An apology for absence was received from Cllr Gurjit Bains.

The minutes of the meeting held on 24 September 2019 were signed by the Chair.

No declarations of interest were made.

It was agreed that the Cabinet Member for Performance and Administration formally approve the Corporate Performance Management Framework 2019 to 2023.

The Committee was presented with the draft Corporate Performance Management Framework 2019 to 2023 for review. The Corporate Performance Manager reminded Members that the Corporate Plan had been unanimously approved at a meeting of the Council in October 2019 and was based upon a suite of objectives and policy commitments. The approval of the Committee was sought to establish a performance management regime based upon Performance Indicators (PIs) which would allow both Members and the public to monitor the Council’s performance against the adopted Corporate Plan.

The Corporate Performance Manager highlighted the ‘Drivers’ that present the need for robust performance arrangements that include forming a core part of the Council’s Value for Money conclusion and the ‘Method’ which reaffirmed the message that good performance was everyone’s responsibility. ‘Quality’ presents the need for robust data and, where required, interventions from the Corporate Performance team to ensure the highest possible accuracy in reported outruns. This document had been endorsed by the Council’s Management Team at the end of October and Member endorsement was sought to trigger formal performance monitoring which would commence in January 2020.

The following points were made during discussion on this subject:

·         Reference was made to the Council’s ambition to be a carbon neutral Borough. However, it was felt that the reduction of CO² emissions in relation to Council assets must be achievable to be included. Members were advised that work was being carried out on each PI with this in mind. Specifically in relation to this PI, the Corporate Performance Manager was working with the Housing Partnerships Manager with a view to introducing an appropriate procedure note to define exactly what each PI entails, how it is calculated and frequency of reporting.

·         In response to a question relating to reporting frequency, the Corporate Performance Manager advised that all PIs will be presented to Cabinet on a quarterly basis. From there the suite would then be split into Portfolio groups and each Cabinet Committee would receive the PIs from the Chair’s Portfolio, together with contextual updates to provide a full progress update.

·         It was noted that the previous performance regime had sometimes been confusing and Officers were congratulated for producing an improved system. Following a question about possible anomalies left over from the last Plan, the Corporate Performance Manager explained that the previous system had been refined rather than overhauled, albeit it has accounted for new themes and commitments made by the Council’s administration.

·         A concern was expressed about the urgency of using PI material. Members were advised that officers work closely with the Council’s services to obtain intelligence and any potential issues are bought to the attention to the Management Team who might intervene depending on the severity of the situation. Alongside quarterly updates to Members, as and when instances require, Portfolio Holders would be kept up to date via regular briefings with officers.

·         The Members were advised that performance targets have been removed in the new arrangements, in order to focus attention and scrutiny on the outturns  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

Members were presented with the draft Change Strategy for Gravesham Borough Council for review prior to the submission of the final report to Cabinet for approval.

The Corporate Change Manager reported that the Change Strategy had been reviewed in line with the Corporate Plan and the changing landscape within which the Council was currently operating. It had been bought before the Committee to give Members an opportunity to consider the document which would then be submitted for approval to Cabinet at its meeting in January 2020.

The following points were made during discussion on this subject:

·         It was noted that some members of staff might feel threatened by changes in the workplace. Members were advised that everyone approached changes in different ways and that the key was communication and engagement and this included officers and Members. For example, the Corporate Change Team would work with officers to learn and to develop how service performance might be improved. The Council also engaged with residents in relation to improvements to services where required

·         Following a question on the effects of the years of austerity, the Bridging the Gap initiative, the Council’s property investment together with the oncoming Local Plan Review etc, Members were advised that the Corporate Change team was working with services to ensure that resources were being utilised in the best possible way. The first Change Strategy had been developed in line with the Medium Term Financial Plan and was linked to the Council’s Bridging the Gap Strategy. The current draft document had built upon this and emphasises the  framework the Council would use.  Specifically in terms of the Local Plan Review, this wass an area that would be considered by the Strategic Environment Cabinet Committee. Any general updates regarding change activities would be provided to the  Performance & Administration Portfolio.

·         A question was raised on the words from the report “As required, Members will be invited to be involved in change activities and provide their input into the process” and the officer explained that each project would be judged as to appropriate Member involvement depending on the nature of the project. The Corporate Change Manager offered to review the wording in this section and also advised that Members would be involved in many different ways.

·         With regard to the work of the Digital Team, cyber security and the Risk Register, the Committee was advised that the IT Service looked after the cyber security risk although there was a link with the Digital Team.  The Corporate Change Manager confirmed to undertake further review of this area and provide an update to Members in due course.

·         Following a further question on Member involvement in the activities of the Change Strategy, it was confirmed that the appropriate Portfolio Holder would be consulted, and the outcomes of reviews would be submitted to the appropriate Cabinet Committee.  It would be for the Cabinet to make any specific decisions required, regarding the change Strategy and the Overview Scrutiny Committee would have the option to call-in decisions  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.