www.harlow.gov.uk/performance Email: policy.perform@harlow.gov.uk

Harlow Council 2013/14 Year End: Joint Finance and Performance Report for the period ending 31 March 2014

Foreword from the Leader of the Council

Report Summary from Jon Clempner, Leader of the Council

“I’m delighted to bring you this report which highlights the key successes of the Council during 2013/14. The people of Harlow want to see a well-run council. This means that, by making the best use of the resources, we have to deliver the right outcomes for residents, businesses and visitors. Residents want to know that the Council is on their side, has fairness at its heart, and is continually striving to improve opportunities for them – whether this is through supporting more affordable and better homes, job creation, better education and skills or tackling anti-social behaviour and crime. Our residents can be assured that this Council will continue to review and improve our services and work with other organisations to ensure Harlow Council continues to ‘work together for Harlow’. You can find out more about the Council’s Plans and how we’re performing on our website, http://www.harlow.gov.uk/performance. The Council’s website will enable you to access both the current 2013/14 Corporate Plan and the new Plan which will be effective for the 2014/15 council year. The Council faced many difficult challenges during 2013/14. Changes to welfare reform and the localisation of council tax have already taken place and further significant reductions in Government grants are expected during the next two years. This will affect many of our residents and potentially the Council’s ability to raise income. In this context it is vitally important that the Council is open and transparent about the decisions it has to make in the future. As part of this, a major budget consultation will be taking place during the summer to find out how the Council should prioritise its services in the future. This report looks back at the Council’s financial and operational performance over the past twelve months and helps us to understand how well the Council is doing and how prepared it is to respond to challenges in the future.”

Councillor Jon Clempner, June 2014

Overview of performance from the Chief Executive

Report Summary from Malcolm Morley, Chief Executive, Harlow Council

“The past year has seen Harlow Council continue to respond positively to the many challenges that it has faced and which it continues to face. Despite the on-going significant reductions in Government funding and the continued increase in demand for services, the Council has pursued its priorities with success. Over the year 95 per cent of project milestones were met, 82 per cent of targets were hit, and the controllable costs in the Council’s General Fund budget were managed within a margin of less than one per cent of the budget. 2013/14 was an exceptional year with severe weather experienced during the winter having an impact on communities and stretching the Council’s and its partners’ resources. It is a mark of the commitment and flexibility of colleagues and partners that the Council was able to support and help many of those affected and that the preventative measures put in place restricted further damage. This report reflects the ‘can do’ attitude of the Council and what has been done. It also provides a fair and transparent account of how the Council has performed to enable those outside of the Council to judge its performance. In areas where the Council has not met the targets set at the beginning of the year, clear plans for improvement have been put in place which are, at the time of writing, already leading to the Council being back on track in a number of key areas. Harlow Council is a small Council with a history of ‘punching above its weight’. I am proud of the achievements of colleagues represented in this report and of the commitment to continuously innovate and to seek to improve.” Malcolm Morley, June 2014

The Council’s aim for 2013-14 –

“to improve Harlow for residents, businesses and visitors”

The Council’s priorities: 1. More and better housing

2. Regenerating the town and supporting a thriving economy

3. A clean, green and sustainable environment

4. Successful young people and improving citizenship

5. Promoting social inclusion

6. Providing community leadership and good governance

7. Sound resource management

How to use this report

You may wish to consider the following questions to form an idea on how well the Council is doing in achieving its priorities and objectives. Questions which the reader may wish to consider:

1. What are the reasons for the performance being below target?

2. What is the Council’s expenditure on this service?

3. Has performance fluctuated between quarters and what are the reasons for this?

4. Is it anticipated that the target will be met by the end of the year?

5. What are the proposed actions to improve performance and achieve the target and when will this be done by?

6. How well is the Council responding to gaps in performance or shortfalls in income?

Other areas for consideration could include:

7. Is the indicator a high priority for the Council? Is this reflected in the budget?

8. How does the service compare to other local authorities in terms of value for money – how does the Council’s expenditure on this service and performance achieved compare to similar local authorities?

9. What are other Councils doing to improve performance in this area?

10. Are there any overspends/underspends in the budget area within which the under performing indicator sits?

11. Are there any future projects planned that will enhance existing performance?

12. How severe or likely are risks associated with lower level performance?

Performance Symbols:

Harlow Council uses the below symbols when reporting performance.

Below Target: e.g. more than 5% worse than target

On Target: e.g. within 5% of

target

Above Target: e.g. more than 5%

above target

Data not yet available: e.g. survey information pending

Direction of Travel (DOT) Symbols

Going up and getting better e.g. % of rent

collected

Going down and getting better e.g.

crime levels

Exactly the same as

previous year

Going up and getting worse e.g

levels of litter

Going down and getting worse e.g. income generated

Section One: Key considerations for Year End The key issues relating to the Council’s finances, performance, risks and corporate projects (excluding the HRA):

FIN

AN

CE

The final outturn position for 2013/14 is an overall underspend on controllable service budgets of £959,000 (-1.35%) after adjusting for carry forward requests this reduces to £703,500 (-0.99%)

After allowing for non-service specific items and windfall income the total General Fund underspend stands at £1,985,000 which compares to a forecast at December 2013 of £1,128,000. More detail is provided in section three of this report. Key risks in relation to financial management continue to be: The risk associated with the Government’s localisation of

council tax support and business rates.

The risks of the costs of appeals against Business Rates Valuations falling to the Council.

Long term austerity measures which continue to be placed upon local government funding by the current Government.

Low staff turnover rates which put at risk the achievement of the vacancy savings targets allocated to each service within the Council’s budget.

11 performance indicators (18 per cent) did not meet an acceptable level of performance, these include:

Street cleaning (x3): Levels of litter and detritus meeting acceptable levels and customer satisfaction.

Grounds maintenance (x2): Tree works carried out within 80 working days and satisfaction with the grounds maintenance service.

Housing (x2): Urgent repairs completed within 5 days and standard repairs completed within 20 days.

Contact Harlow (x2): Customer complaints responded to within target time and percentage of lost calls for Contact Harlow.

Other (x2): Sickness and absence, and days to process new claims.

Five of the above indicators directly relate to the adverse weather conditions experienced early in the year. Despite not meeting their target, three of the above twelve indicators have improved compared to the same period last year.

PE

RF

OR

MA

NC

E

RIS

K

Exceptional risks (rated as high likelihood, high impact):

A total of four risks are highlighted as exceptional at year end. These relate to:

i. The ongoing threat of austerity measures

ii. Risks of several high level regeneration projects: in particular – delays in the GAFII programme,

iii. Investment into the town centre and,

iv. An increased likelihood that priority allocation and funding by the Highways authorities for Junction 7a will not be realised.

