Annex 2 – Performance – Council Plan Outcomes
1 This report concentrates on the indicators that make up the Council Plan performance framework and does not cover COVID-related activity.
2 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.
3 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
4 The Government support schemes for local businesses that operated during Spring and Summer in 2020 have now closed. The support provided was:
· 3,591 COVID Support Grants (value of £47.325m)
· 3,192 Business Rate Reliefs 2020-21 (value of £70.228m)
· 670 Enhanced Micro Scheme payments (value of £2.249m)
· Approx. 1,000 Council Funded Micro Scheme payments (value of £1m)
5 In October, new grants were announced by Central Government which are still live, including Local Restriction Support grants, Sector Support grants and Lockdown Restrictions grants. As the government announced a return to lockdown from the 5th January 2021, further grant support will be provided in the coming months, including one off payments of up to £9,000 per business where they have a rateable value. In addition to the Business Grants, the Council along with Central Government have been supporting local residents through the crises and continue to do so. The support includes Community food parcels, Discretionary free school meals, Hardship Grant for Council Tax Support, Winter Support Grants, Discretionary Housing Payments and Isolation Grants.
6 City of York Council were the 12th fastest authority in distributing business grants to those who needed them most during the initial COVID-19 outbreak and are again paying all grants to both business and residents as quickly as possible. Total support across the city is now approaching £130m and will move well beyond this with the new grants announced by Government on the 5th January.
7 The 2020-21 collection rate for Council Tax up to the end of December 2020 was 82% (2.14% below the target collection rate and 1.91% below the collection rate at the same point in 2019-20).
Median earnings of residents – Gross weekly pay
8 In April 2020, the median gross weekly earnings for full-time resident employees in York were £574.90, which is a decrease of 0.8% from £579.90 in 2019. Nationally, median weekly pay for full-time employees fell in the private sector (negative 0.6%) but not in the public sector (positive 2.4%), following four years of higher pay growth in the private sector; this fall reflects the different job types across each sector and the extent they have been impacted because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Data for 2021/22 will be available in November 2021.
% of working age population qualified – to at least L2 and above
9 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 April 2021.
% of working age population qualified – to at least L4 and above
10 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 April 2021.
GVA (Gross Value Added) per head (£)
11 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 May 2021. 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
12 At the end of Q3 2020-21, there were 57 vacant shops in the city centre, which is an increase from 42 at the same point in 2019-20. The number of vacant shops equates to 8.88% of all city centre shops, which is lower than the national benchmark in Q1 2019-20 of 11.7%. Properties in York are owned by different commercial parties and CYC commercial properties have very low levels of vacancies. 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.
13 In the financial year up to the end of November 2020, there were 634 new business start-ups in the City of York Council area. This figure is very similar to that at the same point in 2019 therefore showing signs of recovery.
% of working age population in employment (16-64)
14 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.
15 At the end of November 2020, there were 13,120 people in York receiving Universal Credit, of which, at the end of October 2020, 6,917 were not in employment. These figures are considerably higher than the same period in 2019-20 (5,976 and 3,342).
Getting around sustainably
P&R Passenger Journeys
16 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
17 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
18 In 2020-21, 22% of the road network was classed as in poor or very poor condition. This is a slight increase from 2019-20 (20%) but lower than the two year previous to that. In 2020-21, 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.
Area Wide Traffic Levels (07:00 -19:00) (Excluding A64)
19 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 February 2021.
Index of cycling activity (12 hour) / % of residents actively cycling and national comparisons
20 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 February 2021.
21 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%).
22 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. Data is sourced through phone location history where consented and changes for each day are compared to a baseline value for that day of the week taken during January and February 2020. At the end of December 2020, in York, there had been a 46% reduction in retail and recreation activity, a 3% increase in grocery and pharmacy activity, and a 57% reduction in the use of Public Transport. Overall, York has performed better than the national averages.
