Governance And
Performance Monitoring
Quarter 2 Report 2011/12
April to September 2011
1. About this report
This report details how well we are using our resources to deliver value for money as well as better
and sustainable outcomes for local people. It is structured into seven themed sections:
Section 2: Understanding Boston Borough
Section 3: Managing finance
Section 4: Managing performance
Section 5: Customer insight
Section 6: Partnership performance
Section 7: Governing the council
Section 8: Managing people resources
These themes focus on the importance of having sound and strategic financial management;
effective performance and risk management; learning from customer feedback; managing the
effectiveness of partnership working; good governance and the management of people resources.
1.3
Recommendations
F1
That Members approve the £6,000 use of the Rough Sleepers funding held within the
Housing Reserve (3.5)
F2
To note the revised position of the capital programme (3.7; table 6)
F3
To approve the use of the Staying Healthy funding to support the investment in healthy
lifestyle capital projects (3.7; table 6)
F4
That Members approve the NNDR debts for write off (3.9; table 8)
F5
That Cabinet approve the supplementary estimates (3.10; table 9)
This information can be made available in other languages and formats upon request, such as
large print, Braille, audio cassette and floppy disk.
2. Understanding Boston Borough
Each quarter we update the following pages with the latest information about the Borough. This
information covers a range of topics and helps us to put the report and decisions into context.
2.2
Headlines
 Population: 61,000 (2.3)
 Latest deprivation statistics: the Boston area is more deprived in 2010 relative to other areas;
Boston’s rank in Lincolnshire remains the same (3rd); 16.7% of the population of Boston have a
high level of deprivation (2.4)
 Slight increase in unemployment benefit across Lincolnshire (2.5)
 The latest Joint Strategic Needs Assessment has been published identifying priorities for the
future of local health improvement (2.6)
 Recorded crime: 1405 incidents in Q2 compared to 1425 in Q2 last year; areas performing
ahead of and behind target (2.7)
 The housing profile provides background information to the developing Housing Strategy (2.8)
 Car parking trend information and commentary (2.9)
2.3
Overview
Boston is in south-east Lincolnshire bordered by the east coast and The Wash and by East
Lindsey, South Holland and North Kesteven districts. It is an area of significant farming and food
production and is one of the smallest districts in England.
Our population is officially recognised as approximately 61,000 and is expected to increase at a
rate slightly above the national average by 2020. In line with the County, we have a significant
population of older people and the majority of our population are from white ethnic backgrounds.
We have the highest percentage of migrant workers in Lincolnshire, which contributes to our higher
levels of employment when comparing regionally and nationally, however despite this there are
considerable lower earnings and skill levels. Lincolnshire has a significant flood risk with Boston
being the area at greatest risk.
Source: Audit Commission
2.4
Deprivation
The results from the Index of Deprivation 2010 (ID 2010) were released on 24th March 2011. The
Lincolnshire Research Observatory (LRO) have produced a report comparing these results to the
IDs published in 2004 and 2007 to show how deprivation levels have changed within the county
(http://www.research-lincs.org.uk).
Deprivation covers a broad range of issues and refers to unmet needs caused by a lack of
resources of all kinds, not just financial. The Indices of Deprivation attempt to measure deprivation
using a number of indicators across several domains including income, employment, health,
education, crime, housing and living environment. They are a valuable source of data for
prioritising funding to improve quality of life.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) calculate an average score for
each district which can be used to rank districts against each other. The diagram over the page
shows this ranking for the Lincolnshire districts in 2007 and 2010.
This shows that the average score for all districts apart from North Kesteven has increased
between 2007 and 2010 indicating that these areas are more deprived in 2010 relative to all other
areas. Lincoln remains the most deprived district in Lincolnshire with North Kesteven the least
deprived.
A further measure of deprivation at local authority district level is that of extent. The extent of
deprivation is the proportion of the population living in the most deprived areas in the country. This
shows how widespread high levels of deprivation are in a district (areas which fall within the most
deprived 30% of areas in England are classed as ‘high’).
District
Proportion of population
Change in %
living in most deprived areas since 2007
Lincoln
29.8%
+2.1
East Lindsey
22.0%
+1.7
Boston
16.7%
+2.0
West Lindsey
9.4%
+1.9
South Kesteven
3.7%
+0.8
South Holland
1.1%
+0.4
North Kesteven
0.1%
+0.1
The table above shows the extent of deprivation in each of the Lincolnshire districts. All of the
districts in the county have had an increase in the proportion of their population living in the most
deprived areas in the country between 2007 and 2010, with Lincoln showing the most marked
difference.
Despite all districts showing an increase in population living in the most deprived areas, the
diagram over the page illustrates that the pattern of deprivation across the districts is markedly
different. Boston, East Lindsey and Lincoln all have high percentages of their areas amongst the
most deprived in the country.
Source: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/1871208.pdf
2.5
Employment
Latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 13,755 people in
Lincolnshire were claiming unemployment benefit in September 2011. Headlines include:

The claimant rate has risen 0.1% to 3.2% in Lincolnshire, reaching its highest rate for 6
months. The national rate also increased by 0.1% to 3.9% and is at its highest for 18 months.

The number of claimants aged 18-24 has been increasing since June 2011. This age group
now make up 35% of all those claiming unemployment benefit in Lincolnshire, compared to
31% nationally. In Lincolnshire, this is the highest proportion of total unemployment made up of
young people since records began in June 1985. The increase is mainly being driven by
graduating students entering the labour market.

