Issue - meetings

The Director of Finance and Business Improvement introduced the financial update of the report, noting that there had been a positive variance generated through Planning fees but that parking income had been lower than expected. As a result, an underspend of £78,000 was projected for the remainder of the financial year.

The Corporate Insight, Communities and Governance Manager introduced the performance update of the report. One Key Performance Indicator (KPI) had missed the target by more than 10%; Percentage of Priority 2 Planning Enforcement Cases. It was noted that the workload for the enforcement team had increased over the past 12 months, with two officers recruited in May 2021 in response. The good performance of the remaining KPIs was highlighted.

In response to questions, the Head of Planning and Development confirmed that the two additional officers had provided adequate resource for the enforcement team. Since 1 July 2021 the performance on Priority 2 cases had risen by 86%.  An enforcement case was deemed closed once the appropriate actions had been taken, which depended heavily on the nature and severity of the perceived breach.

The Committee questioned the method used to calculated whether a case remained open or was closed, due to the actions of and the time taken by the relevant parties in resolving the issue and the associated impact on public perception. The definition of the KPI would be circulated to the Committee.

The Committee were informed that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman would be discussing the progression of enforcement cases with the Head of Planning and Development in the near future.

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 Quarter 1 for 2021/22, including the actions being taken or proposed to improve the position, where significant issues have been identified, be noted.