The Council met 95 per cent of its Corporate Plan milestones with 139 key corporate milestones complete between April and March 2014.

The following milestones were not complete during the year:

i. Complete land transfer and Heads of Terms with Harlow Health Centres Trust

ii. Complete early stage discussions in relation to a Master Plan for Staple Tye one land swap.

CO

RP

OR

AT

E P

LA

N

66%

76%

59%

66%

69%

75%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Sat

isfa

ctio

n

Overall satisfaction with Harlow as a place to live

Section Two: What our customers are telling us (satisfaction) Essex County Council commissioned the market research company BMG to undertake a ‘tracker’ survey of all Essex districts from March 2014. This included surveys for 406 Harlow residents (375 when weighted). Below is key satisfaction information from that survey and previous surveys - tracking resident perceptions over time. Summary 2014:

Preliminary data from the Essex Tracker Survey suggests that there have been common patterns across the 12 Districts during March 2014 with improved ratings for satisfaction with the area, reductions in Anti-Social Behaviour and other key indicators but a reduction in satisfaction levels with most of the respective Councils in Essex.

In particular, resident satisfaction with respective Essex districts as a place to live increased by 3.4 per cent. In Harlow, residents were six per cent more satisfied than they were last year. The main reason for this is thought to be due to improving economic and employment prospects in contrast to the outlook in 2011 when just 59 per cent were satisfied.

Despite improved satisfaction levels with the area; the question regarding overall satisfaction with the way the Council runs things fell by 15 per cent across Essex in 2014 compared to last year. In Harlow satisfaction fell by 13 per cent from 54 to 41 per cent.

Similarly the proportion of residents who agreed that the Council provides value for money fell by 4 per cent across Essex between 2013 and 2014. In Harlow the proportion of residents agreeing that the Council provides Value for Money fell by 2 per cent.

46 per cent of Harlow residents said they felt fairly or very well informed about local public services. Data pertaining to the Essex trend was not available at the time of print.

Responses (1106) (1297) (203) (217) (336) (375)

Satisfied 66% 76% 59% 66% 69% 75%

Neither Satisfied nor dissatisfied

20% 14% 22% 16% 15% 12%

Dissatisfied 14% 10% 19% 18% 16% 13%

45%

36%

33%

43%

54%

41%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

60%

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Sat

isfa

ctio

n

Satisfaction with the way Harlow Council run's things

38%

28%

34%

39%

33%31%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Sat

isfa

ctio

n

Percentage of residents who agree that Harlow Council provides Value for Money

43%

31%29%

50%54%

46%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Info

rmed

Proportion of residents who feel well informed about the Council overall

Responses (1117) (1203) (189) (210) (333) (357)

Satisfied 45% 36% 33% 43% 54% 41%

Neither Satisfied nor dissatisfied

30% 35% 29% 28% 24% 20%

Dissatisfied 24% 29% 28% 30% 22% 39%

Responses (918) (1141) (179) (202) (318) (346)

Agree 38% 28% 34% 39% 33% 31%

Neither - 38% 25% 30% 38% 23%

Disagree 62% 34% 41% 31% 29% 47%

Responses (1025) (1198) (169) (201) (332) (368)

Informed 43% 31% 29% 50% 54% 46%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Complaints analysis by type

Policy

Person

Performance

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Apr

-09

Jul-0

9

Oct

-09

Jan-

10

Apr

-10

Jul-1

0

Oct

-10

Jan-

11

Apr

-11

Jul-1

1

Oct

-11

Jan-

12

Apr

-12

Jul-1

2

Oct

-12

Jan-

13

Apr

-13

Jul-1

3

Oct

-13

Jan-

14

Harlow Council - Complaints logged at Contact Harlow

ComplaintsReceived

Complaints Trend

Section Three: What our customers are telling us (complaints)

The Council provides and commissions a large number of services to a population of over 84,000 residents. In its role as a Housing Authority with over nine thousand properties, each year it undertakes in excess of 600,000 housing transactions, deals with around 190,000 enquiries at Contact Harlow and provides benefits administration for a caseload of over ten-thousand benefit claimants. All complaints are taken seriously by the Council which aims to respond to and resolve all stage one and stage two complaints within ten working days.

As per the below information there was an increased volume of complaints in the last quarter of 2013/14; this was primarily due to a combination of enquiries regarding repairs relating to the exceptional flooding issues experienced and the volume of works taking place as part of the modern homes programme. Despite this, the number of complaints logged by Harlow Council has decreased on average between 2009 and 2013. 84 per cent of complaints in 2013/14 were resolved by stage one.

Each month during 2013/14 the Council received between…

36 and 77 complaints regarding performance: These peaked in the months January to March 2014 with a large proportion of complaints concerning housing property and repairs (including enquiries regarding damp), and housing improvements.

3 and 15 complaints regarding persons: These peaked in June and December 2013 with largest numbers relating to benefits and Council tax and estate and tenancy issues. January to March 2014 had the lowest number of complaints on average.

8 and 24 complaints regarding policies peaking in November 2013: the largest numbers were regarding housing maintenance client services, housing options and advice and parking services.

Section Four: Latest Financial Performance

The Council continues to face extreme financial challenges as identified within its Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). It faces budget reductions of over £5million over the MTFS period representing more than a 40% reduction against its overall net General Fund budget. The contents of this report highlight the extremely tight financial control being placed upon existing budgets and the degree to which services are looking ahead and planning to manage to lower funding levels before the reductions actually take effect.

The Service underspend on the controllable budgets in 2013/14 total £959,000 but when considered against the carry forward requests of £255,500 and the fact that the services have looked to achieve and manage within planned 2014/15 budget reductions of £417,000 in advance of the 2014/15 financial year this leaves a net controllable underspend of only £286,500 or -0.4%.

Some signs of economic recovery have been identified in 2013/14 with income from car parking and planning applications seeing an improvement for the first time in over three years. Where possible this improved income generation has been included in the 2014/15 budget plans already.

The Council has been determined to continue to deliver key services to and for the benefit of Harlow residents despite the unprecedented Government funding cuts. The final financial performance for the 2013/14 year will enable some key discretionary services to be delivered in the future and gives confidence that the Council’s services will strive to manage with ever reducing funding levels.

