1.      INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1     Having a comprehensive set of actions and performance indicators ensures that the Council delivers against the priorities and actions set in the Strategic Plan.

1.2     Performance indicators are judged in two ways. Firstly on whether performance has improved, sustained or declined, compared to the same period in the previous year. This is known as direction. Where there is no previous data, no assessment of direction can be made.

1.3     The second way is to look at whether an indicator has achieved the target set and is known as PI status. If an indicator has achieved or exceeded the annual target they are rated green. If the target has been missed but is within 10% of the target it will be rated amber, and if the target has been missed by more than 10% it will be rated red.

1.4     Some indicators will show an asterisk (*) after the figure. These are provisional values that are awaiting confirmation. Data for some of the indicators were not available at the time of reporting. In these cases a date has been provided for when the information is expected.

1.5     Contextual indicators are not targeted but are given a direction. Indicators that are not due for reporting or where there is delay in data collection are not rated against targets or given a direction.

2.        Quarter 1 Performance Summary

2.1     There are 27 key performance indicators (KPIs) which were developed with Heads of Service and unit managers, and agreed by the four Service Committees for 2017/18. 4 are reported to the Committee for this quarter. 

2.2     Overall, 100% (5) of targeted KPIs reported this quarter achieved their target compared to 60% (3) in quarter 4 of 2017/18 and 20% (1) in the same quarter last year.

3.        Performance by Priority

Priority 1: Keeping Maidstone borough an attractive place for all, & Priority 2: Securing a successful economy for Maidstone Borough

3.1     The Hazlitt Theatre sold 71.2% of all available tickets during quarter 1, against a target of 50% (as stated in the contract). The Hazlitt team have maintained the focus and marketing drive geared towards attracting a very wide range of customers. As a result they have continued to exceed their target for seats sold.

3.2     The number of students benefitting from the museum’s educational service was 3,052 against a target of 2,074. Overall, the trend for school visits outside the classroom is decreasing, with a range of reasons reported from cost to bureaucracy and the decline of arts subjects in the national curriculum. However, during June, The Green Spaces, Natural Faces project attracted 1,698 pupils to explore issues around health and wellbeing, mental health and the impact of outdoor activity on those things. This project has been sponsored by Arts Council England, which allowed for provision of transport but also the backfilling of teachers in the classroom which greatly helped uptake of places.

3.3     Footfall at the Museum and Visitor Information Centre was 16,387 against a target of 16,250. Footfall in this quarter rose by 4,701 on the same quarter last year. Some 900+ of these extra visits are due to the increase in school use but Easter holidays activities also attracted many visitors. The importance of the Ancient Lives gallery should also be recognised. In quarter 1 2017/18, the old Egyptian gallery was closed for refurbishment. Ancient Lives has exceeded its previous level of visitation.

3.4     The number of contacts to the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) was 819 against a target of 782.  In quarter 1, 331 contacts were made by telephone, 571 in person and 22 by email.

3.5     There were 209,230 users at the leisure centre during quarter 1. The team at the Leisure Centre have continued to put a lot of effort towards attracting more users to the centre. Swimming course attendance has grown by 17,700 while health and gym numbers are up by 7,200 compared to the same quarter last year. The events at the centre have also attracted more visitors this year.

4.       RISK

4.1    This report is presented for information only, committees, managers and heads of service can use performance data to identify service performance and this data can contribute to risk management.

5.       CONSULTATION RESULTS AND PREVIOUS COMMITTEE FEEDBACK

5.1     The Key Performance Indicator Update is reported quarterly to the Service Committees; Communities Housing and  Environment Committee, Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee, and Heritage Culture and Leisure Committee. Each Committee will receive a report on the relevant priority action areas. The report is also presented to the Policy & Resources Committee, reporting only on the priority areas of: A clean and safe environment, regenerating the Town Centre, and a home for everyone.

6.       NEXT STEPS: COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION

6.1     The Council could choose not to monitor the Strategic Plan and/or make alternative performance management arrangements, such as frequency of reporting. This is not recommended as it could lead to action not being taken against performance during the year, and the Council failing to deliver its priorities.

7.       CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS

8.        REPORT APPENDICES

The following documents are to be published with this report and form part of the report:

·         Appendix 1: Key Performance Indicator Update Quarter 1 18/19

9.        BACKGROUND PAPERS

None