Report shows council performance targets are being met

Swansea Council’s ambition to help create a city of opportunity and innovation which cares for its communities and is a place we can all be proud of is making good progress, a new report says.

School attendance is continuing to improve in both primary and secondary school, recycling rates are closing in on 62% and more than 95% of reported fly-tipped waste is cleared within five days.

On top of that most of the council’s performance targets are being met, with many of them showing improvement on this time last year.

The details are in a report that’s going to Swansea Council’s Cabinet on Thursday, December 10, in which Members are also being reminded that £230m is being spent improving the council’s housing stock over the next five years.

Cllr Clive Lloyd, Cabinet Member for Transformation and Performance, said the latest performance figures showed the council is on course to sustain its commitment to the priorities set out for it by the people of Swansea.

He said: “Over the last few months we have had a number of very encouraging reports from the Wales Audit Office and the CSSIW, for example, which have highlighted how our strong focus on improvement in those priority areas is reaping benefits for residents and service users.

“What this report shows is that, despite budget reductions, our services are building on the successes spotlighted by the WAO and CSSIW and we are continuing to do the things people want us to do and improve in areas where they want us to improve.

“We’re transforming services so we can better focus our efforts on keeping vulnerable people safe, improving pupil attainment, supporting stronger communities and the local economy and tackling poverty.”

Cllr Lloyd said: “The quarterly performance figures are produced so that Cabinet can scrutinise how we are doing in supporting the services which matter most to our residents.

“Pupil attainment, for example, is one of our top priorities, so it’s really pleasing to see percentage attendance improving at both secondary and primary school level. If children aren’t in school, they can’t learn or achieve to their full potential.”

Cllr Lloyd said we are having to deal with record reductions in Council funding from Welsh and Westminster governments. But he added: “It is a credit to the entire Council workforce that we have been able to achieve this level of performance in the most challenging of times ever for Local Government.

“We have clear priorities and the evidence from the quarterly performance report shows that in most areas that matter to the people of Swansea like clean streets, education, providing safe and appropriate support and care for our vulnerable children and adults, we are making good progress.

“We are determined not to be complacent, which is why work has already started to maintain the high standards in services where we’ve excelled and improve standards in services that need attention.”

The report to Cabinet says that between July and September, 25 of 39 performance targets were met with another three within 5% of target.