The Performance Plan 2006

We agreed an 05/06 improvement plan comprising 105 milestones, which was in last year’s performance plan. Progress on those milestones was monitored quarterly by our Management Team and Cabinet. As a result, the vast majority of the milestones have been achieved. For example, we have: -

• Extended the range of services provided by the Contact Centre and improved the service provided to customers.
• Enabled 100% of appropriate services to be provided by electronic means (web site, contact centre etc).
• Introduced a new web site and a number of transactional services.
• Agreed customer care standards for all services ready for a public launch in September 2006.
• Provided customer care training for all staff.
• Built customer service into service plans and appraisals.
• Continued to meet a demanding timetable for the preparation and adoption of the Local Development Framework including Action Area Plans for Northstowe and other growth areas.
• Established corporate arrangements, through the Growth Areas Project Team, to co-ordinate and deliver the Council’s objectives for Northstowe.
• Continued to provide, in partnership with others, 300 affordable houses per annum.
• Reduced our priorities for 2005/6 to 2007/8 to a more manageable number and set out more clearly what we will do to pursue those priorities in the next 2-3 years.
• Approved a Medium Term Financial Strategy, which has set out how we will continue to finance our services.
• Improved performance management by reporting quarterly to Cabinet and Management Team on all important performance indicators and corporate milestones.
• Introduced improved procedures for processing, reporting on and learning from complaints.
• Published our Community Strategy and agreed a process for developing a second strategy and provide better integration between the strategy and the Council’s objectives.
• Reflected the Community Strategy in the Performance Plan 2005.
• Improved the accuracy of national performance indicator data with fewer indicators qualified by the auditors.
• Improved our service planning process and linked it more with staff appraisals.

There are still a number of outstanding areas, which we need to address to improve the assessment of the Council and these are given later in this section.