Agenda item

Trafod Adroddiad Cyflawniad y Cyngor ar gyfer Chwarter 4 2018/19.

The Service Director, Finance & Improvement Services presented the Council’s Year End Performance Report (to 31^st March 2019) to the Committee.

It was explained to Members that the Year End Report was presented to and approved by Cabinet on the 18^th of July 2019 and contains revenue and capital budget performance; Treasury Management prudential indicators; Organisational Health information including staff turnover, sickness and Council strategic risks; Corporate Plan updates; and other national measures.

The Service Director, Finance & Improvement Services outlined the Corporate Plan priority updates along with a summary of performance measure results.

Members made a number of observations and put questions to the Service Director.

Councillor G. Thomas referred the Committee to page 28 of the report and to the increased rate of people kept in hospital whilst waiting for social care. The Service Director informed Members that as more people were being supported to live at home during 2018/19, this put pressure on the capacity of services and impacted on the timeliness of care packages commencing. The Service Director went on to indicate that within this overall position there were elements of positive performance, for example, reductions in the number of delays due to assessments and also reductions in the number of delays due to choice/availability. The Service Director added that the Council remains committed to the timely discharge of people from hospital, supported by the Stay Well@Home Service and working with partners to strengthen capacity.

The Chair raised a query in respect of the increased number of people requiring support to live at home and questioned how the Council deals with this in terms of the additional resources required. The Service Director informed Members that the Council continues to focus its work, and that of its partners, on early intervention and prevention, prioritises the allocation of resources to these areas and optimises the use of additional funding provided by the Welsh Government, for example, winter pressures funding. The Service Director went on to indicate that although demand is increasing, positive results are being delivered in areas such as the Reablement Service that is supporting people to live independently for longer.

Councillor S. Bradwick questioned when the work on the Black Lion Hotel in Aberdare was due to be completed and pointed out that it has been four years since the building work began and that it is having a detrimental effect on the visual appearance of the town centre. The Councillor also referenced similar issues in respect of the Boot Hotel, Aberdare. The Director of Prosperity and Development acknowledged that both projects have not proceeded as quickly as originally planned and he assured Members that the Planning Service is working with the individual companies involved in order to progress  projects as quickly as possible. The Director advised that he would feedback an update to Committee Members in respect of this issue in due course.

Councillor R. Yeo referred Committee Members to the lack of recruitment in social care and noted the work the Council is doing with partners to support improvement in this area. The Councillor added that an update on this area will be reported to the Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee during 2019/20. The Chair commented that where more detailed or relevant information has been reported to other scrutiny committees, if a hyperlink could be included within the appropriate section of the Performance Report to enable the Finance and Performance Scrutiny Committee to consider a full as picture of performance as possible.

Councillor J. Cullwick requested clarification in respect of the number of houses being developed across the County Borough. The Director of Prosperity and Development acknowledged that the Council needs to find additional delivery methods such as SME Builders and self-build. The Director advised Members that some major schemes that were expected to be underway by now had stalled such as Cefn Hendy (that proposes 460 houses being built) and Llanilid where 1850 are expected; however, ongoing issues such as ecological issues and a village green challenge have caused significant delays.

In respect of the performance indicator for the number of new affordable homes being delivered, Councillor G. Thomas questioned why there had been a reduction in the targeted figure for 2018/19. The Director of Prosperity and Development fed back that as part of setting the target at the start of the 2018/19 financial year, it was anticipated that a number of large schemes could be delayed for reasons outside of the Council’s control and this was reflected in the target set. The Director went on to indicate that the Cefn Hendy and Llanilid sites were examples of this where there have been delays in the sites being started The Director added that it was anticipated that some of the delays will be progressed during 2019/20 and this is reflected in a slightly higher target being set for the next 12 months. Councillor W. Lewis queried whether Members could have access to a report that shows how many property developments were turned down on appeal. The Director of Prosperity and Development advised Members that he would collate the information and circulate to Members of the Committee.

Councillor R. Yeo referred Members to page 87 of the report and commented that he felt encouraged by the Council’s strategy in respect of empty properties. Councillor T. Williams requested additional information in respect of empty properties across the County Borough. A number of Members concurred and requested a breakdown on a ward-by-ward basis. The Director of Prosperity and Development advised that he would collate the information and that an update would be shared with Members of the Committee.

Mr Fish, the Voting Elected Parent/Governor Representative, highlighted a number of areas for feedback: to what extent has the £0.195M underspend within Early Intervention Services (within Children Services) impacted on the delivery of the Resilient Families Service; does the underspend for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) (within Council Wide budgets) mean an increase in prosperity across the County Borough; and how has the £104k underspend for Education and Inclusion Services been utilised as part of the Council wide year-end position.

The Service Director, Finance & Improvement Services provided feedback on the points raised: the £0.195M underspend within Early Intervention Services was primarily due to temporary staffing vacancies during the year and within this position appropriate resources were allocated to support the delivery and on-going development of the Resilient Families Service; the underspend on CTRS reflected an on-going trend of reduced caseload that is likely to be influenced by a number of factors, for example, change of individuals’ circumstances / income levels, individuals becoming employed and the roll-out of Universal Credit, with the area of CTRS continuing to be closely monitored to ensure eligible claimants are identified and supported to claim the benefits they are entitled to; and the £104k underspend for Education and Inclusion Services related to non-school budgets, reflected one-off underspends in core budgeted areas during the year and was incorporated into the Council wide year-end Revenue Budget position.   

Following discussion, Members RESOLVED to acknowledge the Council’s financial and operational performance position as at 31^st March 2019 (Year End).