Agenda item

Report by Director of Finance and support services setting out the finance and performance position as at the end of September 2022.

The Committee is asked to examine the Council’s corporate performance, finance, savings delivery and business performance for services within the remit of this Committee and to make any recommendations for action to the relevant Cabinet Member.

Members are reminded that only the performance data on Community Support in section 4 (Community Support, fire and Rescue Portfolio) falls within the remit of this Committee.

Communities

34.1     The Cabinet Member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue, Cllr Crow, highlighted the success of Trading Standards in receiving money back from the American authorities to pass back to around 30 local scam victims. He also reported that performance measures 4, 33 and 34 were rated green and that the in-year financial variance had narrowed.  One of the savings targets remained outstanding but options were being explored to ensure it would be realised in the next financial year.

34.2     Members of the Committee then asked questions and a summary of those questions and answers follows.

34.3     Ukrainian support – Cllr Crow confirmed that all sponsors and guests were contacted at the 4-month point to ensure things were going well and see if sponsor and guests wanted to continue beyond the initial six-month period.  In West Sussex, over 80% of sponsors were keen to continue and the Ukrainian Support Team were working to rematch the other 20%.  The 80% figure was higher than the national average.  The support team were keen to keep guests out of temporary accommodation and arrange matches with new sponsors.  It was not felt there would be a sudden rise in guest numbers needing support, and that team resources would be able to manage.

34.4     Countering Extremism training for taxi drivers – officers agreed to provide a written response on how the Countering Extremism team would train all taxi drivers across West Sussex, as was required under their license arrangements with the district and borough councils, including performance data on achievements to date.

34.5     Library Services - Cllr Crow reported that footfall was not back to pre-pandemic levels but that the number of books being borrowed was.  Fewer people were using library computers and staff were looking at ways to encourage people back. 

34.6     Key Performance Indicator (KPI) 34 – Community Hub – Cllr Crow confirmed that the Community Hub had been awarded the same amount of funding from the Household Support Fund for the next six months and would work to ensure the money lasted the full time.  Cllr Crow felt there was adequate resource to keep up with demand, although he anticipated pressures due to staff vacancies but felt they were not at a level to cause concern.  The team were also working with people who had made repeated requests to address the reasons why they needed support.

34.7     Libraries and archives income – was still at a lower level than pre-pandemic levels, but some staff vacancies helped mitigate that.  The Library Service were looking what could be done in individual libraries to raise revenues.

34.8     Resolved - The Committee:

1.   Acknowledged the good performance under KPIs 4, 33 and 34.

2.   Acknowledged the continued support to Ukrainian refugees.

3.   Acknowledged that the Library Service was looking at income streams for libraries going forward.

4.   Acknowledged that Community Services were looking at how service demand differed pre and post-Covid.

5.   Continued to support the Library Service.

Environment

34.9     The Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, Cllr Urquhart introduced the report highlighting that recycling efforts had been boosted by all sites (except Midhurst) accepting hard plastics and she thanked residents for taking up this valuable service.  However, this was expected to be counterbalanced by a reduction in green waste due to the high temperatures over the summer and the reduction in the value of paper recyclate.

34.10  Members of the Committee asked questions and a summary of those questions and answers follows. 

34.11  A 1-2-3 Collection trial had been started by Mid Sussex District Council following the trial in the Arun district.  This was being funded by the County Council as Government advice was still awaited.

34.12  Combined Heat and Power (CHP) – Officers updated that since the report CHP was now fully operational at Parkside and subject to a few matters of building control which would soon be signed off, the project closed down.

34.13  Resolved - The Committee:

1.   Acknowledged the Heat Decarbonisation Plans for another 40 sites following a successful bid the Government’s Low Carbon Skills fund (Phase 3).

2.   Understood the funding issues for food recycling, but that where trials had taken place, they had been popular and successful.

3.   Acknowledged progress with CHP at the Parkside offices in Horsham.

Highways and Transport

34.14  The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr Dennis, introduced the report and thanked officers in the service and financial staff who had undertaken work on contracts to minimise additional costs in the difficult economic climate, particularly without impacting on services.  The report clearly showed the impact of increasing energy prices.  The inflationary costs were higher than budgeted for and although officers had been managing the impact, the situation was unlikely to improve as the financial year progressed.  Cllr Dennis was pleased to highlight that KPI 19 - highway defects repaired in the required time scale - had moved from red to green, primarily due to improvements in working with the contractors.

34.15  Members of the Committee asked questions and a summary of those questions and answers follows. 

34.16  The funding of £17.4m, if received from the Government for the Bus Service Improvement Plan, would be ringfenced.

34.17  KPI 41 – Killed and seriously injured casualties per billion vehicle miles – Cllr Dennis reported officers would be looking at streets with schools to make sure children would be safe when travelling to school.  A member asked whether data was available on how many of these incidents were down to road maintenance and design rather than driver behaviour.  Cllr Dennis agreed to look to see if some data might be available for future narratives for KPI 41. 

34.18  National Concessionary Fares - Cllr Dennis reported that a number of operators were finding the financial climate challenging, and officers were looking to work with them in promoting bus services, for example for the elderly through Age Concern.

34.19  Resolved – That the Committee:

1.   Were pleased to see the improvement of KPI 19 highway defects repaired in the required time scale.

2.   Note the remarks on cycle paths

3.   Supports bus routes

4.   Look forward, in due course, to the separation of data on fatalities and their causes.