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 2021-22 collection rate for Business Rates up to the end of December 2021 was 78.33% (6.17% below the target collection rate but 1.37% above the collection rate as at the same point in 2020-21). The 2021-22 collection rate for Council Tax up to the end of December 2021 was 81.74% (2.69% below the target collection rate and 0.55% below the collection rate as at the same point in 2020-21).
Median earnings of residents – Gross weekly pay
5 In April 2021, the median gross weekly earnings for full-time resident employees in York were £597.90, which is an increase of 4.4% from £572.60 in 2020. Nationally in 2021, gross weekly earnings for full-time employees increased most in the lower paying occupations such as process plant and machine operatives (9.1%) and elementary occupations (7.7%). Skilled trades also saw a large increase (9%) after having the largest decrease between 2019 and 2020 (negative 6.5%) but the highest paying occupations had the smallest increases between 2020 and 2021.
% of working age population qualified – to at least L2 and above
6 No update since the Q4 2020-21 Monitor as annual data.
% of working age population qualified – to at least L4 and above
7 No update since the Q4 2020-21 Monitor as annual data.
GVA (Gross Value Added) per head (£)
8 No update since the Q1 2021-22 Monitor as annual data.
% of vacant city centre shops compared to other cities
9 Whilst acknowledging that a number of city centre streets and prime commercial locations seem to be experiencing higher vacancy levels than York’s average, overall at the end of December 2021, there were 56 vacant shops in the city centre, which equates to 8.8% of all city centre shops, and is lower than the national benchmark in Q2 2020-21 of 12.4%. 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 10.3% in 2017-18 and the national benchmark figure has remained stable too, with a high of 12.5% in Q1 2013-14.
10 This measure will continue to be monitored alongside looking at vacancy rates within secondary shopping centres, which are areas that the organisation has a long-term commitment towards investing in, in order to broaden the economic picture of the city. At the end of Q3 2021-22, the vacancy rates within secondary shopping centres were relatively low (7% at Clifton Moor, 0% in Haxby Village and 4% in Acomb High Street), apart from at Monks Cross where the vacancy rate was 16% (although this has reduced from 20% in Q2).
11 In the financial year up to the end of November 2021 (the latest available data), there were 407 new business start-ups in the City of York Council area, which is lower than in previous years. Nationally the number of new companies registered in the UK in 2020 rose significantly as small and local businesses emerged in response to the pandemic; this may indicate why the 2020-21 figures looked positive for York and why a lower number of registrations could be seen during 2021-22.
% of working age population in employment (16-64)
12 In Q2 2021-22 (the latest available data), 79.5% of the working age population were in employment, which is higher than the national and regional figures (74.6% and 73.3% respectively) and the York performance gives the city a ranking of first regionally. The figure for Q2 2021-22 in York is higher than in previous years.
13 At the end of December there were 11,608 people, in York, on Universal Credit which is an increase of 81% compared with February 2020 (pre-pandemic figures). However, there has been a decrease of -12% from April 2021. This trend should continue as restrictions continue to be lifted and the, nationally reported, staff vacancies in the service sector are filled.
Getting around sustainably
P&R Passenger Journeys
14 Passenger journeys for park and ride customers totalled 0.71m (provisional) for Q2 2021-22. This is a large increase on the 0.33m journeys made during the same period in 2020-21 showing signs of recovery, but lower than the 1.11m journeys made during the same period in 2019-20.
Local bus passenger journeys
15 Passenger journeys on local buses totalled 1.68m (provisional) for Q2 2021-22. This is a large increase on the 1.04m journeys made during the same period in 2020-21, showing signs of recovery, but lower than the 2.74m journeys made during the same period in 2019-20.
% of ROAD and pathway network that are grade 4 (poor condition) or grade 5 (very poor condition) - Roadways / Pathways
16 In 2021-22, 22% of the road network was classed as in poor or very poor condition, which is the same as in 2020-21. In 2021-22, 4% 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)
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 decreased to a provisional figure of 1.34 million in 2020-21. This decrease in numbers is set against a backdrop of a city with an increasing population. However, the covid pandemic has brought with it numerous national lockdowns and local restrictions so the decrease in traffic levels is to be expected. Figures for 2021-22 will be available later in 2022 and are also expected to be lower than historic figures, due to further restrictions and working from home orders.