Simon Freeman, Head of Finance

Movements in General Fund Balance in 2013/14 £millions*

General Fund opening balance as at 1 Apr 2013 2.792

Planned use of GF balance not applied (0.024)

General Fund Revenue Budget Variations (net underspend) 1.985

Year-end Balance (31 Mar 2014) 4.753

2013/14 budget carry forward requests to be utilised in 2014/15 (subject to approval) (0.255)

Proposed Transfer to Discretionary Services Fund (1.985)

Year-end Balance (31 Mar 2014) after budget carry forward requests 2.513

* Note: Figures in brackets () reduce the projected General Fund Balance.

2013/14 Outturn The Council underspent by a margin of –0.99% on its gross controllable General Fund revenue budget.

Latest Financial Performance (Budget Variations / Exceptions):

Major Variances – Year End 2013/14:

Service Adverse Favourable Net Main Contributing Factors to Variations £000s £000s £000s

Community Wellbeing Services Sports Partnerships (90) (90) Reflects reduced contribution to the Harlow

District Sports Trust as a result of favourable performance by Leisurezone which, in turn, reduces the Council's contractual obligation to the facility. (£35k saving already built in to 2014/15 and future years budgets)

Playhouse 110 110 Reflects employee costs £8k, energy costs £14k, production related expenses £168k offset by increased income (£80k).

Recycling (64) (64) Reflects the difference between the 2012/13 forecast and actual ECC avoided disposal payment (£4k), recycling credits (£22k), reduced inflation uplift (£13k), contractor costs £4k, underutilisation of replacement bin allowance (£12k), reduction in textile income £2k, running expenses (£2k) and increased green waste income (£18k).

Street Cleansing 30 30 Non achievement of the budgeted 13/14 saving in relation to the transfer of the sewer function to the water authority as the function remains and is funded by HRA.

Environmental Health 101 101 Employee costs £51k, cost of burials £15k, running expenses (£7k), increased income (£14k) and legal costs £56k. £53k ongoing budget reduction has been made from 2014/15 onwards.

Open Spaces (56) (56) Non achievement of saving £25k, slippage in the ward improvement (£46k) and landscaping programmes (£4k) - A £10k ongoing reduction has been made from this budget from 2014/15 onwards .A budget carry over request has also been submitted totalling £52k to undertake specific unfunded works in 2014/15.

Regeneration & Enterprise Service

Property & Facilities Management

(95) (95) Reflects employee costs due to vacancies (£41k), cost of insurance premiums (£4k), net income £1k, cost of consultants £7k, legal fees (£35k), asset disposals (£9k), valuation fees (£2k) and other running expenses (£12k).

Car Parks (35) (35) Variation reflects running expenses £14k, energy costs (£2k) and net increased income (£47k). £12k income increase already included in 2014/15 and future year’s budgets.

Market (38) (38) Reflects increased staffing costs £9k, energy £4k and reduced income £29k all offset by previous years business rates refund (£80k).

Latton Bush Centre 61 61 Reflects employee costs £7k, energy costs £7k, previous years debt write off £47k, running expenses (£9k), lettings income (£39k), rent income (£8k), service charges income £72k and backdated O2 rental payments (£16k).

Service Adverse Favourable Net Main Contributing Factors to Variations £000s £000s £000s

Planning (89) (89) Reflects net increased employee costs £65k, legal fees £10k, use of consultants (£10k), running expenses £1k, reduced income £5k offset by increased income from planning applications (£130k) and costs recoverable (£29k) - note: a £50k budget carry over request has been submitted as part of the 13-14 final accounts exercise to development of planning applications software.

Regeneration Team (52) (52) Employee costs £3k, reduced use of third party contributions (£33k) and reduced running expenses (£22k). £45k ongoing budget reduction already made from 2014/15 and future years.

Civic Centre 32 32 Employee costs £6k, partial non achievement of saving £8k and energy costs £18k.

Hatches (42) (42) Reduced cost of maintenance (£2k) and increased rent income (£40k).

Building Control (45) (45) Reflects reduced employee costs due to vacancies (£51k), reduced running expenses (£13k) offset by reduced income £19k. £18k budget reduction already made in 2014/15 and future year’s budgets.

Stow Shopping Centre (35) (35) Reflects business rates (£1k), maintenance £7k, over achievement of income (£33k) and energy costs (£8k).

Housing (General Fund) Service

Supporting People (168) (168) Whilst pressures remained from the increasing levels of housing need during 2013/14, performance levels continued to be maintained. The impact from the changes to Welfare Reform need to be carefully analysed and is likely to place pressure in meeting housing need at a time when budgets are reducing. £129k budget reductions already made in the 2014/15 and future year’s budgets.

Housing Options and Advice

84 84

Finance Service

Accountancy Service (61) (61) Underspend on consultancy fees for Agresso upgrade project (£50k) plus staff vacancies.(£50k carry forward request is being made)

Corporate & Democratic Core

40 40 Provision required for HDC's General Fund element of liability for asbestos-related insurance claims - this transaction is financed by a transfer from the Insurance Claims reserve.

Revenues and Benefits Support

48 48 Increased IT equipment purchases and additional consultancy advice relating to business rate valuation appeals.

C/Tax & NNDR Recovery

(30) (30) Staff vacancies

ICT (70) (70) Staff vacancy savings and savings across software licence costs. £10k carry forward request is being made to strengthen back up storage.

Service Adverse Favourable Net Main Contributing Factors to Variations £000s £000s £000s

Insurance Section (87) (87) Policy premium and excess underspends. (£60k saving already built in to 2014/15 and future budgets)

Governance Service

Corporate support (52) (52) Staff Vacancies.(£40k saving already built in to 2014/15 and future years budgets)

Human Resources 15 (54) (39) Staff vacancies offset by additional agency staff costs.(£25.5k carry forward request is being made)

Electoral Services (48) (48) No local elections held in financial year 2013/14. £46k carry forward request is being made to assist with the IER project.

Land Charges (27) (27) Fee income variance due to higher demand for searches. £10k budget reduction already made from 2014/15 and future years.

Head of Governance (26) (26) Vacant post only being filled on a 3 day per week basis.

Other

Council Tax Benefits (123) (123) Recovery of overpaid council tax benefits for years prior to 2013/14.

Housing Benefit (164) (164) Increased collection of housing benefit overpayments.

Financial Strain, added years and deficiency payments.

(154) (154) Costs of redundancy payments have been contained below budget which, after deducting the effect of Superannual financial strain payments will be added to the severance reserve in accordance with normal practice and therefore the impact is reversed through the movement in reserves later in the table.

C/Tax & NNDR Recovery

(70) (70) Increased cost recovery from courts (£68k).

Audit Fees (55) (55) Savings from new external audit contract (£51k) plus one off rebate from Audit Commission (£14k).

