Agenda item

2007/08 First Monitoring Report – Finance & Performance

Meeting of Executive Member For Neighbourhood Services and Advisory Panel, Thursday, 6 September 2007 5.00 pm (Item 24.)

This report presents the latest projections for revenue and capital expenditure for the Neighbourhood Services portfolio and traded accounts and quarter 1 (07/08) performance against target for a number of the directorate’s key performance indicators.

Decision:

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Advisory Panel advise the Executive Member:

i. to approve the financial and performance position of the portfolio

ii. to approve an application to the Executive for the virement of domestic refuse collection and recycling budgets from the trading account portfolio to the General Fund portfolio as set out in paragraphs 22 to 25.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED: That the advice of the Advisory Panel as set out above be accepted and endorsed.

REASON: In accordance with budgetary and performance monitoring procedures.

Minutes:

Members consider a report that represented two sets of data:

i. The latest projections for revenue and capital expenditure for the Neighbourhood Services portfolio and traded accounts

ii. Quarter 1 (07/08) performance against target for a number of the directorate’s key performance indicators.

Members were informed that the Quarter 1 Health and Safety: RIDDOR accidents reported figures located in the first table of paragraph 64 (staff related performance) had changed from 9 to12 in Quarter 1 07/08 and the Health and Safety: RIDDOR accidents reported figures located in the second table had changed from 2 to 3 in April 07, 3 to 4 in May 07 and 4 to 5 in June 07.

Members discussed the financial position for each service area and were informed that the key reason for the overspend in Licensing and Bereavement Services was due to an overspend on staff costs of £19k. Overall the trading accounts were forecasting a surplus of £345K against an approved budget of £520K, the significant variances related to Building Maintenance and School Cleaning. Members were informed that officers would meet in September to review the school cleaning rates and service provision. Building Maintenance had achieved savings of up to 50% from re-structuring.

Members were informed that as part of an ongoing review of the client and customer relationship sides of the directorate, it was recommended that all the waste budgets, including the operations budgets for domestic collection would be classed as a general fund. Commercial Waste budgets would remain within the trading portfolio. The effect of this would increase the general fund cost by £152K, which would be financed by an increase in the surplus made by the trading portfolio.

Members discussed the performance overview position for each service area and were informed that staff sickness continued to be a problem. Officers were looking at creative ways to reduce sickness and would be planning appraisals for all staff highlighting health and safety issues, training issues, achievements and support.

Members raised concerns that the missed bin collection figures were not on target. Members were informed that a computer system failure and staff issues affected the August figures. Officers had found that a high number of missed bin calls came through when a full refuse vehicle left an area to be emptied. This problem would be solved from October when all refuse vehicles would be fitted with a tracker system allowing officers to track them at all times. Officers would be monitoring the miss bin calls by day and by round to identify the peaks.

Members thanked officers for the report and for maintaining the high levels of performance.