Index of cycling activity (12 hour)
18 There has been no new data since the Q1 2021-22 Monitor as an annual data production. The historic data for 2020 cycling levels has been updated as some data points were not manually extracted from the cycle counters during the pandemic, as visits to counter sites could not be made, with data being estimated. This data has now been cleaned and anomalies removed prior to final re-calculation of results, leaving a final level of 113% of baseline compared to 138% the previous year. At the end of December 2020 there was a 48% decrease in the use of public transport (Google mobility data). The drop in cycling levels in 2020 is therefore at a lesser level than the drop in the use of other forms of transport activities, which may suggest that cycling levels as a proportion of overall trips may well have increased, although it is recognised this is not a like-for-like comparison.
19 In order to put the fall in cycling levels in wider context of reduced movement activity during the pandemic, where there has been a work-at-home order and major businesses and establishments such as university have had reduced on-site activity, community mobility data has been tracked regularly from Google to see 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. At the end of December 2021, in York, retail and recreation activity is 11% lower than the baseline, there has been a 12% increase in grocery and pharmacy activity, and a 43% decrease in the use of Public Transport, and therefore York has performed better than the national averages and comparison cities, with levels starting to return to pre-pandemic levels.
20 LTP4 is building on the work already undertaken on initiatives such as My City Centre and the Local Plan, and will complement the strategies being developed for York’s Economic Recovery and Carbon Reduction / Climate Change by addressing transport accessibility in terms of travelling around the city using different modes of transport.
Index of pedestrians walking to and from the City Centre (12 hour in and out combined)
21 No update since the Q4 2020-21 Monitor as annual data.
% of customers arriving at York Station by sustainable modes of transport (cycling, walking, taxi or bus – excluding cars, lift, motorcycle or train)
22 No update since the Q4 2020-21 Monitor as annual data.
Good Health and Wellbeing
23 There has been a continuing high demand for adult social care during the past year, partly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, although there have been variations in how likely these contacts are to receive care packages. Our Customer Contact Workers (CCWs) record the number of contacts received to ASC, whether made by email, telephone or other methods. During the third quarter of 2021-22, they received 4,144 contacts, which is an 18% reduction from the number received during the corresponding quarter in 2020-21 (5,080), although there have been some recording issues in recent months, so the “true” reduction is likely to be smaller. Around 27% of the contacts during the third quarter of 2021-22 were resolved using Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG), which is lower than the percentage that were resolved using IAG during that quarter in 2020-21 (35%); this reflects the increasing complexity of issues that are dealt with by them, and a change in recording practice to record clients who ‘only’ received IAG; most clients will receive an element of IAG during their contact, regardless of the outcome of it.
24 The number of individuals in residential/nursing care placements fell sharply at the start of the 2020-21 financial year, mainly due to the Covid crisis, and then remained steady as the year progressed, but this number increased during the early months of 2021-22 before falling again in recent months. At the end of December 2021, this number was 563, compared to 550 at the end of December 2020. During the third quarter of 2021-22, the number of new admissions of people to residential/nursing care was 38, a decrease of 34% on the same period in 2020-21 (58).
25 There has been a continuing decline over the last year in the number receiving home care services, although it has slowed in recent months. At the end of December 2021, there were 601 people in receipt of a home care service; this is 19% lower than the corresponding figure at the end of December 2020 (743). This reflects the continuing difficulties ASC are encountering with obtaining home care services, as some providers have ceased trading in recent months.
26 In the third quarter of 2021-22, 125 clients were recorded as receiving a paid ASC service for the first time (“new starters”). This is a significant reduction from the number in the corresponding quarter during 2020-21 (183). There has also been a decrease in the number during the third quarter of 2021-22 (93) that have returned to ASC for a paid service compared with the number during the third quarter of 2020-21 (134). This suggests that we have improved our efforts in keeping the number of first-time entrants low, and that some success is evident by ensuring that fewer people re-enter ASC for additional spells of care.
