The Strategy Manager introduced the report and stated that she felt it was positive as 85% of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were on target, and 60% were better than in 2018/19. She highlighted that some KPIs had not reached their target, but more detail was provided within the report, with a ‘route to green’, which focussed on plans in place to ensure the KPI met its target, and any issues were mitigated. She also highlighted the success of the apprenticeships KPI, and stated that the apprentice levy had now been successfully embedded into the Council’s policy, with the end of year apprenticeship target being met in January. She thanked the Committee for their support on this target, including inviting the HR team to discuss apprenticeships in 2019.

The Chair congratulated the team for the positive KPIs and direction of travel. He felt it was good to see the ‘route to green’ being included, and congratulated the team on the successful apprenticeships KPI, which he felt had been championed by Members of the Committee. He drew the Committee’s attention to page 28 of the agenda and the KPI relating to the percentage of waste recycled, reused and composted, as he felt the 30% outturn was low, compared to target. The Director of Strategy, Communications and Customer Services replied that the target had not been met partly due to the ongoing impact of the recent wet weather, as this impacted on the amount of waste being composed, as residents were not out gardening or cutting grass and therefore not putting their brown bins out for collection. She stated that the missed target was also due to issues such as recycling in flats and issues regarding access. She explained that following a pilot scheme, a programme was being launched in May 2020 to tackle recycling in flats, and the Waste Management Working Group were currently consulting residents on their opinions regarding recycling and how to improve it across the borough. She added that there was also detailed analysis and engagement regarding recycling communications, and stated that the message was currently focused on metal recycling, and had previously tackled plastic recycling. She described that the communications team were trying to simplify the message around recycling, as it could be quite a complex topic for residents to understand. She added that the council were also engaging directly with schools to spread the recycling message.

Councillor Ralph stated that he was part of the Waste Management Working Group, and one of their main focusses was education regarding recycling. He added that the team had also worked on a new bin sticker campaign in flats to increase the recycling rate, and help continue to maintain low contamination rates in bins. He added that a public consultation was currently underway, and lots of residents were taking part. Councillor Ralph then questioned the KPI on page 24 regarding the number of young people who reoffend after a previously recorded offence, and stated that the KPI was significantly better than the national average. He felt that crime rates around Thurrock continued to rise, and asked how the data relating to the KPI was collected, and how much the police influenced reoffending rates. The Strategy Manager replied that due to the data collection, the data was in arrears every quarter, but was a specific KPI that related to intervention in young people, rather than the overall crime level.

The Chair stated that as the meeting was inquorate, the recommendations could not be agreed. The Director of Strategy, Communications and Customer Service added that as the report would be presented to Cabinet the following day, comments from the Committee would be included in the Portfolio Holders update.