Insurance Fund contribution

(97) (97) Reduced cost of self-insured insurance excesses payable leading, in turn, to reduced call upon the Insurance reserve in year.

Risk Management (94) (94) In spite of lower than estimated costs for developing risk management initiatives, insurance liability claims continue on a downward trend. The underspend is offset through the contribution of the balance to the Risk Reserve to help meet costs to be incurred in 2014/15.

JVCo 115 115 The year-end variation reflects non-achievement of savings £78k, inflation £17k, £40k re: 13-14 payment in advance and (£20k) re: 14-15 payment in advance in respect of the non-housing property services programme of works.

Northgate House (55) (55) A provision made in 2012/13 for Business Rates has been reversed in 2013/14 as the potential liability will not materialise. This generates a one off credit and favourable variance.

Service Adverse Favourable Net Main Contributing Factors to Variations £000s £000s £000s

Energy contingency (49) (49) With the increases in energy costs, this variation helps offset service budget variations across all service areas. The contingency has been used in 2014/15 to help increase service energy budgets.

Treasury management (579) (579) Saving in interest on borrowing due to internal borrowing being utilised in place of external borrowing and beneficial interest rates; also includes benefit derived from exercise to minimise sums to be set aside for Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) relating to cost of borrowing for capital purposes.

Pay award Allowance (188) (188) Pay award allowance held centrally has not been applied to service budgets in year resulting in this underspend. The costs of the pay award have been met by service budget.

Business rates 206 206 This is the net cost that falls upon HDC as a result of substantial reduction in the rates collectable compared to the Government assessed Business Rates Baseline. Central Government safety net mechanism currently absorbs the impact above this level.

Bad Debt provisions 123 123 Additional provision required from year-end review of outstanding sundry debtors.

Recharges to the HRA 223 223 As a consequence of reductions in the cost of central services (included in all services, above) lower recharges have been made from the General Fund to the HRA and capital projects, thus resulting in a lower than budgeted charge to the HRA.

Redstone House 115 115 The year-end variation reflects final lease obligation costs (note: costs will be borne 100% by the HRA).

Other variances (120) (120) Other minor miscellaneous variations.

Other One-Off/ Windfall & Non-Service-Specific Items

New Homes Bonus (299) (299) Previously agreed to fund DSF per Cabinet.

ROC (185) (185) Previously agreed to fund DSF per Cabinet.

Net Transfers to/from Reserves

448 (24) 424 Variation primarily due to the additional contributions proposed to be made to the Discretionary Services Reserve as a result of wind-fall income received in 2013/14 in relation to New Homes Bonus and ROC payment shown above.

Total General Fund Budget Variation (net underspend)

(1,985)

** Note: Figures in () are a credit e.g. income or underspend.

Service Based Analysis

Community Wellbeing, Graham Branchett:

Good financial control remains with minor variance from the forecast outturn as reported to Cabinet in March 2014. Performance for the Service continues to be good and almost all objectives and actions within the Service Plan have been achieved.

Regeneration, Graeme Bloomer:

Financial control remains good. The increase in energy prices is a risk that has been partially mitigated by ‘good-housekeeping’ but will ultimately show as an adverse variation. Following the rationalisation of operational building stock which saw staff from Redstone House relocated to the Civic Centre, energy consumption levels have, in part, been transferred from one building to another in terms of increased amount of electrical equipment being used, which has seen a slight increase in Civic Centre consumption of gas and electricity beyond what was forecast within the original budget. Planning income has risen with a corresponding increase in planning application numbers.

Housing, Andrew Murray:

The forecasted increasing levels of housing need and homelessness have continued in 2013/14 placing pressure on reducing budget levels. Priorities include working with Agencies to target resources, particularly prevention initiatives which are recognised to be effective in reducing the requirement for temporary accommodation as well as the overall costs of housing need and homelessness.

One –off windfall grants in respect of backdated supporting people expenditure together with an increase in income reflecting increases in the demand for Care-line facilities has benefited the service. There remains uncertainty, however, as to future supported housing budgets and commissioning arrangements.

Governance, Brian Keane:

Good financial control continues to be maintained across the Governance service with no significant adverse variances. The main area of significant underspend relates to cost savings in respect of vacancies within the service.

Finance, Corporate Services and other items, Simon Freeman:

The service has managed very effectively within its approved budget. Variations have occurred especially in ICT where the service has worked hard to keep the costs it pays to external companies for licenses and maintenance as low as possible. Costs have also been reduced again for a second consecutive year on the Council’s costs of insurance cover which is against the market trend and reflects the excellent work being undertaken to manage the Council’s exposure to insurable risks and to better handle and challenge claims made against it. Some of these savings have been incorporated in to 2014/15 and future years budgets already.

Section Five: Performance:

Harlow Council performed on target or above target for 51 out of 62 (82 per cent) of performance indicators. 60 per cent of indicators have been maintained or improved since the year end 2013/14.

Type 2012/13

Q3 2012/13

Q4 2013/14

Q1 2013/14

Q2 2013/14

Q3 2013/14

Q4

Percentage of indicators within or better than target

80% 87% 84% 86% 86% 82%

Percentage of indicators improving or unchanged from the same period last year

59% 53% 56% 63% 76% 60%

Good Performance:

Harlow Council continues to improve performance in a number of areas. 23 out of 62 (37 per cent) performance indicators performed significantly above their target. Listed below is a selection of KPIs which are contributing towards the achievement of the Council’s priorities.

(1) JVC 306 % Housing Tenant satisfaction with work undertaken by Kier Harlow Ltd (4.13)

Tenant satisfaction with the repairs service has improved consistently since the new survey was adopted in October 2012 reaching an average of 93 per cent for the period 2013-2014. A total of 1,668 residents were ‘very satisfied’ and 302 residents were ‘fairly satisfied’ with their repair during the financial year.

(2) NI156 Number of households living in Temporary Accommodation

The number of households living in temporary accommodation continues to fall and is now at the lowest number on record - 125 households. During the past two years the Council has kept its number of households being housed in temporary accommodation at an average level of 135. The average level between March 2008 and September 2011 was 196. The Council is committed to helping people live in a settled home by providing early advice, intervention and schemes. Further work is scheduled through the Council’s Homelessness Strategy for 2014/15.

(3) NI157a Processing of major applications within 13 weeks

12 out of 15 major planning applications received during 2013-2014 were dealt with within 13 weeks. This includes key and improved negotiations including the construction of the Poundland distribution centre and Aldi. The Council’s Planning department dealt with a total of 318 planning applications during 2013-2014 for 293, 92 per cent of these dealt with within their agreed timescales (under 13 weeks for major and under 8 weeks for minor and other applications).