Proportion of adults in contact with secondary mental health services living independently
27 The percentage of all adults in contact with secondary mental health services living independently, with or without support, has decreased over recent months; during 2021-22 Q2 (the latest figures available), 65% of them were doing so. The 2020-21 ASCOF results showed that York is in the upper quartile for performance with 73% of this group saying they live independently, compared with the England average of 58% and 60% in its statistical neighbour group.
28 During 2021-22 Q2 (the latest figures available), 19% 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. The 2020-21 ASCOF results showed that York is the 3rd best performing LA in the country on this measure, with 20% of all those in contact with secondary mental health services in employment, compared with the England average of 9% and 10% in its statistical neighbour group.
Overall satisfaction of people who use services with their care and support
29 No update since the Q2 2021-22 Monitor as annual data.
% of reception year children recorded as being obese (single year)
30 No update since the Q4 2020-21 Monitor as annual data.
Healthy Life expectancy at birth – Female/Male (slope index of inequality)
31 No update since the Q4 2020-21 Monitor as annual data.
% of adults (aged 16+) that are physically active (150+ moderate intensity equivalent minutes per week, excluding gardening)
· 63% of people in York did more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week compared with 60.9% nationally and 60% regionally. There has been no significant change in the York value from that 12 months earlier.
· 25.9% of people in York did fewer than 30 minutes per week compared with 27.5% nationally and 29% regionally. There has been no significant change in the York value from that 12 months earlier.
A Better Start for Children and Young People
33 The number of children in York’s care increased to 278 at the end of Q3 2021-22, matching the outturn at the end of 2020-21. We know that the age distribution of children in our care has changed, with more school-aged children over the last 12 months. This has wide-ranging implications on areas such as placement sufficiency, permanence planning and the virtual school.
34 The number of children subject to a child protection plan declined over Q3 to 133 at the end of December, down from 161 at the end of Q2. This is much closer to the 2020-21 year-end figure of 129 and has returned to the expected safe range for York (per 10,000 population).
35 The number of referrals to children’s social care at the end of Q3 was 1202, level with the same point in 2020-21 (1220). Referral volumes have shown an anticipated recovery from the turbulent year of 2020-21, but continue to be lower than in 2019/20.
36 The number of contacts to Early Help has reduced each quarter this year. There were 528 contacts in Q3, down from 599 and 661 in Q2 and Q2 respectively.
Voice of the Child
37 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 2021, the service received a total of 10 referrals for advocacy; 4 referrals for children and young people in care, 2 referrals for care leavers, 3 referrals for young people subject to a Child Protection Plan and 1 referral for young people aged 16 or 17 and homeless.
Secondary school persistent absence rate
38 The May 2020 pupil census was cancelled by the Department for Education due to COVID-19. National and local schools attendance data has not yet been released by DfE. It is anticipated that DfE will release a version of the standard attendance performance but the details are not known yet.
% of children who have achieved a Good level of Development (GLD) at Foundation Stage
39 There is no data for 2019-20 as the tests were cancelled due to the pandemic. We do not anticipate any data for 2020-21.
Education Progression (Average Progress 8 score from KS2 to KS4)and GCSE Results (% of pupils achieving 9-4 in English and Maths at KS4)
40 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.
41 In 2020 and 2021, due to COVID-19, 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.
42 The Department for Education did not release data for 2019-20 due to the way in which Key Stage 4 results were calculated. We do not anticipate any data for 2020-21.
% 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
43 The DfE did not release data for 2019-20 due to the way in which Key Stage 4 results were calculated due to COVID-19. We are not anticipating any data for 2020-21.
44 Reducing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is a key priority in all phases of education across 0-19 years.
% of 16-17 year olds who are NEET who do not have a L2 qualification
45 The number of all 16-17 year olds in York who are NEET is below average and lower than expected at this point in the year. Historically, NEET figures follow the academic year, with increases over the summer months when some 16 year olds finish school without a plan for September.
46 We started the current academic year with only 31 16-17 year olds NEET, which is comparatively low. Q3 saw a continuing trend with lower than average numbers of NEET young people during the Autumn term.
47 At the end of December 2021, 84.1% of young people who were NEET did not have a Level 2 qualification. Again, this is against historical trend, which has seen more than 90% of NEET without a L2 qualification at the end of November.
