Report of the Leader

This item does not contain any decisions that are subject to the call in.

The Board considered the report of the Leader of the Council providing an update on performance against the priorities set out in the Council Plan 2019-2023 for year one, which ran up to 31 March 2020. The Leader of the Council indicated that the overall performance was positive, with 118 of the 184 commitments being assessed as on target to be achieved, 47 commitments with progress being made towards achieving them and 19 with issues affecting them being fully achieved. The following additional information was highlighted:

(a)  Due to impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic on the construction industry the target to build or buy 1000 Council or social homes for rent has not progressed as much as was hoped for by the end of year one. However there is confidence that the target will be met, but impacts on costs and available funding is not yet known. The Government has made funding available for social home providers for shared ownership schemes but there is no specific additional funding for Council Housing;

(b)  Nottingham City Council continues to lobby the government to extend the Right to Buy refund scheme extending the time allowed for Councils to use the money from the scheme to replace housing stock;

(c)  The commitment to create 15,000 new jobs for Nottingham people has also been impacted as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Good progress was being made as a result of investment and development within the city and much of that continues, however the net impact of job losses as a result of the pandemic means that within the 4 year term it is unlikely that 15,000 new jobs will be created. Investment will continue in the city, and the Council will continue to support citizens to find new jobs and training and access financial support;

(d)  The network of Leisure Centres is struggling due to the financial impact of lockdown and their closures earlier in the year. However elsewhere in the Leisure Culture and IT portfolio the War Memorial has been a great success with a lot of positive feedback from the public.  There are more green flag parks in Nottingham than in other cities across the country ensuring that parks and play areas are good spaces to spend time;

(e)  The annual curb side collection commitment was progressing well with three pilot schemes running, however due to the Covid 19 pandemic resources had to be redistributed to ensure that “business as usual” waste collection could be maintained;

(f)  The free books for children under 5 commitment has also suffered due to the Covid 19 pandemic as it relies on fund raising events and these have not been taking place. As a result of the lockdown and provision being closed the commitment to provide free nursery places for eligible 2 year olds has also been impacted;

(g)  As a result of the national lockdown and people being at home more, noise nuisance complaints rose impacting the commitment to cut crime and antisocial behaviour by a quarter. A dedicated noise nuisance hotline is being launched to help to address this issue. Crime levels have reduced over the period;

(h)  There has been a delay on some of the work towards the commitments to reduce teenage pregnancy by a further 10% and to reduce the number of women smoking in pregnancy, but these challenging targets remain on track. Promotion of good mental health and wellbeing is important both for citizens and for Council staff, particularly during the current time.

Resolved to:

(1)  Note the progress made against priorities in the Council Plan during year one; and

(2)  Note that the ratings and commentary for Year 1 relate to the year ending 31March 2020 and as such, the full impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and lockdown have not yet been felt.

Reasons for decision

To ensure Executive Board are kept informed of the progress towards achieving the priorities within the Nottingham City Council Plan 2019-2023 and the likely impact of the Covid 19 pandemic moving into year two.

Other Options considered

This report is for noting and information only and no other options were considered