The number of female claimants has also increased since June 2011 and they too now make
up 35% of all those claiming unemployment benefit locally, compared to 34% nationally. Job
cuts in the public sector, of which the majority of the workforce is female, will have contributed
to this recent rise.
The next chart shows the percentage of working age people claiming unemployment benefit within
each of the Economic Zones, and changes in unemployment levels during the past year.
All zone rates are higher than this time last year, although Lincolnshire as a whole has increased
proportionately less than the region or nationally. Whilst the county claimant rate has risen by over
800 people since this time last year, it is around 800 less than September 2009, at the peak of the
recession. Several zones have seen declines in claimant numbers this month though they are
comparatively small.
Source: Lincolnshire Research Observatory
2.6
Health
2.6.1 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)
The Coalition Government has placed the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment at the heart of its
proposals with regard to the future of local health improvement. It remains a statutory duty on
county wide local authorities and local NHS to have a JSNA.
A wide range of data and information have been reviewed to identify key issues for Lincolnshire to
be used in planning, commissioning and providing programmes and services to meet identified
needs.
The outcome is an Overview Report for 2011 setting out priorities for future strategy development
and commissioning in Lincolnshire. These priorities have been agreed by the Shadow Health and
Well-being Board.
These are not currently recommendations for realigned, additional or new investment. Those
recommendations will follow the Joint Health and Well-being strategy and commissioning plan
developments.
These priorities are indicating a limited number of areas which the new Joint Health and Well-being
Strategy will concentrate on and which Lincolnshire County Council, NHS Lincolnshire and Clinical
Commissioning Groups should include in future commissioning plans. A case could be made for a
much longer list of priorities but limited budgets suggest a concentration of effort on a small
number of major priorities.
2.6.2 Overview report 2011
The identified priorities are:
A. Give every child the best start in life
B. Enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have
control over their lives
C. Create fair employment and good work for all
D. Ensure healthy standard of living for all
E. Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities
F. Strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention
G. Promoting Healthy lifestyles
The full report and the detailed analysis behind it is available on the Lincolnshire Research
Observatory website (link below).
The JSNA will continue to be a process of continuous development and improvement.
Source: http://www.research-lincs.org.uk/Joint-Strategic-Needs-Assessment.aspx
2.7
Boston Crime Data: July to September 2011
The following charts show the changes in crime levels between July and September 2011
compared to the same period in the previous year (2010).
2.7.1 All Crime in Boston
600
500
508
502
479
476
475
450
400
468
415
2010
2011
300
200
100
0
July
August
September
Average
The total number crimes in quarter 2 (July to September 2011) was 1405 compared to 1425 during
the same period in 2010, a reduction of 20 offences (-1.4%).
2.7.2 All Crime Rates for the last 12 months
550
516
500
479
458
450
441
450
453
417
413
414
400
350
476
403
364
300
Oct-10 Nov-10 Dec-10 Jan-11
Feb-11 Mar-11
Apr-11 May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Aug-11 Sep-11
This is the crime rate in Boston for the last 12 months (October 2010 to September 2011).
2.7.3 East Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership – exception reporting
The Strategic Partners Group receives a quarterly summary of key performance issues by Theme
Group. The key headlines for Boston for Q2 of 2011/12 are summarised below for information.
2.7.4 Areas performing ahead of target
Anti-Social Behaviour
 21.4% reduction in anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents (509 fewer incidents)
 17.5% reduction in criminal damage (97 fewer incidents)
 57.7% reduction in primary arsons (15 fewer incidents)
The reduction in ASB incidents and criminal damage mirrors the trends recorded countywide. A
number of projects such as ‘Changing Attitudes, Changing Behaviours’ and ‘Street Smart’ have
been delivered to address ASB. Both will be evaluated to understand how they have impacted on
ASB. Vulnerable victims of ASB are being identified as well as repeat locations and offenders.
Violent Crime
 Repeat victims of high risk domestic abuse have reduced (by 25.7%)
 Reporting of domestic abuse incidents has improved (12.8% increase; 51 more incidents)
There has been an increase in the number of referrals to the East MARAC. The MARAC is a MultiAgency Risk Assessment Conference to co-ordinate community response to domestic abuse. This
is positive given concerns at the beginning of the year regarding the low levels of referrals to the
East MARAC.
2.7.5 Areas performing behind target
Burglary
 6.2% increase in domestic burglary (8 more offences)
 109.8% increase in non domestic burglary (146 more offences)
Both domestic and non domestic burglary remains a priority to address as both continue to
experience increases. Activity to address this has included the Shed Watch project which aims to
provide shed alarms and property marking equipment to residents in areas suffering from high
shed/outdoor storage thefts. Impact evaluation will be completed at the end of the project.
The ‘In or Out Lock Thieves Out’ campaign continues in relation to domestic burglary associated
with insecurities. The campaign has reached a wide audience including a two week radio advert
(which reached approximately 342,000 listeners), cash machine advertising, posters and public
events. Results from the cash machine campaign show that it resulted in 145,144 engagements
and distributed 35,073 receipts. 400 promotional packs were distributed to the public and the Blue
tooth message was accepted by 2,736 people. These are just some of the measurable aspects of
the campaign; the true figure will be much higher.
Violent Crime
 4.8% increase in ‘assault with less serious injury’ (9 more offences)
 4.5% increase in ‘violence against the person’ (20 more offences)
Increases in alcohol related ASB and violence & abuse has been experienced in Boston town
centre relating to the night-time economy.
Source: East Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership
2.8
Housing Profile
This housing profile information is being used to inform the Housing Strategy which is currently
being developed. The main issues/priorities identified are: delivery of new social/affordable rented
housing; returning of empty properties back into use; the improvement of housing conditions;
provision of disabled facility grants; addressing rough sleeping and homelessness.
2.8.1 Population and demographics
CLG Household Projections 2008-2033 for Boston Borough
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
2001
2008
2033
Single person
6900
8000
12000
Other multi-person
1050
1000
1600
Lone parent
1850
2000
3000
Cohabiting couple
2150
2700
3800
Married couple
12000
12300
11200
The number of households in the Borough is predicted to increase to over 31,000 by 2033. The
population is predicted to increase to 71,000 by 2025 (from 60,800 in 2008) with an increasing
proportion of older people (20.56% aged 65 and over in 2008 rising to 27.46% by 2025).
Housing Supply - completed housing delivery
2.8.2 Housing Supply – completed housing delivery
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2005/2006
2006/2007
2007/2008
2008/2009
2009/2010
2010/2011
Number of dwellings completed (NI154)
268
271
503
282
128
196
Of which - affordable housing
46
42
70
34
17
81
Of which - social rent
7
28
45
24
12
57
2.8.3 Housing Stock Profile
There are currently 28,237 properties in the Borough of which 2,410 are privately rented and 5,185
are social rented. There are 460 Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
There are 832 vacant dwellings - 647 are privately owned, 137 are owned by a social landlord and
the remaining 48 are owned by other public sector organizations. 388 of the vacant dwellings have
been empty for more than 6 months (47%).
2.8.4 Housing Conditions
A decent home must: meet the statutory minimum standard; be in a reasonable state of repair;
have modern facilities and services; and provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.
There are currently 8,100 non decent dwellings in the area (35% of the total housing stock) – 7,100
are owner occupied and the remaining 1,000 are privately rented. The average percentage of non
decent dwellings in Lincolnshire is 36.1% and in England is 35.3%.
There are 5,650 private sector dwellings which have serious hazards (Category 1 of the Housing
Health and Safety Rating System) which is 24.5% of the stock. This compares to an average of
24.1% in Lincolnshire and 23.5% in England. 5,030 are owner occupied and the remaining 620 are
privately rented.
Energy efficiency is recorded using a SAP rating (Standard Assessment Procedure) where 1
represents poor energy efficiency (and therefore has high costs) and 100 represents a completely
energy efficiency dwelling (zero net costs per year).
The mean SAP rating for all the private sector stock in the Boston area is 52 compared to a
Lincolnshire mean of 52 and an England mean of 49.
Occupiers of a dwelling are considered to be in fuel poverty if more than 10% of their net
household income needs to be spent to provide adequate warmth and hot water. There are
currently 4,210 private sector households in fuel poverty, representing 18.3% of the stock. This is
above the Lincolnshire average of 11.5% and the England average of 16.0%.
The figures for households in fuel poverty can be broken down by tenure. 3,660 owner occupied
dwellings are households in fuel poverty (17.8%) and 550 privately rented dwellings (22.7%).
2.8.5 Housing Needs
The emerging draft Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) gives an indication of future
housing requirements and tenure mix in the tables over the page. There are two projections – the
first is based on the existing Regional Spatial Strategy projections and the second is based on the
latest household projections (see 2.8.2 above).
This data suggests that between 220 and 255 new dwellings will be required each year, of which at
least 50% would need to be affordable. In the last 6 years, an average of 275 dwellings have been
delivered but only 17% have been affordable. However, in 2010/11 41% of new dwellings delivered
were affordable so the trend is improving (see 2.8.3 above).
2009-2031 Projection constrained to RSS dwelling delivery*
Housing Type
Dwellings % of total requirement
Market housing
3,300
59.0%
Intermediate housing
(600)
(10.1%)
Social rented housing
2,900
51.1%
Total Housing Requirement
5,600
100%
Annual requirement
255
2009-2033 Unconstrained 2008 based household projections (CLG)
Housing Type
Dwellings % of total requirement
Market housing
2,700
50.7%
Intermediate housing
(600)
(10.8%)
Social rented housing
3,200
60.1%
Total Housing Requirement
5,300
100%
Annual requirement
220
Intermediate housing is housing at prices and rents above those of social rent but below market
price or rents.
The surplus of intermediate housing means that there is sufficient cheaper housing available in the
private sector to meet the needs of households who would typically require dedicated intermediate
housing (households with incomes in the range £15,000-£25,000).
However this does not mean that there is a surplus of dedicated intermediate housing such as
shared ownership or intermediate rent. It also does not imply that dedicated intermediate housing
will not be occupied if provided. Many households would prefer a new intermediate dwelling to
cheaper private rented or owner occupied dwellings.
2.8.6 Housing Register
Housing Register trend data
Housing register data
2400
2300
2200
2100
2000
1900
1800
1700
1600
1500
Households on the register
New applications per year
*
2008
2009
2010
2011
1693
1977
1781
2283
1718
1872
Figures rounded to the nearest 100 so may not sum exactly. All percentages are calculated based on data before rounding.
At the end of 2011 there were 2283 households on the Boston Homechoice Housing Register.
(See trend graph on previous page).
There was a full register review in 2010 resulting in a slight dip in the figures. Data on new
applications per annum has been collected from 2010 but information for previous years is not
available.
2.8.7 Homelessness
Homelessness trend data
Statutory homelessness
60
50
50
40
37
30
23
20
15
10
0
2007/2008
2008/2009
2009/2010
2010/2011
2.8.8 Repossessions
Repossession activity
Repossessions trend data
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
2007/2008
2008/2009
2009/2010
2010/2011
Mortgage possession order claims issued
464
460
305
270
Landlord order claims issued
230
283
235
210
Source: Boston Borough Council: Housing Strategy
2.9
Parking trends
2.9.1 Parking Trends in Boston 2005 to 2012
Parking Fees
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
2005-6
2006-7
2007-8
2008-9
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
Actual
83,260.21
74,608.98
100,453.36
83,232.49
96,543.75
80,903.33
92,135.50
98,095.33
98,869.34
80,472.18
88,756.21
90,385.60
Actual
79,523.28
80,693.33
80,043.74
89,892.11
95,602.46
82,428.36
99,379.50
92,967.01
88,037.15
90,779.14
75,919.12
92,771.11
Actual
74,641.00
77,338.19
76,822.13
93,545.68
93,971.13
60,945.68
99,685.63
97,815.67
70,181.53
87,683.41
70,904.53
89,983.54
Actual
75,258.63
69,998.54
70,183.69
84,183.95
85,090.59
77,722.20
76,354.09
84,045.28
94,077.24
84,024.62
68,591.09
80,170.07
Actual
68,086.84
82,690.49
89,739.70
82,883.54
86,397.95
84,387.04
90,662.69
79,712.46
91,815.66
72,580.53
69,081.95
88,896.26
Actual
64,193.71
87,299.78
74,173.60
87,159.99
83,196.15
80,016.75
80,212.93
86,056.63
84,682.81
76,407.35
69,039.55
81,158.33
Actual
76,452.02
67,239.42
76,621.01
73,207.58
71,829.10
63,794.92
66,578.31
TOTAL FOR YEAR 1,067,716.28 1,048,036.31 993,518.12 949,699.99 986,935.11 953,597.58 495,722.36*
* Estimated income for 2011/12 £880,000
Income
£1,200,000.00
£1,000,000.00
£800,000.00
£600,000.00
Income
£400,000.00
£200,000.00
£0.00
2005- 2006- 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 201106
07
08
09
10
11
12
The trends above show that Boston Borough Council income from parking fees has shown a
steady decline since 2005-06. There was a small reversal of this trend in 2009-10 however the
general pattern is one of decline.
2.9.2 Reasons for the Parking Trends
The main reason for this decline has been increased competition from private sector car park
providers which has reduced the Councils Market Share and the impacts of the recession.
Pescod Square (370 spaces) opened in September 2004 and by 2005 was attracting 20,000
vehicles per month.
The Boston Shopping Park (340 spaces) opened in October 2006 and by early 2007 was attracting
20,000 vehicles per month.
In 2008 – 09 Boston reduced the costs in some car parks and won back some market share, which
resulted in an increase in income in 2009 – 10 over the previous year.
In 2009 the Robin Hood car park opened (190 spaces). Statistics for this car park are not available
but it is estimated that 10,000 vehicles per year use the car park.
The number of vehicles parking in Boston increased between 2005 and 2010 but Boston Borough
Council had a reduced market share so income has dropped.
Boston has not been too affected by the recession until 2011. In 2010 Boston had the lowest
number of vacant shops in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire. In 2011 we have also seen an
increase in the number of vacant shops in Boston with some large names closing down Burtons
and Thorntons. Other smaller independent retailers are also reporting that their businesses are
struggling.
2.9.3 Parking Trends April 2010 to October 2011
Date
Market Place Other car Parks Total Income
Apr-10
May-10
Jun-10
Jul-10
Aug-10
Sep-10
Oct-10
Nov-10
Dec-10
Jan-11
Feb-11
Mar-11
£13,734.00
£10,016.00
£13,796.00
£15,362.00
£15,592.00
£14,217.00
£14,674.00
£15,012.00
£15,281.00
£14,112.00
£13,412.00
£14,155.00
£50,459.71
£77,283.78
£60,377.6
£71,797.99
£67,604.15
£65,799.75
£65,342.75
£71,044.63
£69,682.81
£62,295.35
£55,627.55
£67003.33
£64,193.71
£87,299.78
£74,173.60
£87,159.99
£83,196.15
£80,016.75
£80,212.93
£86,056.63
£84,682.81
£76,407.35
£69,039.55
£81,158.33
Date
Market Place Other car Parks Total Income
Apr-11
May-11
Jun-11
Jul-11
Aug-11
Sep-11
Oct- 11
£13,230.00
£11,285.00
£14,806.00
£7,702.00
£0.00
£0.00
£0.00
£63,222.02
£55,954.42
£61,815.01
£65,505.58
£71,829.10
£63,794.92
£66,578.31
£76,452.02
£67,239.42
£76,621.01
£73,207.58
£71,829.10
£63,794.92
£66,578.31
1000000
900000
800000
700000
600000
500000
2010-11
400000
2011-12
300000
200000
100000
0
Month
May
July
Sept
Nov
Jan
Mar
The tables above show that, with the exception of April and June every month on FY 2011/12 has
seen a drop in parking income compared with the previous year. A number of factors have
contributed towards this:




In July – Sept 2011 there was extensive roadworks in the town which restricted access for
vehicles.
The recession has been late in coming to Boston and we are now seeing the effects of this.
As well as parking income dropping we are seeing more empty shops.
The Market Place works started in July which has resulted in no income from that car park
but there has been a slight increase in income from the Council’s other car parks.
Introduction of new 60p half hour tariffs in Custom House Quay, Bargate Green and Wide
Bargate in June 2011 has led to an increased number of vehicles using these car parks;
however the average cost of the tickets purchased in these car parks has gone down.
Bargate Green
Custom House
Wide Bargate
Tickets
Ticket
Tickets
Ticket
Tickets
Ticket
2010 Sold
Income
value
Sold
Income
value
Sold
Income
value
Apr
6011
£8,967.00
£1.49
1749 £2,649.00
£1.51
1643 £2,263.00
£1.38
May
4638
£6,793.00
£1.46
2477 £3,747.00
£1.51
1328 £1,807.00
£1.36
Jun
5941
£8,762.00
£1.47
2286 £3,438.00
£1.50
1632 £2,231.00
£1.37
July
7387 £10,982.00
£1.49
2254 £3,408.00
£1.51
1652 £2,278.00
£1.38
Aug
7001 £10,428.00
£1.49
2378 £3,615.00
£1.52
1728 £2,348.00
£1.36
Bargate Green
Custom House
Wide Bargate
Tickets
Ticket
Tickets
Ticket
Tickets
Ticket
2011 Sold
Income
value
Sold
Income
value
Sold
Income
value
Apr
7137 £10,685.00
£1.50
2212 £3,329.00
£1.50
1375 £1,865.00
£1.36
May
5270
£7,735.00
£1.47
2523 £3,768.00
£1.49
1228 £1,665.00
£1.36
Jun
6274
£9,053.00
£1.44
2367 £3,199.00
£1.35
1541 £1,798.00
£1.17
July
6973
£9,783.00
£1.40
2858 £3,853.00
£1.35
1391 £1,593.00
£1.15
Aug
7120 £10,175.00
£1.43
3081 £4,150.00
£1.35
1340 £1,538.00
£1.15
60p half hour charges were introduced in June 2011. Overall result is more tickets sold but at a
lower unit price. The average price of tickets sold in these car parks is now 14p below the average
figure prior to the introduction of the 60p tariff.
The Market moved to Wide Bargate in July 2011 so figures from July onwards reflect 5 days
parking only instead of 7 in 2010.
2.9.4 Other parking issues that affect income
The number of fines issued has dropped in recent years whilst the cost of enforcement has gone
up. One reason for this is the removal of Traffic Wardens from Boston, which has resulted in an
increased number of illegally parked vehicles on street but a reduction in illegally parked cars off
street. Measures are being taken to reduce enforcement costs.
There has been a reduction in the number of vehicles purchasing Council season tickets and
trader bay permits. There are several reasons for this:
 Competitors have introduced similar schemes (with the option to pay monthly)
 Drivers cannot afford to pay up front for 3 months parking.
 Increased availability of non enforced on street parking. (Many permit holders work in the
town and arrive early – then park in an on street parking bay all day)
Introduction of the Into Town (IT) bus service. The IT bus carries approximately 25,000 people per
month into town. Some of these passengers would previously have used their car and parked in
Council car parks.
3. Managing finances
3.1
The National Picture – key financial events during Quarter 2 2011/12
The main issues affecting the Council in the second quarter of 2011/12 were
 Inflationary pressures on expenditure continue with the RPI at 5.6% and CPI at 5.2% at the end
of September. Increases in energy, food and transport costs were the major contributors to this
position, with the Council managing this risk within existing budgets;
 The announcement of a further Council Tax freeze for 2012/13, to be funded by the
Government; and
 The heightening of the crisis in the Eurozone impacting on country sovereign credit ratings and
Treasury Management advisors continuing to advise Councils to keep their investments short
term.
3.2
Revenue Budget
Spend for the year is forecast to be £9.440m, compared to the budget of £9.493m, although there
are still many financial and operational challenges that the Council faces. The graph below profiles
our budget and spending on a monthly basis, and shows the under spend against budget.
Graph 1 – Comparison of budget to forecast for the year
10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
Month
6,000
Budget
5,000
Actual
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
£'000s
Table 1 details the projected spend for the year against budget by Service Area at the end of
Quarter 2 and Table 2 details the projected spend for the year against portfolio holder at the end of
Quarter 2:
Table 1 – Projected Net spend by Service Area:
Service Area
Budget Projected
£’000
Outturn
£’000
Revenues, Benefits and
Customer Services
520
505
Business Transformation
631
564
Finance and ICT
1,203
1,114
Housing, Property and
Communities
1,037
1,042
Operations
1,968
2,010
Planning and Strategy
Regulatory
Sports
533
1,197
912
655
1,130
928
Contribution to Reserves,
levies, capital contributions
TOTAL
1,492
9,493
1,492
9,440
Variance Summary of Main Variances
(under spend)
/ overspend
£’000
Discretionary rate relief
(15) Vacancy management
Members allowances
(67) Legal fees
AV referendum funding
Vacancy management
Audit fees
(89) Procurement Lincolnshire
Concessionary fares
Vacancy management
Vacancy management
5 Investment properties rental
Business rates
Fen Road depot income
42 Garage income
Vacancy management
Planning and parking income
122 Vacancy management
(67) Vacancy management
16 Sports and Play Development
Income, Increased energy costs
0
(53)
Table 2 – Projected Net spend by Portfolio Holder Area:
Portfolio Holder Area
Town Centre
Performance and Waste
Services
Housing, Property &
Community
Leader (Planning)
Budget Projected
£’000
Outturn
£’000
127
2,107
245
2,089
931
961
725
747
3,216
3,040
1,195
1,192
9,493
1,166
1,192
9,440
Finance
Regulatory Services
Leisure & Crematorium
TOTAL
Variance Summary of Main Variances
(under spend)
/ overspend
£’000
118 Parking income
(18) Fen Road depot income, garage
income, AV referendum, fuel
30 Investment properties rental
Business Rates
22 Planning income, recruitment
savings, graphics unit income
Audit commission, Procurement
(176) Lincolnshire, Legal Lincolnshire,
Discretionary rate relief,
concessionary fares
(29) Building control income
0
(53)
3.3
Forecast Variations to budget
The following table sets out the variations identified against budget for amounts over £10,000:
Table 3 – Variations
£000
9,493
Approved Budget March 2011
1. Additional Costs
Discretionary Rate Relief
Concessionary fares
Members allowances
Business rates
Fuel
Total Additional Costs
2. Reduced Costs
Audit Commission Fees
Procurement Lincolnshire
Vacancy management
Recruitment
Fen Road depot
Fen Road depot
Trade Waste landfill
Legal
Total Reduced Costs
3. Additional Income
New Homes Bonus
Graphics unit
AV referendum
Total Additional Income
4. Reduced Income
Parking
Trade Waste
Garage Income
Investment properties rental
Building control
Sports and Play Development
Planning fees
Total Reduced Income
All applicants in receipt of an award
Quarter 4 final bill more than prepaid at
the year end
As per the Council report 11/7/2011
Empty industrial units
Price increases
Reduction in fees
Reduction in contract price and 3 year
agreement underspend
Savings
Identified at budget challenge
Rental price negotiated down
Additional income from LCCl for use as
an MRF
Corresponding savings due to reduced
customer numbers (reduced income)
Spend to date and prior years outturn
Government grant awarded
Work for external organisations
Government funding received for AV
referendum vote at local elections
Total downturn predicted for the year
Reduced number of customers (offset
by landfill tax saving)
Offset by salary savings
Vacant properties
Due to fall in chargeable caseloads
Alternative method of service delivery
Predicted income increases are yet to
materialise.
5. Proposed Contribution to Reserves
New Homes Bonus
To Housing reserves
Total Proposed Contribution to Reserves
Budget capacity for Q3 and Q4
12
13
10
10
30
75
9,568
(42)
(27)
(105)
(5)
(20)
(25)
(17)
(100)
(341)
9,227
(152)
(7)
(54)
(213)
9,014
120
17
23
32
20
13
49
274
9,288
152
152
53
Budget
9,493
Budget Notes
3.4
Trading Income
The Council has a number of demand led budget areas which are reliant on receiving income for
services provided. Income from trading represents 40% of the Council’s budget. These budget
areas are detailed in the following table, and have been reported in previous Governance reports:
Table 4 – Income Outturn:
Income Area
Budget
£000
Parking
Planning
Building Control
Markets
Bereavement
Assembly Rooms
Investment Property
Garage Income
Land Charges
Licensing
Leisure
Waste
TOTAL
(1,116)
(266)
(182)
(209)
(723)
(80)
(260)
(65)
(52)
(71)
(619)
(177)
(3,820)
Projected
Outturn
£000
(996)
(217)
(162)
(209)
(723)
(69)
(239)
(42)
(52)
(71)
(619)
(160)
(3,559)
Over / (Under
Spend)
£000
120
49
20
0
0
11
21
23
0
0
0
17
261
Parking income has been closely monitored and the trends at the end of quarter 2 are showing a
further downturn, predicted to be £120k at the year end. Monthly reviews of the income are being
undertaken and compared to the same periods in previous years (covered in section 2.9 of the
report). Planning income is more difficult to predict and an upturn in planning applications in the
remainder of the year may give the opportunity for income to reach its budgeted level.
3.5 Reserves
The following table shows the forecast position regarding reserves as at 31st March 2012:
Table 5 – Reserves
Reserve
Capital Funding Reserve
Building Control
ICT Reserve
VAT reserve
Repairs and Renewals Reserve
ABG Community Cohesion
Climate Change ABG
Transformation Programme
Housing Reserve 1
TOTAL
Start of
year
£000
3,080
30
304
139
691
55
228
718
257
5,502
Budgeted
Movement
£000
(1,216)
(30)
51
0
(54)
(52)
(43)
(9)
176
(1,177)
End of year
£000
1,864
0
355
139
637
3
185
709
433
4,325
Notes:
1. Table 5 includes the transfers to reserve for the New Homes bonus (as detailed in Table 3)
along with £6,000 to be provided to Churches Together to fund modifications to their heating
system, from the Rough Sleepers funding that the Council received from DCLG. The benefit to the
Council is that the Church will provide, for the next 3 years, emergency night shelter through the
winter period for ‘rough sleepers’. Thus better enabling the Council to meet the national criterion
that accommodation is made available to every rough sleeper when temperatures fall below zero
for three consecutive nights.
Recommendation:
F1
That members approve the £6,000 use of the Rough Sleepers funding held within the
Housing Reserve.
3.6
Treasury Management
The Council does not hold significant cash resources. Graph 2 demonstrates we achieved £46,491
investment interest income to quarter 2 against an annual budget of £71,210, earning an average
rate of 1.11% to the end of quarter 2. As our cash balances diminish during the year (for example
less Council Tax is collected in the last two months of the year) we are expecting to achieve the
budgeted level of investment income. We are aware of the growing debt crisis in Europe– finance
staff are monitoring the position closely and the Council’s treasury management advisors have
indicated that investments should be kept short term.
Graph 2 – Comparison of investment income budget to actual to date
Investment Income - Budget Vs. Actual
£80,000
£71,208
£70,000
£60,000
Interest earned
£50,000
46,491.32
Budget
£40,000
Interest Earned
39,037.26
£30,000
30,747.13
22,492.52
£20,000
14,986.62
£10,000
7,277.25
£0
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sep
Period
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
3.7 Capital
The following table indicates the capital programme for 2011/12, approved in March 2011. It should
be noted as recommended in the Quarter 1 Governance report Pool Cars have been added to the
Capital Programme. Similarly the Training Pool budget has been added to the Capital Programme
(which went to Cabinet 24/8/11).
Table 6 – Capital Programme
Summary Capital Programme
Scheme
Budget
£'000
Statutory scheme and Health & Safety schemes
Disabled Facilities Grants
314
Chancel Restoration
28
Priority scheme with affordable business
case
Transport initiative
1,000
Market Place (assumes £450k
450
contribution in total)
Air Quality Management
12
Leisure Invest to save Schemes
249
Other approved items
Leisure – Training pool capital
74
Pool Cars
35
Total all schemes
2,162
2011/12
Spend to
Projected
date
Outturn
£'000
£'000
Variance
£'000
117
0
314
28
0
0
642
650
(350)
0
450
0
0
21
0
249
(12)
0
0
35
74
35
0
0
815
1,800
(362)
We have been advised by DEFRA that our application for grant funding towards the Air Quality
project has been unsuccessful – the air quality monitoring station is to be de-commissioned.
The Council has been advised that three of its funding bids have been successful and £62k has
been allocated for investment in healthy lifestyle capital projects – details can be found in the
supplementary estimates section 3.10.
Recommendation:
F2
F3
3.8
To note the revised position of the capital programme
To approve the use of Staying Healthy funding to support the investment in healthy
lifestyle capital projects
Consultancy costs
Where specialist work is required then the Council will look to support from third parties.
summary of consultant spend in quarters 1 and 2 is given below.
A
Table 7 – Consultants
Consultant
Advanced Business
Solutions
Qtr 1
£’000
2
Dunn & Co
4
Wilks Head & Eve
2
Roythorne & Co
1
Heritage Trust of
Lincolnshire Ltd
Anderson and Glenn
Total
8
6
23
Qtr 2
Activity
£’000
0 Consultancy used to assist with the income
management project for the Transformation
programme
0 Bereavement services procurement (Transformation
programme)
0 Consultancy on Leisure services (Transformation
programme)
0 Deed of consent (Transformation programme –
Bereavement)
0 Archaeological services
12 Architectural consultancy
12
3.9 Debt Collection
A review of debts is undertaken every month, and monitoring is reported against targets. Council
tax debts totalling £62,388.67 and Sundry debts totalling £2,592.94 have been approved for write
off by the Section 151 Officer during quarter 2. It should be noted with all debt write-offs if the debt
proves to be collectable the debt will be ‘written back’.
NNDR debts over £5,000 need to be authorised for write-off by Cabinet. The NNDR debts
requiring Cabinet authorisation for write-off are as follows:
Table 8 – NNDR Debt Write-offs
Name
Celebrations Group Ltd
Kalas Gemini Ltd
Sovereign Hotel Ltd
Kalas Gemini Ltd
DEFRA
ATV
Boston Car Auctions Ltd
Carpenters Arms
Shapla
Mortgage Hunters UK Ltd
Unit 4 Haven Business Park
Locomotive
TOTAL
Amount
£
9,680.40
9,899.23
32,695.08
11,906.69
13,881.75
13,274.16
13,953.69
5,674.87
7,837.22
8,534.82
6,017.38
10,205.21
143,560.50
Reason
In liquidation
In administration
In administration
In administration
Errors on various accounts, time barred.
Unable to recover, gone away
Dissolved
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
In liquidation
Bankruptcy
Gone away
Recommendation:
F4
That Members approve the NNDR debts for write off.
An analysis of the Sundry debts the Council held as at 30th September 2011 is shown in the
following table:
Table 9 – Sundry Debt analysis
Quarter
2
0-30 Days
24,719.30
31-91 Days
10,219.51
92-365 Days
3,983.38
Over 365 Days
127,232.99
TOTAL
166,155.18
Performance of Council Tax and National Non-Domestic Rates collection is reported in the
‘managing performance’ section of this report.
3.10 Supplementary Estimates
A supplementary estimate reflects where the Council has received additional income, notified since
the formal budget was set and its use is for a specific purpose. The following needs to be
approved for quarter 2:
Table 10 – Supplementary Estimates
Supplementary Estimates requiring Cabinet approval
Boston Area Partnership – Food for Life – Grow2Eat & Cook4Life
Lincolnshire Co-Op funding – Community Greenhouse Project (Central Park)
Grant payable to Churches Together who assist rough sleepers (see note 1 to table
5)
Rough Sleepers Fund (held within Housing Reserves)
10 Outdoor fitness stations – capital scheme
Two Trim Trails (Boston Woods and Witham Way Country Park) – capital scheme
Land acquisition contribution (Boston Woods) – capital scheme
Staying Healthy Funding - Capital
Indoor Multi Use Area (GMLC) – disabled activity facilities
Staying Healthy Funding - Revenue
Amount £
1,000
-1,000
6,000
-6,000
14,332
32,500
15,000
-61,832
3,800
-3,800
Recommendation:
F5
That Cabinet approve the supplementary estimates in Table 9
3.11 Insurance
We are pleased to report that the terms remained unaltered when the third year of the contract
commenced in the second quarter. The number of insurance claims the Council has are relatively
small, particularly pleasing is the fall in the number of motor claims. A summary of the numbers of
claims is given below.
Table 11 – Insurance claims
Q1
Q2
Public Liability
(3) 2
(2) 3
Employers Liability
(0) 0
(0) 0
Motor
(4) 1
(2) 0
Property
(2) 0
(0) 0
Total
(9) 3
(4) 3
Previous year comparison in brackets.
Q3
Q4
Total
3.12 Procurement Exemptions
Within the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules in certain circumstances the requirement to go out
to quotation or tender is exempted. No such exemptions were applied in Quarter 2.
3.13 Other Financial Matters
The Statement of Accounts for the year ending 31st March 2011 were signed off by the Audit
Commission on the 30th September 2011. Feedback from auditors was positive with a largely
complimentary Annual Governance Report.
The progress of the key Transformation projects is covered in the ‘managing performance’ section
of the report and is monitored by the Transformation Board. In terms of finance, the key projects to
deliver savings are:



