|
Meeting: |
Executive |
|
Meeting date: |
21st January 2025 |
|
Report of: |
Debbie Mitchell Director of Finance |
|
Portfolio of: |
Councillor Katie Lomas, Executive Member for Finance, Performance, Major Projects, Human Rights, Equality & Inclusion
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2024/25 Finance and Performance
Monitor 3
Subject of
Report
2. This report outlines the Council’s continued challenging financial position with a forecast overspend for 2024/25 of £2.6m which is a huge improvement on the c£11m forecast overspend we have previously seen at this stage in the financial year. The forecast also assumes we can release some earmarked reserves to offset the overall position.
3. However, this is still a forecast overspend and therefore, whilst it is incredibly positive that the position is much improved, there is work still to do to ensure the continued financial resilience of the Council. It remains that the Council cannot afford to keep spending at this level. The general reserve is £6.9m and, whilst we have other earmarked reserves that we could call on if required, continued overspending will quickly see the Council exhaust its reserves.
4. As outlined in previous reports, the existing cost control measures remain in place, and further action is needed to bring spending down to an affordable level, both within the current financial year and over the medium term, to safeguard the Council’s financial resilience and stability. The impact that this work is having can be clearly seen in this latest forecast and the Council’s track record of delivering savings, along with robust financial management, provides a sound platform to continue to be able to deal with future challenges.
5. If we continue to take action and make any difficult decisions now, this will ensure the future financial stability of the Council and that we can continue to provide services for our residents. It is vital that mitigations are delivered, and the forecast overspend is reduced.
6. Local government continues to be in challenging times, with worsening performance in a number of sectors nationally. The majority of performance indicators chosen to support and monitor the Council Plan in York, continue to show a generally positive and stable trend against this difficult financial picture and shows the hard work from staff, partners and the city to tackle these challenges.
7. This set of indicators are the high-level measurable element of our performance framework, and in newly available data up to Q3 there has been positive performance in areas such as; The survival of newly born businesses after one year has been consistently higher in York than national and regional averages, there has been an increase in net additional homes provided and housing consents approved compared to the same period last year, we have seen a narrowing of the gap, and therefore a reduction in health inequalities, between the highest and lowest ward in York for the % of year 6 children recorded as overweight and the number of households with children in temporary accommodation continues to be lower than previous years. The % of children achieving a Good Level of Development at Foundation Stage continues to be high compared to benchmarks and our building services indicators continue to show a positive direction of travel with a high percentage of repairs completed on first visit alongside the low number of void properties.
8. Alongside the Council plan indicators there are a number of areas of positive performance from across the Council. In 2024, over 39,000 eligible households in York subscribed to the new Garden Waste Subscription scheme. Work is underway to prepare for the 2025 scheme which will run for the full season from March to December. Queen Street bridge was demolished during Q3, and other public spaces are emerging from the ground, with good progress being made on major projects. In order to help young people move around the city, the £1 bus fare initiative for 16 to 18 year olds has been used by more than 250,000 young people so far. The Council has recently successfully delivered a local by-election, ensuring it delivers on its statutory duties.
9. The Council have placed nearly 300 migrant children into York schools this year, highlighting their commitment to support our most vulnerable residents. KS4 and KS5 outcomes remain significantly above average, York has a high proportion of 5 year olds achieving a good level of development and the second lowest number of children who receive an ‘Elective Home Education’ in the region. There has been a reduction in numbers of Children’s Social Care agency staff to zero. The Council recently ran a targeted Pension Credit campaign using the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) platform to identify eligible residents and maximise their income. To date, the initiative has resulted in 100 pensioner households in York receiving over £662,700 per year in Pension Credit. This campaign has helped combat rising pensioner poverty and adult social care costs.
10. There has been a smooth transfer into the council of an external homelessness service. In addition, an extra £87,000 has been secured to support the expected rise in rough sleeping with up to 29 extra emergency beds and additional support this winter. The extra funding reflects the rise in rough sleeping nationally and the funds will contribute to bed and breakfast for rough sleepers with the lowest support needs, other accommodation options as well as extra staffing support.
11. To progress with the changes needed to implement the previously announced Childcare reforms to help parents with early years childcare and provide more children with access to high quality early years education, the council has undertaken a deep dive into sufficiency for both early years and wraparound care. Progress reports have been presented to Executive and the Children, Culture and Communities Scrutiny Committee. A report went to the Children, Culture and Communities Scrutiny Committee in November to inform on work taking place to develop a neighbourhood working model as a way of delivering improved outcomes for individuals, communities and the wider system of services in the city. The design principles for the model were approved at Executive in December.
12. In order to improve outcomes for those in need and to manage costs, the council has internally launched a practice model framework and assurance forum in adult social care. There has been a transformation in Healthy Child services, with the introduction of skill mix teams and the recruitment into specialist roles. The Health Trainer team are the best performing stop smoking service in the country, with an over 80% 4-week quit rate (national 57% and regional 65%).
13. We are listening to residents within Our Big Budget Conversation, a consultation on budget priorities taking place over 4 stages during 2024-25. The final stage of the consultation closed at the end of Q3 and asked people to provide thoughts on proposals to help the council balance its budget based on feedback from the previous two stages. York remains committed to improving stock condition and tenant experiences, and results from the 2023-24 Regulator for Social Housing return were published for residents with the current consultation underway.
14. Council Plan Progress Reports, providing an update of activity against each of the plan’s seven priorities, will be published on an annual basis and sit alongside a six-monthly snapshot of progress available on the Council’s website (https://www.york.gov.uk/council-plan-1/snapshot-progress-council-plan/5). The reports complement the Finance and Performance Monitor, providing a narrative for the steps that the Council is taking to meet its ambitions.
Benefits and Challenges
15. This report is mainly to note the latest financial projections and current performance. The main challenge is delivering on agreed savings whilst also identifying further reductions in expenditure. The main benefit of approving the recommendations will be the ongoing financial stability of the Council and the continued ability to deliver the priorities outlines in the Council Plan.
Policy Basis for Decision
16. This report is mainly to note the latest financial projections and current performance. The ongoing financial resilience and stability of the Council will be essential to ensuring that Council priorities can continue to be achieved. Despite the significant efforts across all departments to reduce expenditure, there remains a forecast overspend. This underlines the importance of the Council’s transformation programme as outlined in the Financial Strategy report elsewhere on this agenda. This programme will pull together activity that ensures the Council has a sustainable and more efficient operating model, prioritising the delivery of statutory services alongside those initiatives that will contribute to the achievement of the Council Plan.
Financial Strategy Implications
17. This report sets out the projected financial position and identifies a range of actions that are necessary in order to reduce expenditure, both within the current financial year and over the medium term to safeguard the Council’s financial resilience and stability. The financial strategy report elsewhere on this agenda outlines the investment being made both into social care and the transformation programme.
Recommendation and Reasons
18. Executive is asked to:
· Note the finance and performance information.
· Note that work will continue on identifying the savings needed to fully mitigate the forecast overspend.
Reason: to ensure expenditure is kept within the approved budget.
Background
Financial Summary and Mitigation Strategy
19. The current forecast is that there will be an overspend of £2.6m. This is despite the additional budget allocated through the 2024/25 budget process and ongoing action being taken by managers across the Council to try and reduce expenditure. Adult Social Care remains an area of concern, however action is being taken within the directorate to mitigate against this forecast overspend.
20. If the Council continues to spend at the current level, and no action is taken, then we will continue to overspend and will exhaust our reserves and any other available funding. The current level of expenditure is unaffordable and therefore we must continue the work started in the previous financial year to identify and take the necessary actions to reduce expenditure.
