1.       CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS

2.        INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

2.1     The Council approved a new Strategic Plan in 2019-45 and agreed four new priorities:

·         Embracing Growth and Enabling Infrastructure

·         Safe Clean and Green

·         Homes and Communities

·         A Thriving Place

2.2     Indicators are reviewed at the start of each year and as there has been no changes to priorities, the set of new Key Performance Indicators for 2020-21 is predominantly the same.

2.3     Some minor changes have been made where issues have been identified during the course of 2019-20.  Consideration has also been given to the Coronavirus pandemic, its impact on services and monitoring performance.

2.4     The following indicators have been removed from last year as Performance Indicators as they are financial targets and assessed as part of quarterly budget monitoring:

·         Number of people attending paid for exhibitions

·         Attendance at events in the museum

·         Number of attendees to informal events

2.5     In addition, the following indicator has been removed as it is burdensome to calculate as the visitor information centre and museum are one space.

·         Contacts to the Visitor Information centre (visits, calls, and emails)

2.6     Members will also note that for a number of indicators, targets have not been included.  Key spaces are still closed due to Covid-19 and officers are not yet aware when the spaces can reopen, when they do they will need to plan for visitors to be socially distanced.  This will impact on numbers, and officers need more information in order to intelligently calculate targets. Alternatively, as the year progresses the indicators themselves may need to change to reflect diversifying business needs.

2.7     The Draft indicator set can be reviewed at Appendix 1, set out by priority.

Reporting

2.8     Committee can also request at any point in the year that other performance information is provided on a one-off basis or as part of regular performance monitoring.

2.9     The Policy and Information team are working on developing performance dashboards over this year which will enable Members to view data outside of the reports.  This is likely to be around quarter two or three, once these are progressed Officers will be in touch to trial these.

3.        AVAILABLE OPTIONS

Make a recommendation to Policy and Resources Committee to stop performance monitoring

3.1     Though it is considered best practice, some authorities have chosen to drop performance management or produce performance data which they publish on their website.

3.2     This is not recommended as monitoring performance ensures oversight and challenge to the delivery of the Council’s priority action areas and mitigates the risk of the Council not delivering its priorities and key services.

To keep the current set of indicators as reported in 2019-20

3.3     A set of indicators is currently in place and is being reported to Committees. This is not recommended, as minor amendments reflect changes over the course of the year.

To agree the draft set of indicators at appendix 1

3.4     Appendix 1 shows the list of proposed Key Performance indicators for 2020-21 set out by the new priorities in the Strategic Plan 2019-45. Members could also choose to increase, reduce or change any targets or amend suggest new indicators.

4.        PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1     To agree the draft set of indicators at appendix 1. Monitoring performance is best practice to ensure the delivery of the Council’s priorities and is particularly important at this time.

5.       RISK

5.1     The risks associated with this proposal, including the risks if the Council does not act as recommended, have been considered in line with the Council’s Risk Management Framework. The production of robust performance reports ensures that the view of the Council’s approach to the management of risk and use of resources is not undermined and allows early action to be taken in order to mitigate the risk of not achieving targets and outcomes. We are satisfied that the risks associated are within the Council’s risk appetite and will be managed as per the Policy.

6.       CONSULTATION RESULTS AND PREVIOUS COMMITTEE FEEDBACK

6.1     Performance is reported to each committee each quarter. Members often request future changes or express points of view on either the indicators or performance management generally. Notes have been taken of these for application in the current set and proposed approach.

7.       NEXT STEPS: COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION

7.1     Once the indicators are agreed Heads of Service, Managers will be informed, and the reports set up in time for first reporting. The Performance and Budget report will be added to each Committee’s work programme for 2020-21.

8.        REPORT APPENDICES