Leisure Services - £156k savings in budget for 2011/12 (compared to 2010/11) being achieved
by 31st March 2012; however the refurbishment works could have an effect on income levels
for the year and so are being closely monitored and any variations to budget will be reported to
Cabinet;
Asset Review - £38k in budget for 2011/12 (compared to 2010/11) being achieved by 31st
March 2012. Table 3 section 4 does identify a downturn in rental income from our investment
properties;
Pay and conditions target of £213k included in the budget for 2011/12 is being achieved and
there are more savings from vacant posts included in table 2.
The work on the 2012/13 budget has commenced with the draft budget for consultation due to be
available from 30th November 2011.
4. Managing performance
4.1
Headlines
 Overall performance on track – reported by portfolio area (4.4)
 Improved performance
 Performance issues to note (red triangles):
 Sickness absence (4.4.3)
 Proportion of Excess Charge Notices paid (4.4.5)
 Households living in temporary accommodation (4.4.7)
 Corporate health measures and tasks discussed at performance clinic (4.5)
 Celebrating good performance
 Addressing performance challenges
 Other performance issues debated
4.2
Corporate priorities 2011/12
The Council’s corporate priorities for 2011/12, as set out in the Corporate Plan, are:
4.3
Better services with less money
Sharing opportunities and responsibilities
A successful Borough – a great past, an exciting future
Key measures and projects
We have identified the key measures and projects for 2011/12 to monitor progress against the delivery of these priorities. Progress to the end of
quarter 2 (April to September 2011) is set out below by Cabinet portfolio. This is monitored and reported using our Performance Plus system (see key
to symbols below1).
1
Key to symbols:

Ahead of schedule / target or on plan

On schedule / target

Behind schedule / target
4.4
Council overview
4.4.1 Portfolio: Leader
Coastal Strategy, Strategic Planning – Conservation/Heritage/LDF, County and Regional Partnerships, Transformation Programme, Development
Control, Port of Boston, Regeneration, and Media
Transformation projects – completed and reported:



Review scope of climate change work
Review scope of economic development work
Review of civic and mayoral arrangements
Transformation projects – in progress:
Carbon management and climate change projects
The main focus is on developing proposals for investment in Solar PV. Installation of energy efficient lighting at Fen Road slightly behind schedule but
now looking to extend the scheme to include lighting improvements to the GMLC main hall and training pool. Pool covers ordered and self powered
cardiovascular gym equipment now in operation.
Joint Planning Authority
The first meeting of the new Joint Committee (9th September), comprising Boston, South Holland and County members, approved the Local
Development Scheme which lists the planning documents to be produced and the timetable for them. This includes the Strategy and Policies
Development Plan Document (Local Plan) which sets out vision, objectives and strategy for South East Lincolnshire to 2031, with a timetable for
examination of this document in 2013 and adoption the following year. A consultation of staff affected by the new structure has been completed
satisfactorily and the new structure for the Joint Policy Unit as far as the Boston officers are concerned is now in place.
Managing Excellent Planning Services (MEPS)
This activity has effectively become a Planning Services Benchmark based upon the imminent new powers for Local Planning Authorities to set their
own application fees. The first draft of the latest benchmark is now available and an action plan will follow after training and report finalisation. This
has been delayed because we are still awaiting the decision from Government as to whether we will be able to set our own planning fees.
Member training and development project
Work underway to build on success of induction programme; led by Councillor Development Group
4.4.2 Portfolio: Deputy Leader – Finance and Corporate Governance
Finance (including Revenues and Benefits), Procurement, IT, Corporate Governance, Customer Services, Freedom of Information, and Complaints
Measures:
Quarterly
Measures
Delivery of
balanced budget
and robust MTFP
IT project
completion
Definition
Actual
Mar11
Delivery of balanced budget and
robust Medium Term Financial Plan
Yes
(MTFP)
% of IT projects completed within
time and budget
Systems audit undertaken for both
IT systems audit
hardware and software
Business Rates
Percentage of non-domestic rates
94.94%
collection
collected by the authority in the year
Council Tax
Percentage of council tax collected
95.66%
collection
by the authority in the year
The average time taken in calendar
Benefit
days to process all new claims and
8.96
processing time
change events in Housing Benefit
days
and Council Tax Benefit
Performance comment: Estimated performance to date is on track
Target
Mar11
Performance
Mar11
Actual
Sep11
Target
Sep11
Performance
Sep11
Target
Mar12
Yes

Yes
Yes

Yes
New indicator
100%
100%

80%
New indicator
50%
50%

100%
96.00%

59.01%
55.99%

96.00%
96.10%

59.33%
55.93%

96.10%
10.00
days

10.00
days
10.00
days

10.00
days
Transformation projects – in progress:
IT Strategy and shared working
Shared working arrangements in place with South Kesteven and further arrangements are being developed with North Kesteven, City of Lincoln and
West Lindsey; RIEP funding being used to develop a shared strategy
Revenues & Benefits project
Project underway to look at service redesign and contract renegotiation. Also, document management system to be implemented in Revs/Bens first
then rolled out corporately; target £100k saving from 2012/13 on top of £100k saved last year
Website project
Project underway to re-launch website using South Kesteven design template and updated Boston content; working towards having a test site drafted
by January 2012
4.4.3 Portfolio: Deputy Leader – Performance and Waste Services
Street Cleansing, Green Waste, Refuse and Recycling, Democratic Services, Parish Councils, Performance and Improvement
Measures:
Quarterly
Actual
Target Performance Actual
Target
Performance
Target
Definition
Measures
Mar11
Mar11
Mar11
Sep11
Sep11
Sep11
Mar12
Household
The percentage of household waste arisings
waste
which have been sent by the Authority for
reused,
27.61%
30.00%
37.30% 30.00%
30.00%


