PAPER G

Committee : RESOURCES SELECT COMMITTEE

Date : 9 OCTOBER 2002

Title : SERVICE PLANS AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE AND ENVIRONMENT SERVICES

SUMMARY / PURPOSE :

This report summarises information on the 2002/03 Service Plan for Legal and Democratic Services together with information and commentary on past performance in 2001/02.

BACKGROUND

Service Plans have been prepared to a standard format for all major service areas within the authority. The Plans contain a range of information including :

• Details of services provided
• Resources
• Staff structure
• Service aims, objectives, tasks and targets

Following preparation of a Corporate Plan (draft approved for consultation at Executive on July 2^nd 2002), a revised Service Plan format is to be introduced for the next financial year – this will ensure that service activities directly link to the approved corporate goals.

The Council also collects a diverse range of information regarding service performance through both national and local Performance Indicators (PIs) which are published each year in the Best Value Performance Plan (BVPP). In the 2001/02 BVPP, a “traffic light” system has been introduced to classify PIs by the following categories :

• Better than average and improving
• Better than average and worsening
• Worse than average and improving
• Worse than average and worsening

SERVICE PLAN

Attached to this report (Annex 1), members will find summary information for the following service areas :

· A legal advice and representation service for the whole of the Council.

· A local Land Charges service, provided replies to searches and enquiries from the public.

· Electoral Services to ensure the smooth running and operation of an election.

· To provide an Electoral Register every year (rolling register from early 2001).

· Committee Services to provide support to the Council’s Democratic Process.

· Provision of administrative support to Leader of the Council and to all members.

· Managing the affairs to the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Deputy Chairman to the include Twinning and Civic Events and Protocol

· Providing a service as Deputy Clerk to the Lieutenancy encompassing role as Secretary to LC’s Advisory Committee for Magistrates.

The information provided in Annex 1 includes :

• Numerical indicators, targets & standards & comparisons
• Performance achievements
• Service aims, objectives, tasks and targets

Members will wish to note the following :

• The Service Plan was prepared by current and former colleagues in anticipation of the creation of the new Legal and Democratic Services Team which brings together with the previously separate Legal Services, Democratic Services and Civic Affairs Teams. The efforts of the authors of the Service Plan should be praised.

• It is acknowledged to be a corporate weakness in service planning that insufficient links are made between the individual Service Plans and the hierarchy of Corporate Plans, particularly the Best Value Performance Plan, draft Corporate Plan and Community Strategy. The alignment of Service Plans to the broader strategic planning of the authority is particularly important in a service, such as this, where a significant percentage of the service is delivered to other parts of the Council in order to support, facilitate and enable more direct pursuit of strategic objectives.

• An important link between the high level strategic objectives, set out in the plans referred to above, will be the Comprehensive Performance Assessment Action Plan. The current Service Plan will, therefore, be re-visited well in advance of March 2003 in order to make clear and explicit the alignment of the Service Plan through the hierarchy of corporate action and strategic plans. The intention and requirement is that the Service Plan both reflect and influence the choices which have to be made in best using the limited resources available to achieve the objectives of the Council.

• The current Service Plan also reflects the need for evolutionary development during the year 2002/2003 during which the political and managerial structures of the Council were developing. Future Service Plans will need to bring about step change in the delivery of the services in order that the contribution of the service to the Corporate Objectives increases rapidly and demonstrably.

• Section 8 of the Service Plan identifies 6 areas for improvement which are actively being pursued. Significant progress has been made in the following areas:-

TASK	COMMENT
Develop and record office procedures	Lexcel accreditation obtained August 2002 (first accreditation on the Island). Good practice to be rolled out to non-legal areas of the Team.
Election turnout	No major elections to take place during the year. Local Democracy Week marked by commencement of a 6 month Action Plan to stimulate young people’s involvement in the Council’s decision making processes.
Review of polling places.	On target for completion by March 2003.
Procedure and record keeping for outside bodies to be improved.	Audit and recommendations by the new Monitoring Officer to start after 1 November 2002.
Application for Lexcel quality standard.	See above
Time recording for Legal.	A procurement exercise commenced. Implementation date will be towards the end of 2003 and not within this Service Plan period.

• Section 11 of the Service Plan identifies Service Aims, Objectives, Tasks and Targets. All of the 26 Tasks listed have either been achieved or are on target for completion by the date set in the Service Plan, with the exceptions set out in the table below.