(4) BV066a.05 Rent Collected / Rent Owed (%)

Performance for rent collection has been exceeded with 99.31 per cent collected during 2013/14. This has been achieved through intensive targeted work, on-going reviews of the arrears recovery procedures, and use of the Council’s "can't pay/won't pay" policy which supports those in financial hardship. Performance and working practices are continually reviewed to ensure that the Council is prepared for future challenges such as Universal Credit and Direct Payments.

(5) BF006 Average days to process change events

The amount of time taken by the Revenues and Benefits team to process changes to an individual’s benefits arrangement after being notified of any changes has improved to just 8.4 days, an improvement of 36 per cent in 12 months. This has helped to ensure that the correct amount of benefits is administered in a timely fashion.

(6) NI184 Food establishments in the area which are broadly compliant with food hygiene law

Under British law, restaurants need to be inspected by environmental health officers every two years, who then rate the restaurants by giving out stars ranging from zero to five, the Scores on the Doors scheme. The Council’s environmental health team inspected a total of 709 premises during 2013/14 providing guidance and advice on how these premises can improve. 635 of the 709 (89.6 per cent) premises were found to be broadly compliant with food hygiene law.

(7) NI185 CO2 reduction from Local Authority operations

The Council has reduced the amount of CO2 emissions produced by its buildings, vehicles and operations by 23 per cent since its baseline year in 2008/09. This means that the Council is on target to meet its commitment from the Nottingham Declaration on climate change signed in 2007. The majority of reductions have come from a reduction in staff mileage and gas consumption.

(8) BV126a Domestic Burglaries (rate per 1,000 households)

There were 138 fewer burglaries in 2013-14 compared to 2012-13, a reduction of 27 per cent. Domestic burglary is one of the Safer Harlow Partnership’s key priorities and it has targeted a number of partnership initiatives at tackling it. These initiatives range from helping people to make their homes more secure through to the targeting of repeat offenders. Examples of initiatives undertaken include raising awareness of the importance of securing pvc doors, work with vulnerable residents in sheltered housing and in-depth work to identify hotspots and particular times when properties are more vulnerable.

Performance of Key Contracts:

Kier Harlow (JVCO): Housing and commercial repairs, street cleaning, and grounds maintenance

Kier Harlow met 87 per cent of its 55 monthly major and minor targets and 100 per cent of its 6 other targets throughout the period 2013-14. The four key areas performed as follows:

Housing: 95% success rate for 19 indicators with improvements in key areas including satisfaction with housing repairs (see above). Two key performance indicators were affected periodically by the exceptional weather conditions experienced during the winter period (see Improvement Action Plans for JVC302 and JVC303 – below).

Street Scene: 80% success rate for 15 indicators. Kier have maintained a high level of compliance in dealing with graffiti, dumped rubbish, litter bins and abandoned vehicles. Although targets have not been met for the key indicators relating to the street scene (see Improvement Action Plans for NI195a and NI195b) there have been overall improvements for both of these indicators compared to last year.

Grounds Maintenance: 83% success rate for 12 indicators. The majority of grounds maintenance and landscaping tasks have been delivered on target throughout the year. Exceptional weather conditions with strong wind and rain led to a significant increase in urgent tree works resulting in a backlog of non-urgent tree works to be completed within four months which is now being addressed.

Non-Housing: 89% success rate for 9 indicators with improvements in the repairs service received in relation to jobs carried out under standard priority and a consistently high level of performance in relation to provision of emergency response has been seen. Although performance dipped for statutory testing in the fourth quarter, resource has been identified within Kier Harlow to ensure that remedial works are carried out within the required timeframe.

Veolia: Waste and Recycling services

Veolia Environmental Services collect domestic recycling, and food waste, and residual (black bag) waste town-wide; ancillary services including bulky, green, and nappy/incontinence waste, are also provided. The VES team works closely with the Council’s client and communications teams to ensure consistent service delivery, and to minimise service disruption due adverse weather, bank holidays, and similar events. VES have proven flexible and adaptable to requirements for change. The collection methodology introduced with the current contract continues to ensure high rates of diversion of waste from landfill.

Westerleigh: Crematorium

Westerleigh Group leases the Cemetery and Crematorium site from the Council and takes responsibility for all operations and maintenance. Access to industry expertise, a wider pool of equipment and staff resources within the group, and to capital resources enabled investment of £3M in site infrastructure and a wide ranging upgrade to the customer experience. Customer response has continued to be positive during 2013/14. Of customers who responded to satisfaction survey requests in this period, 100% were satisfied: 74% rated the service overall as excellent, and 26% rated it as good. Business has exceeded projections with a benefit to rental income for the Council. Current indications are that this positive performance is being maintained.

A full list of indicator descriptions and performance data is available at www.harlow.gov.uk/performance

Section Six: Improvement Action Plans Harlow Council keeps track of any indicator which has been subjected to an Improvement Action Plan (IAP) during the past 12 months. The table below illustrates how each indicator subjected to an IAP has performed over time.

Performance Indicator

QTR 4 12/13

QTR 1 13/14

QTR 2 13/14

QTR 3 13/14

QTR 4 13/14

Reg

ener

atio

n

NI151 Overall employment rate (working-age) (%)

NI154 Net additional homes provided - -

NI157a Processing of major applications within 13 weeks (%)

Str

eet

Sce

ne

JVC 104 Customer satisfaction with Street Scene -

NI195a Improved street and environmental cleanliness (litter)

NI195b Improved street and environmental cleanliness (detritus)

NI195c Improved street and environmental cleanliness (graffiti)

Gro

un

ds

Mai

nte

nan

ce

JVC 205 Customer satisfaction with Grounds Maintenance - - - -

JVC 207d Tree works carried out within 80 working days (4 months) (3.14d) (%)

Ho

usi

ng

BV213 Homelessness (number of households approaching HDC & partners for housing advice leading to a successful resolution)

JVC 302 Urgent Housing requests within 5 days (4.8) (%)

JVC 303 Standard Housing repairs within 20 working days (4.9) (%)

Was

te &

R

ecyc

lin

g BV082ai Household waste recycled (%)

BV082aii Household Waste Recycled (Tonnes)

BV082bii Household Waste Composted (Tonnes)

Co

nta

ct

Har

low

CS02b % Lost calls for Contact Harlow (Quarter Cumulative)

CS25 % of customer complaints responded to within target time -

Misc.