reuse, recycling, composting or treatment by
recycled or
anaerobic digestion
composted
Residual
The number of kilograms of household waste
household collected that is not sent for reuse, recycling
644.83kg
630kg
316.9kg
315kg
630kg


waste per
or is not composted or anaerobic digestion
household per household
Quarterly
Actual
Target Performance Actual
Target
Performance
Target
Definition
Measures
Mar11
Mar11
Mar11
Sep11
Sep11
Sep11
Mar12
Sickness
Number of days lost to sickness absence per
7.99
5.06
3.50
7.11 days
7 days


absence
employee – cumulative measure
days
days
days
Performance comment: In recent years, sickness absence has been low in Boston in comparison with other local authorities. However, there has
been an increase in sickness absence in the current year. This is predominantly due to a high proportion of long term absence, particularly in
Operations and Leisure Services. This has been discussed in detail at performance clinic. Appropriate mechanisms are in place to deal with sickness
absence and this will be reviewed again at the end of the next quarter. Short term sickness has significantly reduced (208 days Sep-Apr 10/11 to 116
days Sep-Apr 11/12). There is no direct evidence to suggest that this is solely attributable to the changes in staff terms and conditions but it is likely
that this has had an effect.
Transformation projects – in progress:
Improvement Plan
Progress being monitored by SMT; Key Lines of Enquiry incorporated where appropriate to Boston Borough Council
Systems thinking review of refuse and recycling
Due to report in quarter 3
4.4.4 Portfolio: Regulatory Services
Building Control, Environmental Health, Community Safety, Emergency Planning, Health and Safety, Licensing and Land Charges
Transformation projects – in progress:
 Review CCTV provision; project underway to look at maximising income and reducing operating costs; working towards implementation in
April 2012
4.4.5 Portfolio: Town Centre
Town Centre Development and Management, Car Parks, BID, Markets and Public Toilets
Measures:
Quarterly Measures
Definition
Actual
Sep11
Target
Sep11
Performance
Sep11
Target
Mar12
Occupancy on Boston
Market
Percentage of market stalls occupied
92.00%
90.00%

82.00%
Proportion of ECNs paid
Number of Excess Charge Notices (ECNs) paid as a
proportion of ECNs issued
57.04%
62.00%

62.00%
Performance comment:
These figures will change as ECN's are paid up to 6 months after the issue of the notice therefore the figure shown for the latest month will continue
to rise as new payments are received. Experience shows that this normally leads to on or over a target result.
Transformation project – completed and reported:
 Review service delivery options for car park management
Transformation projects – in progress:
 Strategy report on public conveniences
4.4.6 Portfolio: Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces
Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces, Country Parks and Reserves, Playing Fields, Tree Management, Crematoria and Cemeteries, Allotments
and Grounds Maintenance
Measures:
Quarterly Measures
Definition
Social walking –
Throughput – numbers taking part in social walking groups
throughput
(participants rather than individuals)
Swims
Total number of swim sessions at Geoff Moulder Leisure Pool
Performance comment:
20% increase in usage since the Training Pool re-opened on 5th September 2011
Actual
Sep11
Target
Sep11
Performance
Sep11
Target
Mar12
3,252
2,500
5,000
64,391
60,000


120,000
Transformation project – completed and reported:
 Bereavement Services project
4.4.7 Portfolio: Housing, Property and Community
Housing, Community Transport, Property, Homelessness, Older People, Community Development and Voluntary Sector Support
Measures:
Quarterly
Measures
Definition
The number of homes where the quality,
energy efficiency or housing management
standards have improved during the year
Performance comment:
Partnership working with the Home Energy Lincs Partnership
Number of Homelessness Cases
Prevented (based on the number of
Number of
households who considered themselves as
homelessness
homeless who approached the local
cases prevented
housing authority's housing advice services
and for whom housing advice casework
intervention resolved their situation)
Number of
This indicator measures the numbers of
households living in households living in temporary
temporary
accommodation provided under the
accommodation
homelessness legislation.
Improved housing
standards
Actual
Mar11
Target
Mar11
Performance
Mar11
Actual
Sep11
Target
Sep11
Performance
Sep11
Target
Mar12
1,233
homes
300
homes

