Agenda item

* To consider a report

ACO Evans submitted the performance report for Quarter 2 of 2016/17 and gave an update on the programmes within the Group’s remit.  All projects were on target with the exception of the HR & Payroll System and Telephony System Replacement, which were both reporting as amber.

The completion date for the HR & Payroll System had been postponed to January 2017 as there were number of issues that had been escalated to the service provider and had not yet been resolved.  The delay would incur additional expenditure of approximately £30,000 and a request to amend the Capital Programme accordingly was included in the report on Revenue Budget and Capital Programme Monitoring 2016/17 (Minute 16-17/CS/033 below).  The costs related to consultancy and project management support for an additional two months.

The Telephony System Replacement project had been delayed as a result of ongoing work on the Replacement Mobilising System and the rollout of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.

Mrs A Ashwood, Head of Strategic Support, advised that the greatest need was for the Training Centre, as currently there were not enough telephone lines to meet the level of need.  The procurement was currently underway and the Government’s Digital Marketplace would be used which would expedite the process.  It was anticipated that the part of the project relating to the training centre would be completed in January 2017, which a full roll-out in March 2017.  The new system would also provide functionality for instant messaging and video conferencing to improve connection across the Service.

ACO Evans reported on the performance indicators for the second quarter of 2016/17.  All fleet and workshop indicators were green for the quarter.  These were new indicators for the 2016/17 and would need to be reviewed when Members set the targets for 2017/18 at the Group’s next meeting.  All ICT indicators, with the exception of IM1 (the number of incidents on mission critical services resolved within 1 hour) were also green.

Three incidents had been identified as mission critical within the reporting period. Two of these incidents had been resolved within the hour.  The third incident related to a Ransom Ware Cryptoware virus which took significantly longer than normal to resolve as the virus had to be isolated and the rest of the system swept to ensure that it was clear.

Members suggested that the target for this indicator should be reviewed at the target-setting meeting as, given the small numbers involved, one incident could have a significant impact on the performance figures reported.  As this was not core business for the Service, a lower target could be considered.

The view was expressed that human nature was the greatest vulnerability to the spread of a virus and that communications were being circulated to staff to remind them to report any unusual activity on their electronic devices immediately so that viruses could be isolated as quickly as possible.

Mr G Chambers, the Head of Finance and Treasurer, reported on the finance indicators. FNP5 (percentage of uncontested invoices paid within 30 days) had missed target by only 1%.

FNP6 (percentage of outstanding debt over 90 days old) had missed its target and was reporting as red for the quarter.  The Head of Finance and Treasurer advised that the Service was now much more robust in charging for its attendance where this was applicable.  The total of outstanding debt as at 30 September 2016 was £18,483.27 with £2,909.94, or 15.74%, being over 90 days old.  Of the debts in excess of 90 days old, two were being pursued through the small claims court involving bailiffs, one was currently under negotiation of repayment terms and one had been paid.

It was noted that the performance against FNP6 was also significantly affected by a small number of cases and that the target for this indicator should also be reviewed.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the progress made on Corporate Services Programmes and Performance be acknowledged.

2.         That consideration be given to amending the targets for IM1, FPN6 and the fleet and workshops indicators for the 2017/18 performance year at the Group’s next meeting.