The committee discussed the performance and finances of the council at Quarter One of the 2024/25 financial year. The committee noted the reports presented to them. They requested the following: a selection of schemes in the Capital Programme be examined in more detail; more information on the costs and benefits of using Savills for the Behind Every Door project; data on serious youth violence across the City; the monetary value for the projects on the procurement forward plan; information regarding standard council terms and conditions and why some suppliers commence work without a contract in place; and finally more detail on waste cleansing costs be provided at the next meeting.

Quarter One Performance Report

The committee received the Quarter 1 Performance Report 2024/25, noting that 68% of the Key Performance Indicators were on track to meet the annual targets. They discussed several issues highlighted in the report including:

Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding

The committee discussed the implications of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding no longer suiting the council's strategic interests, despite the council's application for £1.2 million being successful. They noted the terms of the funding had changed after the bidding process, now requiring the council to commit to 15-year concessionary arrangements with operators for the charging points.

Insourcing Housing Solutions

The committee questioned if the decision to insource parts of the Housing Solutions Service would lead to financial savings and service improvements. Officers advised them that the financial impact of the decision will be considered as part of the Medium Term Financial Planning process and that it will be an 'invest-to-save' proposal.

Temporary Accommodation

The committee discussed the current supply plan for Temporary Accommodation, and the challenges of rising demand. They requested that a report on Temporary Accommodation be presented at the next meeting, including data on the number of residents using hotels for temporary accommodation.

Housing Repairs

The committee discussed the performance of the repairs service, noting that demand for repairs had increased. They were advised that a number of schemes were underway to improve performance and understand the key variables that are putting pressure on the service, including a review of the Housing Revenue Account budget to ensure that sufficient funds have been allocated.

Schools in deficit

The committee discussed the number of schools at risk of falling into deficit, and if the council was prepared for the potential financial liability. They were advised that work was continuing to federate or amalgamate schools and the number of schools at risk had decreased.

Net Zero

The committee discussed the level of work being undertaken to reach the council's Net Zero targets and if it was sufficient to meet the 2030 and 2040 targets.

Regulator of Social Housing Inspection

The committee was pleased to note the council's commitment to using the upcoming Regulator of Social Housing inspection as an opportunity to improve services and were advised that officers were monitoring other local authority inspections and learning from them.

Housing Complaints

The committee discussed the performance of the complaints service and were pleased to note an improvement in performance and the introduction of a number of new measures to improve the quality of the service.

Planning Applications

The committee discussed the performance of the planning service, and why the percentage of ‘non-major’ planning applications being determined on time was below target. They were advised that a number of workstreams were being implemented to monitor and improve performance, including a review of validation processes and the introduction of digital efficiencies. The committee requested that the performance monitoring framework and indicators be shared.

Corporate Contact Centre

The committee raised concern about the performance of the corporate contact centre, and why the percentage of calls answered in 30 seconds was significantly below target. They were advised that performance had improved since Quarter One and the target was now likely to be met.

Food Safety Inspections

The committee questioned why the percentage of high-risk food premises inspected was off target and was informed of the work being undertaken to address a backlog of enforcement cases.

Digital Ambassadors

The committee discussed the Digital Ambassador scheme and enquired about the roles of the ambassadors and the cost of the scheme to the council. They were advised that the scheme works with volunteers to provide them with the skills they need to improve digital literacy in the community.

Church Street Regeneration

The committee questioned the remit of the Church Street Regeneration scheme.

Helping Hands Programme

The committee discussed the Helping Hands Programme and how it was working to address serious violence and robbery, especially youth violence in the north of the City. They requested that data on serious youth violence be shared.

North Paddington Community-based schemes

The committee discussed the schemes being implemented as part of the North Paddington Programme and enquired if there were similar projects in the south of the City. They were advised that a project in Pimlico was being developed. The committee also discussed the new council offices in Harrow Road.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

The committee raised concern that the strategic risk of failing to safeguard and protect children and vulnerable adults was increasing and enquired about the strategies that are in place to mitigate this risk. They were advised that safeguarding risks will always be present, but that the council was confident that it has the strategies in place to manage them, especially the challenging environment after the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee noted that the council was investing in universal services to provide support to families in the community.

Quarter One Finance Monitor

The committee discussed the Quarter 1 Financial Monitor 2024-25 noting that the General Fund was forecasting a £3.3m overspend, mainly caused by demand-led pressures in Temporary Accommodation and Children's Services. They discussed a number of items:

Risks in the Communities Team

The committee noted that risks of over £800,000 in the Communities team related to health and safety and compliance work and requested that more details be provided. The committee was advised that these risks relate to an incident in the St John's Wood area and work was being undertaken to mitigate them.

Business Rates Collection

The committee discussed the business rates collection rate, noting that it had returned to pre-pandemic levels. They queried if pre-pandemic levels were likely to be exceeded, considering the council's ambition to boost the local economy. The committee were advised that the council was confident the target levels would be met and described a number of schemes to improve the local economy.

Capital Programme

The committee discussed the performance of the Capital Programme, noting substantial delays to projects, and enquired if there were systemic reasons for this. The committee also questioned if the targets set for the programme were realistic and requested that individual cases be examined in more detail.

Children's Services Management Structure Review

The committee discussed the Children's Services management structure review and questioned if it would result in savings in the next year. They were advised that the review is still ongoing and there may be a reconsideration of what savings can be made.

Emissions-Based Charging

The committee discussed the over-recovery of income from emissions-based charging and queried the sustainability of this, given that the scheme had only recently been introduced. They were advised that the scheme would be reviewed during the year.

Parking Enforcement

The committee discussed the income from Parking Charge Notices and was pleased to note that the increased presence of marshals on the streets would be maintained.

Waste and Cleansing Services

The committee discussed the costs of waste and cleansing services and requested more details on these be provided at the next meeting. They also enquired about delays to the waste fleet replacement programme, and the construction delay at Seymour Leisure Centre.

Contract and Supplier Performance Report

The committee discussed the Contract and Supplier Performance Report 2023/24 and noted that 89% of the council's 55 largest suppliers were performing well or satisfactorily. They discussed the following:

Contract Management Framework

The committee discussed the refreshed Contract Management Framework (CMF), and queried how the impact of this would be measured.

Supplier Charter and Ethical Procurement Policy

The committee discussed the Supplier Charter and Ethical Procurement Policy and queried the number of suppliers signed up to it and the value of contracts with them, as well as if Small and Medium Enterprises were finding it easy to sign up, and the target number of pledges to it.

Housing Contracts

The committee discussed performance of the Domestic Heating and Repairs, and Facilities Management contracts.

Work Commencing Without Signed Contracts

The committee discussed whether the council has standard Terms and Conditions in place for contracts, and if they include provisions for work starting before a contract is in place. They noted that 'letters of intent' were often used despite them not being legally binding, and requested further investigation into this practice.

General Procurement Update

The committee discussed the Procurement Update 2023-24 and noted a number of items.

Monetary Value of Projects in the Forward Plan

The committee requested that the monetary value of the projects in the procurement forward plan be included in future reports.

Spend with SMEs

The committee queried the number of contracts with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with a value of over £100,000 and asked for comparisons with previous years' figures and this year's targets. They were advised that spend with SMEs and Voluntary and Community Organisations is being monitored, and had been increasing since April 2024.