Index of pedestrians walking to and from the City Centre (12 hour in and out combined)
23 From a baseline in 2009-10 (37,278), there has been a 3% increase in the number of pedestrians walking to and from the city centre in 2020-21. This is 8% lower than in 2019-20 and can probably be attributed to the national lockdowns that have taken place during 2020 and early 2021. 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.
% of customers arriving at York Station by sustainable modes of transport (cycling, walking, taxi or bus – excluding cars, lift, motorcycle or train)
24 In 2019 (the latest available data), 75% of customers arrived at York station by sustainable modes of transport which is an increase from 73% in 2018. 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.
Good Health and Wellbeing
25 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 Q3, they received 5,080 contacts, which is over 2.5 times the number received during 2019-20 Q3 (1,991). Around 35% of the contacts during 2020-21 Q3 were resolved using Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG), which is higher than the percentage that were resolved using IAG during 2019-20 Q3 (30%).
26 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 Q3, this number was 538, compared to 631 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. During 2019-20 the number of new admissions of older people to residential/nursing care fell by 20%; during 2020-21, it is forecast there will be a further fall of at least this percentage.
27 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 Q3 there were 749 people in receipt of a home care service; this is 6% higher than the corresponding figure at the end of 2019-20 Q3 (705), but this number had fallen in the second half of 2019-20 before beginning to rise substantially in this financial year.
Proportion of adults in contact with secondary mental health services living independently
28 The percentage of all adults in contact with secondary mental health services living independently, with or without support, has fallen over the last year; during 2020-21 Q2 (the latest figures available), 67% of them were doing so, compared with 79% a year earlier. The 2019-20 ASCOF results showed that York is the 18th best performing LA in the country with a performance of 80% in this measure, compared with 61% in all unitary authorities and 63% in its statistical neighbour group.
29 During 2020-21 Q2 (the latest figures available), 18% 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 2019-20 ASCOF results, York is the 4th best performing LA in the country on this measure, with 22% of all those in contact with secondary mental health services in employment, compared with 10% in all unitary authorities and 9% in its statistical neighbour group.
30 However, NHS Digital have acknowledged that there are issues with the quality of some of its statistics because of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is possible that the percentages quoted above may be subject to future revision.
Delayed Transfers of Care (DToC) from hospital which are attributable to adult social care, per 100,000 population
31 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
32 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 a significant improvement from 2018-19, where 64% gave one of these answers. This performance puts York amongst the upper quartile of local authorities for satisfaction with care and support, above the average of all unitary authorities (66%) and its statistical neighbour group of local authorities (64%).
33 The Survey also reported that ASC clients felt that their quality of life had improved during 2019-20, a measure that takes into account how they feel about aspects such as their safety, social contact, access to local services and ability to perform household tasks. It has improved to the extent that the quality of life for York’s ASC clients is now comparable with those nationally and in its statistical neighbour group of local authorities.
34 Additionally, 74% of ASC clients that responded to the Survey and tried to access information and advice reported that they found it “easy” to do so, a percentage which is in the upper quartile of local authorities. It is significantly higher than the average of all unitary authorities (70%) and its statistical neighbour group of local authorities (68%).
% of reception year children recorded as being obese (single year)
35 Although the NCMP programme for 2019-20 was discontinued in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the data submitted for children measured prior to lockdown has been published with appropriate local data quality flags. The coverage rates for York for 2019-20 were 38% for year 6 pupils and 57.2% for reception (coverage rates are usually 95%+). As a result of this, the York values have been flagged as ‘fit for publication but interpret with caution’.
36 The 2019-20 NCMP found that 7.6% of reception children in York were obese, which is significantly lower than the England average (9.9%). The York figure has fallen from the 2018-19 level (9.5%). Of Year 6 children in York, 22.1% were found to be obese in 2019-20, which is not significantly different from the England average (21.0%). The York figure has increased from the 2018-19 level (15.1%). There is a wide variation in obesity rates at ward level, and there is a strong correlation between obesity and deprivation at ward level.
