Agenda item

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not published elsewhere)

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Steve Blatch, Chief Executive

Email:- steve.blatch@north-norfolk.gov.uk Tel:- 01263 516232

Cllr T Adams – Leader introduced the report and informed Members that he was proud of the efforts made to achieve the Council’s corporate objectives, despite the issues caused by the Pandemic. He added that the report covered the period up to December 2021, and benchmarking data had been included for comparisons of the Council’s performance with similar authorities. It was noted that an Energy Officer had now been appointed at a crucial time, and the Economic Growth and Customer Services Teams were thanked for their efforts supporting businesses and residents through the Pandemic. He added that the Climate, Coast and Environment Teams had also made significant progress, alongside positive reports on the opening of The Reef, which supported the Council’s quality of life priorities.

Questions and Discussion

       i.          Cllr P Heinrich referred to p143 on responses to fly-tipping and asked whether more accurate data had been made available. Cllr N Lloyd replied that he didn’t have the figures available but had recently received a report on the issue and had not been alarmed by the number of incidents, which remained stable with prosecutions pursued where possible. The DFC stated that reporting issues related to problems with Serco’s software and improvements were being made to address this.

      ii.          Cllr V Holliday referred to the benchmarking data on household waiting lists and the creation of new businesses and noted that North Norfolk did not appear to be performing well compared to other authorities. She added that quality of life issues, which were reported positively in the performance report also appeared less positive in the benchmarking data. Cllr T Adams noted that many public health matters were the responsibility of NCC, and suggested that he would be happy to discuss this with the Director of Public Health. He added that there was increased pressure on housing in North Norfolk that the Council were always working to address, and the Council would look to improve support for new and existing business, as it had done throughout the Pandemic. Cllr V Holliday suggested it would be helpful to review the benchmarking data in more detail as a Committee. Cllr T Adams stated that he was supportive of this approach and noted that use of public spaces and leisure centres was actively encouraged by the Council. The CE stated that he was supportive of the proposal as it would be helpful to outline the Council’s responsibilities on matters such as public health, especially on the lead up to transitioning to an integrated care model. He added that it was also important to demonstrate value for money and the tangible benefits gained from increased spending on priorities relating to quality of life, such as the funding of The Reef. The DFC stated that Districts would be moving to an Integrated Care System that would take a more holistic approach to health, with Health and Wellbeing Partnerships aimed at providing Districts with more control over the health services provided. He added that work was also underway on the Quality of Life Strategy that would address a number of issues raised by the Committee.

     iii.          Cllr V Holliday proposed that a Member workshop be arranged to review and scrutinise the benchmarking data in greater detail. The CE noted that it would be helpful to outline which benchmarking data related to statutory and discretionary services provided by the Council.

    iv.          Cllr C Cushing noted that a number of new objectives had been added to the Corporate Plan which made it difficult to monitor progress, with due dates of existing objectives also being moved without comment. He added that many objectives were also process based, which did not have clear deliverable or SMART outcomes. Cllr T Adams replied that the flexibility was a strength as the Council had to adapt to a changing landscape and new objectives were a part of this process. The CE stated that where due dates had been changed they would be added alongside existing dates and the PPMO confirmed that all historical dates were available for review on InPhase.

      v.          Cllr C Cushing reiterated that performance objectives should be based on outcomes rather than the actions required to achieve objectives. He added that the benchmarking data appeared to highlight that performance was not as positive as shown in the report. Cllr T Adams replied many outcome focused objectives were being achieved such as the hiring of an Energy Officer to address rising energy costs, the extensive number of trees being planted and the implementation of the Net Zero Strategy.

    vi.          Cllr A Brown expressed his support for officers and noted that he was satisfied with the progress made on significant corporate priorities such as the tree planting project, and asked whether the Portfolio Holder was confident that the task remained on schedule. Cllr N Lloyd replied that 60k trees had already been planted with another 13k due to be planted before the end of the season. He added that he was greatly encouraged by these figures, with significant support offered by communities, and he was therefore confident that the target would be achieved.

   vii.          The Chairman noted that it was important to stress that any comments made on the content of the report were not a direct criticism of officers.

  viii.          Cllr S Penfold referred to the Deep History Coast project and noted that he did not see any plans for future funding, and asked whether the initiative would be supported going forward. Cllr T Adams replied that the Mammoth Marathon would be a key next step for the Deep History Coast project and would not be forgotten moving forward.

    ix.          Cllr C Cushing seconded the proposal for a Member workshop to review and scrutinise the benchmarking data in greater detail.

RESOLVED

1.     To note the report and endorse the actions being taken by Corporate Leadership Team detailed in Appendix A – Managing Performance.

2.     To request that a Member Workshop be arranged to review and scrutinise benchmarking data in greater detail.