Agenda item

To present performance against the Council Plan for the period 1 April to 30 June 2021.

Ms Kate Aldridge, Head of Corporate Delivery and Performance provided an overview of the quarter 1 Council Plan performance and noted that there were some gaps in data due to it not being available at the time of writing the report.

In reference to Priority 1: The Economy - Maximising growth and opportunity across Blackpool, Ms Aldridge noted that car park usage indicated a positive tourist season and that the traffic on some key roads had been exceptional. It was meaningless to compare figures to 2020 due to the pandemic but when looking at 2019 there had still been a significant increase in footfall in the town.

In relation to employment, it was noted that there had been difficulties in enabling people to access work due to the pandemic due to the reduce ability to meet with people in person. There had also been a number of retailers leave the town centre resulting in a high vacancy rate of town centre shops.

The Board went on to consider the indicators relating to Priority 2: Communities: Creating Strong Communities and Increasing Resilience and noted that there had been a reduction in the number of looked after children, whilst recognising again the increased costs associated with providing care, and demand remained high. The high level of demand was reflected in Adult Services and in mental health services.

Ms Aldridge reported that the education data was not yet available, however, the number of young people not in education, employment or training was concerning.

In reference to Priority 3: Organisational Resilience it was reported that it was difficult to compare current levels of sickness and absence with previous years due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic. The monitoring of attendance at mandatory training had been put on hold, however, it was noted to be at over 90%. There also remained high satisfaction levels recorded with Customer First.

In response to questions, it was noted that 174 looked after children resided outside of the Blackpool area. This could be due to many reasons including a need to be removed from the town, family members located outside of the area or the right type of care only being available outside of the borough. It was agreed that additional information could be provided on this subject matter following the meeting. Ms Aldridge added that costs to the authority of care were regularly benchmarked with other local authorities and there was a north-west purchasing system in place in order to negotiate with providers.

Members discussed footfall in the town centre and the number of vacant premises in more detail. Concern was raised that vacant shops often appeared unkempt in key areas of the town, which was impacting the image of Blackpool and it was queried what action was being taken in order to attract new business to the town.

Mrs Sharon Davis, Scrutiny Manager advised the Leadership Board that the Tourism, Economy and Communities Scrutiny Committee was undertaking a review of economic development which would include discussion on the town deal. An invite would be extended to members of the Leadership Board to attend and contribute to discussions.

In response to a further question, Ms Aldridge advised that she did not have the figures of how many people living in the FY postcode area had been appointed to the new jobs at the enterprise zone but that the information was recorded and she would provide it following the meeting.

It was further requested that the data on children and young people’s mental health services be provided as soon as it was available.

The Leadership Board agreed:

1.     That further details pertaining to looked after children placed out of the borough be provided following the meeting.

2.     That Kate Aldridge provide the information requested relating to the new jobs at the enterprise zone.

3.     To receive the data on children and young people’s mental health services as soon as possible.