BF005 Average days to process new claims

BV012 Average number of working days / shifts lost to sickness & absence

Number of under-performing indicators 8 8 7 7 11

Per

form

ance

Ind

icat

or

JVC 104 Customer Satisfaction with Street Scene (2.62)

Des

crip

tio

n

Percentage of customers satisfied with the Street Scene Service

DO

T

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce

situ

atio

n?

Current performance is significantly below the target level of 87%.

Wh

at p

ract

ical

ste

ps

are

bei

ng

ta

ken

to

imp

rove

?

The questionnaire used to measure this indicator contains some questions on waste collection which have been marked as either fairly or very dissatisfied. As these may relate to the waste collection service and not the litter bin street cleaning service, the client team is currently reviewing the questionnaire.

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

NI195a Street & Environmental Cleanliness (% land assessed having unacceptable levels of litter)

Des

crip

tio

n

This is reported as the percentage of relevant land and highways that is assessed as having deposits of litter that fall below an acceptable level.

DO

T

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce s

itu

atio

n?

Five per cent of Harlow’s land is assessed as having unacceptable levels of litter (against a nationally graded standard). This represents a decrease in performance from quarter two 2013-14, and performance remains outside the target of 2 per cent.

Wh

at p

ract

ical

ste

ps

are

bei

ng

tak

en t

o

imp

rove

?

Significant additional resources have been applied to the service including Community Barrow Beats and revised working practices, which has resulted in a substantial improvement over the past 12 months. Benchmarking is currently taking place to identify what top quartile performance is being attained in comparable councils.

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

NI195b Street & Environmental Cleanliness (% land assessed having unacceptable levels of detritus)

Des

crip

tio

n

This is reported as the percentage of relevant land and highways that is assessed as having deposits of detritus that fall below an acceptable level.

DO

T

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce

situ

atio

n?

9 per cent of Harlow’s land is assessed as having unacceptable levels of detritus (against a nationally graded standard). Performance has been improving steadily since quarter 1 but remains outside the 2 per cent target.

Wh

at p

ract

ical

ste

ps

are

bei

ng

ta

ken

to

imp

rove

?

Please see above (NI 195a)

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

JVC 205 Customer satisfaction with Grounds Maintenance (3.39)

Des

crip

tio

n

Percentage of customers satisfied with the Ground Maintenance Service.

DO

T

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce s

itu

atio

n?

The majority of grounds maintenance KPI’s continue to perform to a high level. However, the current response rate for the grounds maintenance customer satisfaction questionnaires is relatively low. There is some concern that a small number of adverse comments might present an unrepresentative picture of performance.

Wh

at p

ract

ical

ste

ps

are

bei

ng

tak

en

to im

pro

ve?

It has been identified that a relatively low level of responses from customers surveyed could be adversely affecting this indicator. Between April 2013 and March 2014, 153 out of 197 customers were either satisfied or very satisfied with the service. Action is being taken to increase the amount of surveys being issued.

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

JVC 207d Tree works carried out within 80 working days (4 months) (3.14d) (%)

Des

crip

tio

n

Tree Works - Percentage of work carried out within 80 working days (four months).

DO

T

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce s

itu

atio

n?

This performance indicator has been impacted by the necessary prioritisation of response to the surge in demand for emergency and urgent tree works due to severe adverse weather affecting the reporting period. W

hat

pra

ctic

al s

tep

s ar

e b

ein

g t

aken

to

im

pro

ve?

Additional resources have been made available to provide capacity to deal with the resulting backlog of non-urgent tree works and it is anticipated that the outturn for this indicator will respond favourably over the coming quarter. The client team will continue to monitor outstanding workload and response with Kier Harlow colleagues.

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

BF005 Average days to process new claims

Des

crip

tio

n

The average time taken in calendar days to process new claims for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit.

DO

T

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce s

itu

atio

n?

The Revenues & Benefits service implemented the new Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme and welfare reforms to the national Housing Benefit scheme in 2013/14. This placed additional pressures on the service. Quarter four of the financial year is also the busiest time of year for the service and in addition customer contact is at its highest after annual council tax bills and benefit notifications are issued. During this period 606 new claim applications for housing benefit and council tax support were received, compared to 282 applications in the previous quarter. In addition there was unforeseen staff resource issues which further compounded the matter with staffing levels reduced from 19 to 14.5 FTE over this period. Despite the slight deterioration in the time taken to process new claims, the service processed changes in circumstances in an average of 8.37 days against a target of 13 days despite the number of reported changes increasing significantly from 6,921 in quarter three to over 10,000 in quarter four. W

hat

pra

ctic

al s

tep

s ar

e b

ein

g t

aken

to

imp

rove

? Staffing issues are being

been addressed and the service is currently undertaking a recruitment process to fill vacancies. Where possible affordable vacancies are being covered by temporary staff. The service is working closely with Contact Harlow to enable the benefits team to maximise the resources available to process new claims and changes in circumstances to maximise the staff resources available to process new claims and changes in circumstances.

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

JVC 302 Urgent Housing requests within 5 days (4.8) (%)

Des

crip

tio

n

Percentage of urgent Housing requests (as classified by the Helpdesk) responded to within 5 working days.

D

OT

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce s

itu

atio

n?

Performance for urgent and standard repairs was consistently at or above target prior to December 2013. However exceptional adverse weather (high winds and driving rain causing significant water penetration) during the latter part of 2013 and the beginning of the 2014 has resulted in a significant increase in damage to fencing, guttering and roofing works. This generated a significant amount of requests in a relatively short period of time.

Consequently repairs were not able to be closed off within the agreed timescales. These considerations, in addition to the peak number of job orders experienced during this time of year have stretched resources and caused delay.

The repairs backlog at the end of February stood at 182 urgent and 630 standard jobs.

As a result performance in relation to standard repairs has also been affected (see below).

Wh

at p

ract

ical

ste

ps

are

bei

ng

tak

en t

o im

pro

ve?

A revised planned program for 2014/15 was agreed at the Joint Performance Review Meeting with Kier on 05 March. It included the below plan for improving performance:

Roofing and Guttering: A revised cyclical program (one year) will be put into place for ‘cleaning out the gutters’ from April 2014.

UPVC Windows: In the event of further significant rainfall Kier Harlow Limited will increase resources and review the priorities. Work will be placed on the ‘planned program’ with a target completion by end July ’14.

Carpenter Works: Work to be placed on the ‘planned program’ with a target for completion by the end of September ’14.

It was agreed that all urgent works would be completed by end of April and all standard works to be completed by end of May 2014.

At the time of reporting urgent works had been completed on time and the standard 20 day back log was completed ahead of schedule.