48 There have been several changes over the past 12 months that are thought to have contributed to the reduction in the 16-17 year old NEET population. The Danesgate (PRU) cohort of Year 11 leavers was considerably smaller in summer 2021 and was particularly successful with most pupils remaining in education, training or employment. Additionally, York College launched off-site provision for young people with SEMH (social, emotional or mental health) needs which meant more young people with these challenges were able to continue in learning after Year 11. Schools retain the responsibility for tracking and supporting young people who are at risk of, or already NEET and the recent reconfiguration of CYC services reflects this. Performance will need to be monitored into next year to see if these trends can be sustained.
A Greener and Cleaner City
Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting
49 The latest provisional data for the amount of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting was 47.4% during Q2 2021-22 (the latest available data), which is a slight decrease from 48.8% during the same period in 2020-21.
Residual household waste per household (kg/household)
50 The latest provisional residual waste (i.e. non-recyclable) per household data shows that figures have increased slightly during Q2 2021-22 (the latest available data) to 135.0kg of residual household waste per household.
Incidents - Fly tipping / Rubbish / Cleansing (includes dog fouling, litter and all other cleansing cases) / Graffiti – On Public/Private Land
51 The number of service calls received during Q3 2021-22 due to fly-tipping and cleansing (including dog fouling and litter) have reduced since Q2 2021-22 (fly-tipping from 578 to 411 and cleansing from 518 to 436).
52 The number of service calls received due to graffiti increased from 78 in Q2 2021-22 to 129 in Q3 2021-22, however, the figure for Q3 is still lower than the 157 calls received during Q4 2020-21. To help tackle graffiti on private property, CYC have entered into a trial with Virgin O2 to assist the cleansing and painting of their utilities boxes. Discussions are currently underway with other utilities providers to extend the trial to their infrastructure, with a number of companies agreeing in principle to move to new arrangements when their existing contracts come to an end.
Air Quality
53 The Environment Bill was granted royal ascent in November 2021 and is now the Environment Act 2021. New legally binding standards around fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are expected through secondary legislation due in Autumn 2022. Measures in York’s fourth Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4), currently under development, will aim to tackle emissions of NOx (responsible for the current city centre Air Quality Management Area) and PM2.5, to help improve public health.
54 The council have encouraged 25% of York taxis (170 vehicles as of April 2021) to switch to low emission alternatives (petrol hybrid or electric), supported through our Low Emission Taxi Grant. Money is still available to taxi drivers who want to switch their vehicles, save fuel costs and save the environment.
55 A Clean Air Zone (CAZ) for buses was introduced in January 2020 where buses making 5 or more entrances to the CAZ per day are now required to be Ultra Low Emission Buses (ULEB) (Euro VI diesel or electric). A total of £1.65m has been allocated by City of York Council to 5 bus operators to help replace/retrofit 93 buses to CAZ compliant vehicles.
56 Since 2012, reductions in air quality have been significant, although there were still areas for improvement, with one bus stop area not yet meeting air quality guidelines. The reduction of traffic during the Covid-19 pandemic has provided a snapshot for how the air quality could be in the future although the true impacts of such measures may only be apparent in subsequent years when/if traffic levels and travel behaviour return to ‘normal’.
57 The council are progressing work to understand the prevalence of solid fuel burning across the city, especially outside our current smoke control areas. The council have also commenced surveys of solid fuel sales in the city to ensure compliance with new regulations introduced in May 2021.
Trees Planted
58 During 2020-21, there were 271 trees planted, including 250 whips on Bootham Stray in February and larger trees in streets and parks in March. New trees are usually planted over late Winter due to the seasonal nature of the activity. Figures for 2021-22 will be available in April 2022.
% of Talkabout panel who think that the council and partners are doing well at improving green spaces
59 The second resident satisfaction survey taken biannually by the Talkabout panel took place during Q3. 544 members responded to the latest survey which is a little lower than the 606 respondents in Q1 but remains a higher response rate than seen in previous years.
60 The results for Q3 2021-22 showed that 43% of respondents agreed the Council and its partners are doing well at improving green spaces. Agreement has reduced from 51% in Q1 to more common levels seen for this area. Whilst the Council would like this percentage to be higher, the question in the survey is around improving green spaces, rather than maintaining them.
