Minutes for Cabinet Member - Performance and Governance meeting, Jun 10 2009, 9.00AM official page

No apologies for absence were received.

Members and Officers are requested to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct.

No declarations of interest were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 6 May 2009

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 6 May 2009 be confirmed as a correct record.

Joint report of the Chief Executive and the Finance and Information Services Director

The Cabinet Member considered the joint Report of the Environmental Protection Director and the Finance and Information Services Director seeking approval for the inclusion of specific budgets, considered at risk of overspending, within the monthly budget monitoring forms for 2009/10; and indicating that a decision on this matter was required to enable a focussed approach to be taken in the monitoring of budget areas most considered at risk of overspending or under achieving. 

The report indicated that within the overall budget pressures, the particular areas most at risk of overspending or under achieving related to:

• Performance – Direct Employees costs, including National Insurance and Pensions;  and
• Communications Unit  - Advertising – Direct Employees costs including National Insurance and Pensions

RESOLVED:   That

(1)       the level of the 2009/10 Service Budget for the Performance and Governance portfolio be noted;

(2)       the areas of risk budgets as shown in paragraph 3.1 of the report be noted for inclusion within the monthly budget monitoring exercise;  and

(3)       the need for Service Directors to amend the areas of risk budgets monitored as issues arise during the year be recognised.

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Management)

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Management) on the progress made in relation to the Performance and Partnership Team and the Communications Unit against the Departmental Service Plan (DSP) (3 year strategic objectives) and Annual Service Plan (ASP) as at quarter four of 2008/09 relevant to parts of the Chief Executive’s Departmental Service Plan for 2008/09.

The report indicated that as part of the Council’s performance management framework, all DSP’s and ASP’s were entered into the Council’s SPRINT performance management system, with officers being required to update progress within that system.  Attached to the report was a copy of the Departmental and Annual Service Plan quarter 4 update on performance; and Annex 1 of the report provided more detailed information on the quarter 4 2008/09 monitoring for the DSP that was relevant for the Performance and Governance Portfolio.

The report indicated the progress of the Performance and Partnerships Team in relation to:

• Performance Management and SPRINT;
• Data Quality;
• Comprehensive Area Assessment;
• Strategic Partnership – Local Area Agreement;
• Local Area Agreement;
• Performance and Partnerships Annual Service Plan;
•  

for the Communications Unit in respect of:

• Corporate Strategy;
• the Advertising Unit;
• Election Media Services; and
• Emergency Communication Plans.

The report concluded by referring to progress in respect of the Corporate and cross-cutting issues of Equalities and sustainability; and indicating that as part of the 2009/10 Service Planning the Chief Executive’s Department had updated its risk register.

RESOLVED:

That the progress in respect of the Performance and Governance Portfolio’s responsibilities within the departmental service plan be noted.

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Management)

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Management) on the annual performance for Sefton’s Local Area Agreement (LAA) 2007-2010 and the Local Area Agreement (LAA) 2008-2011.

The report indicated that to enable clarity the LAA performance was provided thematically (in thematic groups); that this was the first annual report on LAA performance incorporating all LAA targets and that scheduling this information for each June should allow the maximum amount of full year’s data to be used.

The report concluded that there was a pressing need for a performance management framework that provided all concerned with easy to read and up to date information, to enable robust challenge and monitoring, ensure that LAA targets were met, and improvement plans implemented.

Thematic Partnership Managers and lead officers presented their respective sections of the report and responded to questions and comments by the Cabinet Member and Spokespersons thereon.

RESOLVED: That

(1)

the performance of the ‘old’ LAA and ‘new’ LAA and Members’ comments thereon be noted;

(2)

the layout and content of this first annual report and Members’ comments thereon be noted; and

(3)

the comments indicated in (1) and (2) above be taken into account by the Performance Team, Thematic Partnership Managers and other respective lead officers, in the production of future LAA performance reports.