Item: 5.2

Policy and Resources Committee: 22 June 2021

Performance Monitoring – Corporate Services

Joint Report by Chief Executive, Executive Director of Development and Infrastructure and Executive Director of Education, Leisure and Housing

1. Purpose of Report

To advise on the performance of Corporate Services for the reporting period 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021.

2. Recommendations

The Committee is invited to scrutinise:

2.1

The performance of Corporate Services for the reporting period 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021, as set out in sections 3 to 5 and Annexes 1 and 2 of this report.

It is recommended:

2.2

That the actions, referred to at section 3.2 of this report, be amended as indicated.

2.3

That the Corporate Services’ Risk Register, attached as Annex 3 to this report, be approved.

3. Service Plan Performance Monitoring

3.1

The action plan, attached as Annex 1 to this report, provides the detail of the agreed service priorities, as expressed in Corporate Services’ Service Plan, and contains SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound) targets for the life of the Service Plan. The action plan also provides the mechanism through which the time-limited aspects of the Service Plan will be progressed to completion.

3.2

Set out below are those Service Plan actions identified as being in need of amendment, for example, by having the target date updated.

• 01 – HR / Payroll System Development – it is proposed that the target date for this action is extended to 30 September 2021.
• 09 – Business Continuity Plan – it is proposed that the target date for this action is extended to 31 December 2021.
• 10 – Participatory Budgeting – it is proposed that the target date for this action is extended to 31 March 2023.

4. Service Performance Indicators

Service Performance Indicators provide the mechanism through which the performance aspects of the services provided year on year are monitored. The monitoring report is attached as Annex 2 to this report.

5. Service Complaints and Compliments

5.1

Table 1 below sets out numbers of complaints and compliments made to Corporate Services in the six-month period 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021, and for the two preceding six-month monitoring periods.

Table 1.

5.2

When considering the raw data within Table 1 above, it should be noted that the Council has adopted a policy of encouraging staff to record all complaints against the Council through the Complaints Handling Procedure. This includes complaints that are quickly and satisfactorily resolved by the frontline service, thereby enabling the Council to identify any trends that would help to improve the service. As a result of this policy, the number of complaints captured by the procedure may increase and that does not necessarily reflect an increase in the number of people contacting the service to express dissatisfaction with the Council.

6. Service Risk Register

Managers within Corporate Services have recently carried out the annual review and update of the service Risk Register, along with the list of actions to mitigate these risks. The updated Risk Register is attached at Annex 3 to this report.

7. Corporate Governance

This report relates to the Council complying with its performance management policies and procedures and therefore does not directly support and contribute to improved outcomes for communities as outlined in the Council Plan and the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan. That said, Service Plans are developed taking cognisance of the Council’s policies as outlined in the Council Plan.

8. Financial Implications

There are not anticipated to be any significant financial implications arising as a result of the recommendations to this report.

9. Legal Aspects

The Council’s performance management systems help the Council to meet its statutory obligation to secure Best Value.

10. Contact Officers

John W Mundell, Interim Chief Executive, Email chief.executive@orkney.gov.uk.

Gavin Barr, Executive Director of Development and Infrastructure, Email gavin.barr@orkney.gov.uk.

James Wylie, Executive Director of Education, Leisure and Housing, Email james.wylie@orkney.gov.uk

Andrew Groundwater, Head of HR and Performance, Email andrew.groundwater@orkney.gov.uk

Andrew Hamilton, Performance and Best Value Officer, Email andrew.hamilton@orkney.gov.uk.

Barbara Scollay, Administrative Support Manager, Email barbara.scollay@orkney.gov.uk.

11. Annexes

• Annex 1 - Summary of the performance of Corporate Services against the targets within its Service Plan.
• Annex 2 – Summary of the performance of Corporate Services against its Performance Indicator targets.
• Annex 3 – Updated Corporate Services’ Risk Register.

Annex 1 – Corporate Services’ Service Plan 2019 to 2022

Progress against Service Plan Actions at 31 March 2021

IMAGE: The Orkney Islands Council crest and wordmark appear beside the Annex 1 heading.

CS Service Plan Actions – 01 – HR / Payroll System Development

CS Service Plan Actions – 02 – Pay and Grading Structure Review

CS Service Plan Actions – 03 – Review of Benchmarking Arrangements

CS Service Plan Actions – 04 – Gender Pay Gap Action Plan

CS Service Plan Actions – 05 – Office Accommodation Review

CS Service Plan Actions – 06 – Asset Management

CS Service Plan Actions – 07 – Procurement

CS Service Plan Actions – 08 – Digital Strategy

CS Service Plan Actions – 09 – Business Continuity Plan

CS Service Plan Actions – 10 – Participatory Budgeting

CS Service Plan Actions – 11 – Locality Plan

CS Service Plan Actions – 12 – Electronic Document and Records Management System

CS Service Plan Actions – 13 – Online Applications for Licensing

CS Service Plan Actions – 14 – Gambling Policy

Annex 2 – Corporate Services Performance Indicator Report

Service Performance Indicators at 31 March 2021

IMAGE: The Orkney Islands Council crest and wordmark appear beside the Annex 2 heading.

CCG 01 – Sickness absence

Performance Indicator: CCG 01 – Sickness absence – The average number of working days per employee lost through sickness absence, expressed as a percentage of the number of working days available.

Comment: Managers across Corporate Services continue to actively manage sickness absence. The period between 1 October and 31 March also needs to be considered in the context of COVID-19 with office staff working from home and a reduction in community transfer of normal minor illnesses.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows half-year sickness absence values of 5.23% for H1 2019/20, 5.1% for H2 2019/20, 3.14% for H1 2020/21 and 3.42% for H2 2020/21. A target line is shown at 4%.