61 When asked about improving the quality of streets/public spaces, 37% of survey respondents thought that the Council and its partners are doing well which is a decrease from 41% in Q1. During 2020/2021 the percentage of respondents who felt the council were doing well in this area peaked with 48% agreeing throughout the year. The current results have returned to similar levels seen in the year before the pandemic of around 33-35%. 70% agreed they were doing well at conserving York’s heritage, although this has decreased from 76% in Q1 it this remains the top answer choice for this question with a consistently high percentage agreeing.
Creating Homes and World-class infrastructure
New Additional Homes Provided
62 Between April 2021 and September 2021 there were 160 net additional homes completed. This represents a lower level of completions than anticipated and can largely be attributed to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on working practices, labour force capacity and building material supply. The impact of the pandemic can be felt across all forms of housing and includes housing permissions. Of these additional homes:
· 99% were completed on housing sites;
· A total of 122 new build homes were completed whilst 1 home was demolished
· Changes of use to existing buildings for residential use and conversions to existing residential properties accounted for 24% of all homes completed
· Individual sites that saw the construction of five or less dwellings contributed an additional 35 homes (22%)
· Development sites including Germany Beck and the Former Lowfield School site all provided notable completions over the year.
Net Housing Consents
63 Between April 2021 and September 2021, there were 108 net housing consents. Of these consents, the main features were;
· 78.7% were granted on traditional housing sites;
· 21 senior living homes (19.4%) were approved at Beverley House in Clifton
· Sites granted approval for traditional housing included Duncombe Barracks, the Crescent and Heworth.
64 Compared to previous updates this represents a significant drop in the level of housing consents. However, a further 266 homes had the benefit of approval by Councillors through a resolution to grant planning permission subject to the completion of legal agreements and are likely to add to overall consent levels before the end of the full 12 month monitoring period. The sites and capacities included in this figure are:
· Plumbase – Waterloo House, Fawcett Street (83)
· Barnitts – 28A Colliergate (12)
· Cherry Tree House – 218 Fifth Avenue (48)
· Burnholme Community Hub – Mossdale Avenue (83)
65 Further, the former York City Football Club site in Bootham Crescent was approved for 93 new homes in August 2020 and is due to have a legal agreement signed off. It is anticipated that these will add to the end of year consents total.
Number of homeless households with dependent children in temporary accommodation
66 The number of homeless households with dependent children in temporary accommodation remains at a lower level to that seen in previous years. The latest available data shows that there were 15 households with dependent children in temporary accommodation at the end of Q1 2021-22 compared to 10 at the end of Q4 2020-21. It should be noted that these figures are snapshot figures. Q2 data will be available in February 2022.
Average number of days to re-let empty Council properties (excluding temporary accommodation)
67 The average number of days to re-let empty Council properties (excluding temporary accommodation) was 72 days at the end of Q3 2021-22. This is similar to the position at the end of April 2021, although an increase from 59 days at the end of Q1 2021-22.
68 The effects of the pandemic and Brexit continue to impact performance on re-letting council properties. Whilst dealing with pent up demand following national lockdowns, additional covid related challenges have slowed progress including new safety checks and staffing availability through both staff illness/isolation and vacancy controls. Lack of availability and increased costs of materials and 3rd party labour as a result of Brexit have further impeded the service. Brexit has also affected recruitment in some areas. An ‘Impacts of Brexit and Covid’ report which outlines the key issues and action plan to address them was submitted to the Housing & Community Safety Policy & Scrutiny Committee in October:
http://modgov.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=963&MId=13035
Energy efficiency – Average SAP rating for all Council Homes
69 The provisional average SAP rating for all Council homes in 2020-21 is 70.6. The Housing Delivery and Asset Management directorate are currently developing an energy efficiency and retrofit strategy for council homes, a process which includes work with carbon reduction analysts, Parity Projects, to model energy performance, and identify the most cost-effective route to net-zero. One key output of this work will be a detailed analysis of multiple sources of energy performance data, which will then be used to update our current energy performance data which is primarily based on our stock condition survey of 2019. The introduction of a new housing management IT system in Q4 of 2021-22 will also enable energy performance data to be more easily captured, analysed, and reported. The SAP data will inform a £2m retrofit programme improving the energy efficiency of council housing stock. The programme will deliver energy saving measures within our council housing stock, focusing specifically on improving building fabric insulation and installing renewable energy technologies. The result will be more comfortable homes, lower energy bills and less CO2 emissions.