TASKS	REVISED DATE	COMMENTS
Crystal Marking	February 2003.	Pilot Exercise undertaken. Need to evaluate whether the cost justifies the benefit and take decision on future Crystal Marking.
Information to public re: attendance at meetings.	January 2003.	Target slipped due to desire to take input from new Heads of Service.
Member questionnaire re: Committee Services	October 2003.	Target slipped in order to take input from new Head of Service.
Benchmarking for Committee Services	March 2003	Slippage due to exercise requiring greater time commitment than anticipated.
Advice to Officers on Committee Reports	December 2002	Task expanded to include incorporation of risk management, advice and preparation of suite of guidance documents, Executive report; Select Committee reports; Regulatory Committee reports.
IT Disaster Recovery Plans	December 2002	Now being approached by departmental basis.
Residential Charges	No longer a target	Funding changes have removed need to prioritise.
Land Registry Direct	Decision by March 2003	Need to undertake cost-benefit analysis.

It is not anticipated that any target will fail to be delivered against the revised target dates. This does raise the question as to whether the targets were sufficiently stretching. However, the effort and commitment of team members in achieving the progress to date has been considerable and should be recognised.

Members are invited to comment upon the Service Plan. Areas for enquiry may include :

• Does it support achievement of the Council’s mission “to improve Island life”?
• Does it give a clear view of the service aims and targets?
• Are the targets sufficiently “stretching” and do they meet identified priorities and needs?
• Does it provide sufficient information to inform members decisions on budget priorities?

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Also attached to this report (Annex 2), are the Performance Indicators for the Select Committees areas of responsibility. These have been categorised into the 4 “traffic light” groupings described earlier. A fifth category (“unclassified) has been added to include those PIs where it is not possible to make a performance judgement.

The following comments should be noted :

1. Unclassified

· LBV COR DS1 percentage of Electorate voting at local elections. Previously a National Best Value Performance Indicator. A target was retained as a Local Performance Indicator in the current Best Value Performance Plan. The target is not possible to classify as the delayed 2001 local elections were combined with the general election and produced a turnout of 61.25%. In terms of this Performance Indicator as a measure of the vibrancy of local democracy, the figure is rather meaningless.

The removal of this Indicator from the list of National BVPIs reflects a consensus that, firstly, turnout at local elections is not a direct reflection of the quality of the electoral service and, secondly, that other targets should be adopted both to reflect the efficiency of the electoral service and to measure the health of local democratic engagement.

Suggested Performance Indicators;

§ Cost of service per registered elector

§ Electoral Pilots

§ Satisfaction figure

· Former BV7 – percentage of electoral registration Form A’s returned.

Another target removed from the list of National BVPI’s. Performance dropped between 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 by 0.7%. Performance was also below the average for similar Councils. The canvass is nearing completion and current performance will be known 30 November 2002.

· LBV COR BC7 Land Charges search process inquiry response within 10 days time limit.

Previously a National BVPI and retained as a local Indicator. The target for the last three years has been 100%. This was not achieved in 2001/2002 due to the implementation of a new IT system. The target has been achieved in each recording period since April 2002. As the target does not allow for any improvement, it is not possible to classify this Indicator under the current ‘traffic light’ system.

This target appears to have served its purpose in improving a performance and is not longer useful in driving further improvements.

§ Cost per enquiry

§ Turnaround in 5 days

· BV 177 – Community Legal Service Partnership.

This target appears in the Best Value Performance Plan as a Legal Services target. It is entirely distinct from the services provided by Legal and Democratic Services being the core business of the Community Legal Services Partnership [Service Plan/Lead Officer]

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

None as a direct result of this report.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Committee :

1. Consider and comment upon the Service Plan

2. Consider and comment upon the Performance Indicators for the service and identifies priority areas for improvement

BACKGROUND PAPERS

Best Value Performance Plan, 2001/02

Contact point : John K. Lawson – Head of Legal and Democratic Services

M FISHER

Strategic Director of Corporate and Environment Services

ANNEX 1 : SERVICE PLAN

SERVICE PLAN 7. STATEMENT OF PERFORMANCE 1

NUMERIC INDICATORS, TARGETS, STANDARDS AND COMPARISONS

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR AND SOURCE

PERFORMANCE

BENCHMARKING

	ACTUAL 01/02	ESTIMATE 02/03	TARGET (& DATE)	COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE (DATE)	SOURCE OF COMPARISON
% of LLC searches returned in 10 working days	98.5%	100%	100%
Turnout at local election	61.25% (combined with Parliamentary – hence high figure)		39% (2005)	37% (1998)	Turnout on night

8. STATEMENT OF PERFORMANCE 2

NON NUMERIC PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS OR AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

During last 12 months

Achievements.

