitrogen dioxide in the city and supports the steps that the Council has taken so far to reduce vehicle emissions.
60 The City of York Council’s priorities for the coming year are:
· Reducing emissions from buses through the introduction of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ)
· Continued promotion of anti-idling measures
· Continued reduction of emissions from taxis
· Continued delivery of strategic EV charging networks
· Continued reduction of emissions from new development
· Reducing emissions from the council’s fleet
· Increasing awareness of the impact of air pollution on public health
· Continued modal shift and network improvement measures
Trees Planted
61 During the last six months of 2019-20 there were 515 trees planted by City of York Council, in conjunction with partners. Some of the locations of these trees were:
· Victoria Fields for Interfaith week in partnership with Treemendous;
· Rawcliffe Country Park for the Woodland Trust national tree planting day in partnership with York Tree Wardens and Tremendous;
· River Foss (Monk bridge area) in partnership with the Woodland Trust and the River Foss Society;
· Hob Moor, Dringhouses and Woodthorpe in partnership with the local community
· Badger Hill in partnership with the local community and university volunteers
62 Due to the specific times of year that trees are planted, no trees were planted during the first 6 months of 2020-21, but this is expected to increase by October.
% of Talkabout panel who think that the council and partners are doing well at improving green spaces
63 The Talkabout Resident Satisfaction Survey was adapted and included in the ‘Our Big Conversation’ (OBC) consultation which ran between June and October 2020. It was sent to the Talkabout panel and was available to all York residents.
64 The results for Q2 2020-21 showed that 44% of respondents agreed that the Council and its partners are doing well at improving green spaces, an increase from 42% in Q3 2019-20.
Creating Homes and World-class infrastructure
New Additional Homes Provided
65 Between April and September 2020 there were 182 net additional homes completed. This represents a lower level of completions than anticipated earlier in the year and can largely be attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on new working practices and building material supply. Of these additional homes:
· 90.1% were completed on housing sites;
· 10.4% were a result of an off-campus privately managed student accommodation block at York Dance Works;
· Changes of use of existing buildings to residential use and conversions to existing residential properties accounted for 13.7% of all completions;
· 22% were on individual sites that saw the construction of five or less dwellings;
· Development sites including Germany Beck, the provision of a new apartment block at Tower Way and the Former Del Monte Site in Skelton all provided notable completions over the year.
Net Housing Consents
66 Between April and September 2020, there were 950 net housing consents. This represents a continuation of significant levels of housing consents that have taken place over the previous three full years. Of these consents the most significant approved sites included;
· 607 consents on the Former Gas Works, Heworth Green;
· 62 on the Vacant Site, Eboracum Way.
Number of homeless households with dependent children in temporary accommodation
67 The number of homeless households with dependent children in temporary accommodation has remained stable with 23 at the end of Q4 2019-20 (the latest available data) (compared to 22 at the end of Q3 2019-20). It should be noted that these figures are snapshot figures.
Average number of days to re-let empty Council properties (excluding temporary accommodation)
68 The average number of days to re-let empty Council properties (excluding temporary accommodation) increased from 37 days at the end of March 2020 to 59 days at the end of June 2020 (the latest available data). The increase in days in Q1 was mainly due to the repairs team being unable to repair vacant properties due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The York figure is below the benchmark median of comparable LAs of 61 days.
Energy efficiency – Average SAP rating for all Council Homes
69 The provisional average SAP rating for all Council homes in 2018-19 is 70.6. Energy performance of the stock is assessed as part of a stock condition survey. The survey looked at 17% of all stock and the data was then cloned onto the remaining stock where it was of the same archetype and in the same street, or the next closest area. The survey is designed to provide 95% accuracy.
70 Historically, the SAP rating has been around 74 but these figures were based only on the average of those properties where an Energy Performance Certificate was in place and so the new methodology in 2018-19 is more statistically accurate. The change in ratings represents the fact that the increased sample of energy data following the stock condition survey has the effect of reducing the average, rather than reflecting a reduction in the actual energy performance of council homes. Data for 2019-20 will be available in November 2020.
Number of new affordable homes delivered in York
71 The number of new affordable homes delivered in York remains high, with 83 delivered during the first six months of 2020-21 (compared to 33 during the same period in 2019-20).
72 The Council have committed to develop 600 new homes across York in eight locations it owns. The Housing Delivery Programme will deliver:
· High-quality homes designed in collaboration with the local community
· Accommodation suitable for a wide range of households, meeting a full range of affordable housing
· Shared open spaces, sociable neighbourhoods and community cohesion
· Homes with higher than required environmental attributes
· Healthy places where people want to live
73 Of these new homes, 40% will be affordable, including shared ownership and rented council housing.
Superfast broadband availability/Average broadband download speed (Mbs)
74 In 2019-20, 93.81% of properties in York had access to superfast broadband, which compares to 94.23% nationally. The average broadband download speed in York in 2019-20 was 56.1 Mb/s, which compares to 44 Mb/s in 2018-19. The national benchmark download speed is 58.48 Mb/s in 2019-20. This data is provided by an Ofcom panel of consumers so should be treated as an indication rather than actual figures. Data for 2020-21 will be available in May 2021.
Safe Communities and culture for all
% of Talkabout panel satisfied with their local area as a place to live
75 Results from the Q2 2019-20 Talkabout survey showed that 86% of the panel were satisfied with York as a place to live (a decrease from 88% in Q1 2020-21) and 85% with their local area (a decrease from 87% in Q1 2020-21). Satisfaction for local area continues to perform well against the latest national figures of 76% (Community Life Survey 2019-20) and 87% (Local Government Association Poll June 2020).