CCG 02 – Sickness absence

Performance Indicator: CCG 02 – Sickness absence – Of the staff who had frequent and/or long-term sickness absence (they activated the sickness absence triggers), the proportion of these where there was management intervention.

Comment: Individual instances where management intervention has not been properly recorded will be investigated. Remote working has made interventions more challenging for managers.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows a value of 87.2% for H1 2019/20 and 65% for H2 2020/21, against a 90% target line. The intervening half-year categories have no visible bars.

CCG 03 – Staff accidents

Performance Indicator: CCG 03 – Staff accidents – The number of staff accidents within the service, per 30 staff per year.

Comment: The number of accidents within this 12-month period was particularly low with only five reported.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows staff accident values of 1.7 for H1 2019/20, 0.53 for H2 2019/20, 0.27 for H1 2020/21 and 0.45 for H2 2020/21, with a target line at 1.

CCG 04 – Budget control

Performance Indicator: CCG 04 – Budget control – The number of significant variances (priority actions) generated at subjective group level, as a proportion of cost centres held.

Comment: No data has been provided on this indicator as Corporate Services budgets have been subsumed into the other directorates following the interim structure.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows values of 16% for H1 2019/20, 22% for H2 2019/20, 23% for H1 2020/21 and 0% for H2 2020/21, against a target line at approximately 15%.

CCG 05 – Recruitment and retention

Performance Indicator: CCG 05 – Recruitment and retention – The number of advertised service staff vacancies still vacant after six months from the time of advert, as a proportion of total staff vacancies.

Comment: Within Corporate Services, staff retention remains high.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows values of 2.86% for H1 2019/20 and 0% for H2 2019/20, H1 2020/21 and H2 2020/21, against a target line at 2%.

CCG 06 – Recruitment and retention

Performance Indicator: CCG 06 – Recruitment and retention – The number of permanent service staff who leave the employment of Orkney Islands Council – but not through retirement or redundancy – as a proportion of all permanent service staff.

Comment: Within Corporate Services, staff retention remains high.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows values of 0.7% for H1 2019/20, 2.08% for H2 2019/20, 1.24% for H1 2020/21 and 1.24% for H2 2020/21, against a target line at 5%.

CCG 07 – ERD

Performance Indicator: CCG 07 – ERD – The number of staff who receive (at least) an annual face-to-face performance review and development meeting, as a proportion of the total number of staff within the service.

Comment: Performance on this indicator has dropped in the main due to prolonged other priorities and pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to affect day to day work. Managers continue to do their best to schedule and complete these with their staff as workloads allow. Managers will seek to bring the performance on this indicator back to green over the next two reporting periods.

After the data had been collated and input into Pentana Risk, further data was provided by one team in Corporate Services and the Actual percentage above has been updated to reflect the up-to-date accurate position. It is not possible to amend the data input into Pentana Risk so an updated Trend Chart has not been provided.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows a first bar whose value is not legible, followed by 68.85% for H1 2020/21 and 63.53% for H2 2020/21, against a target line at 90%. The H2 2019/20 category has no visible bar.

CCG 08 – Invoice payment

Performance Indicator: CCG 08 – Invoice payment – The number of invoices that were submitted accurately, and paid within 30 days of invoice date, as a proportion of the total number of invoices paid.

Comment: No data has been provided on this indicator as Corporate Services budgets have been subsumed into the other directorates following the interim structure.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows values of 81.1% for H1 2019/20, 81.6% for H2 2019/20, a third value that is not legible, and 0% for H2 2020/21, against a target line at 90%.

CCG 09 – Mandatory training

Performance Indicator: CCG 09 – Mandatory training – The number of staff who have completed all mandatory training courses, as a percentage of the total number of staff in the service.

Comment: Managers in Corporate Services aim to improve the completion rates of mandatory courses through regular communication to staff, bearing in mind that a large proportion of the staff within the service do not have access to IT facilities as part of their normal work and so are often not able to repeat refresher training within the timescales required.

Trend Chart

IMAGE: The trend chart shows a single visible value of 44.8% for H2 2020/21, against a target line at 90%.

Annex 3 – Corporate Services Risk Register – May 2021

Operational Risks

Strategic Risks

IMAGE: A risk matrix labelled “IMPACT” and “LIKELIHOOD” shows impact scores from 1, “Insignificant”, to 5, “Severe”, and likelihood scores from 1, “Rare”, to 5, “Almost Certain”. Risk levels range from Low to Medium, High and Extreme. The matrix shows Extreme risk for likelihood 5 and impact 5; High risk for likelihood 5 and impacts 3 and 4, likelihood 4 and impact 4, and likelihood 3 and impacts 4 and 5; and lower levels in the remaining cells.

Risk Title: S01 – Workforce planning – lack of skills, experience and capacity

Risk Title: S02 – Council IT and Property assets – to ensure we obtain maximum benefit from the Council’s assets

Risk Title: S03 – Procurement – Procurement compliance and sustainable communities

Risk Title: O04 – HR systems – inadequate development or use of existing electronic systems

Risk Title: S05 – Data protection – lack of awareness of data protection rules and information security best practice throughout the organisation

Risk Title: S06 – Public Records Act – failure to comply with the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011

Risk Title: O07 – ICT infrastructure and support insufficient to support the level of digital transformation required

Risk Title: S08 – Public / Community engagement – lack of evidence of active engagement

Risk Title: S09 – Cyber security – with an increase in the use of publicly visible technology, there is an increased risk of exposure to threats from criminal and other malicious parties

Risk Title: S10 – Single Authority Model (SAM)