Annual council performance report heard by councillors
Aberdeenshire councillors today welcomed the organisation's performance at a meeting of Full Council earlier.
Each year, they meet to discuss annual cross-service performance. They are presented with a paper which shows a variety of scorings, where services achieved and delivered well over the 2023/24 period.
It also shows areas of the council where more work or progress is required. This is over and above the regular performance reports seen by Policy committees on a regular basis.
The context and detail is set out in this video which was made to support the report.
At the meeting today, those measures across all council services were scrutinised, all reported against what is in the Council Plan. The Plan itself shows commitments made for the people of Aberdeenshire.
The annual performance report provides accountability for councillors, auditors and most importantly communities.
Among the positive highlights from the report
• Just over 80% of primary 1,4 and 7 ages pupils are meeting the expected levels of numeracy in our schools
• More S5 pupils achieve three or more national 5s
• We have an 80% success rate in the Foundation Apprenticeship Programme
• We delivered 248 affordable homes
• More of our care homes were graded as good or better than the national average
• We have worked with nearly 13,000 households to help get them out of poverty by reducing housing costs
• We worked with more than 800 individuals to improve their employability.
• We have reduced our CO2 emissions and energy use in Council buildings
• 82% of council houses now meet the energy efficiency standard for Scotland, which is up on last year.
Area highlights for improvement
• Attendance and participation in Live Life Aberdeenshire activities is below target.
• The household recycling rate is now sitting at just 40% - below the national average of 43%
• The curriculum scores for care experienced young people is below target – and the number of P1,4 and 7 kids in our schools meeting literacy expectations is only 69%.
• We think it is unlikely that we will meet our carbon budget expectations for the year.
• And still only 86% of households have access to superfast broadband in the area, which falls well below the national average of 95%
• There is also work to do further in the areas of employability, planned capital expenditure, communities’ voices being heard, and suitability of our buildings.
• We can tell from the Local Government Benchmarking Framework data, which compares councils across the country, that our performance has declined in a number of measures that they record.
Council Leader Gillian Owen spoke to introduce the paper. She said: “This has been a year marked by both formidable challenges and commendable achievements within our council. It is essential that we acknowledge the difficult financial circumstances that have enveloped the entire public sector.
“We also saw budget papers at committee today and these next to each other reflect the position we are in. Despite the challenges, I am proud to highlight several significant accomplishments over the past year and as we move forward, I am confident that the foundations we have laid this year will enable us to navigate future challenges with renewed vigour and optimism.
Also speaking in the chamber, Deputy Leader Councillor Anne Stirling said: “This comprehensive report not only highlights our key achievements but also candidly addresses the areas where we need to improve.
“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our officers and partners for their unwavering dedication and hard work. Your efforts have been instrumental in achieving the successes we celebrate today, and I am confident that together, we will continue to strive for excellence in serving the people of Aberdeenshire.”