Issue - meetings

To receive the report from the Strategic Performance Intelligence &Risk Lead.

The Committee reviewed the Quarter 4 performance report and considered areas where performance had improved as well as those where challenges remained. Members noted examples of strong performance across several operational areas while focusing discussion on indicators that had remained below target or were showing a worsening trend.

A significant area of discussion related to household waste collection performance. Members noted that missed collection performance continued to deteriorate and expressed concern that the accompanying narrative focused on the existence of the issue rather than the actions being taken to address it. The Committee agreed that this matter would be examined further through the forthcoming Waste Deep Dive.

The Committee also discussed employee health and safety performance, particularly the increase in reportable workplace incidents. Members considered whether the available information provided sufficient insight into the underlying causes of the increase and whether future reporting should include greater detail regarding the type and nature of incidents being recorded. There was a view that better analysis would help determine whether performance issues reflected genuine increases in incidents or improvements in reporting and compliance.

Discussion took place regarding workforce-related indicators, including long-term sickness absence. Members explored whether broader organisational factors could be influencing performance and agreed that further examination of workforce issues would be undertaken through the planned People and Workforce Deep Dive.

The Committee considered the delivery of rights of way improvements and noted that progress appeared significantly behind the level required to achieve longer-term targets. Members discussed whether additional scrutiny of the wider Rights of Way Improvement Plan would be beneficial and whether further work should be undertaken jointly with the relevant overview committee.

Climate-related performance indicators were also discussed. Members considered the target relating to staff travel emissions and noted that work was underway to develop a broader approach that considered the Council's overall transport demand rather than focusing solely on mileage claimed through employee vehicles. The Committee recognised that this work could lead to a review of how future targets were defined and measured.

Cyber security training compliance was discussed positively, with Members welcoming recent improvements in completion rates. The discussion broadened to include the completion of training by councillors and the importance of maintaining strong information security awareness across the organisation.

The Committee also discussed performance targets more generally and sought a better understanding of how targets were set, reviewed and adjusted over time. Members highlighted the importance of ensuring targets remained meaningful, ambitious and clearly understood.

To receive the report from the Strategic Performance Intelligence & Risk Lead