The Head of Finance introduced the report which looked back at the period to the end of June 2021. Regarding the revenue budget, a year-end underspend of £316,000 was forecast for the Committee, and an underspend of £144,000 for the Council as a whole. Positive variance had been seen from the crematorium, however operating costs were expected to rise following the increase in gas prices. An underspend was expected for temporary accommodation following the increased use of the council’s own stock rather than nightly paid accommodation. The capital budget showed £1.7 million spent in the first quarter, with the most significant spend on the acquisition of flats at Spring Mill. A slippage of £16.3 million was anticipated and was largely attributed to the private rented sector housing and affordable housing programmes.

The Senior Business Analyst introduced the Performance Monitoring report which showed two of the three key performance indicators (KPIs) had met their target. Percentage of successful relief duty outcomes had missed its target by more than 10%, having achieved 38.04% compared to the target of 60%. However, the national average for this indicator was 40.4% and the target would therefore be revised to a more realistic figure. The percentage of successful prevention duty outcomes and number of households prevented or relieved from becoming homeless were more critical indicators of homelessness and had both exceeded their targets by more than 20%. KPIs had been added to assist with monitoring the borough’s recovery from Covid-19. Short-term trends would be identified within the second quarter report.

In response to questions, the Head of Housing and Community Services explained that the removal of the Covid regulations and the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act would impact on the number of people coming forward for housing assistance. Although it would be possible compare the Council’s performance to other authorities, this may have limited value as it would not be comparing like with like due to the diversity of initiatives across authorities.

RESOLVED: That

1.  The Revenue position as at the end of Quarter 1 for 2021/22, including the actions being taken or proposed to improve the position, where significant variances have been identified, be noted;

2.  The Capital position at the end of Quarter 1 be noted; and

3.  The Performance position as at the end of Quarter 1 for 2021/22, including the actions being taken or proposed to improve the position, where significant issues have been identified, be noted.