Agenda item

The Board considered a report of the Assistant Chief Executive which presented progress against the council’s corporate basket of performance indicators (PIs) and reported other significant performance issues for the first quarter of 2013/14. A presentation was given by the Head of Planning and Performance (for copy of report and slides, see file of minutes).

Councillors Hopgood and Lethbridge referred to the summary of key performance indicators regarding housing providers, Dale and Valley Homes and Durham City Homes. They both felt that the quarter 1 figures were distorted as they included the work programme of improvements for the year, and the non decent homes level will be 0% by quarter 4. The Head of Planning and Performance would look into an alternative way of presenting the information.

In response to queries on performance appraisals, the Head of Planning and Performance informed the board that the appraisal target for next year would increase to 85%, then 90% the following year. The Assistant Chief Executive advised that the Corporate Management Team were looking closely at the level of appraisal recording. Surveys were being undertaken of staff and that Head of Services were in fact being appraised on the appraisals for their service areas.  Reverend Phipps requested that individual appraisal data also be separated down to team levels.

Mr Kinch referred to the suicide rates and asked if the children and young people’s suicide figures could be separated. The Head of Planning and Performance would enquire as to whether figures can be broken down when reporting to Adults, Wellbeing and Health Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Wilson referred to employment contracts for young people and asked whether there was any information relating to the types of employment young people go into.

Referring to the smoking target, Councillor Hopgood asked if it was possible to have figures for young people who have started smoking to compare with the number of people who stop. The Assistant Chief Executive responded that the only way to gather this information would be through surveys. It had already been reported previously that there was a higher level of girls starting to smoke but she would refer the matter to the Head of Public Health.

Resolved:

That the information contained in the report be noted.