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

JVC 303 Standard Housing repairs within 20 working days (4.9) (%)

Des

crip

tio

n

Percentage of standard service requests (as classified by the Helpdesk) attended to and resolved within the required timescale of 20 working days.

DO

T

…

As above (JVC 302) …

As above (JVC 302)

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

CS02b % Lost calls for Contact Harlow (Quarter Cumulative)

Des

crip

tio

n

The number of calls that are lost as a percentage of the total calls received by Contact Harlow per financial quarter

DO

T

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce

situ

atio

n?

Significant changes to the benefit legislation and housing allocations policy as well as the Housing Improvement programme has meant that call volumes have been high and are likely to remain so. This is in addition to reduced staffing levels which has an impact.

Wh

at p

ract

ical

ste

ps

are

bei

ng

tak

en t

o im

pro

ve?

The Customer Services and Access Strategy is being reviewed and will set out a plan that would look to reduce the amount of phone traffic. The full implementation of this will start to create a self-serve culture which will help reduce the amount of calls coming in. This includes making our website fully transactional allowing customers which will avoid the need for them to make a telephone call to the Council.

Per

form

ance

In

dic

ato

r

CS25 % of customer complaints responded to within target time

Des

crip

tio

n

Percentage of customer complaints that were responded to within Council’s target time.

DO

T

Per

form

ance

si

tuat

ion

.

The level of complaints has significantly increased in recent months (see section three) and this is a corporate measure subject to fluctuation based on complaint volumes.

Ste

ps

bei

ng

ta

ken

to

imp

rove

. More emphasis is being placed on those complaints that are upheld to ensure that lessons are learned and fed back into service delivery.

Per

form

ance

Ind

icat

or

BV12 Average number of working days / shifts lost to sickness and absence.

Des

crip

tio

n

The total number of working days lost due to sickness absence, including industrial injury, irrespective of whether this is self-certified, certified by a GP or long-term.

DO

T

Wh

at is

th

e p

erfo

rman

ce s

itu

atio

n?

The number of working days lost due to sickness absence has reduced compared to the same period during 2012/13 which measured 9.75 days per fte, just above the overall target for absence of 8.25 per fte. Despite missing the target by 1.5 days per fte of the 23 employees who were classified as long term sick during 2013/14, 12 have now subsequently successfully returned to work and 5 have recently left the authority in line with the Council’s Sickness Absence Management Policy.

Wh

at p

ract

ical

ste

ps

are

bei

ng

tak

en t

o im

pro

ve?

The Council has implemented a range of new and revised policies including special leave, flexible working, homeworking, maternity, paternity leave, sickness absence management adoption leave, and Dignity at Work. The new Human Resources (HR) Manager has, in line with policy instituted proactive management of all long term sickness cases. The Sickness Absences Management Policy, which is currently under review sets out clear procedures to follow regarding short term and long term absence as well as informal and formal processes with trigger points for long term absence. HR continue to work closely with Access to Work (Job Centre Plus) where there is a medical prognosis that is covered by the Equality Act 2010 and Harlow Occupational Health Services (HOHS) and support where appropriate employees who may have a medical condition to return to work sooner than otherwise would have been anticipated for example on a phased return or light duties. HR also works with. A review of the causes of short term sickness is being undertaken by HR to determine trends and also to encourage line managers to review and take action on short term absence. Close monitoring and support continues to be provided to line management by HR in long term absence cases.

Section Seven: Key Corporate and Financial Risks

The following risk areas are assessed as ‘exceptional’, that is, scoring 20 or higher on a scale of 1-25, 1 = low likelihood, low impact, 25 = high likelihood, high impact. These risks are regularly reviewed through the Council’s Risk Management Group and managed by the Council at senior management level and by relevant services.

Risk Owner & Description

Likelihood Impact Control Further

information Course of Action

Latest Risk

Chief Executive CRR 1 - If the Government's austerity measures continue to reduce public sector funding - combined with the Council’s limited ability to raise income then this could result in the Council’s financial resilience being at risk.

Options for increasing revenue to compensate for reduced Govt. funding are limited. Raising Council Tax to meet the shortfall beyond the levels already included within the MTFS is unlikely to be an option. Given budget reductions already made further savings will be challenging if services are to be protected.

The impact of significant budget cuts to enable a balanced budget to be delivered could have a major impact on delivery of the Council's corporate objectives.

Detailed planning of future budgets is undertaken early in the financial year. However, for the period of the MTFS there are substantial budget reductions required to meet the Government’s funding cuts which may impact on this in the medium to long term forecasts.

The Administration formed after the election in May 2014 will be provided with options concerning the work of the Council and will decide upon how these financial challenges can be faced.

Tolerate – The majority of issues relating to the Council’s finances are dictated by Government. However, the Council’s financial situation continues to be monitored at a high frequency.

21

Head of Regeneration RGN 2 - If uncertainties regarding costs and delays continue the GAFII Neighbourhood regeneration programme may not be completed across all five sites.

Some sites have uncertainty over detailed matters. These are subject to ongoing discussion and negotiation.

Loss of reputation with local residents and regeneration objectives delayed.

Dependant of many external factors and decisions by other agencies. Resolution to grant planning permission has been agreed for the new Lister House Medical centre.

Options and cost analysis is ongoing regarding Prentice Place. Meetings with the Homes and Communities Agency have been ongoing throughout June 2014 with regards to Osler House and Lister House.

Tolerate – awaiting outcome of options analysis and decision from HCA and HHCT.

21

Risk Owner & Description

Likelihood Impact Control Further

information Course of Action

Latest Risk

Head of Regeneration CRR8 - If there is a lack of private sector investment and/or disinvestment by retailers and landowners in the Town Centre then it will continue to decline.

The macro economic impact on the retail sector is very uncertain.

Damaged reputation and perception towards the town. Potential loss of jobs and employment and potential failure to deliver regeneration.

The Council maintains frequent contact with the current landowners to encourage investment into the Town Centre. The Council will need to consider alternative options for the future of the Town Centre.

Feasibility report on commercially led analysis of market demand is being commissioned in July 2014.

Tolerate – until such time as alternative options are considered by the Council and a way forward agreed.

21

Head of Regeneration RGN5 - If priority allocation and funding by the Highways authorities and Government is not achieved then Junction 7a will not be delivered.

Although junction 7a is high on the agenda for both SELEP and ECC, it has yet to be accorded required funding and/or recognition by the Government/ Highways agency.

Without the new junction new jobs growth e.g. Enterprise Zone will not materialise. The lack of a new junction is also known to be a deterrent to the retention and expansion of current and new businesses. Housing growth will be constrained due to capacity of the current junction.

