Agenda and minutes

No declarations of interest were made.

RESOLVED

that the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 10 April 2024, be received and approved as a correct record.

The Assistant Director for Policy & Performance undertook a presentation to Members regarding progress against delivery of the new Corporate Plan 2023-2027 including the year end, April 2023 to March 2024

performance position against the associated Corporate Performance

Scorecard.

Various methods had been utilised to assess progress against the Corporate Plan which included:

·         evaluation of delivery of key projects and initiatives

·         performance achieved against the Corporate Scorecard

·         engagement with residents through tenants’ associations and the newly reinvigorated Citizens’ Panel

·         Best Value expectations and Oflog benchmarking dataset measurement

·         Corporate Peer Reviews and Challenges.

The overall position at year end March 2024 stood at 86% of Corporate Plan projects being completed, delivered or on track with progress.  75% of measures were achieving or exceeding target (or within 10% variance of target) and 94% of measures indicating an improved position compared to the same period in the previous year, or within 5% of previous year’s performance levels.

Members received summaries in relation to some of the key delivery successes from the previous year and also areas earmarked for improvement and development which included completion of works to non-decent housing stock, turnaround of void Council properties, positive engagement and recruitment of a younger workforce and completion of employee personal development reviews (PDRs).

RESOLVED that

a)    the levels of delivery achieved against the Corporate Plan Priorities, as outlined in the report, be received and noted;

b)    the levels of performance achieved against the Corporate Scorecard as of March 2024, as presented, be also noted;

c)    the Assistant Director for Policy & Performance be requested to endeavour to provide numerical data (alongside the current percentage data) in any future quarterly updates to assist Members in their consideration and understanding of the Council’s performance against targets.

(At this point in the proceedings and in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 4 (Order of Business), the Chairman advised that he would be considering agenda item 6 [Select Committee Work Programme 2024/25] as the next item of business. Members duly concurred with this course of action.)

The Service Manager for Governance request the Committee to approve a new Select Work Programme for the 2024/25 municipal year which required Members to review the items remaining from the 2023/24 Work Programme and consider any new topics for inclusion as required.

Select Committee Renaming

At the Annual Council meeting held on 30 May 2024 it had been agreed to rename the Inward and Outward Focus Committees to more accurately align them with the Council’s Corporate Plan for 2023-2027:

·         Inward Focus Select Committee to the Place and Innovation Select Committee

·         Outward Focus Select Committee to the Environment and Communities Select Committee.

Damp and Mould

Although finalised as a review, an update report had been requested and would be considered by one of the Select Committees in July 2024.

General Waste Bins

It was agreed that the topic would encompass the implementation of the new Government ‘Simpler Recycling’ approach as outlined in the Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024.  It was intended that the review would be facilitated over a longer term and through the Environment and Communities Select Committee.

Recruitment and Retention

This review topic would be added to the Work Programme and would enable Members to consider the Council’s current recruitment processes and investigate ways to retain staff within the organisation.

Regeneration Funding Update

This review would be seeking information and updates from the Council’s Executive Lead Member for Regeneration, Growth and Local Planning and/or relevant officers in respect of progress against current Towns Fund and Regeneration projects.

Markets Update

The Principal Select Committee received an update from the Assistant Director, Regeneration and Town Centres and Markets Manager at its final meeting of 2023/24 on the performance of the various markets across Ashfield.

Customer Experience

Having recently undertaken a major service review, it was agreed that the Assistant Director for Customer Experience could provide the Place and Innovation Select Committee with an overview as to its first year of implementation.

New Topic Suggestions:

1.    Upkeep and Maintenance of the Council’s Cemeteries and Churchyards; to review the current service provision.

2.    East Midlands Combined County Authority delivery for Ashfield; to request an update from Claire Ward as the new Mayor of the East Midlands

3.    Annual Crime and Disorder Meeting; to request an update from Gary Godden, the new Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner

RESOLVED

that the Select Work Programme for 2024/25 be as follows:

Due to the lateness of hour, it was agreed to defer this item to the next meeting of the Principal Select Committee.