191
homes
160
homes

300
homes
177
cases
100
cases

92
cases
50
cases

75
cases
17
14

17
16

16
Transformation projects – in progress:
 Asset Review – report on Assembly Rooms to Cabinet in October 2011
4.5
Corporate Health
Performance significantly above or below target to the end of the second quarter has been discussed by senior management to celebrate good
performance and to agree remedial action where necessary.
Celebrating performance
-
Delivery of a balanced budget and robust Medium Term Financial Strategy
100% completion of IT projects on time and on budget
Housing standards improved in 191 homes (against a target of 160)
92 homelessness cases prevented (against a target of 50)
Participation in social walking (3,252 against a target of 2,500)
64,391 swims at Geoff Moulder Leisure Complex (against a target of 60,000)
92% occupancy rate on Boston Market (against a target of 90%)
Performance challenges
-
Sickness absence – 5.06 days per person compared to a target of 3.50 days.
In recent years, sickness absence has been low in Boston in comparison with other local authorities. However, there has been an
increase in sickness absence in the current year. This is predominantly due to a high proportion of long term absence, particularly in
Operations and Leisure Services. This has been discussed in detail at performance clinic. Appropriate mechanisms are in place to deal
with sickness absence and this will be reviewed again at the end of the next quarter. Short term sickness has significantly reduced
(208 days Sep-Apr 10/11 to 116 days Sep-Apr 11/12). There is no direct evidence to suggest that this is solely attributable to the
changes in staff terms and conditions but it is likely that this has had an effect.
-
Number of households living in temporary accommodation – 17 households against a target of 16.
-
Proportion of Excess Charge Notices (ECNs) paid – 57.04% against a target of 62%.
These figures will change as ECN's are paid up to 6 months after the issue of the notice therefore the figure shown for the latest month
will continue to rise as new payments are received. Experience shows that this normally leads to on or over a target result. A wider
discussion on car parking took place at performance clinic and it was agreed to include additional monitoring alongside ECNs in future
to also monitor income and uptake.
Other performance issues debated
4.6
-
Freedom of Information requests – improvements to the management of information will enable us to deal more efficiently with requests
in future but volumes are continuing to rise; maintain a watching brief
-
Complaints monitoring – lessons are being learned from complaints but there is still room to improve our understanding of the difference
between a complaint and a service request; officer training will take place in December which will include this element
-
Performance management system – A Development Plan for Performance Plus, our performance management system, will be drafted
in quarter 3 including recommendations from an internal audit which is currently underway
-
Housing – use of the New Homes Bonus being debated as part of the budget setting process
-
Budget consultation – also part of the budget setting process
Reporting timetable for 2011/12
Quarter Time span
Final date
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
30/06/2011
30/09/2011
31/12/2011
31/03/2012
Apr to Jun11
Apr to Sep11
Apr to Dec11
Apr11 to Mar12
P+ deadline/ Performance Draft Cabinet
SMT/CMT
clinic
papers
28/07/2011
15/08/2011
17/08/2011
03/11/2011
07/11/2011
09/11/2011
26/01/2012
30/01/2012
01/02/2012
03/05/2012
07/05/2012
09/05/2012
Cabinet
briefing
24/08/2011
16/11/2011
08/02/2012
16/05/2012
Cabinet
07/09/2011
30/11/2011
22/02/2012
30/05/2012
Draft Scrutiny
Scrutiny
papers
18/10/2011
27/10/2011
04/11/2011
24/11/2011
09/03/2012
29/03/2012
TBC
TBC
5. Customer insight
5.1
Response to complaints
From 1 July 2011 to 30 September 2011, Boston Borough Council received a total of 28 official
complaints.
100
18
90
80
15
70
60
28
50
28
40
30
32
20
22
10
0
Complaints 2011/2010
Complaints 2010/2011
18
Q4
15
Q3
Q2
28
28
Q1
22
32
The complaints received during quarter 2 are summarised in the table below by service area and
type of complaint.
Service Area
Operations
Revenues, Benefits &
Customer Services
Planning & Strategy
Housing, Property &
Communities
Business Transformation
Regulatory Services
GMLP
Chief Executive’s Office
Finance & IT
TOTAL
Reason for complaint
Officer conduct/
Service
Policy
behaviour
failure
issue
4
5
0
0
4
0
Other
Total
Complaints
1
3
10
7
0
0
2
2
0
0
2
1
4
3
0
0
0
0
0
4
1
1
0
0
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
9
2
1
1
0
0
28
We are improving our Feedback Policy and complaints reporting to focus on effective complaint
investigations, complaint resolution and lessons learned from mistakes.
5.2
Requests for Information made under the Freedom of Information Act
2000
From 1st April 2011 to 30th September 2011 (Quarters 1& 2), Boston Borough Council has
received a total of 215 information access requests. This is a 36% increase in comparison with the
same period last year when 138 were received.
350
300
113
250
200
63
93
150
72
100
122
66
50
0
FOI requests 2011/2012
FOI requests 2010/2011
113
Q4
63
Q3
Q2
93
72
Q1
122
66
There is a statutory duty under the Freedom of Information Act for requests for information to be
responded to within 20 working days following the day of receipt. Boston Borough Council has
taken an average of 7.81 days in Quarter 2 to provide information to applicants that have made a
request under the Act.
Quarter
1
2
3
4
5.3
Average Number of Days taken to respond to
information access requests received in each
quarter of 2011-12
6.5 days
7.81 days
-
Actual number of requests that
were not responded to within
statutory time limit
3 (out of 122)
6 (out of 93)
-
Customer Services
From 1st July 2011 to 30th September 2011, we have served 4,678 customers; this is an increase
of 658 visitors compared with the same period last year:
Quarter Number of Customers Number of Customers
2011/12
2010/11
1
4,500
4,225
2
4,678
4,020
3
3,686
4
4,003
Total
9,178
15,934
From 1st July 2011 to 30th September 2011, there have been 16,483 calls made to our
switchboard. This is a decrease of 604 calls compared with the number of calls received during the
same period last year.
Our Customer Service Standards state that we will answer at least 80% of calls to our switchboard
within 15 seconds. During Quarter 2 of 2011/12, we answered 80.92% of calls in 15 seconds;
exceeding our target.
Quarter
1
2
3
4
Total
5.4
Number of
switchboard calls
2011/12
16,483
20,619
Percentage
answered in 15
seconds 2011/12
81.25%
80.92%
37,102
Number of
switchboard calls
2010/11
14,280
21,223
19,279
13,540
68,322
Percentage
answered in 15
seconds 2010/11
70.43%
75.66%
85.71%
83.53%
78.83%
Compliments
During Quarter 2 of 2011/12, three recorded compliments were received in respect of actions or
services provided by the Council:
Service Area/Lead Officer
Planning & Strategy – Jen Moore and
Hannah Gosling
Revenues, Benefits and Customer Services
– Daniel Blackburn
Planning & Strategy - Development
Control
Details of Compliment
Received formal thanks for efforts made with the
allotments – planting hedges
Praised Daniel for being very polite and
understanding whilst on Switchboard
Appreciation for the department for their speedy
response to an application
6. Partnership performance
6.1
Boston Area Partnership (BAP)
At its September meeting, the BAP Executive Board considered a presentation by Chief Inspector
Lee Pache on community safety and anti-social behaviour in the Boston area, which showed that
most of the indicators were improving. It was noted that additional police resources had been
provided to police the night time economy in Boston town centre on a Friday and Saturday
evening. Further resources would be allocated for Friday and Saturday evenings during the run-up
to Christmas.
It was reported that partners would know whether the ‘Improving Financial Confidence’ funding bid,
submitted to the Big Lottery Fund, had passed the first stage of the process by the end of
November 2011.
6.2
Partnership updates
The Partnership Governance Framework has been reviewed, updated and streamlined by SMT
following the corporate governance audit.
SMT have also reviewed the partnership register and updated the partnership templates to ensure
that governance arrangements are in place and appropriate.
Partnership
Boston Area Partnership
(BAP)
Boston Sports Initiative
(BSI)
Lincolnshire Waste
Management Partnership
Common Housing Register
East Lincolnshire
Community Safety
Partnership (CSP)
Legal Lincolnshire
Procurement Lincolnshire
ERDF Lincolnshire
Investment Plan
Partnership
Flood Risk & Drainage
Management Partnership
ICT collaboration
Lincolnshire Improvement
and Efficiency Partnership
(LIEP)
Description
Lead officer
Local Strategic Partnership
Ian Farmer
Sports partnership
Phil Perry
Countywide waste partnership
George Bernard
Single point of access for all general needs
affordable homes within the Borough in
partnership with our registered social landlord
providers
Andy Fisher
Boston and East Lindsey partnership including
the Police
Peter Hunn
Shared service
Shared service
Katharine Nundy
Peter Linfield
Lincolnshire Investment Plan (LIP)
Andy Fisher
Led by the County Council as new Lead
Drainage/Flood Authority under the new Act ensuring that local drainage management groups
are operated at District level and feeding back to
Operational and Strategy Groups at County and
Environment Agency level. Brings together all
involved in flood and drainage issues
5-way ICT collaboration between Boston, SKDC,
NKDC, CoL and WLDC around ICT
Lincolnshire Improvement and Efficiency
Partnership (LIEP)
Steve Lumb
Rob Barlow
Rob Barlow
Partnership
Lincolnshire Biodiversity
Partnership
Lincolnshire Supported
Housing Partnership
Wash Fens Partnership
(RPDE)
Lincolnshire Heritage
Forum
Partnership agreement
with South Kesteven
District Council
Partnership agreement
with East Lindsey District
Council
Wash & North Norfolk
Coast European Marine
Site
Staying Healthy
Programme Partnership
Partnership agreement
with South Holland District
Council & Breckland
District Council
Home Energy Lincolnshire
Partnership (HELP)
Description
LBP is an environmental not-for-profit
organisation - all public bodies have a statutory
obligation for the conservation of biodiversity
Formal governance framework which administers
the Supporting People programme and oversees
our other strategic housing matters
Local partnership involving SHDC, LCC and
ourselves, administering funding of approx £1.1M
currently, under the RPE national scheme for
local benefit
Committee led group of approximately 50
heritage attracttions and museums throughout
Lincolnshire. These include the County Council,
Local Authority, charitable trusts and
independents. It co-ordinates activity to raise the
profile and advocate the worth of the Heritage
offer of Lincolnshire
1 to 1 collaboration between BBC and SKDC;
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of general
help and assistance on all services and at the
moment focused on aligning IT as a step towards
the P064 collaboration. It has also included
finance peer review work, fraud work, shared IT
manager, an offer of payroll services and
supporting the review of CCTV
Sharing Director of Resources and Head of
Finance; also Property Services lead
Boston Borough Council is one of the "relevant
authorities" responsible for the conservation and
management of the European Marine site
Partnership schemes with the NHS e.g. Healthy
Walks and Fit Kids
Lead officer
Ian Farmer
Andy Fisher
Peter Jullien
Steve Lumb
Rob Barlow
Rob Barlow
Ian Farmer /
Peter Udy
Ian Farmer
Festival & Events Officer
Peter Jullien
To manage the Affordable Warmth Strategy
Stuart Horton
Training Pool Partnership
Agreement
Partnership agreement with Witham Schools
Federation and Boston Amateur Swimming Club
to manage and operate GMLC Training Pool.
Phil Perry
SICA Grants Scheme
Partnerships in Conservation Areas Scheme (PSICA)
Steve Lumb
7. Governing the Council
Corporate governance is about how the Council ensures it is doing the right things, in the right
way, for the right people, in a timely, inclusive, open and accountable way. This section of the
report looks at various aspects of the council’s governance arrangements and discusses any
issues.