21. As outlined in previous reports to Executive, we have continued to see recurring overspends across both Adult and Children’s Social Care. However, the underspends and mitigations that have allowed us to balance the budget at year end have generally been one off. Whilst the use of reserves to fund an overspend is appropriate as a one-off measure, it does not remove the need to identify ongoing savings to ensure the overall position is balanced. The budget report considered by Executive in February 2024 also included an assessment of risks associated with the budget, which included the need to secure further savings and effectively manage cost pressures.
22. Members will be aware that the financial position of local government is a national challenge and that the pressures being seen across both Adult and Children’s Social Care are not something that is unique to York. Many Councils are experiencing significant financial pressures and struggling to balance their budgets now, so it is vital that we continue the work started last year to reduce our expenditure down to a sustainable level both within the current financial year and over the medium term.
23. Given the scale of the financial challenge, and the expected impact on budgets in future years, it is vital that every effort is made to balance the overall position. It is recognised that this will require difficult decisions to be made to protect services for vulnerable residents. The Financial Strategy report elsewhere on this agenda outlines proposals for balancing the budget in 2025/26.
24. Corporate control measures are in place, but it is possible that they will not deliver the scale of reduction needed within the year. Other savings proposals, including service reductions, may also be needed. Officers will continue to carefully monitor spend, identify further mitigation, and review reserves and other funding to make every effort to reduce this forecast position. However, it is possible that it will not be reduced to the point that the outturn will be within the approved budget. The Council has £6.9m of general reserves that would need to be called on if this were the case. As outlined in previous reports, any use of the general reserve would require additional savings to be made in the following year to replenish the reserve and ensure it remains at the recommended minimum level.
25. The delivery of savings plans continues to be a clear priority for all officers during the year. Corporate Directors and Directors will keep Executive Members informed of progress on a regular basis.
Financial Analysis
26. The Council’s net budget is £149m. Following on from previous years, the challenge of delivering savings continues with c£14m to be achieved to reach a balanced budget. The latest forecasts indicate the Council is facing net financial pressures of £2.6m and an overview of this forecast, on a directorate by directorate basis, is outlined in Table 1 below.
|
Service area |
Net budget £’000 |
2024/25 Q2 Forecast Variation £’000 |
2024/25 Q3 Forecast Variation £’000 |
|
Children & Education |
28,659 |
1,111 |
994 |
|
Adult Social Care & Integration |
46,807 |
3,286 |
3,608 |
|
Transport, Environment & Planning |
23,464 |
-610 |
-859 |
|
Housing & Communities |
6,779 |
790 |
711 |
|
Corporate & Central Services |
42,983 |
-132 |
-149 |
|
Sub Total |
148,692 |
4,445 |
4,305 |
|
Contingency |
576 |
-576 |
-576 |
|
Use of earmarked reserves |
|
-1,089 |
-1,089 |
|
Total including contingency |
149,268 |
2,780 |
2,640 |
Table 1: Finance overview
Reserves and Contingency
27. The February 2024 budget report to Full Council stated that the minimum level for the General Fund reserve should be £7.4m. At the beginning of 2024/25 the reserve stood at £7.4m.
28. Should the mitigation outlined in this report not deliver the required level of savings in the current financial year then this reserve is available to support the year end position. However, in light of the ongoing financial challenges being faced by all Councils it is now more important than ever to ensure the Council has sufficient reserves. Therefore, should it be the case that we need to draw down a substantial amount from this general reserve in 2024/25, growth will need to be included in the 2025/26 budget to ensure that reserves can be maintained at an appropriate level.
29. In addition to the general reserve of £7.4m there are a range of other earmarked reserves where funds are held for a specific purpose. These reserves are always subject to an annual review and these funds will again be reviewed on a quarterly basis and where appropriate to do so will be released to support the in-year position. Whilst this is a prudent approach that will ensure the financial resilience of the Council it is not a substitute for resolving the underlying overspends but instead allows time to develop future savings proposals in a planned way. A review has identified c£1m of reserves that can be released to support the in year position.
30. As in previous years a contingency budget is in place, and this is currently assumed to be available to offset the pressures outlined in this report.
Loans
31. Further to a scrutiny review, it was agreed that these quarterly monitoring reports would include a review of any outstanding loans over £100k. There is one loan in this category for £1m made to Yorwaste, a company part owned by the Council in June 2012. Interest is charged on both loans at 4% plus base rate therefore interest of 8.75% is currently being charged. All repayments are up to date.
Directorate Analysis
Children and Education
32. The forecast directorate outturn position is an overspend totalling £994k and the table below summarises the latest forecasts by service area.
|
|
2024/25 Budget |
Forecast Outturn Variance £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance % |
|
Children’s Safeguarding |
24,590 |
979 |
4.0 |
|
Education & Skills |
14,047 |
86 |
1.2 |
|
School Funding & Assets |
-5,732 |
-49 |
-3.1 |
|
Director and Central Budgets |
-4,246 |
-22 |
-0.5 |
|
Total Children and Education |
28,659 |
994 |
3.5 |
33. As previously reported, the number of Children Looked After (CLA) in York has consistently been at a higher level than the budget was built to accommodate. The number at the beginning of the financial year was 243, at the end of October it was still 238. Placement budgets are predicted to overspend by a total of £1,104k. The pressure on this budget is partly due to the limited market for children’s placements and the statutory requirements placed on local authorities to meet children’s needs, coupled with inflationary pressures which could continue to worsen the position. Total growth of £1,772k has been allocated to the placement budgets in 2024/25.
34. Safeguarding Interventions is predicted to underspend by £164k due to staffing vacancies. In addition, legal fees are predicted to overspend by £142k.
35. There is a projected underspend of £95k in the MASH and Targeted Intervention teams due to vacant posts and increased income.
36. An overspend in Disabled Children’s Services of £473k is mainly overspends on direct payments. A specific project for direct payments is being carried out, and this is predicted to clawback some of previous payments made and reduce ongoing costs.
37. Innovation and Children`s Champion is predicted to underspend by -£160k. This is due to the ability to fund some expenditure from the Family Hubs grant & Family Seeing Grant.
38. The Home to School Transport budget, which has been in an overspend position for a number of years, has been allocated £730k of growth for demographic pressures and contract inflation.
39. At this point in the financial year, an overspend of £82k is predicted. This is a change from the start of the year due to an amendment to the projected taxi expenditure to take account of the increased number of days in the 2024/25 financial year when transport will be required. This is due to the Easter break for 2025 being wholly in the financial year 2025/26. The impact of this is an extra five days of transport in 2024/25 at an estimated cost of £65k. This increase has been offset by a lower than assumed taxi cost by £15k in July 2024.
40. The projected outturn includes contractual inflation from 1st September 2024, for buses this is 1.7% and for taxis 2.3%.
41. Staff resourcing issues and turnover in the SEND Statutory Services Team, and the need to resource work to progress the Safety Valve targets have continued and resulted in the need to appoint a number of agency staff and also increase supporting resources, resulting in a predicted overspend of £33k based on current staffing assumptions.
42. The Educational Psychologists Service is now predicted to overspend by £31k. This is because of the need to commission external agency support to clear a backlog of assessments at a cost of £215k.
43. The Effectiveness and Achievement Service and the Skills Service are both predicted to outturn at or very close to budget.
44. An overall underspend of £46k is now predicted within the Virtual School and Inclusion service, due to a vacancy, one-off savings in non-staffing expenditure and additional grant funding supporting already committed expenditure.