Healthy Life expectancy at birth – Female/Male (slope index of inequality)
37 Average Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy for males in York (80.2 years and 65.5 years) is above the England average (79.8 years and 63.4 years). Average Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy for females in York (83.7 years and 65.3 years) is also above the England average (83.4 years and 63.9 years).
38 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)
· 67.1% of people in York did more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week compared with 62.8% nationally and 61.3% regionally. There has been a significant fall in the York value from that 12 months earlier.
· 20.4% of people in York did fewer than 30 minutes per week compared with 25.5% nationally and 26.9% regionally. There has been a significant increase in the York value from that 12 months earlier.
A Better Start for Children and Young People
40 The number of children in care has increased during 2019/20, but has been stable throughout 2020/21 to date. The number of children in care remains above the expected level for York, The increase during 2019/20 reflected recalibration within children’s services as progress was made to improve and strengthen practice. As improvement work continues we would expect a second recalibration where the number of children in care reduces.
41 The number of children subject to a child protection plan has noticeably decreased at the end of December 2020. The ongoing improvement work in children’s services is a key factor. During 2019/20, we saw a predicted increase in the number of children who were the subject of a plan. The second phase of improvement work is contributing to performance levelling off.
42 The number of contacts to Early Help increased significantly throughout the initial lockdown phase in response to COVID-19. Whilst the number of contacts to Early Help reduced over Q2, they increased again in Q3 with October being the busiest month since April. Work is progressing within the MASH and with the safeguarding partnership to ensure a city-wide and multi-agency response to the increased demand.
43 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. After a peak in September, the number of referrals to children’s social care levelled during October and December to match similar monthly averages during the summer months. November 2020 saw slightly lower averages, likely attributed to the national COVID-19 guidance.
Voice of the Child
44 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. Between October and December 2020, Speak Up received a total of 8 referrals for advocacy; 4 referrals for children and young people in care, 2 referrals for young parents aged 18 and under whose child is subject to a Child Protection Plan, and 2 referrals for young people subject to a child protection plan.
45 Participation work opportunities have continued to be delivered remotely, with young people being engaged virtually via Zoom meetings, Facebook and Live Messenger. Our Children in Care Council (Show Me That I Matter) and Care Leavers Forum (I Still Matter) have continued to meet each month and discussed topics such as the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people, training for professionals, access to records and awareness raising about bullying that children and young people might experience from their peers due to being in care. In addition to this, representatives from SMTIM and ISM regularly co-deliver training and within the last quarter have taken part in the Skills to Foster Training for prospective foster carers, delivered a workshop to social workers as part of the Adolescence Practice Week and presented at the City of York Safeguarding Children Partnership’s Development Day.
46 York Youth Council meetings have continued to be delivered during this period on a remote basis as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions. In Q3, fortnightly meetings have taken place via Zoom and the youth council have focussed on online campaigns and projects. Five formal Zoom meetings and two informal quiz nights have taken place since the end of October. Some members of the youth council have also been developing the Young People’s Indicator Report in collaboration with the Human Rights City project team at the University of York. This quarter’s sessions have included guests and consultation work such as North Yorkshire Police to discuss the Knife Crime campaign, representation from NHS Youth Councils to gather ideas about formation of an NHS Youth Council, representation from the Private Fostering Team to workshop the new leaflet, and in addition to this, the Youth Councillors have had meetings attended by 14 City of York Council Councillors for their ‘Quiz The Councillors’ project. The Youth Council have set a timeline target to complete their ‘Quiz The Councillors’ project by the end of the academic year, and are progressing well with this endeavour. The ‘Quiz the Councillors’ Project aims 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, community spaces and online, for young people to engage with. Youth Council is working on collating this document using ‘Canva’ and are looking forward to getting to a point where they can distribute and share the piece of work. Our Youth Councillors promoted the Make Your Mark 2020 youth ballot, which is co-ordinated by UK Youth Parliament, all despite the unprecedented challenges of running a consultation during a global pandemic. Whilst the turnout was significantly reduced from previous years, the national and local results resonate with the York results and thus will be incorporated into the Youth Council’s plan for the following year of projects and campaigns.
