Annual Report on Council Performance 2010 Part
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Annual Report on Council Performance 2010 Part one – Performance summary Annual Report on Council Performance 2010 1 CONTENTS Part one – Performance summary Page Introduction 3 Purpose of the report 4 Achieving our priorities – our successes 5 What our residents have said about the council 34 What our staff have said about the council 41 External assessment 43 Annual progress against performance indicators 50 Financial information and value for money 54 Progress against other key areas 57 Standards Committee Annual Report 59 Glossary 60 Part two – Performance annexes Annex 1 – Progress against the Community Strategy and Council Plan priorities Annex 2 – Annual progress against performance indicators Annex 3 – Financial information Annex 4 – Environmental Sustainability Annual Progress Summary Annex 5 – Standards Committee Annual Report Annual Report on Council Performance 2009 2 INTRODUCTION We are pleased to introduce our Annual Report on Council Performance for 2010. This report sets out many of the things we have achieved over the past twelve months, and highlights our performance against the priorities set out in the Council Plan as well as a range of statutory and local perfomance indicators. Once again this has been an extremely successful year. We have continued to make considerable progress and remain a low spending council with high performing services and high levels of customer satisfaction. We are recognised both nationally and locally as an excellent council, something we are all very proud of. Our external inspection results remain strong and resident satisfaction with the way the council runs things is amongst the best in the country. Of course, we are not complacent. We want to do even better to ensure we deliver high quality services for our residents and use our resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. We have already embarked on a major programme of service reviews that is starting to deliver significant efficiency savings across the council without impacting upon frontline services. And our work to improve the way we manage and use our accommodation will also see substantial savings in the future. These are very challenging times across the whole public sector with the ever increasing need to achieve significant savings and greater efficiencies. However, as a top performing authority that already provides excellent value for money for our residents, this is a challenge that we are well placed to rise to and is something that we will continue to work towards over the coming year. We hope you find the report informative. Please contact the council’s Performance Management Team on 01454 863846 for further information about any of its contents. Amanda Deeks Cllr John Calway Chief Executive Leader of the Council Annual Report on Council Performance 2010 3 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT Who the report is for: The Annual Performance Report is primarily an internal document, approved by Cabinet, to be used by members, chief officers and staff. How the report is structured: The report is structured in two: Part one - The first part contains a summary of our performance, including our key achievements and progress throughout the year. Part two – The second part of the report contains the detailed annexes, which include progress against the council’s priorities and financial information. Both parts of the report will be available on our website www.southglos.gov.uk Each year we also publish a summary performance report to residents ‘Council Spending and Performance 2010’, which all households received in March 2010. Annual Report on Council Performance 2010 4 ACHIEVING OUR PRIORITIES - OUR SUCCESSSES The Community Strategy and Council Plan The Sustainable Community Strategy was developed with our key partners and sets out a vision for the area – ‘for everyone who lives and works in South Gloucestershire to fulfil their potential, enjoy an excellent quality of life and support others in their communities whilst protecting the environment.’ Put simply, to ensure that South Gloucestershire continues to be: ‘A great place to live and work’ This vision translates into realistic and achievable ambitions which are set out our key plans and strategies. The ambitions for our communities which will be delivered by us and our partners are: • Investing in children and young people; • Being healthier; • Modernising community care and health services; • Managing future development; • Promoting safer and stronger communities; • Valuing the environment; • Maintaining economic prosperity. These ambitions have been shaped by our residents and partners and are based on an underlying assessment of the needs of the area. They have been derived from extensive public and partnership consultation including Viewpoint (our residents’ panel) together with ‘on the ground’ knowledge of our Members and partners. They are also based on annual customer surveys and shared performance and community information. The Council Plan sets out the council’s contribution to the Community Strategy including our aims, priorities and actions. With the council being a major contributor to the Community Strategy, there is a very strong alignment between the two plans with the priorities in the Council Plan mirroring those in the Community Strategy. However, the Council Plan also includes the council’s own improvement programme – fit for our future – which will help ensure that we continue to be a well-managed and effective council. Further information on the Community Strategy and Council Plan can be found on the council’s public website. Areas of special focus Whilst all of the areas detailed in the Council Plan are important to us, with finite resources we are acutely aware of the importance of careful prioritisation. Consequently the council has decided to place special emphasis on four key areas. Key achievements in these areas is summarised below. Excellent standards of achievement for all our young people Performance of primary schools continues to be good. The number of pupils making two levels of progress over Key Stage 2 in both English and mathematics has increased and both are above our statistical neighbours’ averages. We have no primary schools in Ofsted inadequate category and an Annual Report on Council Performance 2009 5 improvement in the proportion of good and better schools since September 2009. GSCE results show good improvement over the 3 years from 2007 to 2009 for 5A*-C, satisfactory improvement over the same period including English and mathematics, with this measure moving from 3rd to 2nd quartile, and no school below the floor target. The general trend in Ofsted outcomes has been improving, with two out of six schools inspected during 2009 receiving overall outstanding judgements, despite the recent Notice To Improve categorisation of one of our secondary schools. The Personalisation Project began in three schools and analysis of early data shows that each has seen good improvements in the rates of progress of pupils. There is improved employer engagement with vocational and Diploma courses. Our older people experiencing good health and well-being with a focus on sustaining independence and personalised care in later years A First Contact scheme pilot was launched in September 2009 for a 6 month period. The First Contact Scheme provides a streamlined way of accessing a range of services, where by talking to just one person, older people can access advice, information and services which they may not have been aware of or may not have known how to contact. It enables and encourages take up of services through trusted and known professionals and volunteers who can explain the positive side of seeking support to maintain independence. The scheme uses a clear, quick and easy checklist of 12 questions, enabling staff and volunteers to ascertain the needs of the person they are working with, and provide an integrated and seamless service. Between 1 September 2009 and 28 February 2010 (the agreed pilot period) 181 checklists have been completed which have resulted in 544 referrals to the 12 partner organisations, 81% were dealt with by partners within the agreed timescale. The scheme which is making a real difference to people’s lives is currently being rolled out across South Gloucestershire. The Council continues to provide for demographic growth and is maintaining its support for low level and preventative services. There has been a determination to support increasing numbers of people living in their own homes to ensure they enjoy lives that are rich and active - contributing to communities and having opportunities for activities which are important for quality of life and health and wellbeing. There was an unprecedented response from older people and carers to the Better Support for Older People consultation with approximately 650 individual responses in total and overwhelming support for the approach proposed recognising the shared local priority of personalised and modern services for older people. The programme is well in hand and demonstrates learning from our experience of service change from learning difficulties and mental health services. Adequately resourcing the programme, which is a genuine co- production with older people and carers from start to finish has given us a solid basis to implement plans for extra care housing to make a substantial contribution to improving quality of life and health and well being of older Annual Report on Council Performance 2010 6 people. With three developments on site, we are seeing