The Council earlier this year adopted its new corporate plan ‘Creating Tomorrow Together’ that sets out its strategic direction for the coming nine years with service priority actions that will focus on the district’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for the initial three year period. This report sets out a draft corporate action plan that is designed to demonstrate how the council will deliver against the service priority actions defined within the corporate plan and the proposed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will be used to monitor overall progress.

The Council earlier this year adopted its new corporate plan ‘Creating Tomorrow Together’ that sets out its strategic direction for the coming nine years with service priority actions that will focus on the district’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for the initial three year period.  Report OS/21/06 set out a draft corporate action plan that is designed to demonstrate how the council will deliver against the service priority actions defined within the corporate plan and the proposed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will be used to monitor overall progress. 

The Director of Corporate Services, Mrs Charlotte Spendley, introduced this report reiterating that the committee’s feedback is welcomed. 

Initial comments received that it was an ambitious well laid out plan.  KPIs had been reduced in numbers from 72 to 43 which seemed an excessive cut. 

Members took each Service Ambitions 1 – 4 in turn and commented as follows: 

Positive Community Leadership

• FOLCA – not a measurable KPI at present as there are a number of ‘milestones’ to achieve in the health centre development. Important to add in that the Marsh falls shorts of health facilities. 
• Staff training – ensure staff are receiving support and training.
• Transparency – suggestion made that residents may need more details on KPIs. 
• Coastal destination project – not mentioned in KPIs. 
• CSU – Protect and safeguarding the residents.  More work needed. 
• Otterpool Park – new health facilities proposed, plan scheduled for 2023, Councillor Carey urged the need to remain able to deliver on previous commitments regarding health facilities for Otterpool Park. 
• Add an action encouraging and helping residents to go green. 
• More communications needed in supporting vulnerable residents.

A Thriving Environment 

• Flytipping on public land KPI should remain and include an enforcement target.  There is a three day target for clearance in place and further details will be provided on prosecutions.
• Net Biodiversity at Otterpool Park development.  Councillor J Martin indicated the figure of 20% seems to understate the potential. 
• Recycling – Government long term target is 65%, the Council is moving in the right direction at 50%.  Emphasis to be made on reducing use as well as recycling. 
• Ensure alternatives to EVs are encouraged. 
• EV charging points – possible measurable target for operating points against defective points?  KPI figure needs to show 2 EV charging points per car park.   
• District wide approach on helping residents reduce emissions.  This could be incorporated into Service Ambition 1 – Positive Community Leadership.   

A Vibrant Economy

• Employers survey to identify skills training – could this be a KPI? 
• Tourism – further promotion required, as there seems to be too much emphasis on residential development. 
• High Street funds – KPI target is 100%, however it is important to look at merits of applications coming forward, suggest a lower target of 50%.  What is the position at present? 
• Possibly add a KPI to support the priorities of the Romney Marsh Partnership to maximise tourism and nuclear opportunities. 
• ‘Green and Nuclear’ seems contradictory. 
• Digital infrastructure – how can we further encourage this?

Quality Homes and Infrastructure

• Housing stock – retrofitting, targets not set at present as this will be part of the finalised Carbon Action Plan strategy.  Working towards carbon neutrality ‘in use’, ie grey water, recycling and other measures. 
• Role of Oportunitas Ltd not mentioned in this service ambition. Could this be added? 
• A question was raised about the determination of planning permission for Otterpool Park to be in 2022, the Corporate Director to clarify this timeline with the Chief Planning Officer. 
• A question was raised about the proposed changes to the sheltered housing schemes and if these changes would affect the Wardens.  To be clarified with Housing. 
• Although Homelessness approaches are not a recorded KPI, more details are needed with improved information on our website.  The Performance & Improvement Specialist to look at this. 
• Average number of households in temporary accommodation, a suggestion this is a KPI. 

Transparent, stable accountable and accessible, comments from members included: 

• Possible additional KPI target for data breaches. 
• Data security testing target. 
• KPI target for uptime of the Council’s systems. 
• ‘MyAccount’ service – how many users, increase and percentages to be shown. 

The Director of Corporate Services clarified a number of points during the discussion including:

• That the focus of the KPIs is on the current financial year activities, that they tend to be a quantitative measures and will not be applicable to a number of Corporate Action Plan items, including those that are qualitative such as the Head of Terms being agreed for the new health facility, or those that span multiple financial years. 
• That there are a number of actions which straddle several priorities
• That the Corporate Action Plan progress will be reported to Cabinet every 9 months separately to the KPI monitoring.

Proposed by Councillor Rebecca Shoob

Seconded by Councillor Patricia Rolfe

RESOLVED: 

That Report OS/21/06 is received and noted. 

(Voting: For 7; Against 2; Abstentions 0)

(Councillor Mullard left the meeting and did not return)