Options of Reporting Performance Information to Scrutiny Committees

OPTIONS OF REPORTING PERFORMANCE INFORMATION TO SCRUTINY SERVICE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEES

1. PURPOSE

Performance management helps the Council run and improve its services. If we don’t know how good or bad we are then we are unable to identify how we might need to improve. From the CPA inspection (2002) report it indicated the need for a streamlined reporting process.

Scrutiny plays a key function within the council and is a vital component of any robust internal performance management framework. The Council has improved the way it undertakes scrutiny (over the last year) however it is recognised that it needs to be developed further. This report gives a number of opinions as to how this can be achieved. The report is broken down into two sections:

1.  Firstly, to review what information scrutiny members receive to enable them to actively use the performance information to challenge performance outcomes.

2.  Secondly, to review the way in which performance information is presented to members and to suggest alternative solutions.

2. INTRODUCTION

A key sign of a strong, self-confident organisation is one that manages its performance effectively. Performance Management should be at the heart of any organisation’s drive to secure continuous improvement in delivering quality, efficient, and user focused services.

Members have a strategic role to play in the management of the performance of the Council. They wish to see their priorities for the residents of the borough turned into reality and they have to manage the expectations of their electorate. Through the Council’s performance management framework these expectations can be turned into delivery of key service priorities. The scrutiny process forms an important function to deliver these “Key Deliverables”.

3. SCRUTINY COMMITTEES

The role and function of Service Development Committees in relation to performance management is to:

·  Assess the council’s overall progress in meeting its corporate priorities

·  Assess the effectiveness of individual services through service plans, performance indicators and external inspections

·  seek to base their activities, conclusions and recommendations on hard evidence.

·  adopt a focussed approach; seeking to concentrate efforts on those issues which are likely to be effective in improving performance.

·  be interested in outcomes and, if necessary, the processes and actions designed to achieve those outcomes.

4. KEY ISSUES

To review what information scrutiny members receive to enable them to actively use the performance information to challenge performance outcomes.

Monitoring the right things:

As an organisation, which provides a wide range of different services, there are many potential performance measures; these include national Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPI’s), Local Public Service Agreement Indicators (LPSA), Local Performance Indicators, financial information, action plans performance data and external audit and inspection findings.

The alternative options of what may be measured

OPTION 1: Continue with existing reporting of BVPI and LPSA Indicators

The Current Position:

At present ALL BVPI’s and LPSA indicators have been sent to SDC’s for scrutiny on an exception basis. It has been indicated that this format does not provide members with the most up to-date relevant information.

The Gaps

With the current arrangements it is recognised that the following areas for improvement exists, these include:

·  Scrutiny members have had difficulties using the performance information that they receive to challenge performance outcomes.

·  The way in which performance information is presented to members does not assist their understanding.

·  Timely and regular production of performance information by managers appears to be inconsistent SDC’s.

·  Current reporting of performance indicators may not always measure and reflect council priorities.

OPTION 2: Report only on Corporate Performance Plan Performance Indicators

The emerging Corporate Performance Plan (2005-07) has been remodeled to ensure that clear success measures, outcomes and performance indicators are attributed to each of the corporate goals and priority service areas.

Members will have the option to scrutinise only those key performance indicators (KPI’s) contained within the Corporate Performance Plan. This will be a ‘handful’ of KPI’s. Closer scrutiny of the Corporate Performance Plan will enable members to get more engaged for the following reasons:

·  Public Interest: the concerns of local people are reflected in the three corporate goals and priority service areas

·  Impact: the emerging priorities should be given greater weighting as they will make the biggest difference to the social, economic and environmental well-being of Blackpool

·  Council Performance: priority needs to be given to the areas in which the Council, and other agencies, are not performing well

·  Local Priorities: the KPI’s will reflect local priorities rather than national

·  Timely: reporting of progress against the Corporate Performance Plan will be more timely and consistent in approach

OPTION 3: To monitor key plans and strategies which constitute the Council’s policy framework

The Council Constitution list those key strategies and plans, which form the Council’s policy framework. These plans and strategies contain action plans, key milestone and success measures.

To review the way in which performance information is presented to members.

Past reports sent to SDC have often been long, confusing and difficult to understand. The following section outlines alternative reporting options and suggest a number of solutions to improve member understanding of performance information.

5.  FORMAT OF SCRUTINY REPORTS - CONTENT

What should reports to SDC’s include?

·  Be short and to the point. Is it Members’ preference to have concise reports, which exclude unnecessary material?

·  An indication of the key issues for scrutiny. Up to half a dozen short bullet points should be included on the first page of the report to identify the key issues for discussion by scrutiny. This might include drawing the committee’s attention to “problem areas” or to business critical factors.

·  Appropriate levels of evidence to back up any assertions made. For example, if performance has improved, indicate by how much, in absolute or percentage terms, or both.

·  The level of detailed required from actions plans. Committees may ask for subsequent reports on progress against the targets.