All Crime per 1000 population
76 Overall crime levels in York during the first quarter of 2020-21 (the latest available data) have decreased since Q4 2019-20 (12.2 crimes per 1,000 population compared with 15.3 crimes per 1,000 population). For the 12 months to the end of Q1 2020-21, York performed in the 2nd quartile compared to other Unitary Authorities and ranked 16th best out of 57. York performed in the top 10% of local authorities for having low rates of vehicle related crimes, as well as stalking and harassment crimes.
Number of Incidents of ASB within the city centre (Alcohol Restriction Zone)
77 The number of incidents of anti-social behaviour within the city centre during Q2 2020-21 (377) has increased slightly since the previous quarter (338), but represents a large reduction on the same period in 2019-20 (459).
Visits - All Libraries / YMT
78 Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, all libraries in York closed at the end of March 2020 and slowly started to re-open at the beginning of July 2020. Visits in Q2 2020-21 totalled 81,056 (compared to 298,937 in the same period in 2019-20). However positively, 81,164 e-books were borrowed during Q2 2020-21 compared to 11,022 in the same period in 2019-20.
% of Talkabout panel who agree that they can influence decisions in their local area
% of Talkabout panel who give unpaid help to any group, club or organisation
80 The results of the latest (Q2 2020-21) Talkabout survey showed that 71% of the respondents give unpaid help to a group, club or organisation which is higher than the government’s Community Life Survey 2019-20 which found that 64% of respondents reported that they had volunteered in the past 12 months. This figure is very slightly less than the 72% in the Q1 2020-21 Talkabout survey.
Parliament Street Footfall & Secondary Centre Footfall
81 Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, restrictions were placed on movement and all leisure and the vast majority of retail businesses were closed at the end of March 2020. This had a severe impact on the number of visitors to the city centre which mirrored the situation countrywide. Footfall in Parliament Street decreased from 1,390,431 in Q4 2019-20 to 425,894 in Q1 2020-21. Shops and businesses slowly started to re-open during June and footfall for Q2 2020-21 increased to 1,643,041. This is still someway down on the same period in 2019-20 (2,278,319).
82 Hotel room occupancy rates in August 2020 were 60%, which shows a recovery back to the levels seen in January, however these are much lower than the levels usually seen in August (85-90%). Visits to large attractions in York in August numbered 145,377, again which shows a recovery back to January levels. Vists in August however usually number around 3-400,000.
An open and effective Council
Average Sickness Days per FTE - CYC (Excluding Schools)
83 At the end of August 2020, the average number of sickness days per FTE (rolling 12 months) was 10.74 days compared to 11.29 at the end of June 2020.
Customer Services Waiting Times (Phone / Footfall / Webchat etc)
84 Our customer centre is the main point of contact for residents and business visitors. During Q2 2020-21, the number of calls received increased to 52,254 (40,986 in Q1 2020-21), with 72.6% of calls answered within 20 seconds. In addition, approximately 1,314 people contacted Customer Service for support due to the impact of COVID-19. The increase in demand was expected as services begin to recover (for example, council tax/increase in Yozone applications).
85 West Offices re-opened for appointments only on the 27th July. Since then, 4 customers required an appointment and a further 875 ‘dropped by’ and received support. In addition to speaking to customers over the phone, the customer service team also responded to 15,066 e-mails (an increase from 13,717 in the previous quarter). Customers are now opting to access services using alternative means:
· 1,987 customers made payments using the auto payments facility
· 17,929 people used the auto operator
· 58% of street lighting and street cleansing issues were reported by customers on-line
· There were around 3,500,000 views made of CYC website pages
·
Web
chat is now available for Council Tax customers, with 2,520
customers using the chat service during Q2, 97.6% of customers
waited no more than 20 seconds for their chat to be answered and
87% said they were satisfied with the service.
Number of days to process Benefit claims (currently Housing Benefit)
86 Due to improvements in digital processes, performance in this area remains consistently strong in York, with the average number of days taken to process a new Housing Benefit claim, or a change in circumstance, being just over four days during Q1 2020-21 (the latest available data). York performance is higher than the national average of 6.9 days (Q1 2019-20). Performance has deteriorated since the end of Q4 2019-20 where HB claims took 1.7 days on average to process, but due to the global coronavirus pandemic, changes to ways of working have been implemented which have impacted on timescales. Compared to other Unitary Authorities, York performs in the top quartile and is ranked 2nd best out of 56 Unitary LAs.
% of complaints responded to within timescales
87 In Q2 2020-21, the council received 217 stage 1 complaints and responded to 88% of complaints within five days. The number of complaints received was comparable to the number received in the same period in 2019-20. The team continue to work with service areas to ensure complaints performance is monitored where timescales are not met due to resource and other pressures, as well as the review of the corporate complaints policy, procedures and processes.
CYC Apprenticeships
88 The number of CYC apprenticeships has remained fairly stable over the past few years and the council has continued to actively recruit new apprentices into the organisation and has been more diverse with the types and levels of apprenticeships offered. This has included encouraging higher level apprenticeships and standards.
FOI & EIR - % In time
89 The latest data (Q2 2020-21) shows that the council received 520 FOIs (Freedom of Information requests), EIRs (Environmental Information Regulations requests) and SARs (Subject Access to records requests). CYC achieved 81.07% in-time compliance for FOIs and EIRs and 79.41% for SARs. Whilst this shows a slight decrease in performance for FOIs and EIRs compared to Q1, there was a significant increase in the number of requests received. There was also an improvement in the percentage of SARs responded to in-time compared to Q1. Work continues with service areas to identify areas of improvement in order to comply with the timescales for responses.