Implemented Modernised Council Structure

Combined Election held in June

Rolling Registration requirements implemented

New Canvass arrangements implemented

Managed secondment of Legal Services Manager

America’s Cup Jubilee events in Summer 2001.

Increased response by people in need to the Goodwill Fund and Tom Woolgar charity

Smooth transition for Advisory Committee in connection with the Hants and IW MCC amalgamation.

Areas for Improvement.

Further office procedures to be properly developed and recorded

Election turnout

Review of Polling Places

Procedure and record keeping for outside bodies to be improved

Application for Lexcel quality standard

Need time-recording system for Legal

Over last 1 to 3 years

Achievements.

Achievement of Investors in People accreditation.

Completion of Best Value pilot review – legal services.

Establishment of members support Officer.

Compliance with LLC national code of practice.

Planning dept. now linked to LLC computer system.

LLC and Committee Services office moves.

Areas for Improvement.

Benchmarking

11. SERVICE AIMS, OBJECTIVES, TASKS AND TARGETS

SERVICE AIM /OBJECTIVE	TASKS	TARGETS AND DATES	RESPONSIBLE OFFICER	DIRECTORATE OBJECTIVE TO WHICH THIS TASK CONTRIBUTES
a. Provide quality service
	Obtain Lexcel accreditation	Summer 2002	M.J.Kirkman	2
	Use Internet access to full potential	End of 2002	All	2
	Achieve search turn-round of 100% in 10 working days.	End of 2002	C. Murphie	2
	Join NLIS by updating LLC system	September 2003	C. Murphie	2
	Prepare Freedom of Information publication scheme	December 2002	J. Thorne	2
	Submit Terms of Reference document for Crystal marking	Autumn 2002	C. Mathews	2
	Explore how to provide info to public re attendance at meetings	Autumn 2002	C. Mathews	1
	All public meeting venues to be fully compliant with the Disability and Discrimination Act provisions.	Spring 2003	C Mathews	1
	Ensuring participation of Civic Offices in over 100 Island events and functions per annum.	Spring 2003	L Knowles	1
	Promote public speaking at meetings of the Development Control Committee	June 2002	C Mathews	1
	Ensure public information we provide is available in variety of forms (ie Braille)	Spring 2003	C Mathews	1
	Promotion and the importance of local democracy.	Support Local Democracy Week each September.	C Mathews	1
b. Keep clients informed
	Use end-of-job questionnaires on sample basis	April 2002	P. Pilgrem	2
	Hold further meeting of LLC liaison group	May 2002	C. Murphie	2
	Member questionnaire re Committee Services	spring 2002	C. Mathews	1
	Information on Members attendance at Meetings	Autumn 2002	C. Mathews	1
c. Best Value
	Discuss charges on property for Residential Care fees with Social Services	Oct. 2002	S. Hayward	2
	Benchmarking for committee services	Autumn 2002	C. Mathews	2
d. Improving Electoral Turnout	Review of Polling Places	Spring 2003	C. Mathews	1
e. Service Improvements following Development Days	Brief officers on the Standard approach to be used for reports (layout and deadlines)	Directors Group by: 30/6/02	C. Mathews	2
	Team meetings on a monthly basis/joint team meetings as needed	31/5/02	C. Mathews	2
	Develop mutual support role get feedback from each	31/5/02	C. Mathews	2
	Promote homeworking - request costings from ICT - test feasibility	Next Team Leaders meeting	P. Pilgrem	2
	Disaster Recovery Plans for IT - Legal - LLC - follow up with D. Price.	31/05/02	P.Pilgrem	2
	IT training - arrange training on Word - on-line legal info	December 2002	All Section heads	2
	Join Land Registry Direct system	December 2002	S. Hayward	2

ANNEX 2 : PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

No National Best Value Performance Indicators for within this service area.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

On the following pages, are the full set of Performance Indicators included in the Best Value Performance Plan. These have been organised into Select Committee area and categorised into one of 5 groups as requested by Select Committee chairs :

• Better than average and improving
• Better than average and worsening
• Worse than average and improving
• Worse than average and worsening
• Unclassified ie. indicators on which it is not possible to make a performance judgement

You should incorporate the appropriate PIs for your Select Committee and service area only into Annex 2 of the report template.