Agenda item

The Cabinet considered a report of the Corporate Director of Resources covering performance in and to the end of quarter two 2022/23, which presented an overview of progress towards achieving the key outcomes of the council’s corporate performance framework and highlighted key messages to inform strategic priorities and work programmes (for copy of report, see file of minutes).

Councillor Hopgood, Leader of the Council thanked for the Corporate Director and his team for the comprehensive performance update. Despite the challenges set out in the report, some areas were performing well. This included the Business Durham property rental portfolio. 64,000 people had attended the various festivals in County Durham in 2022. The Bishop Auckland Food Festival attracted 30,000 visitors, generating a direct £420,000. This resulted in a 697% return on a £60,000 investment. This information would be included in the quarter three update. There had been a 57% reduction in carbon emissions since 1990. The Council had secured £2.5m grant funding to improve the cycling network and extended provision of e-charging points. There had been increased activity of stop smoking services across quarter two and face to face breastfeeding support groups had been re-established with additional targeted support in communities where take up was much lower. A range of targeted regeneration projects had supported 25 local business and secured 64 FTE jobs bringing 315sqm of business space back into use. 336 net new homes had been delivered and 68 empty properties brought back into use following Council intervention. 465 employees had enrolled on the Council’s apprenticeship programme. 72 new apprentices started in August and September 2022 and an additional 33 were being recruited. The retention rate for apprentices was 71%.

Areas that required attention included the impact of inflationary pressures and the squeeze on living standards due to the cost of living increases. A major area of concern was the increased demand for welfare assistance, discretionary housing payments and assistance with home energy and fuel debt advice.

The quantity of waste collected was 6% higher than last year but was in line with the revised budget levels set in 2022/23 and much work was ongoing in terms of promoting waste reduction and increasing recycling. The level of contamination remained in line with last year and the Leader of the Council fully expected to see recycling contamination decreasing and recycling increasing in future quarters. There were also other areas to note that weren’t factored into the Council plan the most significant being the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the official period of mourning and the additional bank holiday which also resulted in several events being cancelled and the closure of public buildings.

Councillor Wilkes, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change thanked the Leader of the Council for referring to the decontamination campaign in relation to recycling. Councillor Wilkes also informed Cabinet that the Council were determined to build upon the significant improvements made in reducing fly tipping and informed Cabinet that he had received some exceptionally positive comments from Councillors and thanked the Environment and Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Committee for their work. More and more fly tipping cases were going to court which had resulted in fly tipping cases being reduced. Councillor Wilkes thanked all officers for their hard work and dedication in tacking environmental crime.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.