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Annual Performance Summary

Notes & Key to Icons

·         A key to the icons used in this report is shown on the right-hand side.

·         Direction of travel for targeted performance indicators (PIs) shows if performance has improved or declined. For ‘Data Only’ PIs, the direction of travel shows if there has been an increase or decrease in volume.

·         Where KPIs are providing data “as at the end of the month”, the annual outturn is provided as an average figure, taken from the quarterly performance, for the 2023/24 year.

·         Data for many of the annual indictors is still being collated, and therefore not currently available at the time of publishing this report. Updates will be provided to this PAC at the next reporting cycle.  

Planning and Healthier Stronger Communities PAC 2023/24 Performance

Head of Service Summary of Performance in 2023/24

Head of Spatial Planning & Economic Development comments:

With interest rates falling, there are early signs of improvement in customer confidence on the High Street, however it has continued to be tough time for the retail, leisure and hospitality sector and highstreets nationally over the last financial year. This is strengthened by the PI monitoring footfall in the Town Centre, which saw an increase of 1,476,095 unique visitors in Q4 2024 compared to Q4 2023.

The vacant units in the Town Centre also improved this year, dropping to 13.2% in January 2024, compared to 16.3% in April 2023. Savills Q1 2024 report on Shopping Centres and High Street performance states the average High Street void rate in the UK in 2023 was 14% increasing from 13.8% in 2022. 

Whilst unemployment figures have continued to drop since the height of the pandemic, they have risen this year. However, Maidstone’s unemployment rate remains lower than the average in Kent and Great Britain. Our youth unemployment rate (18-24yo) is consistent with the average across Kent (5.3% in March 2024).

Head of Development Management comments:

There was another very strong year with regard to meeting processing targets for all types of planning applications.  This should be seen in the context of a lower than anticipated volume of applications, which as noted in Appendix 1 has led to a shortfall on budgeted income.  It is particularly pleasing to see an approximately 70% success rate for appeals (despite many obstacles) which puts MBC as high performer from a national perspective.  However, as also noted in Appendix 1, the cost of the failed appeals exceeded budget.

Leisure Contracts Manager comments:

Maidstone Leisure Centre received over half a million visits in the last Financial Year, slightly above the target set by MBC. Maintaining above target performance is commendable within the context of the competitive market of offering health and leisure facilities, notwithstanding providing these services in an aging building that requires regular upkeep. Overall customer satisfaction with the Leisure Centre experience sits at 83%, above the 80% target set by MBC. Utility costs at the Leisure Centre saw a 9% reduction in the first half of 2023 against a nominated based line of 2022, but have risen by 1% against that baseline in the second half of 2023; making an average overall reduction of 4.82% on the whole of 2023 against 2022.

The Hazlitt Theatre continues to be a cultural hub for the Borough and the introduction of the Hazlitt Institute in 2022 has given a focal point for the development of performance skills amongst young people. The Institute provides outreach activity in schools and delivers both Theatre-based and external performance as the vehicle of delivery for this development; there were 83 outreach projects delivered in the year. As for theatre patronage, 73% of available tickets were sold to 63,500 customers across all shows in the year and of these 84% of visitors were satisfied or very satisfied.