Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The Leader advised that the proceedings were being audio recorded and live streamed by the Council.

The minutes from the meeting held on 21 March 2023 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)      review the Community Plan Performance Report attached as Appendix 1; and

b)      consider the Council’s performance against its objectives highlighting any areas of high performance and identifying areas for improvement.

The Leader and Portfolio Holder for Strategy, Performance & Finance presented the Community Plan performance report for 1 January to 31 March 2023.

The report examined how the Council had been performing against the Community Plan as well as the data to look at the performance of key services and delivery against the activities outlined in the plan from 1 January to 31 March 2023 and 2022-23 as a full year.

The Opposition Spokesperson highlighted a number of positive actions and achievements detailed within the report which had been achieved by the Council over the past year, expressing her thanks to the previous administration for their hardwork and leadership.

The Cabinet considered the issue of anti-social behaviour acknowledging the pressures on the Public Protection Team and the need for further resources to improve performance within that area.

AGREED (unanimously) that Cabinet review the Community Plan Performance Report attached as Appendix 1.

Reasons for Decision:

Performance management is used to drive improvement by analysing data and progress against key activities as well as building a picture of the context of performance using district statistics, customer feedback and workforce information.

Options Considered:

Not applicable.

AGREED that:

a)      the final outturn of revenue and capital spending for 2022/23 be noted;

b)      the variation to the capital programme, as set out in paragraph 1.15 be approved;

c)      the capital financing proposals as set out in paragraph 1.16 be approved;

d)      Programme reprofiling of £28.643m carried forward into 2023/24 as per appendices E and F;

e)      the movement in Provisions and Impaired Estimates on Debtors be noted;

f)       the creations of the new reserves, as outlined in paragraph 1.26, be approved; and

g)    the individual contributions to, and withdrawals from, the revenue and capital Usable Reserves be noted.

The Leader and Portfolio Holder for Strategy, Performance & Finance presented the provisional financial outturn report to 31 March 2023. The report provided a summary of actual income and expenditure compared to the revised budget and how any surpluses or deficits had been allocated to or from reserves. The report included details of the General Fund, Housing Revenue Account (HRA), Capital Programme, provisional and impaired estimated on debtors, usable reserves and the collection fund.

The accounts showed a favourable variance of £0.746m on service budgets with a total additional transfer to usable reserves of £0.565m.  The statutory general fund had not varied during the year remaining at £1.500m in accordance with the Medium Term Financial Plan. The financial outturn position for the HRA was a deficit of £0.284. The Cabinet welcomed the report and the strong financial position of the Council.

AGREED (unanimously) that:

a)      the final outturn of revenue and capital spending for 2022/23 be noted;

b)      the variation to the Capital Programme, as set out in paragraph 1.15 be approved;

c)      the capital financing proposals as set out in paragraph 1.16 be approved;

d)      the Capital Programme reprofiling of £28.643m carried forward into 2023/24 as per appendices E and F be noted

e)      the movement in Provisions and Impaired Estimates on Debtors be noted;

f)       the creations of the new reserves, as outlined in paragraph 1.26, be approved; and

g)      the individual contributions to, and withdrawals from, the revenue and capital Usable Reserves be noted.

Reasons for Decision

To consider the provisional 2022/23 financial outturn position on the Council’s revenue and capital budgets.

Options considered:

Not applicable.

AGREED that:

a)       members note the overall positive levels in satisfaction for housing services;

b)      members note the full STAR Report attached at Appendix 1;

c)       members note this report has been presented to Senior Leadership Team, the Tenant Engagement Board and Policy, Performance and Improvement Committee; and

d)      members note there will be a survey in September 2023 following the introduction of the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) that in part, potentially replace the current and ongoing arrangements for STAR.

The Portfolio Holder for Homes & Health presented a report detailing the results of the STAR Survey for 2022-23. The STAR Survey aimed to establish how satisfied Council tenants were with a range of measures relating to their Council home, tenancy, communal services and neighbourhood. The Cabinet noted that the survey findings had also been reported to the Tenant Engagement Board and the Policy & Performance Improvement Committee.

The Portfolio Holder explained that the concerns raised in the survey regarding anti-social behaviour and complaints had been noted by officers. The Business Manager - Housing Income & Leaseholder Management, explained that the survey was anonymised so while it was possible to see all responses from a particular tenant, it was not possible to identify any tenants, or the area in which they lived, from the data.

The Opposition Spokesperson highlighted a number of positive results from the survey data, noting where those results were higher than the STAR benchmark. The Cabinet welcomed the report and positive survey findings.

AGREED (unanimously) that:

a)      the overall positive levels in satisfaction for housing services be noted;

b)      the full STAR Report as attached at Appendix 1 to the report be noted;

c)      Members note there will be a survey in September 2023 following the introduction of the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) that in part, potentially replace the current and ongoing arrangements for STAR.

Reasons for Decision

The STAR survey developed and promoted by Housemark has become the standard for tenants and residents’ surveys across the housing sector. It aims to establish how satisfied Council tenants are with a range of measures relating to their Council home, tenancy, communal services and neighbourhood.  It is not mandatory to run the STAR survey annually, but there has been value in running this survey on a regular frequency to identify key areas for improvement.

Options considered:

Not to consider the results of the STAR survey.