45. The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is ahead of the target position set out in the Safety Valve recovery plan agreed with the DfE. The local authority is now in the third year of this four year agreement and has exceeded the financial targets for the first two years.
46. The brought forward balance on the DSG as at 1 April 2024 was a deficit of £291k. The initial year end projection for 2024/25 is for a cumulative deficit of approximately £780k, although this is subject to change as new academic year details of provision are confirmed. This increased deficit is despite the LA expecting to receive almost £1.5m of further Safety Valve funding during the year and is indicative of the increasing pressures and demands being placed on LAs to provide for High Needs pupils.
47. In common with the national picture, York is continuing to experience an increase in High Needs pupils together with an increasing complexity of need, often requiring expensive provision, especially in Post 16 and Post 19 provision and the education element of Out of Authority placements. In particular York is facing a significant increase in demand for special school places, often exacerbated by tribunal decisions.
48. In addition, due to the significant pressures on mainstream school budgets, it is becoming increasingly difficult for High needs pupils to be supported in these settings. This situation is particularly difficult in York due to the low level of school funding which has a significant impact on these schools ability to adequately meet the needs of High Needs pupils.
49. The Safety Valve agreement commits the local authority to bring the DSG into an in-year balanced position by 2025/26. Further payments are conditional on the local authority meeting the targets set out in the Management Plan, and reporting quarterly to the DfE on progress, with the eventual aim of eliminating the in-year deficit by the target date, with additional payments by the DfE eliminating the historic deficit at that point.
50. As a result of the above, this third year of the Safety Valve agreement is likely to be the most difficult to date, with an increasing risk of the LA being unable to meet the target of eliminating the cumulative deficit by the end of 2025/26 as set out in the original agreement. Officers are working hard to avoid this position, but it is becoming increasingly challenging to achieve.
Adult Social Care
51. The projected outturn position for Adult Social Care is an overspend of £3,608k and the table below summarises the latest forecasts by service area. This projection is based on customer numbers and costs to the end of October 2024. The projection assumes that £344k of previously agreed savings will be made by the end of the year.
|
|
2024/25 Budget £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance % |
|
Direct Payments |
4,841 |
1,197 |
24.7 |
|
Home and Day Support |
2,844 |
807 |
28.4 |
|
Supported Living |
15,689 |
2,605 |
16.6 |
|
Residential care |
15,244 |
1,219 |
8.0 |
|
Nursing care |
5,149 |
541 |
10.5 |
|
Short term placements |
861 |
-171 |
-19.9 |
|
Staffing (mostly social work staff) |
7,218 |
406 |
5.6 |
|
Contracts and Commissioning |
2,353 |
-126 |
-5.4 |
|
In House Services |
4,837 |
33 |
0.7 |
|
Be Independent & Equipment |
982 |
329 |
33.5 |
|
Other |
-14,650 |
-3,246 |
22.2 |
|
Recharges |
-61 |
14 |
-23.0 |
|
Total Adult Social Care |
45,307 |
3,608 |
8.0 |
52. ASC has received total growth of £7m in 2024/25. £2.8m of this growth has been allocated to external care budgets to cover demographic pressures, £1.4m has been allocated to fund inflationary pressures, £800k to reducing growth needed by managing demand and £500k has been allocated to fund savings which are unlikely to be achieved this year. In addition to this £300k has been set aside to fund Preparing for Adulthood (PFA) customers coming through from Children’s Services and £200k to tackle the current review backlog where it is expected that there are savings to be crystalised.
53. The directorate is taking the following action to improve the financial position;
· The reablement contract has been retendered and is now being implemented. This is designed to support more people to go through the reablement service in a shorter time frame, at lower cost, resulting in more people with lower or no care needs. Contract monitoring arrangements are being put in place to make the most of the contractual arrangements that promote good performance and enable the reduction in payment should the provider not deliver. Occupational Therapy expertise has a key role to play in maximising independence and reducing level of need: Therapy led reablement is known to be effective and additional occupational therapy is planned to be deployed to support this.
· The provision of support to people overnight by internal adult social care provision is under review with a view to remodelling support and reducing costs while ensuring we continue to meet our duty to meet eligible needs.
· Further work is being undertaken in relation to continuing health care funding. This includes developing a consistent approach with other local authorities in the ICB, improved engagement in the process by CYC including developing joint training and processes to support resolution of disputes.
· The Adult Social Care practice assurance process continues to be developed with an emphasis on embedding the strength-based approach to practice and supporting decision-making at the earliest opportunity. This process will be linked with our Workforce Development colleagues to assure any learning identified informs future practice. The Assurance Forum will look to ensure that Community and individual networks and community based resources have been considered. This also gives consideration of a range of issues including alternatives to high cost provision, the prevention of expensive off- framework provision, ensure full use of in house and block provision, the use of equipment and technology, and where possible, the reduction of proposed paid for care.
· A working group has been established to carry out a detailed review of Direct Payments which should lead to a reduction in the overspend on these budgets.
· The review project team will be in place from January 2025. This team will tackle the volume of overdue reviews, using an improved review methodology and multi-disciplinary approach which is expected to reduce spend.
· Internal capacity to undertake Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (DoLS) and Best Interest assessments (BIA) is being created by retraining of staff in order to reduce the reliance on external BIA assessors.
54. The following sections describe any significant variations to budgeted costs, customer numbers and income. The variations are generally due to not fully meeting previous years’ savings targets plus significant price pressures in the market. Some variations are large due to having small numbers of individuals within those budgets whose individual needs can vary significantly.
Direct Payments (£1,196k overspend)
55. The main overspend is on the Learning Disability (LD) direct payments budget, which is expected to overspend by £1,082k. There are currently six more individuals receiving payments than in the budget (£154k) and the average payment being £114 per week higher (£725k). In addition, average Health income received per individual is less than assumed in the budget (£252k). This is partially offset by a projected overachievement on recovering unused direct payments.
56. The Older People (OP) direct payments budget is expected to overspend by £148k, largely due to the average cost of a direct payment being higher than budgeted (£201k) offset by having three fewer people (£74k).
Home and Day Support (£807k overspend)
57. The Community Learning Disability budget is expected to overspend by £128k. The average cost of a homecare placement is £160 per week higher than in the budget (£60k) and the average cost of a day support placement is £149 per week higher (£248k). This is offset by having one less homecare package and two less day support packages than assumed in the budget (£86k). In addition, there has been an increase in Health’s contribution to packages (£90k).
58. The Community LD under 25 budget is expected to overspend by £190k, due to having four more people receiving homecare than assumed in the budget (£112k) together with the average cost per person being £125 per week higher (£116k). In addition, the average health income received per person is £240 per week lower than budget (£195k). This is offset by the average cost of a person in day support being £30 per week less than budget (£233k).
59. The Community OP budget is expected to overspend by £215k. This is mostly due to an increase in the weekly hours of homecare provided on framework contracts (£561k), offset by an increase of £11 per week in what individuals contribute to their care costs (£310k).
60. The Community Physical & Sensory Impairment (PS&I) budget is expected to overspend by £232k, largely due to the weekly cost of all homecare exception contracts being £655 per week higher than in the budget (£205k).
Supported Living (£2,605k overspend)
61. Supported Living are settings where more than one customer lives, with their own tenancy agreements, where their needs are met by a combination of shared support and one to one support. Supported Living providers received a mid-year inflationary increase in 2023/24 which was covered by the MSIF grant and the pressures shown below are in part due to the full year effect of this increase.
62. The Learning Disability Supported Living budget is projected to overspend by £1,896k. The average cost of a placement is £140 per week more than in the budget (£1,468k), there are four more customers than budgeted for (£410k) and expenditure on voids is expected to be around £276k this year.
