Agenda item

The Committee considered a report on the Council’s performance for 2015/16. This report had previously been considered by the Executive in August 2016 and would be the final report in its current format, reflecting changes proposed to the Annual Plan and the introduction of a 5 year plan to replace the previous 10 year Strategy.

Members noted that inconsistencies in the Red/Amber/Green (RAG) report had been raised by the Executive and measures had been incorporated into future reporting to introduce a greater level of clarity.

The proposed changes to the report format and content were welcomed, particularly in respect of more clarity on whether or not an issue was fully within the Council’s control and whether targets were to be achieved in that particular year or a more extended period.

The Chief Executive reported that, in an environment where councils were required to respond quickly to change, it had been considered prudent to introduce changes to long, medium and short term measures which permitted the Council to maintain and improve services against a background of reduced funding and resources, whilst providing greater clarity for Borough residents on what had been achieved against targets set.

Within the report, there were a small number of targets which had not been met, notably in respect of the Museum/Heritage Centre. It had been recognised that whilst improvements were needed in some services, these were not as high a priority as some other more key issues and the Council had adjusted its focus accordingly.

Members sought clarification of the actual subsidy levels for the Camberley Theatre and how these compared to target reductions set. It was emphasised that the Council would need to take a broad view on all subsidies, including those to the Theatre.

The Committee welcomed a number of notable achievements from the report, including ongoing moves to regenerate Camberley Town Centre, investment in properties, achieving the ‘Gold’ level in Investors in People plus the ‘Commitment’ level of the Workplace Wellbeing Charter and achieving income returns at 20% above the Local Authorities average.

Frimley Lodge Park had been re-awarded a Green Flag and Members would be asked in the future to consider whether or not the Park should be upgraded to ‘Sub-Regional Park’ status.

In response to Members’ queries, the Leader and Chief Executive noted that:

(i)            Ashwood House – Negotiations were proceeding with tendering organisations. Proposals would be considered by a Design Panel in October 2016 and a report would be submitted to the Planning Applications Committee shortly thereafter;

(ii)           Gyratory System – Funding was available for the Gyratory System, the majority of which would come from the EM3 Local Enterprise Partnership. However, funding for the remainder of the A30 was still to be secured;

(iii)          Arena Leisure Centre – A working group was actively considering options for the Centre and a report would be submitted to the Council by the end of 2016; and

(iv)         Complaints – Whilst the Council was in general very good at addressing complaints, there were areas where complaints at the different levels were considered to need further consideration. The majority of complaints related to planning and to a lesser degree, council tax. Complaint handling in these areas was the subject of a review.

Resolved, that the report be noted.