Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Executive Officer which detailed performance during the second quarter of 2023/24, April to June 2023 (for copy of report see file of minutes). 

In presenting the report, Tom Gorman, Corporate Policy and Performance Manager, drew Members’ attention to key information including the following. The Bishop Auckland Food Festival was rated positively by 98% of visitors and the event generated £425,000 income for the economy against a £60,000 investment from the Council.  During the quarter, visits to cultural venues were at or above target.  Active borrower numbers for libraries remain below pre-Covid levels, however both active and digital borrowers performed above target during the quarter.  Average yields in respect of cinemas and theatres were below target and new initiatives are being trialled in cinemas to boost attendances. An Audience Development Manager is now in post to ensure more focused programming in the future.

County Durham’s carbon emissions show a 54% reduction on the baseline figure and work is ongoing to install larger charging hubs and additional charging points, particularly in rural areas.

The Council’s carbon emissions during 2022/23 reduced by 5% on last year and the report provided details of the work undertaken to reduce carbon emissions within the Council’s operations.

A 97% diversion rate of waste from landfill was reported and the amount of household waste collected had reduced. Contamination rate data showed a decrease and the recycling rate was reported as approximately 41%.  Members noted that the Environment Act 2021 will introduce standardisation for recycling, a food waste collection service and a national garden waste collection service.

Park and Ride journeys remain below pre-Covid levels and although the proportion of adults who walk and cycle for travel purposes has increased, levels are lower than the regional and national averages.  Bus patronage remains below pre-Covid levels and the Council continues to work in partnership with bus operators to implement the North East Bus Service Improvement Plan.  Leisure Centre attendances and memberships remain below target.

During the quarter, the number of properties licensed under the Selective Licensing scheme increased to 37%. The Committee noted that new cleanliness survey methodology was introduced in April and results for the quarter show a high level of cleanliness.

In relation to highways maintenance, performance in respect of maintenance for safety defects likely to pose the greatest risk of harm remains above target.

The Chair thanked the Corporate Policy and Performance Manager for the report and informed the Committee that a waste update will be brought to the Committee as part of the work programme, which will include information on the future changes following the introduction of the Environment Act 2021. Comments and questions were invited.

Councillor Atkinson commented that he receives a significant amount of contact from residents, raising concerns about irresponsible dog owners who fail to pick up dog waste.  Whilst he encourages residents to report the issues to Neighbourhood Wardens for investigation, he finds that many residents choose not to report their concerns.  He asked whether it was possible to launch a campaign to encourage people to report dog fouling. TheNeighbourhood Protection Manager clarified that some residents report dog fouling simply to request that it is cleaned up and those matters are dealt with by the Street Cleansing team. In order to conduct an investigation, officers require as much information as possible, however, details are often scant. The Neighbourhood Protection Manager asked that when Members are contacted by residents who report dog-fouling incidents for investigation, they gather as much information as possible, in order to assist the service in tracing the offender.

Councillor Nicholls agreed with Councillor Atkinson’s comment with regard to the contact from residents in relation to dog fouling and he recognised the difficulties officers face with many incidents and little information available to carry out investigations.

Councillor Nicholls spoke of an enquiry he had received from a resident who had asked whether it was permissible to pay for a park and ride ticket, to use the facility to park their car and then walk or ride a bike for the remainder of their journey, as opposed to taking the bus. The Corporate Policy and Performance Manager responded that under the current policy, the facility was only for those using the park and ride bus for their onward journey.  He agreed to contact the service to ascertain if there were any plans to change the policy in the future.

Councillor Nicholls pointed out that information relating to satisfaction with bus operators dated back to 2019 and he understood from residents that bus services remained unsatisfactory and he questioned whether bus operators were using the additional funding at their disposal, to improve services.

The Corporate Policy and Performance Manager replied that he would make enquiries as to whether more recent information is available on satisfaction with regard to bus operators within the county.

Councillor Nicholls observed the report lacked data on regional and national averages for example in terms of dog fouling and he was concerned that it had not been possible to report the number of anti-social behaviour incidents due to an IT system failure. The Corporate Policy and Performance Manager clarified that where comparative data was missing, that data was not available and he added that new Oflog measures may lead to additional data being provided in the future.  With regard to the anti-social behaviour data, a glitch in the system had led to incorrect information being returned.  It was expected that the information will be available for the quarter three report.

Councillor Sutton-Lloyd referred to performance in relation to highways and raised concern at the increasing number of potholes, adding that he understood that extra funding had been allocated to address the issues and he asked for an update on the work.  The  Corporate Policy and Performance Manager replied that he would contact the service for more detail to be provided, for circulation to the Committee. 

Councillor Stubbs spoke of the Bishop Auckland Food Festival which saw a £60,000 investment by the Council and he asked how much of the £425,000 income generated would have entered the local economy and whether the Council had covered its costs. The Corporate Policy and Performance Manager confirmed that the £425,000 was income into the local economy and he would contact the service to confirm the amount of income for the Council. 

Councillor Stubbs highlighted the graphs showing average occupancy rates across cinemas and theatres compared with average yields and he questioned whether the assets were providing value for money. The Corporate Policy and Performance Manager replied that whilst the performance in terms of theatres is much improved, performance in terms of yield for cinemas and theatres remains below target. In relation to cinemas, a higher sales target had been introduced during the quarter due to a number of blockbuster films being released. The performance for theatres had improved during the first and second quarters of the year which may have coincided with the appointment of the Audience Development Manager.  He confirmed that he would check with the Service Grouping as to when the Audience Development Officer had taken up post and provide a response to Members.  

Resolved:

The Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the overall position and direction of travel in relation to quarter two performance, and the actions being taken to address areas of challenge.