63. The Physical & Sensory Impairment Supported Living schemes budget is projected to overspend by £525k. This is due to the average cost of a placement being around £375 per week higher than in the budget (£959k), partially offset by having five fewer customers in placement than assumed in the budget.
64. The Mental Health Supported Living schemes budget is projected to overspend by £184k. This is due to the average cost of a placement being around £151 per week higher than in the budget (£166k) and two additional tenants compared to budget (£82k).
Residential care (£1,219k overspend)
65. The OP Residential Care budget is expected to overspend by £1,652k. There are fifteen more customers than in the budget (£500k) and the average cost per customer is £169 per week higher (£1,406k). This is offset by three more individuals receiving Health contributions (£136k) at an average rate of £119 per week higher than in the budget (£74k).
66. The P&SI residential care budget is expected to overspend by £219k due to having one more placement than assumed in the budget (£74k) together with a reduction in the average amount of Health income received per person of £980 per week compared to budget (£165k)
67. The MH Residential Care over 65 budget is expected to underspend by £358k. There are two fewer customers in placement (-£70k) and the average cost of care per customers is £499 per week less than in the budget (-£312k).
68. The MH Residential Care working age budget is expected to overspend by £241k due to there being three more placements than assumed in the budget.
69. Additional Funding from the ASC Discharge fund will also be added into the Residential Care Budget (£-500k).
Nursing Care (£541k overspend)
70. LD Permanent Nursing Care budgets are projected to overspend by £190k, due to having one more customer in over 65 placements than assumed in the budget and the average cost per placement being higher (£285k). This is offset by an increase in Health contributions.
71. Mental Health Nursing Care budgets are expected to overspend by £280k due to there being five more customers in placement than budgeted.
72. The P&SI Nursing budget is expected to overspend by £136k, largely due to the average weekly cost per customer being higher than assumed in the budgeted.
In House Services and Staffing
73. The Council employs a variety of staff to advise and assess residents’ and customers’ social care needs. We also directly provide care and support to individuals and have teams which provide home care both overnight in the community and in our Independent Living Schemes as well as running day support activities for those with a learning difficulty and those experiencing poor Mental Health. We also operate short stay residential care for the same customer groups.
Staffing (£406k overspend)
74. There are staffing overspends in the Hospital Discharge Team, Mental Advocacy Team, and the Mental Health Social Work Team. Mostly due to these teams being over establishment and using agency staff.
Contracts and Commissioning (£126k underspend)
75. Based on activity to date there is likely to be an underspend on the Reablement Contract and Carers commissioned services budget by the end of the year.
Be Independent & Equipment (£329k overspend)
76. Be Independent provide equipment to customers to allow individuals to remain independent and active within their communities. They also provide an alarm response service means tested as to whether a customer pays for it.
77. There is still a budget gap of £180k arising from when the service was originally outsourced which has yet to be fully addressed. Staffing is expected to overspend by £115k largely due to an unfunded regrade of some of the posts in the team and to having a review manager post above establishment. In addition there has been an increase in rental costs for the premises which will be fully absorbed by the service and not recharged to Mediquip this year (£30k).
Transport, Environment and Planning
78. The directorate is forecasting an underspend of £859k and the table below summarises the latest forecasts by service area.
|
|
2024/25 Budget £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance % |
|
Transport |
7,078 |
-490 |
-7 |
|
Fleet |
-127 |
0 |
0 |
|
Highways |
5,008 |
-250 |
-5 |
|
Parking Services |
-8,348 |
-58 |
-1 |
|
Waste |
14,536 |
-383 |
-3 |
|
Public Realm |
3,422 |
5 |
0 |
|
Emergency Planning |
145 |
0 |
0 |
|
Planning Services |
89 |
329 |
366 |
|
Public Protection |
809 |
-6 |
-1 |
|
Community Safety |
715 |
-6 |
-1 |
|
Management |
137 |
0 |
0 |
|
TOTAL |
23,464 |
-859 |
-4 |
79. Within Transport there was an underspend of £4901k across the service. There is a forecast underspend against the Concessionary Fares budget of £329k as numbers of concessionary passengers have not fully returned to pre pandemic levels although the saving is lower than 2023/24.
80. Car park income at the end of November remains within 1% of budget as transactions have reduced by 7% but income per transaction increased by 12%. These are the same as reported at the last monitor. Total income is c5% higher than 2023/24 in line with budget. Respark and season ticket income are also in line with budget expectations. This will continue to be monitored closely as the budget is c £2m higher than last year.
81. The Waste budget is forecasting to be underspent by £383k compared to budget (-4%). The main variations relate to additional income selling excess tonnage capacity at Allerton Waste Recover Plant (£200k), additional commercial waste income (£60k), and continued strong recycling income levels and trade waste income (£260k). Elsewhere there are underspends forecast within Waste Collection (£42k) and the bulky waste service (£40k).
82. The garden waste subscription service was introduced in August 2024. There have been approximately 39,000 subscribers to the new scheme which has given revenue of £764k which is £136k below budget but given the part year impact, the performance is very strong. The Waste Strategy budget is forecast to be over budget by £148k primarily as there will be costs incurred dealing with he 2025/26 scheme in year.
83. Within the Highways area there is an anticipated further underspend of £250k as electricity prices have reduced for unmetered supply to a lower level than assumed in the budget.
84. Across planning services there is a shortfall in income from building control as the service has at this time very limited staffing resources and primarily only able to provide the statutory service. Should this situation continue to the end of 2024/25 the net reduction in income will be in the region of £277k.
Housing and Community Services
85. The directorate is forecasting an overspend at quarter 3 of £711k and the table below summarises the latest forecasts by service area. The primary reason for the overspend relates to the delivery of two key savings across the Directorate. These are detailed further in the paragraphs below.
|
|
2024/25 Budget £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance % |
|
Housing Services |
-126 |
3 |
2.4 |
|
Healthy & Sustainable Homes |
352 |
-11 |
-3.1 |
|
Communities |
6,783 |
208 |
3.1 |
|
Customer Services |
-230 |
166 |
72.2 |
|
Policy & Strategy |
357 |
345 |
96.6 |
|
TOTAL |
7,136 |
+711 |
|
86. As previously reported the main pressure in Communities relates to a £300k library saving. The council is undertaking due process to work with Explore to consider options that will deliver a saving. Although some saving is expected this year the process requires time to review provision levels as well as consultation and agreement from the partners. There remains an aspiration to gain a full saving from the process but the timeline is in question.
87. As previously reported the agreed saving of £500k from bus shelter advertising is not going to be delivered this year. Mitigations in staffing costs have improved the position however a restructure is required to achieve recurring savings.
88. Elsewhere in the Directorate it is expected that expenditure will be broadly delivered within budget.
89. The Housing Revenue Account budget for 2024/25 was set as a net surplus of £2,023k prior to debt repayment at February 2024. There were carry forwards of £2,293k agreed as part of the outturn report meaning the revised budget stands at £8,670k deficit (including £8,400k debt repayment).
|
Activity area |
2024/25 Budget £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance % |
|
Repairs & Maintenance |
10,761 |
-25 |
0% |
|
General Management |
7,896 |
-293 |
-4% |
|
Special Services |
3,912 |
-125 |
-3% |
|
Other Expenditure |
19,870 |
+473 |
+2% |
|
Dwelling rents |
-37,933 |
+100 |
+0% |
|
Non-Dwelling Rents |
-533 |
-39 |
-7% |
|
Charges for Services |
-2,385 |
+140 |
+6% |
|
Other Income |
-1,318 |
-1,013 |
-77% |
|
Total |
270 |
-782 |
-390% |
|
Debt Repayment |
8,400 |
0 |
0 |
|
Revised Position |
8,670 |
-782 |
-109% |
90. Repairs costs are expected to increase to meet a backlog of electrical inspections and emergency repairs to be carried out in quarter 4. This can be met by the repairs budget brought forward and the underspend on the painting contract. Once the backlog is cleared expenditure will return to budget levels and overall a small saving this year.
