Performance Indicators

In each chart, the area between the dotted and the smooth curves represents the 50% of all district councils closest to the average, whilst the area outside the lines represent the top and bottom 25% nationally (i.e. the top and bottom quartiles). So that where Worcester is outside on the dotted line side, our performance is in the “best” 25% of all districts, and when it is outside of the continuous line side it is in the poorest performing 25% (bottom quartile).

Note that in some of the charts the better performance is towards the top, and in the rest (for example, cost PIs) better performance is indicated by progress towards the bottom of the chart. Each chart has a way-up symbol to show which is the case.

Key to Charts:

		The percentage of invoices that were paid within 30 days (96.3%) This performance indicator measures how quickly we paid the year’s commercial supplier invoices. The drop in the result from the previous year is due to teething problems with the electronic ordering system.

		As reported in the quarterly reports during the year, after a good start sickness rates have risen and the average for the year was 10.98 days per employee. This has fallen back from 10.3 despite the have initiatives in place which have reduced the overall rates from around 12 days for 2006-07 and CMT reaffirmed with managers the critical importance of managing absence in accordance with the agreed procedures and we are looking in detail at the quarterly picture to ensure that everything is being done to maintain the progress we achieved last year.

		Vehicle crime (9.8 per 1,000 population) is an area that has demonstrated a generally improving trend for several years although there was a slight upturn for 07-08. The Council has contributed to this trend by now having Secure Car Park status for 75% city centre car parking spaces.

		Collection of both Council Tax (BV9: 97.69% from 96.98% the previous year) and Business Rates (BV10: 99.28% from 99.1%). There has been greater recovery activity and eradication of backlogs for both sides but the success at this translates into a disproportionately greater effect for business rates because there are fewer accounts worth considerably more. Again this has been achieved against a background of transfer.



		Benefits processing: new claims (BV78a) 27 days from 36 days the previous year; and changes in circumstances (BV78b) 7 days from 10 days. This improvement has been achieved with accuracy (BV79a), as tested by quarterly sample checks, of close to 100% and against a background of upheaval of the transfer to the South Worcestershire Shared Revenues & Benefits Service and the physical move to Pershore.

		Planning applications (BV109a, b & c, 75.0%, 72.5% and 82.2% respectively): This performance underlines concerns previously expressed through the year about the capacity of the section, with its support, to accommodate the workload with the current establishment. These issues are being addressed by a Business Process Review of the wider Planning Service, commissioned by CMT, and a review of the Development Control IT system as part of that.



		Household waste recycled (BV82ai) (34%) having benefited from the final phase of wheelie bin introduction in October 2007. This has also led to a further reduction in household waste collected (BV84b) to 326kg per head of population from 349kg for the previous year, easily within the target of 354kg for the year.

		The average length of stay in bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless families (BV183(i) 6.3 weeks) an almost 50% improvement from the previous years average of 11.7 weeks. The figure doesn’t quite meet the year’s target but the trend is firmly in the right direction. Homelessness preventions (BV213). performance has fallen to 8.4 per thousand households, and just falls short of our target of 8.3 for the year. This is due to reduced opportunities in private sector housing although nationally we are still likely to remain in the top quartile.

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