Number of new affordable homes delivered in York
70 The number of new affordable homes delivered in York remains high, with 60 delivered during the first six months of 2021-22 (a reduction on the 83 delivered during the same period in 2020-21 but a large increase on the 33 delivered during the same period in 2019-20).
Superfast broadband availability/Average broadband download speed (Mbs)
71 In 2021-22, 95.53% of properties in York had access to superfast broadband, which compares to 94.13% in 2020-21. This increase can be attributed to the Council’s continued work with service providers to improve infrastructure.
72 The average broadband download speed in York in 2020-21 was 147.1Mb/s, which compares to 56.1 Mb/s in 2019-20. 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 June 2022.
Safe Communities and culture for all
% of Talkabout panel satisfied with their local area as a place to live
73 Results from the Q3 2021-22 Talkabout survey showed that 85% of the panel were satisfied with York as a place to live, a decrease from 88% in Q1 and slightly lower than recent years. 84% were satisfied with their local areawhich has been consistent throughout the year. A slight decline in satisfaction with the local area can be seen over recent years but York continues to perform well against the latest national figures of 79% (Community Life Survey 2020-21) and 80% (Local Government Association Poll October 2021).
All Crime per 1000 population
74 Overall crime levels in York for 2021-22 up until the end of November indicate that crime levels have risen slightly since 2020-21 and are back to pre-pandemic levels, although levels are remaining stable throughout the year to date. Data for Q3 will be available at the end of February 2022.
Number of Incidents of ASB within the city centre (Alcohol Restriction Zone)
75 Incidents of anti-social behaviour have remained stable during 2021-22 up until the end of September, with the Q2 figure of 340 slightly lower than the same period in 2020-21. The figure of 94 for November is lower than seen in previous years, and combined with October suggests Q3 will also be lower than previous years.
Visits - All Libraries
76 Libraries fully re-opened during April 2021 and figures for Q3 2021-22 show that there were 163,099 visits, which is similar to the 167,342 visits during Q2. There is still a positive direction of travel compared to Q3 2020-21, although these figures are still below the pre-pandemic Q3 figures of around 240,000 visits each quarter.
% 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
78 Results from the Q3 2021-22 Talkabout survey found that 61% of panellists had given unpaid help to any group, club or organisation within the last 12 months. The percentage giving help had dipped in Q1 to 56% likely due to the many national restrictions in place during the 12 months leading up to that date. Although the latest figure is a little off the 65-67% giving help prior to the pandemic it is positive that this area seems to be recovering and is similar to the latest national figure of 62% taken from the government’s Community Life Survey 2020-21.
Parliament Street Footfall
79 Footfall in Parliament Street during Q3 2021-22 totalled just under 2 million, which is broadly similar to figures seen during Q3 2019-20 (pre-pandemic) which totalled 2.1 million. This shows that the figures are heading in a much more positive direction and it is hopeful that this pattern will continue over the coming months.
An open and effective Council
Average Sickness Days per FTE - CYC (Excluding Schools)
80 At the end of November 2021, the average number of sickness days per FTE (rolling 12 months) has decreased to 9.75 days compared to 10.22 at the end of November 2020. Although the reduction since last year is positive, the reduction has levelled off and there has been a small increase in sickness days in the last few months due to pressures in frontline services.
Customer Services Waiting Times (Phone / Footfall / Webchat etc)
81 Customer Service is the main point of contact for residents and business visitors. Similar to previous years, throughout Q3 demand gradullay reduced. The number of calls received decreased to 44,603 (61,568 in Q2 2021-22), with 78% answered (34,790). 31.6% of calls were answered within 20 seconds. As well as an increase in calls, which covered the initial launch of the new Parking System, the service is carrying a number of vacancies and a rolling programme of recruitment activity has been introduced in response. In addition, approximately 248 people contacted Customer Service for support due to the impact of COVID-19.