·  The avoidance of using jargon and acronyms

Appendix 1 illustrates a performance report with clear and simple commentary from Blackburn with Darwen Council to show progress of a particular performance indicator. However it lacks an explanation as to what are the barriers to future improvement, what remedial action is to be taken and what resources are required to over come poor performance.

Appendix 3 shows an alternative option, which includes more detailed commentary on the current performance, barriers to improvement and proposed action. This will enable members to use both data and commentary to challenge performance outcomes.

6. PRESENTING STATISTICAL DATA

The evidence-based approach of Scrutiny often means that it is necessary to provide performance information statistics to these Committees

In presenting performance information officers have endeavoured to:

·  use data that is relevant to the issue.

·  make sure the data can be understood.
use up to date information. Previous reports have used data that have not been timely and as such, data often loses its relevance.

Appendix 2 shows a clear diagram to track the progress of a performance indicator from Preston City Council. This enables members to track performance over time and make a value judgement. However is this format useful to members?

An option for consideration: Appendix 3

Appendix 3 shows how commentary and statistical information can be merged together to create a storyboard for a particular performance indicator. It provides an overview of current performance and can inform members of issues and proposed action to be taken.

7. PRESENTATIONS TO SCRUTINY COMMITTEES

Presenting performance information by the use of PowerPoint presentation to SDC’s can be beneficial in the following ways:

·  the use of diagrams to illustrate data. Diagrams are invaluable in helping members to identify trends in performance over a number of years or to compare the performance of the Council against other authorities.

·  the use of graphics to highlight key data. This might be simply using highlighting or shading of the key data or using ”ticks” and “crosses”, thumb signs or smiles to indicate “good” and “bad” performance.

·  can allow a more interactive approach with members – the presenter turns the information from something static on a page into a discussion point for the committee

Appendix 4 illustrates an example of how a PowerPoint presentation may be used to complement quarterly performance reports. It provides a powerful tool to focus member attention on those priority areas, which are in need of particular attention and enable more debate.

RECOMMENDATION

That SDMC indicates its preference with regard to the content and format of performance information reports.

The content:

·  Continue with existing arrangements of BVPI’s or

·  Report only on Corporate Performance Plan Performance Indicators or

·  To monitor key plans and strategies

The format:

·  Appendix 1: which uses commentary and graphs

·  Appendix 2: which focuses on solely on graphs and tables

·  Appendix 3 (story board): which is a combination of appendix 1 and 2

·  Or alternatively to receive a PowerPoint presentation

That future performance information reports are brought to SDMC, who will then decide whether additional scrutiny of the relevant performance indicators is required. If this is so, the further scrutiny of that performance indicator will be delegated to the relevant SDC.

Appendix 1: Blackburn

KPI: BV109c - % of other planning applications determined in 8 weeks
/ Progress CommentsThis category includes householder, change of use and advertisements applications and represents the largest group of applications (201), of which 160 were decided within 8 weeks, meeting the government target.
(Higher performance is better) / Status
KPI: BV126 – Domestic Burglaries per 1,000 households
/ Progress CommentsBlackburn with Darwen recorded a total of 189 burglaries of dwellings in this quarter, which is a decrease of 13% (actual 28) on the previous quarter’s figure of 217. Compared with the same quarter last year, burglary in a dwelling has increased slightly by +1% (189 offences compared to 187) though the number of burglaries per 1000 households has remained constant (rate 3.2) with that recorded in the third quarter in 2003/2004.
Recorded figures for burglary in a dwelling continue to be below the baseline figure for this target and this quarter’s figures remain below the 303 crimes projected. Therefore, the Community Safety Partnership is still on course to reduce burglary by 24% by 2005 to 1811 crimes.
The burglary group has continued to work with persistent offenders, Operation Tower, which is presently working with 20 clients, and Trading Standards, who now have a single point of contact within the Intelligence Unit at Blackburn. The latter initiative has focused on the exchange of information related to individuals targeting vulnerable populations, particularly elderly residents living in the Borough. Property marking kits have also been placed in community centres, whilst leafleting campaigns and property surgeries have been conducted. Property marking days were conducted in the run-up to Christmas. Target hardening of properties through increased security and physical deterrence continues.
(Lower performance is better) / Status

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Appendix 2: Preston

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Appendix 3: Story Board

BV53 Intensive home care per 1000 65+

Definition
Number of households receiving intensive home care, per 1000 population aged 65 or over.
Reason For Inclusion
Performance remains in the lower part of the mid-range, as identified in the original PI Watchlist
1. Comment on Current Performance
This indicator is collated annually based on a sample week in September.
2. Planned or current improvement action
1) Refocus of in house domiciliary care service almost complete. 2) Creation of third primary night care team. 3) Creation of external shopping service. 4) Adoption of outcome based commissioning model. 5) Work with providers (to identify over commissioned hours).
3. Barriers to improvement
1) Low rate of fees in comparison to neighbouring authorities. 2) Continued competition in recruitment against the service sector.

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