91. Legal costs relating to Disrepair claims have risen to £180,000 which is being shown as an overspend. The claims are being vigorously defended and costs can be claimed for all unsuccessful claims against the council.
92. Other additional costs that have arisen this quarter are insurance costs (£110k) relating to the HRA properties insurance, which is a problem experienced by all local authorities, and additional utility bills being identified (£46k).
93. The additional costs have been offset by budget savings identified: The pay award was less than the contingency set aside and other savings have been identified in the business support budgets totalling £200,000
94. The majority of the HRA overspend and underspend are now balancing each other, and it is the high level of working balances that is providing the HRA with additional interest income (£1m) less the additional interest costs from the loan taken out last year (£293k) that gives rise to the latest HRA position. If the council is successful in defending against the disrepair claims, then our legal costs can be claimed, and the financial position will improve accordingly.
95. The high level of working balance is available to start repaying the £121.5m debt that the HRA incurred as part of self-financing in 2012. The first repayment of £1.9m was paid in 2023/24 and a second payment on £8.4m is due to be repaid at 31st March 2025. This repayment is to be funded from general HRA reserves.
96. The HRA working balance position as at 31st March 2024 was £30.0m. The latest forecast balance at 31st March 2025 is estimated to reduce to £21.4m which is higher than that assumed when the budget was set (£19.9m).
Corporate & Central Services
97. The forecast outturn position for the remaining areas of the Council is a net underspend of £149k and the table below summarises the latest forecasts by service area.
|
|
2024/25 Budget £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance £’000 |
Forecast Outturn Variance % |
|
Director of Finance |
3,296 |
-275 |
-8.3% |
|
CO HR & Support Services |
11,628 |
161 |
1.38 |
|
Director of Governance |
3,795 |
64 |
1.69 |
|
City Development |
710 |
0 |
0 |
|
Public Health |
13 |
0 |
0 |
|
Other Corporate & Treasury Mgt |
23,541 |
-99 |
0.4 |
|
Total |
42,983 |
-149 |
-0.3 |
98. Within the corporate services directorates it is forecast at that expenditure can be broadly contained within budgets.
Performance – Service Delivery
99. This performance report is based upon the city outcome and council delivery indicators included in the Performance Framework for the Council Plan (2023-2027) which was launched in September 2023. Wider or historic strategic and operational performance information is published quarterly on the Council’s open data platform; www.yorkopendata.org.uk
100. The Executive for the Council Plan (2023-2027) agreed a core set of indicators to help monitor the Council priorities and these provide the structure for performance updates in this report. Some indicators are not measured on a quarterly basis and the DoT (Direction of Travel) is calculated on the latest three results whether they are annual or quarterly.
101. A summary of the city outcome and council delivery indicators by council plan theme are shown in the paragraphs below, and the latest data for all of the core indicator set can be seen in Annex 1.
Performance - Health and Wellbeing: A health generating city
103. %pt gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers achieving 9-4 in English and Maths at KS4 – Provisional data shows that the gap at age 16 has narrowed both in York (31%) and Nationally (22%) in summer 2024 compared to the previous year. However, this now shows that the gap for York is wider than National.
104. % of reception year children recorded as being overweight (incl. obese) – The participation rates for the National Child Measurement Programmes (NCMP) in York for 2023-24 were 96.9% for reception aged children and 94.5% for Year 6 pupils.
· The 2023-24 NCMP found that 22.8% of reception aged children in York were overweight (including obese), compared with 22.1% in England and 23.8% in the Yorkshire and Humber region. York has the fourth lowest rate of overweight (including obese) for reception aged children in the Yorkshire and Humber region. The rate in York has increased compared with 2022-23 (from 19.9% to 22.8%).
· Of Year 6 children in York, 33.5% were overweight (including obese) in 2023-24 compared with 35.8% in England and 37.5% in the Yorkshire and Humber region. York has the second lowest rate of overweight (including obese) for Year 6 children in the Yorkshire and Humber region. The rate in York has increased compared with 2022-23 (from 32.5% to 33.5%).
105. % of adults (aged 16+) that are physically active – The latest data from the Adult Active Lives Survey for the period from mid-November 2022 to mid-November 2023 was published in April 2024. Data for 2024-25 will be available in April 2025. In York, 515 people aged 16 and over took part in the survey, and they reported higher levels of physical activity, and lower levels of physical inactivity, compared with the national and regional averages. Positively:
· 69.8% of people in York did more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week compared with 63.4% nationally and 61.7% regionally. There has been no significant change in the York value from that 12 months earlier.
· 18.8% of people in York did fewer than 30 minutes per week compared with 25.7% nationally and 27.7% regionally. There has been no significant change in the York value from that 12 months earlier.
106. Percentage of people who use services who have control over their daily life – Disabled People – In 2022-23, 78% of all York’s respondents to the Adult Social Care Survey said that they had “as much control as they wanted” or “adequate” control over their daily life, which was the same as the percentage in the Y&H region as a whole. It is higher than the corresponding percentage who gave one of these responses in England as a whole (77%). It has slightly decreased in York from the 2021-22 figure (79%). ASCOF data for 2023-24 has just been released but is being quality assured for accuracy as recording framework has been changed.
107. Percentage of people who use services who have control over their daily life – Older People – In 2022-23, 77% of older people in York that responded to the Adult Social Care Survey said that they had “as much control as they wanted” or “adequate” control over their daily life. This is higher than the corresponding percentages experienced by older people in the Y&H region and in England as a whole (both 74%). It has also increased in York from the 2021-22 figure (71%). ASCOF data for 2023-24 has just been released but is being quality assured for accuracy as recording framework has been changed.
109. Health Inequalities in wards – The ‘health gap’ indicators show the difference between the wards with the highest and lowest values. A lower value is desirable as it indicates less variation in health outcomes based on where people live within the City. Trend data for these indicators helps to monitor whether the gaps are narrowing or widening over time. New data will be available in December 2024.
· Absolute gap in % of Year 6 recorded overweight (incl. obesity) between the highest and lowest York ward (3 year aggregated) - The value for this indicator for the 3 year period 2021-22 to 2023-24 was 22.9% (the gap between 41.9% in Huntington & New Earswick and 19.0% in Heworth Without). The gap has narrowed compared with the previous reporting period (from 24.7% to 22.9%). The trend in this gap indicator shows a widening in the difference between the values in the highest and lowest ward over time (18.4% in 2008-09 to 2020-11 to 22.9% in the most recent 3 year period).
· Absolute gap in % of children who reach expected level of development at 2-2.5 years of age between highest and lowest York ward (4 yr aggregated) - The value for this indicator for the 4 year period 2020-21 to 2023-24 was 10.53% (the difference between 95.95% in Haxby & Wiggington and 85.42% in Clifton). The latest value represents an improvement (a narrowing of the gap in York) compared with the previous values of 13.65% for 2019-20 to 2022-23 and 13.1% for 2018-19 to 2021-22.