7.1
Risk management
Risk is the chance of something happening that will have an impact on what we set out to achieve
as a Council. As an organisation, we have identified our strategic risks and have a process in place
to control and monitor them.
A scoring mechanism is in place to assess the likelihood of a risk occurring and the impact should
that risk occur.
Likelihood (L) (probability) – Hardly ever (1); Possible (2); Probable (3); Almost certain (4)
Impact (I) (consequences) – Negligible (1); Minor (2); Major (3); Critical (4)
The overall score guides the control and monitoring requirements:
LIKELIHOOD (L)
1 to 2: Low risk - no control action required; monitor annually
3 to 9: Medium risk - set target for acceptable risk; take control action; monitor quarterly
10 to 16: High risk - set target for acceptable risk; take control action as priority; monitor monthly
Almost certain
4
4
8
12
16
Probable
3
3
6
9
12
Possible
2
2
4
6
8
Hardly ever
1
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
Negligible
Minor
Major
Critical
IMPACT (I)
7.2
Strategic risks
The strategic risk register is regularly reviewed by SMT, CMT and the Audit Committee and the
latest position is set out below:
High risks (10 to 16)
Risk
Owner/s
L
I
Risk
Score
Financial
sustainability
Rob
Barlow
3
4
12
Delivery of the
Transformation
Programme
Richard
Harbord
3
4
12
Future of
Business Rates
and changes to
Government
funding
Peter
Linfield
3
4
12
Previous
Controls in place
Quarter
Medium Term
Financial Strategy;
financial planning,
monitoring and
12
review; Treasury
Management;
Transformation
Programme
12
Transformation
Programme Board
New risk
Medium Term
Financial Strategy;
financial planning,
monitoring and
review
Controls to be
implemented
Controls and
contingencies in
finance risk
register; reported
quarterly
Transformation
Board; reported
quarterly
To continue to
monitor the
outcomes from
the DCLG
consultation and
report accordingly
to Members.
Medium/low risks (1 to 9)
Risk
Owner/s
L
I
Risk
Score
Community
leadership and
engagement
Andy
Fisher /
Katharine
Nundy
3
3
9
Information
Management
and Security
Peter
Linfield
Organisational
change
Rob
Barlow
Flood risk
(impact on
development
and housing)
Steve
Lumb
3
3
3
3
3
3
9
9
9
Previous
Controls in place
Quarter
Existing Community
Strategy, Cohesion
Strategy and revised
9
Engagement and
Communication
Strategies; Corporate
Plan Priorities
Information
Management project
underway; data
protection and
9
information security
controls in place;
collaborative working;
IT work programme
Transformation
Programme;
6
governance structures
and processes
Working in partnership
with Environment
Agency and
Lincolnshire County
Council on
9
development policy in
association and in
parallel with LDF work.
Supporting the work of
the Boston Barrier
project group.
Controls to be
implemented
Task and Finish
group
Controls and
contingencies in
IT risk register;
Information
Management
group meeting
regularly
Transformation
Programme
Board; reported
quarterly
Ongoing regular
meetings and
discussions with
EA and LCC.
Construction of
the Boston
Barrier.
Development of
LDF
Risk
Emergency
planning /
business
continuity
Pension
liability
Owner/s
L
I
Risk
Score
Andy
Fisher
2
4
8
Previous
Controls in place
Quarter
Emergency Planning
and Business
Continuity plans in
place; regular
8
monitoring and review;
Emergency Planning
training undertaken by
CMT & SMT; Exercise
Watermark completed
Peter
Linfield
2
4
8
8
Performance
Katharine
Nundy
2
3
6
6
Equalities
Katharine
Nundy
2
3
6
6
Rob
Barlow
1
2
2
2
Governance
Controls to be
implemented
Ongoing
monitoring and
review
Continued
monitoring of
the national
position and
Implementing LCC
reporting as
triennial review pension
part of the
rates.
MTFS and
financial
reporting
process.
Ongoing
Performance
monitoring and
Management
review;
Framework
quarterly report
Continued
monitoring by
Equality Board
Equality Board;
and feedback
corporate approach in
on potential
place
non-compliance
referred to
CMT/SMT
Structures/processes in
place; corporate
frameworks for
decision-making,
Ongoing
performance, project & monitoring and
risk management,
review;
partnership
quarterly report;
governance; monthly
review of
monitoring; quarterly
contract register
reporting to CMT,
Cabinet and Scrutiny;
Internal Audit
Summary of current risk profile
Almost certain
4
Community leadership;
LIKELIHOOD
Probable
Information Management;
3
Organisational change;
Flood risk
Possible
2
Hardly ever
1
Financial stability;
Transformation
Programme
Performance;
Emergency planning;
Equalities
Pension liability
Governance
1
2
3
4
Negligible
Minor
Major
Critical
IMPACT
7.3
Financial risks
The following table shows the key risks and how we intend to treat them through our risk
management practices. This is taken from the emerging
Risk
1. Reduced public sector
funding from Central
Government
2. The current uncertainty in
the financial markets and
potential meltdown within
the Euro and banking sector
which threatens the security
of Council investments.
3. Lower income levels from
fees and charges
Likelihood
High
Impact
High
Medium
High
Medium
Medium
Action
Respond to the Government’s
Resource Review consultation
concerning Business Rates and
Council Tax Benefit. This could
have a significant impact on future
levels of Government support after
2012/13. Uncertainty still exists
with regards to the New Homes
Bonus and whether given the
restrictions on housing
development the Council could
ultimately be penalised.
Continue to review the financial
markets and information from the
Council’s treasury advisers.
Advise Audit Committee of any
significant issues.
Managers continue to review levels
of fees and charges.
Risk
4. Pension fund deficit
worsens.
Likelihood
High
Impact
Medium
5. Efficiency targets are not
met.
6. A loss of matched funding
support from project partners
Medium
High
High
Medium
7. Additional bad debts as a
result of economic
circumstances
8. Increased annual
maintenance costs of ageing
physical assets
9. Inflation rises by more than
budgeted projections
High
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
10. That capital programme
spending plans make revenue
budget pressures or that the
business cases for funding are
not realised.
Medium
High
11. Interest rate rises are both
more and sooner than
expected, impacting upon both
future capital financing and
interest earned on
investments
12. Central Government
changes legislation in key
areas such as Benefits and
Planning which impact upon
the finances of the Council
Low
Medium
High
High
Medium
Medium
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
13. The new administration
changes the direction the
Council takes in terms of its
Corporate priorities and
funding those priorities.
14. The impact of technical
accounting changes on the
budget resulting from the
implementation of international
Financial Reporting Standards
(IFRS)
15. The Government is
committed to Community
Based Budgeting, as yet the
impact of this is unknown and
may effect the budget in the
future.
Action
Strong links with Lincolnshire CC
Pension Fund and await the full
ramifications of the Hutton Report.
Robust efficiency plans, and a fully
scoped transformation programme
Ensure projects only proceed once
firm and binding commitments are
obtained
Pro-active debt management and
pre-pay fee policies.
Undertake a strategic review of
assets and plan for the disposal of
any liabilities
Budget assumptions kept up to date
with the most recent projections, and
reserves set-up to assist with
exposure to energy price rises.
Ensure the capital programme is
affordable and all schemes are
evaluated on an ‘invest to save’
basis. Managers to ensure savings
are delivered. DFG demand could
create additional pressure.
Continue to monitor trends,
projections etc and ensure any
significant changes are reported to
both Cabinet and Audit Committee.
Rates are expected to stay low
longer than expected.
Ensure changes in legislation are
monitored, reported to members and
acted upon. There is upside risk with
regards to the setting of planning
fees ensuring costs are fully
recovered.
The Corporate Plan is being revised
and the budget will be formulated in
conjunction with this.
Current analysis would suggest this
will have a minimal impact. The
Council will need to be vigilant with
regards to future leasing agreements.
To continue to monitor locally and
nationally developments on this and
report back to Members when
information is known through the inyear performance and financial
monitoring reports
Risk
16. The Council is reviewing
it’s arrangements for Civil
Parking Enforcement with
LCC which in 2 years further
negotiations could result in the
Council losing excess charge
income from its 5 on street car
parks (an estimated
£215,000).
Likelihood
Medium
Impact
High
Action
To ensure negotiations with LCC
result in an outcome whereby the
Council is not financially
disadvantaged.
In addition to the risks identified we have calculated a sensitivity analysis of several key variables.
We have looked at the sensitivity around fees and charges income, and the impact of price
changes both for typical goods and services and utilities (more detail in the budget report).
The Council will use its budget management processes, reserves and general balances to mitigate
such risks. For example we have provided for £95,000 towards price inflation and exceptional
energy price rises within the Climate Change Reserve.
7.4
Transformation risks
Project
Revenues &
Benefits project
Risk
The risk of the
savings not being
achieved
Likelihood
Medium
Impact
Medium
Website project
The main risk on
this project is the
tight timescale;
also there are two
elements that
need to come
together – the
technical IT side
and the content
management side
Medium
Medium
Action
Tight project
management; regularly
monitoring and
reporting; restructure
underway
Project plan in place
with reporting every 2
weeks to SMT; close
liaison between IT
team and Information
Management group;
web champions to be
identified and trained in
November
7.5
Internal Audit
The next report on the internal audit programme for Quarter 2 will be presented to the Audit
Committee in December 2011.
7.6
External Audit
The council received a favourable Annual Governance Report (AGR) with both the unqualified
opinions on both the Statement of Accounts and the Council’s Value for Money arrangements. The
future audit regime was also discussed as well as proposed fees and charges for 2012/13. The
Council is hopeful, given an improved AGR with the support of the Council’s external auditor, that
the fees will reduce further.
7.7
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee met in September where a number of issues were discussed including risk
management, both the process and the management of strategic risks, and the work programme
for the remainder of the year.
8. Managing people resources
8.1
Staffing levels and salaries
This section of the report provides an overview of staffing levels and associated costs with outturns
against set budgets.
The Council establishment comprises 333 positions. 28 of these positions were vacant as at
30/09/11. Of these vacancies, 2 are key posts within the authority. 22 positions are temporary or
casual posts.
There were 2 positions recruited to during quarter 2. The average time taken (in working days) to
recruit a person was 32 days (measured from the point of advert to acceptance of offer of
employment). This is significantly better than the Q1 performance of 65 days.
As at 30/09/11 we had 283 employees (headcount of permanent staff) equating to 231.89 full time
equivalents.
2.12% of employees are from ethnic minority groups
7.77% of employees have declared a disability according to the definition given in the Disability
Discrimination Act. Of those declaring a disability, the type of impairment is:
Turnover in quarter 2 was 2.12%.
The table below details the salaries costs against budget for the year 2011/12.
Salaries cost to 30/09/2011
Salaries cost forecast to 31/03/2012
8.2
Budget
Actual / Forecast
£4,078,300
£8,156,600
£3,984,739
£8,051,680
(Over) /
Under spend
£93,561
£104,920
Absence
Measuring absence closely allows us to understand causes of absence and also the effects this
has on our capacity to deliver services.
The average number of days lost to sickness absence by Q2 is 5 days compared to a target of 3.5
days.
See performance section for more details (4.4.3)