PAPER C2

COMMITTEE: FIRE AND PUBLIC SAFETY SELECT COMMITTEE

DATE: 19 AUGUST 2002

TITLE: SERVICE PLANS AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND INFORMATION AND COUNTY TREASURER

SUMMARY / PURPOSE :

This report summarises information on the 2002/03 Service Plan for the Consumer Protection Service 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

CONSUMER PROTECTION SERVICE PLAN

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

· Bereavement Services

· Environmental Health

· Trading Standards

The information provided in Annex 1 includes:

• Numerical indicators, targets & standards & comparisons (Section 7 of the Plan)
• Performance achievements (Sections 8 of the Plan)
• Service aims, objectives, tasks and targets (Section 11 of the Plan)

By way of background Members will be aware that the Council’s Consumer Protection Service was established earlier this year. The Service Head took up his appointment in May.

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

BV166a and BV166b are the only national performance indicators targeted at Environmental Health (BV166a) and Trading Standards (BV166b). The indicators are broadly identical and were introduced in 2001/2. In each case the indicator is compiled by services scoring themselves against a range of activities including adoption of enforcement policies, approach to risk based inspections, compliance with national standards and stakeholders consultation. The highest score possible is 100%. In 2001/2 Environmental Health scored 65%, Trading Standards scored 61.6%. There are no national performance indicators targeted at Bereavement Services.

A variety of local performance indicators are in use across Consumer Protection and a number of these feature in annex 1 in this report. The value of each of these local indicators will be assessed during the current year to ensure they remain meaningful and relevant.

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

Consumer Protection Service Plan 2002/3

Contact point : Rob Owen - 8388

John Pulsford

Strategic Director of Finance & Information & County Treasurer

ANNEX 2 : PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

FIRE & PUBLIC SAFETY

Better than average & improving

BV 126 Domestic burglaries per 1,000 households

Better than average but worsening

BV 128 Vehicle crimes per 1,000 population

Worse than average but improving

None

Worse than average & worsening

None

Unclassified

BV 127 Violent crimes per 1,000 population (Better than average (2000/01), then indicator changed by DTLR)

BV 173 Has the local authority established a strategy to reduce crime and disorder in the area? (No) If no, has the authority established a timescale for doing so? (Yes)

BV 143 (i) Number of deaths (excluding precautionary checks) arising from accidental fires in dwellings per 100,000 population. (Static at zero)

No comparison data is available centrally for the following indicators. Classification is by trend only

Improving

BV 12 Fire Service Personnel: Number of days/shifts lost to long term and short term sickness:

a. Wholetime - long term

short term

b. Retained - long term

short term

c. Fire Control - short term

d. Headquarters - short term

BV 142 (i) Number of calls to fire attended: total calls (excluding false alarms) per 10,000 population

BV 142 (ii) Number of calls to fire attended: primary fires per 10,000 population

BV 143 (ii) Number of injuries (excluding precautionary checks) arising from accidental fires in dwellings per 100,000 population.

BV 144b Fire in dwellings confined to room of origin in smaller cities/larger towns – ‘B risk’.

BV 144c Fire in dwellings confined to room of origin in smaller towns and urban residential areas – ‘C risk’.

BV 145 Percentage of calls to fire at which national standards for attendance were met.

BV 149 False alarms caused by automatic fire detection apparatus per 1,000 non domestic properties.

Worsening

BV 12 Fire Service Personnel: Number of days/shifts lost to long term and short term sickness:

c. Fire Control - long term

d. Headquarters - long term

BV 15 Percentage of employees retiring on grounds of ill health as a percentage of the total work force

BV 142 (iii) Number of calls to fire attended: accidental fires in dwellings per 10,000 dwellings

BV 144d Fire in dwellings confined to room of origin in rural village areas – ‘D risk’.

BV 146 Number of calls to malicious false alarms per 1,000 population.