· Absolute gap in % of children totally or partially breastfeeding at 6-8 weeks between highest and lowest York ward (4 year aggregated ward data) - The value for this indicator for the 4 year period 2020-21 to 2023-24 was 39.3%% (the gap between 81% in Heworth Without and 41.7% in Westfield). There has been a widening of the gap from the 4 year period 2017-18 to 2020-21 (36.5%) to the most recent 4 year period (39.3%).
110. Children and young people in care per 10k, excluding short breaks – At the end of December 2024, 236 children and young people were in York’s care. As a rate per 10k population, this is just below the National average (2023-24) and within York’s expected range. Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC), a sub-group of children in care, are expected to increase in number in York. At the end of December 2024, 21 of York’s children in care were UASC, compared to 18 in March 2024. The National Transfer Scheme now mandates that “the Home Office will not transfer UASC to an authority that is already looking after UASC in line with, or greater than, 0.1% of their child population”. For York, this is equivalent to approximately 34 young people based on current population.
111. Children subject to a Child Protection Plan – 150 children were the subject of a Child Protection Plan at the end of December 2024. As a rate per 10k population, York is just above the National average (2023-24). The number of children subject to a Child Protection Plan in York is at the top of York’s expected range (133-150).
Performance - Education and Skills: High quality skills and learning for all
113. % of working age population qualified to at least L4 and above – In 2023-24, 53.8% 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 (47.3% and 41.2% respectively). This result ranks the city of York fourth regionally. The 2023-24 figure is a decrease from 2022-23 (60.3%) but higher than in previous years. Data for 2024-25 will be available in May 2025.
114. % of pupils achieving 9-4 or above in English and Maths at KS4 – Provisional DfE data shows strong performance for York pupils when compared with National averages. In 2023-24, 70.5% of York’s Year 11s achieved grades 9-4 in English and Maths (considered a standard pass), compared to 65.4% Nationally.
115. % of children who have achieved a Good Level of Development at Foundation Stage – In 2023-24, 70% of our 5-year-olds achieved a Good Level of Development compared to 67.7% Nationally, and 66.1% in Yorkshire and Humber.
Performance - Economy: A fair, thriving, green economy for all
116. Universal Credit Claimants – At the end of November 2024 there were 13,863 people, in York, on Universal Credit. Although this is the highest figure to date, surpassing the previous high of 13,236 in February 2021, it is low compared to the region or nationally, and represents 10% of the working population in York, compared to 19% regionally and 17% nationally. The figures dropped to a low of 11,054 in May 2022 but they have steadily increased since then. This is a mixture of increased claimants and people who have been migrating over from other legacy benefits (Tax Credits, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income-related Employment and Support Allowance), with the picture becoming clearer in 2025 as DWP expects/plans for all people on these legacy benefits to have moved over to Universal Credit in the year.
117. There are two types of claimant: those in employment and those not. Both types have been gradually increasing in the last 12 months with the number of those not in employment increasing as claimants of legacy benefits are migrated across to Universal Credit. The increase in the number of those in employment may be attributed to a higher percentage of part time workers (27.9% in York, 23.6% regionally and 23.4% nationally). In the region, York has the 2nd highest number of part time workers and the highest number of claimants in employment but the lowest proportion of claimants not in employment.
120. % of vacant city centre shops – At the end of November 2024, there were 47 vacant shops in the city centre which equates to 7.45% of all city centre shops. This is 10 shops lower than at the same point in 2023 and much lower than the latest national benchmark in 2023-24 of 14%. The York figures have remained stable for a number of years.
121. Business start ups – Figures for 2022-23 showed 870 new business start-ups for York, which is higher than in the previous year (746 in 2021-22). The York figure is at only a slightly lower level to that seen before the pandemic (932 in 2019-20). The year to date figure up to the end of February 2024 of 767 new start ups is at a similar level to last year. The monthly figures for business start ups in York came from a regionally paid for dataset but this has now come to an end. Alternative sources of this information are being sought.
123. % of working age population in employment (16-64) – In Q1 2024-25, 77.8% of the working age population were in employment, which is higher than the national and regional figures (75.5% and 73.1% respectively) and the York performance gives the city a ranking of second regionally. The figure for Q1 2024-25 in York remains fairly high overall but is lower than the figures seen for the previous two years.
124. % of Total Employees working for an Accredited Living Wage/Good Business Charter employer – 16% of employees worked for an Accredited Living Wage employer and 13.5% worked for an Accredited Good Business Charter employer in 2023-24, which are at the same level as last year.
125. Survival of Newly Born Businesses post 1 year – In York, 175 businesses were created in Q3 2023-24, down 3% on a year ago. There were 160 business closures in the same quarter, which is 3% higher than in 2022-23. The survival rate post 1 year has been consistently around 94% in York for the last 4 years, with the latest figure of 93.9%. The York figures have been consistently higher than the National and Regional rates (92.3% and 91.7% respectively).
Performance - Transport: Sustainable accessible transport for all
126. Area Wide Traffic Levels – 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. Following this, the numbers decreased to a low of 1.75m in 2020-21. However, the covid pandemic brought with it numerous national lockdowns and local restrictions so the decrease in traffic levels was to be expected. Since then, figures had increased to 2.08m in 2022-23 although the latest figures show a slight reduction to 2.02m vehicles in 2023-24.
127. Index of Cycling activity – Prior to the pandemic, cycling levels in the city were around 41% (2019) above the baseline taken in 2009. The latest data shows that cycling levels in 2023 were 13% above the baseline. The pandemic had a huge effect on how people travel around, and how much they travel. Other cities with high levels of cycling have also seen falls in activity. In York, cycling levels appear to have fallen because of a decline in commuting (as a result of more working from home), although travel patterns are still settling down. York has a strong walking and cycling heritage, but if we are to achieve our climate and traffic reduction targets and see a long-term, sustainable increase in rates of cycling, we need to enable more people to choose the bicycle as the primary way of getting around. There is much more to be done to encourage even more people towards riding, wheeling and walking in the future, and we have recently carried out an extensive consultation to better understand what changes we can make to help support residents to make the change to cycling, and how we can support our cycling communities. Data for 2024 will be available in 2025.
128. Index of pedestrians walking to and from the City Centre – From a baseline in 2009-10 (36,919), there has been a 25% increase in the number of pedestrians walking to and from the city centre in 2023-24. This is 1%pt higher than in 2022-23 and remains high compared to previous years. 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.
129. % of customers arriving at York station by sustainable modes of transport – In 2023, 78% of customers arrived at York station by sustainable modes of transport which is an increase from 60% in 2022 (the survey was delayed in 2022 so didn’t take place until January 2023 which may have affected the result, and in addition, two of the usual counting locations were missed which may explain the lower than usual percentage). The data is usually 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 2024 will be available in mid 2025.
131. When looking at all providers of EV charging, the latest data collated by ZapMap, a charging locator app, shows that for York the total number of publicly available charging devices (all speeds) was 146 at the end of Q1 2024-25 which is a reduction from 221 at Q1 2023-24. The number of those which were rapid chargers was 36 at the end of Q1 2024-25 which is a reduction from 42 at Q1 2023-24. A charging device may have more than one connecter and be able to charge more than one vehicle at a time so the figures do not show total charging capacity but are an indication of and can be used to compare York to national and regional rates. The rate of devices available (all speeds) per 100,000 population was 71.4 for York compared to 55.9 Regionally and 97.4 Nationally.
