Decision details

(1)  The aims, activities and outcome measures proposed in the draft Portfolio Plan, appended to Report ES13024, be endorsed, taking into consideration the budget for 2013/14, which has already been agreed, and the comments of the Environment PDS Committee at their meeting on 16^th April 2013.

(2)  The setting of detailed service outcome expectations for 2013/14 be delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services, in consultation with the Environment Portfolio Holder and the Chairman of the Environment PDS Committee.

The Environment Portfolio Plan sets out the desired outcomes, priority aims and specific activities for the Portfolio, together with summarised descriptions of associated performance measures.

The Plan is also designed to allow tracking of performance and seeks to facilitate:

·  accountability for the achievement of planned activities and service outcomes for 2012/13; 

·  understanding of the Portfolio’s objectives for 2013/16; and

·  agreement around priority activities and expected service outcomes for 2013/16.

As 2012/13 year-end performance data is unavailable for the current draft Plan, a report will be presented in June 2013 indicating whether outcomes expected for 2012/13 have been achieved and how performance compares with previous years.

Ideally, future service outcome expectations should be set in the light of past performance and with 2012/13 performance data not yet available, the setting of detailed expectations for 2013/14 is delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services subject to Environment Portfolio Holder consultation and consultation with the Chairman of the Environment PDS Committee. Any significant changes to previously agreed expectations will be reported to the Environment PDS Committee at its June meeting and set in the context of past performance data.

At its meeting on 16^th April 2013, the Environment PDS Committee made a number of comments on the Portfolio Plan and these have been taken into account in the final draft of the Plan.