47 Representatives from York Youth Council have also taken part in a number of virtual, regional workshops, conferences and meetings, mainly facilitated by British Youth Council and the Steering Group, enabling them to communicate with different MPs from across the region about current issues, as well as other Youth Councils. York Youth Council will be doing some consultation work in the new year with York Art Galleries and Museums, Public Health, Community Alcohol Partnership, and the Human Rights City. There will also be a focus on the issues raised by the most recent Make Your Mark results. York Youth Council has been regularly engaging with their online following and local partners and Councillors on Twitter and Instagram and will continue to do so.
Secondary school persistent absence rate
48 The May 2020 pupil census was cancelled by the Department for Education due to COVID-19. As the majority of pupils were unable to attend school for the summer term, it is unlikely that performance information on school persistent absence rates will be available for 2019/20.
% of children who have achieved a Good level of Development (GLD) at Foundation Stage
49 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)
50 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.
51 The KS4 landscape is particularly complicated for 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.
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 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 December 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 49% in Q2 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 may be partially due to COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed in July before being tightened in September, however 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 104 kg in Q2 2019-20 to 130kg in Q2 2020-21 possibly partly due to the COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed in July before being tightened in September, however 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 Q3 2020-21 have all decreased since Q2 2020-21 (cleansing from 534 to 477, graffiti from 144 to 104 and fly-tipping from 627 to 456).
Air Quality
59 At the start of October 2020, Clean Air Day took place and was promoted through the council’s Kick the Habit campaign which aims to help tackle the issue of unnecessary vehicle idling in the city. In addition to a press release and social media messages throughout the day, officers from CYC’s Public Protection team organised a pop-up campaign within short stay parking at York Railway Station. Anti-idling signage was erected outside a local primary school and at York hospital. The ‘Switch off engines for Clean Air Day’ message was also posted on all variable message signs around the city. Public Protection has erected further ‘Kick the Habit’ promotional material and signage at the Askham Bar Flu vaccination site, in partnership with CYC Public Health.
60 In November 2020, the City of York Council Public Protection team launched the Air Quality hub (grant funded by DEFRA) as a one-stop resource for other local authorities and air quality practitioners to learn about best practice in terms of air quality strategy, planning, actions and monitoring.
61 Also in November, CYC launched its DEFRA funded Low Emission Taxi incentive scheme which offers financial support for eligible CYC registered taxi drivers to upgrade their vehicles to low emission vehicles. The scheme provides grant funding of up to £3000 to purchase petrol hybrid, plug-in hybrid and some petrol/diesel vehicles and will have the effect of reducing emissions of the pollutants NOx/NO2 and particulate matter across the city. The use of low emission taxis will also contribute to City of York Council’s net carbon neutral target by 2030, following the declaration of a climate emergency in March 2019. The current taxi incentive builds on an earlier taxi grant scheme that kick-started the conversion of 20% of the York taxi fleet to using hybrid vehicles (figure correct as of July 2020).
Trees Planted
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 Q4.
% 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 in 2020. It was sent to the Talkabout panel and was available to all York residents.
64 The results for Q2 2020-21 (the latest available data) 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. Levels of consents can fluctuate based on the approval of large developments. 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 reduced significantly since March 2020. The latest available data shows that there were 9 households with dependent children in temporary accommodation at the end of Q1 2020-21 compared to 23 at the end of Q4 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 59 days at the end of Q1 2020-21 to 82 days at the end of Q2 2020-21 (the latest available data). The increase in days in Q2 was mainly due to the repairs team being unable to repair vacant properties due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Energy efficiency – Average SAP rating for all Council Homes
69 The provisional average SAP rating for all Council homes in 2019-20 is 70.6, which is the same as in 2018-19. At the point of reporting, the Building Services team were in the process of establishing a new method for calculating the SAP figure using a combination of the stock condition data and bulk data from the Landmark EPC register. The figure reported for 2019-20 therefore, was the same as the figure from the stock condition survey carried out in 2019.