82 During Q3, 452 customers booked an appointment with Customer Service at West Offices and a further 2,537 ‘dropped by’ and received support. This figure includes Probation Services, Registrars and Blue Badge assessments. 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 12,174 e-mails (a decrease from 16,484 in the previous quarter). Customers are continuing to opt to access services using alternative means:
· 6,573 customers made payments using the auto payments facility
· 13,447 people used the auto operator
· 58% of issues available to report online were reported by customers on-line
· There were just around 1.8 million pages of the CYC website reviewed (in Q3 1,797,477 pages reviewed)
·
Web
chat is now available for Council Tax customers, with 1,762
customers using the chat service during Q3, 82% of customers waited
no more than 20 seconds for their chat to be answered and 86% said
they were satisfied with the service.
Number of days to process Benefit claims (currently Housing Benefit)
83 The average number of days taken to process a new Housing Benefit claim, or a change in circumstance, has increased, being just over five days during August 2021 (compared to under two days during March 2021). The team has also had to additionally administer covid grants to families for food and energy and administer the covid Test and Trace Isolation Grant process. York performance is consistent with the most recent national average of 5.1 days (2019-20).
84 Significant work is being completed by the benefits team on processing covid grants and dealing with changes to peoples circumstances, meaning staff have been diverted into these areas. Since the end of the last quarter, there have been further changes to the welfare support for residents during 2021-22. The local covid support grant that replaced the winter grant scheme until the end of September 2021 has now been replaced by the Household Support Fund (HSF) to the end of March 2022. The isolation grant scheme continues to March 2022 along with the CTS hardship scheme. The YFAS fund aimed at keeping residents in the community along with emergency payments continues to operate as normal. Support provided during 2021-22 to date includes:
· Over 6,250 CTS customers helped with council tax (£75) with a total value to date of £469k in 2021-22
· 2,846 Local Covid Support Grants to families totalling £390 (scheme now closed)
· 2,119 Isolation Grants totalling £1,059k (since 2020 to date)
· YFAS Payments totalling £172k to date in 2021-22
· Discretionary Housing Payments totalling £141k to date in 2021-22
· Mobile and internet access for digitally vulnerable residents totalling £2,650k to date in 2021-22
· HSF – 3,148 families to receive payments before Christmas with a total scheme commitment to date of £745k
% of 4C’s Complaints responded to ‘In Time’ / % of Grade 1 4C’s Complaints responded to ‘In Time’
85 In Q3 2021/22 there were 376 complaints dealt with as either a grade 1 or grade 2 complaint under the corporate 4Cs and 94.8% were responded to within their required timescales. This is a further improvement for in time performance compared to the last reporting quarter and the Corporate Governance team will continue to work with managers and services across the council to maintain this improvement.
CYC Apprenticeships
86 When looking at the number of CYC stand-alone apprenticeships only, which excludes those within schools or being completed alongside existing roles, there were 19 at the end of December 2021 which is an increase from 13 at the end of June. Whilst the financial impact of the pandemic on the Local Authority’s budget has greatly reduced its ability to create new roles, apprenticeships remain an integral part of the organisation’s strategy to support succession planning and upskilling of the existing workforce. Employers are reporting an insufficient supply of applicants to fill apprenticeship vacancies which has also been the council’s experience, with some of its recent 14 apprenticeship vacancies having been re-advertised due to a low number of applications. Despite the challenges, at 30 September 2021, there were a total of 53 forms of apprenticeships active across the council and local authority maintained schools. 17 of these apprenticeships commenced within the last six months, compared to nine within the same period in 2020. More than half (10) of the 17 starts were new apprentice recruits. It has been agreed that a comprehensive report on apprenticeships be available every six months. The latest Apprenticeships Update, covering April – September 2021 activity, was submitted in October:
http://modgov.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=735&MId=12758
FOI & EIR - % In time
87 In Q3 2021-22, the council received 392 FOIs (Freedom of Information Act requests) and EIRs (Environmental Information Regulation requests) and 26 SARs (subject access to records request). We achieved an 84.30% in-time compliance for FOIs and EIRs and 86.70% for SARs. This shows an improvement in the timeliness of FOI/EIR and SAR responses since the last reporting quarter. The Corporate Governance team will continue to monitor the in time performance in these areas and work with managers and service areas to continue to make sustained improvements.