133. The percentage of non-principal roads in York, from local figures, where maintenance should be considered was 25% in 2023-24 (slightly higher than 23% in 2021-22). Like the above indicator, there are two processes for collecting this indicator, a local one for providing the figures above, and a one-off SCANNER survey which is used by the DfT for benchmarking. The latest York figure for SCANNER is 4% for non-principal roads which is lower than the latest benchmarks in 2023-24 (National average 7% and Regional average 4%). Data for 2024-25 will be available in June 2025. Please note SCANNER surveys were not carried out in York in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Performance - Housing: Increasing the supply of affordable housing
134. Number of new affordable homes delivered in York – During 2024-25, it is expected that affordable housing completions will be significantly below the identified level of need (58 affordable homes have been delivered in the first six months of the year, compared to 46 in the first six months of 2023-24). National scale challenges are facing many areas with buoyant housing markets such as a shortage of sites for affordable housing and labour and supply chain constraints, and these have affected delivery in York. The council itself is maximising delivery opportunities currently, and will access a range of funding opportunities for direct delivery in addition to securing over half of the total completions during 2024-25 through Section 106 planning agreements.
135. There remains a significant future pipeline of affordable homes with planning permission in place across the council's own newbuild development programme and section 106 planning gain negotiated affordable housing. Inclusive of applications with a resolution to approve from Planning Committee, there are over 1,000 affordable homes identified in approved planning applications. The progress ranges from sites that are being built out currently to others with substantial infrastructure or remediation challenges to resolve prior to development. Over 600 of these have progressed through detailed planning, either as a Full application or Reserved Matters. The remainder are at Outline stage, with more uncertainty on timescales and final delivery levels, including the York Central affordable housing contribution.
136. The new Government and Combined Authority have stated that housing supply, and affordable homes in particular, are amongst its key delivery priorities and the council will take advantage of new opportunities in this climate wherever possible.
137.
% of dwellings with energy rating in A-C band in the EPC
register – An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives
a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G
(least efficient) and is valid for 10 years. Apart from a few
exemptions, a building must have an EPC assessment when
constructed, sold or let. Whilst the EPC register does not hold
data for every property, it can be viewed as an indication of the
general efficiency of homes. The rating is based on how a property
uses and loses energy for example through heating, lighting,
insulation, windows, water and energy sources. Each area is given a
score which is then used to determine the A-G rating and a rating
of A-C is generally considered to be good energy performance.
138. The % of properties on the register for York with an EPC rating of A-C at the end of October was 45.6%. This measure has increased incrementally month on month since CYC began reporting on the information in March 2023 when 42% of properties were rated A-C. The largest changes in York continue to be in the middle categories with around 3% less properties rated D-E and around 3% more rated C. Data is based on the last recorded certificate for 62,027 properties on the register for York, some of which will have been last assessed more than ten years ago. When looking at certificates added or renewed in the past year only for 2023-24, 58.5% of certificates were rated A-C for York compared to 59.7% Nationally and 55.3% Regionally.
· There has been a total of 339 net housing completions. This represents more than double the number of housing completions compared to the same monitoring period last year. The main features of the housing completions that were carried out are:
o 309 homes (91.2%) were completed on housing sites (Use Class 3).
o 243 homes (71.7%) resulted from the change of use of other buildings to residential use. The Cocoa Works site provided 172 of these properties.
o A total of 99 new build homes (29.2%) were completed.
o 4 homes were demolished during the monitoring period.
o Individual sites that saw the construction of five or less dwellings contributed just 37 (10.9%) additional homes.
o The most significant individual sites providing housing completions (Use Class C3) over the monitoring period have been 172 flats at the Cocoa Works, Haxby Road (Phase 1 Blocks A and B), Cherry Tree House (48), 218 Fifth Avenue (48), Germany Beck (16), Former Civil Service Club, Boroughbridge Road (11) and the former York City Football Club, Bootham Crescent.
· In addition to the 339 net additional homes completed, four care home developments were built during the monitoring period resulting in a net increase of 107 bedspaces. Using the nationally set ratio for communal establishments, this equates to a further 59 completed homes.
140. Net Housing Consents – Planning applications determined during the half year monitoring period of 1st April 2024 to 30th September 2024 resulted in the approval of 383 net additional homes and represents an increase of almost sixty approved homes compared to last year’s update covering the equivalent monitoring period.
141. The main features of the housing approvals are:
· 272 of all net homes consented (71%) were granted on traditional housing sites (Use Class C3).
· Sites granted approval on traditional housing sites (Use Class C3) included Station Yard, Wheldrake (139), Land at Moor Lane, Copmanthorpe (75), whilst the site at Hospital Fields Road & Ordnance Lane was granted consent for an additional 16 homes compared to its earlier approval for 85 homes. A further 36 homes were approved on sites of 5 homes or less.
· The Enterprise Rent-a-Car site at 15 Foss Islands Road was granted consent for 133 privately managed student accommodation studio flats.
· Two previously approved sites at Huntington South Moor New Lane Huntington (-20) and Chelmsford Place Fulford Road (-4) resulted in a total loss of 24 homes compared to their original consents.
· During the monitoring period, a further 282 homes were approved by Planning Committee through a resolution to grant planning permission subject to the execution of a section 106 agreement and recommended conditions. These sites are at draft housing allocation ST4: Land adjacent to Hull Road (162) and the Retreat, 107 Heslington Road (120). These sites are still awaiting full approval.
143. Of the 26 households with children in temporary accommodation at quarter end, 24 were recorded as accommodated in hostels and two within Local Authority or Housing Association housing stock. York continues to report no households with children housed in Bed and Breakfast accommodation at quarter end.
144. During 2023-24 and into 2024-25, an upward trend in overall numbers can be seen both nationally and regionally, however York has been moving in the opposite direction. When looking at the total number of households in temporary accommodation per households in area (000s) at the end of Q1, York continues to perform positively compared to benchmarks (0.65 in York compared to 5.08 Nationally, 1.45 Regionally and 18.85 in London). It should be noted that these figures are snapshot figures and therefore may fluctuate between the snapshot dates. Data for Q2 2024-25 will be available in February 2025.
145. Number of people sleeping rough – Every Thursday, Navigators carry out an early morning street walk checking known rough sleeping hot spots and responding to intel or reports of rough sleepers. The monthly figure is based on the number of rough sleepers found bedded down on the last Thursday of each month. The latest figure shows that there were 16 people sleeping rough in York in December 2024, which is a slight increase from 13 people in December 2023.
146. HMO’s as % of properties in York – The estimate of the proportion of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) divided by the total number of dwellings within York has remained at 4.4% which is the 3rd highest in the region, behind Leeds and Sheffield. The average for England is 1.5% and regionally it is 1.6%. It is not surprising that the levels are higher in university cities as a recent survey suggests that 7 in 10 students live in a privately rented HMO house while studying in the UK.
147. A HMO is defined as an entire house, flat or converted building which is let to three or more persons who form two or more households and who share facilities such as a kitchen, bathroom and toilet.
149. An increase in the number of non-decent properties for York was anticipated following the commissioning of a Full Stock Condition Survey to be carried out on HRA housing stock during 2024. The extensive survey provides a range of information on the internal, external and communal safety and condition of each property. By the end of 2023-24, 36% of stock had been inspected and whilst strengthening the information held on housing, has surfaced further properties requiring work. Survey information received has highlighted in particular an increase in the number of properties with a category 1 hazard which causes an instant fail against the decent homes criteria, these are being responded to by the service as a matter of priority.
150. % of repairs completed on first visit – The percentage of repairs completed on the first visit was 80.2% in November 2024, which remains high and at a similar level to figures seen over the past few years.