Number of new affordable homes delivered in York
70 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).
Superfast broadband availability/Average broadband download speed (Mbs)
71 In 2020-21, 94.13% of properties in York had access to superfast broadband, which compares to 94.91% nationally. The average broadband download speed in York in 2020-21 was 147.1Mb/s, which compares to 56.1 Mb/s in 2019-20. This increase can be attributed to the Council’s continued work with service providers to improve infrastructure. The national benchmark download speed is 68.92 Mb/s in 2020-21. This data is provided by an Ofcom panel of consumers so should be treated as an indication rather than actual figures. Data for 2021-22 will be available in December 2021.
Safe Communities and culture for all
% of Talkabout panel satisfied with their local area as a place to live
72 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
73 Overall crime levels in York decreased from 15.3 per 1,000 population at the end of Q4 2019-20 to 12.2 per 1,000 population at the end of Q1 2020-21. This had increased slightly to 14.2 crimes per 1,000 population by the end of Q2 2020-21, however this is lower than at the end of Q2 2019-20 (16.9 crimes per 1,000 population).
Number of Incidents of ASB within the city centre (Alcohol Restriction Zone)
74 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
75 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 Q3 2020-21 totalled 73,051 (compared to 239,841 in the same period in 2019-20). However positively, 94,418 e-books were borrowed during Q3 2020-21 compared to 11,099 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
77 The councils ‘Our Big Conversation’ survey asks residents if they have given unpaid help to any group, club or organisation within the last 12 months. Responses from the two surveys carried out over the first national lockdown and following summer months both reflect that York has seen an increase in volunteering. The results of the latest survey showed that 71% of the respondents give unpaid help to a group, club or organisation which is 4% higher compared to before the pandemic started. The national figure for unpaid help pre-pandemic taken from the government’s Community Life Survey 2019-20 was 64%.
Parliament Street Footfall & Secondary Centre Footfall
78 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). In Q3 2020-21, footfall fell to 1,245,444 (also down on the same period in 2019-20 which was 2,144,050).
79 Hotel room occupancy rates in October 2020 were 52%, which are much lower than the levels usually seen in October (80-85%). Visits to large attractions in York in October numbered 82,502, again, which are much lower than visits normally seen in October (between 250-300,000).
An open and effective Council
Average Sickness Days per FTE - CYC (Excluding Schools)
80 At the end of September 2020, the average number of sickness days per FTE (rolling 12 months) was 10.63 days compared to 11.29 at the end of June 2020.
Customer Services Waiting Times (Phone / Footfall / Webchat etc)
81 Our customer centre is the main point of contact for residents and business visitors. During Q3 2020-21, the number of calls received decreased to 43,698 (52,254 in Q2 2020-21), with 73.4% of calls answered within 20 seconds. In addition, approximately 1,314 people contacted Customer Service for support due to the impact of COVID-19.
82 During Q3, 17 customers required an appointment with Customer Service at West Offices and a further 1,031 ‘dropped by’ and received support. This figure includes Probation Services, Registrars and Blue Badge assessments although, Customer Service are not responsible for these services. The majority of people ‘dropping in’ can access services without having to come to West Offices. In addition to speaking to customers over the phone, the customer service team also responded to 13,968 e-mails (a decrease from 15,066 in the previous quarter). Customers are now opting to access services using alternative means:
· 2,075 customers made payments using the auto payments facility
· 14,741 people used the auto operator
· 61% of street lighting and street cleansing issues were reported by customers on-line
· There were around 17,000,000 views made of CYC website pages
·
Web
chat is now available for Council Tax customers, with 2,177
customers using the chat service during Q3, 95.6% of customers
waited no more than 20 seconds for their chat to be answered and
84% said they were satisfied with the service.
Number of days to process Benefit claims (currently Housing Benefit)
83 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 Q2 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
84 In Q2 2020-21 (the latest available data), 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
85
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
86 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.