The quarterly review of Key Performance Indicators is intended to hold the
Council to account over operational issues. As we have been making some big
changes to the way we deliver services in recent months, there has been some
discussion as to whether we should adjust the KPIs to accommodate that, but the
decision was made to hold us to the same or tighter benchmarks, and in my view
rightly so. We need to know that introducing new finance and accounting software
has delayed invoice payments, and be clear on how we remedy these teething
problems. We need to see if new ways of repairing and maintaining social housing
impact on the speed we turn around voids, and understand how we tighten that up.
Some of the Indicators are showing a strong improvement. Our rate of recycling
has had a big boost from the introduction of the food waste caddies, and should
continue to rise now we have weekly orange sack collections, resulting in a lot
less refuse sent to landfill. That does not only help the environment; it saves
money and allows us to spend on street cleaning and new environmental services
such as the Neighbourhood Action Teams - at the same time as keeping Council Tax
down.
The Council will have to find more new ways of working as we drive out more
efficiencies, and deliver the budget cuts which make our contribution to
reducing the national deficit. Monitoring the KPIs will make sure we maintain
and improve our levels of service, and deliver the best for Brentwood.