151. Number of void properties – Numbers of standard void properties reduced throughout 2023-24 from 73 at the start of the year to 52 at the end of March 2024. Despite 2024-25 starting with 62 voids in April, the latest data for November 2024 shows a reduction to 48 void properties. There was only 1 major works voids at the end of November 2024 which is a large decrease on the 6 major works voids in September 2023.
152. % of tenants satisfied that their landlord provides a home that is well maintained – In 2023-24 in York, 64% of tenants were satisfied that the landlord provides a well maintained home. There are no national benchmarking figures available, as yet, however Leeds have released their results and they have a 67% satisfaction rate. Data for 2024-25 will be available in February 2025.
Performance - Sustainability: Cutting carbon, enhancing the environment for our future
153. Average of maximum annual mean Nitrogen Dioxide concentration recorded across three areas of technical breach – this indicator considers an average of the maximum annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in 3 areas of the city where we have recorded exceedances of health-based air quality objectives in recent years (Gillygate/Lord Mayor’s Walk, Blossom Street/Holgate Road and Rougier Street/George Hudson Street). The baseline 2022 figure for this indicator is 44.1µg/m3 and in the 3 specific areas mentioned there has been around a 25% reduction in this figure since 2012. Whilst the rate of improvement has not been consistent (it has slowed considerably in recent years), CYC’s Fourth Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP4) aims to maintain a continued average 2.5% annual reduction in this indicator over its lifetime.
154. Within the 5-year lifetime of AQAP4, it is expected that this indicator (and all 3 areas respectively) will be confidently below 40µg/m3 and within health-based standards. The target for 2023 was 43µg/m3, which was met based on an indicator value of 38.8, which is a positive result.
155. Despite the overall indicator being 38.8, there was still one area that was above the health-based objective of 40 in 2023 (the maximum concentration of NO2 recorded on Gillygate was 43µg/m3). We aim to improve air quality further in this area through measures such as further electric buses and the traffic signal trial due to commence in January 2025.
156. Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting – The latest provisional data for the amount of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting was 44.8% within Q1 2024-25, which is a decrease from 46.4% during Q1 2023-24. The figures are broadly similar for total household waste collected (246.2kg per household from the same time last year (246.7kg)), reuse, recycling or composting waste per household (110kg from 111kg in 2023-24) and residual (approx. non-recycling) household waste has remained at 136kg per household. The increase in the number of households accounts for the decrease in the overall recycling figures.
157. Level of CO2 emissions across the city and from council buildings and operations – Emissions associated with council operations have been reducing across every category we measure, due to the work underway to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings and fleet electrification. However, improvements to the scope and accuracy of our reporting methodology mean that new emissions are now being recorded, resulting in an overall increase in reported operational emissions. Fully understanding our emissions is an important step in managing and mitigation our impact. Further details are available here: https://democracy.york.gov.uk/documents/s179414/Report.pdf. City-wide emissions have experienced a small increase in 2021, following post-covid restrictions. While this rebound is not unexpected, emissions have not returned to pre-covid levels following the long-term trend of emissions reduction since 2005. The rate of reduction over this time, however, is not sufficient to meet our net zero by 2030 ambition and significant emissions reductions are needed over the remaining years. Further details are available here: https://democracy.york.gov.uk/documents/s179439/EMDS_City%20Wide%20Emissions%202024.pdf
158. % of Talkabout panel satisfied with their local area as a place to live – The second biannual resident satisfaction survey taken by the Talkabout panel took place during Q3 2024-25. Results from the Q3 2024-25 Talkabout survey showed that 80% of the panel were satisfied with York as a place to live, a five percentage point decrease from the previous survey, returning to the same level as Q3 2023-24. 80% were satisfied with their local area, consistent with results from Q3 2023-24, and consistently higher than the average from the Community Life Survey, which recorded the lowest level of satisfaction since the survey began in 2013-14, at 74%.
159. % of Talkabout panel who give unpaid help to any group, club or organisation – Results from the Q3 2024-25 Talkabout survey found that 66% of panellists had given unpaid help to any group, club or organisation within the last 12 months. The government's Community Life Survey 2023-24 recorded that 54% had taken part in either formal or informal volunteering at least once in the last 12 months.
161. Full year data for 2024-25 will not be available until May 2025, but numbers are likely to be comparable to last year as York Green Streets planted c1,800 trees (whips and standards) in April 2024.
Performance - How the council will operate
163. FOI and EIR – % of requests responded to in-time (YTD) – 98% of requests were responded to in-time during the year up to the end of November 2024 which is the highest figure seen for a number of years.
164. % of 4Cs complaints responded to in-time – In 2023-24, there had been a large decrease in the number of corporate complaints received compared to 2022-23 (1,310 in 2023-24 compared to 1,866 in 2022-23). This decrease has continued into 2024-25 with 759 corporate complaints received in the first eight months of 2024-25 (compared to 948 in the first eight months of 2023-24). The percentage of corporate complaints responded to in time during November 2024 was 91.8% which is a large increase from 73.7% in Q2 2024-25.
166. Average sickness days per full time equivalent (FTE) employee – At the end of November 2024, the average number of sickness days per FTE (rolling 12 months) had increased slightly to 11.7 days from 11.2 in November 2023. Recently released benchmarks show that the CIPD public sector benchmark is 10.6 days per FTE, putting us in line with national trends.
167. York Customer Centre average speed of answer – Phones were answered, on average, in 25 seconds in November 2024 by the York Customer Centre. This is the shortest time of answer seen since May, when the volume of calls received by the Customer centre increased due to garden waste calls.
Consultation Analysis
168. Not applicable
Options Analysis and
Evidential Basis
169. Not applicable
Organisational
Impact and Implications
170. The recommendations in the report potentially have implications across several areas. However, at this stage
· Financial implications are contained throughout the main body of the report. The actions and recommendations contained in this report should ensure the continued financial stability and resilience of the Council both in the current year and in future years.
· Human Resources (HR), there are no direct implications related to the recommendations.
· Legal The Council is under a statutory obligation to set a balanced budget on an annual basis. Under the Local Government Act 2003 it is required to monitor its budget during the financial year and take remedial action to address overspending and/or shortfalls of income.
· Procurement, there are no specific procurement implications to this report.
· Health and Wellbeing, there are no direct implications related to the recommendations.
· Environment and Climate action, there are no direct implications related to the recommendations.
· Affordability, there are no direct implications related to the recommendations.
· Equalities and Human Rights, there are no direct implications related to the recommendations.
· Data Protection and Privacy, there are no implications related to the recommendations.
· Communications, there are no direct implications related to the recommendations.
· Economy, there are no direct implications related to the recommendations.
Risks and
Mitigations
171. An assessment of risks is completed as part of the annual budget setting exercise. These risks are managed effectively through regular reporting and corrective action being taken where necessary and appropriate.
172. The current financial position represents a significant risk to the Council's financial viability and therefore to ongoing service delivery. It is important to ensure that the mitigations and decisions outlined in this paper are delivered and that the overspend is reduced.
Wards Impacted
173. All.
Contact details
For further information please contact the authors of this report.
Author
|
Name: |
Debbie Mitchell |
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Job Title: |
Director of Finance |
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Service Area: |
Finance |
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Telephone: |
Ext 4161 |
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Report approved: |
Yes |
|
Date: |
13th January 2025 |
Co-author
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Name: |
Ian Cunningham |
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Job Title: |
Head of Business Intelligence |
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Service Area: |
Finance |
|
Telephone: |
Ext 5749 |
|
Report approved: |
Yes |
|
Date: |
13th January 2025 |
Annexes
Annex 1: Q3 Performance Tables - City Outcomes and Council Delivery Indicators 2023-2027