Agenda item

Neal Barton, Policy, Performance and Partnerships Manager introduced the report noting that 74% of performance indicators and 7 out of 8 priority projects were on or above target at the end of the year despite the notable impacts of the pandemic.

The Committee discussed the tender for electric car charging points. It was confirmed that, following legal advice, it had been necessary to abandon the original County wide procurement process because of the winning bidder changing what they were willing to agree at the final contract stages. The Council is required to follow proper procurement rules on contracts over a certain value, and the new tender in conjunction with West Sussex County Council and other Districts and Boroughs will allow for economies of scale and provide a coordinated network for customers to benefit from. The new tender will include a service level agreement and will specify a rapid charger at the Triangle, which together with 26 other named charge sites in Mid Sussex to be installed, subject to site assessments, as a priority during the first phase of contract implementation.

Members discussed the mechanisms in place for setting performance targets, and the definition of ‘health check’ indicators. In some instances, such as the percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting the indicators reflect how they are reported to the Government.

The Policy, Performance and Partnerships Manager clarified queries relating to the staff sickness value, figures for attendance at leisure centres and the target relating to e-forms received from residents. It was also noted that Environmental Health, Revenues and Benefits and the Legal team had experienced a high volume of work over the past year. With the Land Charges team, the turnaround time has slipped slightly but the volume of work has increased, and income is up 34%.

Discussion was held on the rate of return for tenanted non-residential properties and the footfall in the Orchards Shopping Centre. The Head of Corporate Resources agreed to provide a written response to confirm the amount of rent collected and its implication for the budget. A written response was also agreed on the cost related to time spent in temporary accommodation, and how that compares to the budget.  Discussion was held on the ability of the Council to hold developers to their agreement to provide affordable housing.

The Committee discussed the Full Fibre project. The Head of Digital and Customer Service confirmed that work is underway, and the Council is keen to engage providers early on so connection can begin before the whole route is completed. The Deputy Leader confirmed that the gigabyte voucher scheme is operational and statistics on the full fibre roll out are available on www.burgesshill.net. A Member Workshop will be arranged to provide a full briefing.

The Chairman took Members to the recommendations contained in the report which were agreed. 

RESOLVED

The Committee:

(i)         Noted the Council’s outturn performance and progress with Council Priority           Projects in 2020/21 and identified any areas where further reporting or       information is required; and

(ii)        Advised the Cabinet of any issues that the Committee considers should be    given particular consideration at the Cabinet meeting on 7th June 2021.