Meeting documents

            Meeting: Environment Scrutiny Sub-Committee (County Hall, Durham - Committee Room 1A - 18/09/2006 09:30:00 AM)

                  Item: A6 Performance Update for 1st Quarter of 2006/07 and Review of Medium Term Improvement Priorities

         

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Environment Scrutiny Sub-Committee 18th September 2006 Performance Update and Review of Medium Term Improvement Priorities

Report of Ann Campbell , Head of Corporate Policy

Purpose of the Report

1. The purpose of this report is to

Quarter 1 Performance 2006/07

2. Attached as Appendix 1 is a performance update for quarter 1 of 2006/07. This performance information focuses on our current priorities for improvement and other key performance indicators. As well as providing information on current performance this provides useful context for our annual review of improvement priorities.

Review of Medium Term Improvement Priorities

3. On an annual basis the Council reviews its medium term priorities for improvement. Following our review of priorities in 2005 we revised the Council’s Statement of Medium Term Improvement Priorities. The revised statement includes more specific outcomes that we want to achieve over the next three years for each of the six key priority areas.

A copy of the Statement Of Medium Term Improvement Priorities is attached as Appendix 2.

4. The current improvement priorities were agreed following an evidence-based approach, taking account of feedback from consultation and external assessment and also baseline information on the relative position in County Durham in respect of national floor targets in key areas such as health, worklessness, educational attainment and crime. They also reflect discussions with partners to agree priorities and outcomes for inclusion in the Local Area Agreement for County Durham.

5. As part of our consultation arrangements in 2006 we are seeking views on our current priorities. In particular we are seeking views as to whether they are still relevant and whether there are any other factors that we should be taking into consideration. The views of Overview and Scrutiny members will be taken into consideration as part of the annual review.

Recommendations

6. It is recommended that members:

Contact: Ann Campbell Tel: 0191 383 3929

Environment Scrutiny Sub-Committee 18th September 2006 Looking after the Environment Quarter 1 performance 2006/07

Report of the Head of Corporate Policy

Purpose of the Report

There is one priority area for improvement aligned to our Corporate Aim, Looking after the Environment.

Improving the Quality of the Environment

Within this theme there are 3 outcomes that have been identified as areas we want to improve.

Less waste sent to landfill - to know if we are succeeding at this we are measuring:

61 fewer tonnes of household waste was sent for recycling during quarter one. This small decrease of 0.14% can be attributed to a number of reasons.
The authority has received WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) funding for 18 months, starting October 2006. This funding will be used for a communications campaign promoting kerb-it recycling, targeting those with traditionally low recycling rates, e.g. students and deprived areas. Roadshows to increase awareness of recycling will start September 2006. To ensure that the recycling rate is not deteriorating, a more detailed analysis of the data will be carried out during October 2006.
The 4,399 tonne (16.2%) increase in the amount of household waste composted has been achieved due to the aerobic digester operating at full capacity again, following a problem during 2005/06. This has increased the proportion of all household waste composted. To further promote composting, awareness campaigns are being organised at local events, e.g. farmers’ markets.

5,546 fewer tonnes of household waste were landfilled during quarter one, compared to 2005/06, a reduction of 2.8%. This reduction can be attributed to the increase in composting as a result of the aerobic digester operating at full capacity again and a reduction in the amount of household waste.

Less waste collection - to know if we are succeeding at this we are measuring:

The permit scheme is continuing to have a positive impact on the amount of household waste collected per head of population. A reduction of 3.3kg per head of population (1,639 tonnes) was achieved during quarter one.

Footpaths in better condition - to know if we are succeeding at this we are measuring:
This indicator is calculated on an annual basis so there is no data available for quarter 1.

Other Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs)

3. There are 15 BVPIs relevant to our Corporate Aim, Looking after the Environment that are not corporate priorities. Of these indicators, 5 indicators improved performance, 2 deteriorated, 3 remained static and 5 are calculated on an annual basis so the data is not available.

It should be noted that 6 indicators have achieved the year-end 2006/07 target in quarter one.

Performance	BVPI
Improved	82ci - % household waste energy recovered 82cii - household waste energy recovered 102 - local bus passenger journeys per year (estimate) 109a - % planning applications - major 215b - rectify street lights - DNO (T)
Static	200a - Plan making - development plan (T) - YES 200b - Plan making - milestones (T) - YES 200c - Plan making - monitor report (T) - YES
Deteriorated	84b - household waste % change 178 - % footpaths etc. easy to use 215a - rectify street lights - non-DNO (T)
No data	87 - Cost of waste disposal per tonne 165 - % crossings adapted 223 - % principal roads maintenance 224a - % non-principal road maintenance 224b - % unclassified road maintenance (T)

(T) denotes that the target for that indicator was met.

Areas of improved performance

4. The performance of a number of indicators improved during quarter 1, 2006/07. Of particular note:

An additional 30 tonnes (15% increase) of waste energy recovered during quarter one, which along with composting and recycling has had the effect of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.
Quarter one has experienced a 0.8% increase in the estimated number of bus passenger journeys. This equates to 191,083 journeys and may be attributed to more passengers using the Park and Ride and the introduction of free concessionary fares from April 2006.
The percentage of major planning applications determined within 13 weeks has increased from 65.25% to 68.91%.
1.3 fewer days were taken to repair a street lighting fault, where response time is under the control of Distribution Network Operator (DNO) during quarter one, which is 10 days less than the 2006/07 year end target.

Areas of deteriorated performance

5. The performance of a number of indicators deteriorated during quarter 1, 2006/07. Of particular note:

This BVPI is calculated using a 5% random sample, which is undertaken in 2 stages (May and November), of the network by length. Therefore, quarter 1 performance is based on a random sample of 2.5%. This is a small sample size and any anomalies can have a disproportionate effect on the result, e.g. if a 3km piece of footpath has an issue anywhere along the footpath, then the entire length, in this example 3km, is deemed to have failed. On completion of the second sample in November, the results will be combined and analysed so that any trends can be identified.

It took the authority 0.03 days (43.2 minutes) longer to repair a street lighting fault, during quarter 1. However, the authority has met its 2006/07 target.

Recommendations

That Corporate Scrutiny Sub-Committee Members:

Contact: Debra Kitching Tel: 0191 383 4186

TO VIEW APPENDICES A & B AND NUMBER 2 PLEASE CLICK ON PDF ATTACHEMENT ABOVE OR REFER TO HARD COPIES LOCATED IN CORPORATE SERVICES AND THE COUNTY RECORD OFFICE

Attachments

 Statement of Priorities March 06.pdf;
 Appendix B - environment - Q1 - 2006-07.pdf;
 Appendix A - environment - Q1 - 2006-07.pdf;
 Environmental Scrutiny Report - 18 Sept 06 v2.pdf;
 O&S performance & priorities 06.pdf