Continued lobbying of Government, SELEP, Highways Authorities and co-operation with relevant interests (e.g. West Essex Alliance, London-Stansted-Cambridge Corridor Consortium).

Essex County Council concluded public consultation on the proposals for Junction 7a in May 2014. The Council continues to lobby SELEP and Government to ensure Junction 7a remains a priority.

Tolerate – This decision is now primarily with Government, SELEP and ECC and beyond the Council’s direct control.

21

Section Eight: Progress in delivering the 2012/13 – 2016/17 Corporate Plan

Corporate Priorities Milestone Tracker (Year End, March 2014) The 2012/13 – 2016/17 Corporate Plan includes an Action Plan setting out the milestones the Council needs to complete in order to deliver its objectives. Below is a status update of how well the Council is doing in delivering its Plan as at 31 March 2014.

95 per cent (195 out of 206) of all Corporate Plan milestones are self-assessed as being complete or green (i.e. successfully delivered or implemented in 2013/14 and on-going) as at 31 March 2014. 4 per cent (9 out of 206) of milestones have lapsed or require further action to ensure they are completed during 2013/14.

1 out of 206 milestones are significantly off target and will not be complete in 2013/14. 1 out of 206 milestones have not started.

Milestone RAG Status Number %

Completed Milestones 139 67

On Track (Green) Milestones 56 27

Further action required to get back on track 9 4 Milestones which are significantly off target and where further action is needed (Red)

1 0

Not Started Milestones 1 0

Completed, 139

Green (on target), 56

Further action required, 9

Red (not started), 1 Not started, 1

Milestones which are assessed as red or not started

The following milestones were due to be completed by the end of the financial year. As at 31 March 2014 they were either ‘not started’ or ‘red’ (significantly off track).

# Objective Action Milestone Due Date

RAG Status

Comments

RGN. 2.3.2

Promote and enable the regeneration of Harlow's town centre and neighbourhoods

Deliver regeneration of Lister House/Staple Tye

Complete land transfer and Heads of Terms with Harlow Health Centres Trust

Feb 2014

Red Terms of land transfer between HDC & HHCT being discussed with input from HCA – anticipate completion by end summer ‘14

RGN. 2.3.3

Promote and enable the regeneration of Harlow's town centre and neighbourhoods

Deliver regeneration of Lister House/Staple Tye

Complete early stage discussions in relation to a Master Plan for Staple Tye one land swap.

Mar 2014

Not Started

Dependent on completion of land transfer with HHCT (see above).

Section Nine: Target Setting Change Log

Harlow Council reviews its performance indicators each year and revises targets to reflect corporate priorities, how it performs compared to others, and resources available. Provided below is a summary of the key performance indicators removed, changed and added ahead of the 2014/15 financial reporting year.

Removed Key Performance Indicators (6)

Removed Key Performance Indicator Reason for removal Service

BV002a.02 BV002a.02 Equality Standard Level

No monitoring of standards available. Self-assessment unavailable. Possibly due to be taken on by fairness and diversity partnership.

Community Wellbeing

BV002b BV002b The duty to promote race equality

NI014 NI014 Reducing avoidable contact: The proportion of customer contact that is avoidable

No longer a Government requirement to measure this information.

NI027 NI027 Understanding of local concerns about ASB and crime by the local council and police

The indicator is no longer required or collected via the annual County tracker survey.

BV076d BV076d Number prosecutions & sanctions

Removed for 2014/15 suitable replacement to be identified.

Finance

BV213

BV213 Homelessness (no.h'holds approaching HDC & partners for housing advice: successful resolution)

Indicator to be replaced with new PI to reflect revised arrangements as per homelessness strategy.

Housing

Changed Key Performance Indicators (2)

Changed Key Performance Indicator Reason for change Service

JVC 108 JVC 108 Litter bins in serviceable condition (2.11) (%)

As litter and dog bins are now primarily dual use, it is proposed to amalgamate the KPIs, thus reducing the number of Minor KPIs in the suite. Change the KPIs to reflect performance, i.e. time to restore a litter/dual use bin to clean and functional condition and time to empty an overflowing litter/dual use bin.

Community Wellbeing

JVC 114 JVC 114 Litter bins not overflowing (2.15) (%)

New Key Performance Indicators (2)

New Key Performance Indicator Reason for inclusion Service

Replacement for BV076d Number prosecutions & sanctions (TBA)

More relevant indicator required reflecting changes in the welfare system required – this is subject to development of reporting functionality from the systems provider.

Finance

Replacement for BV213: Housing interventions approaching Harlow Council & partners for housing advice.

More relevant indicator required to reflect changes in the way housing advice is provided.

Housing

Changes to targets (15)

Changes to targets Nature of change Service

NI002 NI002 % of people who feel that they belong to their neighbourhood

Increase target from 55% to 56%.

Community Wellbeing

BV126a BV126a Domestic Burglaries (rate per 1,000 households)

Target is to reduce burglaries by 1% compared to 2013/14 out-turn.

BV082bi BV082bi Household of Waste Composted (%)

Target increased from 14% to 14.5%

NI184

NI184 Food establishments in the area which are broadly compliant with food hygiene law

Target increased from 84% to 87%.

BV008 BV008 Invoices paid within 30 days (%)

Target increased to 98%. Lower threshold equals 95%.

Finance BV009

BV009 Council Tax collected (%)

Year-end target increased from 94.45% to 95.0%.

2013/14 target profiles q1 25%, q2 50%, q3 80%, q4 95.0%.

BV012 BV012 Average number of working days / shifts lost to sickness and absence

Target changed from 8.25 days to 8.00 days. Upper limit equals 8.50 days. Governance

BV212.05 Average time to re-let local authority housing

Target changed from 21 days to 20 days. Upper limit equals 22 days.

Housing LHI S026 Annual Leasehold Service Charge Collection

Target changed from 97.5% to 98%. Lower limit equals 93%.

NI156 Number of households living in Temporary Accommodation

Target changed from 155 to 140. Upper limit equals 155.

Changes to targets Nature of change Service

NI158 NI158 % non-decent council homes

Target is to achieve 0% non-decent Council homes by March 2015.

NI151 NI151 Overall employment rate (working-age) (%)

Moved to a Corporate Performance Indicator

Regeneration

NI152 NI152 Working age people on out of work benefits (%)

Target = 12%, UTL = 13.0%

NI155 NI155 Number of affordable homes delivered (gross)

Target is changed from 37 to 69 – lower threshold limit 60.

NI185 NI185 CO2 reduction from Local Authority operations

Target increase from 17.6% to 21.8%